thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-29--How Modern Jihadism Was Co-Invented by the U.S. and Saudi Governments

Another important dispatch from The Greanville Post .
Be sure to share it widely .
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches by historian Eric Zuesse Back in the later Middle Ages , the Roman Catholic Church and its aristocracies had used religious fervor in order to motivate very conservative and devout people to invade foreign countries so as to spread their empire and to not need to rely only on taxes in order to fund these invasions , but also to highly motivate them by their faith in a heavenly reward .
It was far cheaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would n't need to be paid so much ; the reason why they ’ d be far cheaper is that their pay would chiefly come to them in their afterlife ( if at all ) .
That ’ s why people of strong faith were used .
( Aristocracies always rule by deceiving the public , and faith is the way . )
Those invaders were Roman Catholic Crusaders , and they went out on Crusades to spread their faith and so ‘ converted ’ and slaughtered millions of Muslims and Jews , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ and preachers ’ empire , which is the reason why they had been sent out on those missions ( to win ‘ converts ’ ) .
This was charity , after all .
( Today ’ s large tax-exempt non-profits are no different — consistently promoting their aristocracy ’ s invasions , out of ‘ humanitarian ’ concern for the ‘ welfare ’ , or else ‘ souls ’ , of the people they are invading — and , if need be , to kill ‘ bad people ’ .
This has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is .
It ’ s the way to sell imperialism to individuals who won ’ t benefit from imperialism — make mental slaves of them . )
opponent of the pro-German and war-oriented policy of the Union and Progress Party , which represented Turkey ’ s aristocrats , and so that Sheikh was replaced by them , in order to enable a declaration of Islamic Holy War .
Jihad actually had its origin in Turkey ’ s aristocracy — not in the Muslim masses , and not even in the Muslim clergy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ aristocracy , hoping to extend their empire .
It did not result from the public .
And , at that time , relatively few Muslims followed this ‘ Holy ’ command , which is one reason why the Ottoman Empire soon thereafter ended .
The original Islamic version of the Christian Crusades , Islamic Holy War or “ jihad , ” started on 14 November 1914 in Constantinople ( today ’ s Istanbul ) when the Sheikh Hayri Bey , the supreme religious authority in the Ottoman Empire , along with the Ottoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their Muslim followers to take up arms against Britain , France , Russia , Serbia and Montenegro in World War I .
They were on Germany ’ s side , and lost .
( That ’ s the reason why the Ottoman Empire ended . )
Both and the Emperor had actually been selected — and then forced — by Turkey ’ s aristocracy , for them to declare Islamic Holy War at that time .
In fact , the sitting Sheikh , , in 1913 , was actually anof the pro-German @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Progress Party , which represented Turkey ’ s aristocrats , and so that Sheikh was replaced by them , in order to enable a declaration of Islamic Holy War .
Jihad actually had its origin in Turkey ’ s aristocracy — not in the Muslim masses , and not even in the Muslim clergy .
It resulted from an overly ambitious Turkish aristocracy , hoping to extend their empire .
It did not result from the public .
And , at that time , relatively few Muslims followed this ‘ Holy ’ command @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ottoman Empire soon thereafter ended .
The fact that the decision about the Armenians was made after a great deal of thought , based on extensive debate and discussion by the Central Committee of the CUP [ Committee for Union and Progress ] , can be understood by looking at other sources of information as well .
The indictment of the Main Trial states as follows : ‘ ‘ The murder and annihilation of the Armenians was a decision taken by the Central Committee of the Union and Progress Party.
’ ’ These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long and extensive discussions.
’ ’ In the indictment are the statements of Dr. Nazım to the effect that ‘ ‘ it was a matter taken by the Central Committee after thinking through all sides of the issue ’ ’ and that it was ‘ ‘ an attempt to reach a final solution to the Eastern Question.
’ ’ 54 In his memoirs , which were published in the newspaper Vakit , Celal , the governor of Aleppo , describes the same words being spoken to him by a deputy of the Ottoman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ ‘ greeting of a member of the Central Committee.
’ ’ This deputy told Celal that if he had ‘ ‘ expressed an opinion that opposed the point of view of the others , [ he would ] have been expelled.
’ ’ 55 The new jihad , or Islamic version of the Crusades , is , however , very different from the one that had started on 14 November 1914 .
It wasn ’ t Turkish , it instead came straight from Turkey ’ s top competitor to lead the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who owned Saudi Arabia , the Sauds .
But they partnered with America ’ s aristocracy , in creating it .
So : whereas on the American end this was mainly a Roman Catholic versus Orthodox operation , it was mainly a Sunni versus Shiite operation on the Saudi end .
Here ’ s more of the personal background regarding the co-creation , by the aristocracies of America and of Saudi Arabia , of today ’ s jihadism , or “ radical Islamic terrorism ” : Whereas Nelson Rockefeller in the Republican Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the geostrategist and National Security Advisor , David Rockefeller in the Democratic Party sponsored Harvard ’ s and then Columbia ’ s Zbigniew Brzezinski as the geostrategist and National Security Advisor .
The Rockefeller family was centrally involved in controlling the U.S. Government .
The Syrian government crackdown on the dissenting northern city of Idlib has continued for a third day , with casualties from random shelling and sniper fire mounting , and growing concerns for many citizens detained by government forces .
“ I ca n't tell you what an unequal contest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we felt yesterday applied to it was ‘ Shooting fish in a barrel ’ - these people ca n't escape , they ca n't help themselves , they have very little weaponry , what can they do but sit there and take it ?
” The UK Government had given Qatar to the Thanis in 1868 .
On , Mohammed Bin Thani signed “ an agreement with the British Political Resident Col. Lewis Pelly , which was considered as the first international recognition of the sovereignty of Qatar ” ; so , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Queen Victoria gave Qatar to his family , which owns it , to the present day .
The Thanis are the leading financial backers of the Muslim Brotherhood , which spreads Thani influence to foreign countries .
( At least up till 9/11 , the Saud family have been the main financial backers of Al Qaeda . )
The Thanis have been , along with the Sauds , the main financial backers of replacing the non-sectarian Syrian Government by a fundamentalist-Sunni Syrian Government .
Whereas the Sauds want to control that new government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is one reason for the recent falling-out between those two families .
America ’ s aristocracy prefers that Syria ’ s rulers will be selected by the Saud family , because they buy more weapons from the U.S. than does any other country .
However , everything is transactional between aristocracies , and , so , international alliances can change .
It ’ s always a jostling , everyone grabbing for whatever they can get : aristocracies operate no differently than crime-families do , because FDR ’ s dream of an anti-imperialistic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international laws , died when he did ; we live instead in an internationally lawless world — he died far too soon .
In a sense ( at least ideologically ) , Hitler won , but , actually , Churchill did ( he was as much an imperialist as Hitler and Mussolini were ) .
The Government is doing that because at this final stage in the 7-year-long war , it wants civilian deaths and additional destruction of buildings to be kept to a minimum , and so is offering jihadists the option @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight to the death ( which would then require Syria ’ s Government to destroy the entire area that ’ s occupied by the terrorists ) ; this way , these final clean-up operations against the terrorists won ’ t necessarily require bombing whole neighborhoods — surrenders thus become likelier , so as to end the war as soon as possible , and to keep destruction and civilian casualties at a minimum .
Members of the General Assembly must be in good financial standing to vote .
Dues are on a sliding scale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against targeted members , nor crimes of war involved in their destruction .
As such , CAR , Libya , Venezuela and Yemen have been stripped of their voting rights .
The non-permanent SC members function as obedient House Servants to the P3 bullies , ever mindful of placing self-preservation above moral integrity .
So Truman ’ s U.N. turns out to be on the side of the new Nazism , against its victims .
against Christianity , because he knows that NATO ’ s other aristocracies — all of them majority-Christian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respective Christian-majority countries — don ’ t really give a damn about that .
Amongst themselves , the concern for ‘ heaven ’ is all just for show , because they are far more interested to buy Paradise in the here-and-now , for themselves and for their families .
As for any possible ‘ afterlife ’ , it will be reflected in the big buildings and charities that will bear their names , after they ’ re gone .
Erdogan feels safe , knowing that they ’ re all psychopaths .
And , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Libya , even in Turkey itself — they don ’ t matter , to him , any more than they do to the leaders of those other NATO countries .
Erdogan wants to be with the winners .
He evidently believes that whatever empire he ’ ll be able to have will be just a vassal nation within the U.S .
Empire .
He had been , but , apparently , he now does .
And so , now , Erdogan has become so confident that he has the backing of Christian-majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , which “ the world 's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years , until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520 , ” has finally become officially declared by the Turkish Government to be , instead , a mosque .
He feels safe enough to insult the publics in the other NATO countries so as to be able now to assert publicly his support for IslamChristianity , because he knows that NATO ’ saristocracies — all of them majority-Christian , and all of these aristocrats ruling their respective Christian-majority countries — don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
Amongst themselves , the concern for ‘ heaven ’ is all just for show , because they are far more interested to buy Paradise in the here-and-now , for themselves and for their families .
As for any possible ‘ afterlife ’ , it will be reflected in the big buildings and charities that will bear their names , after they ’ re gone .
Erdogan feels safe , knowing that they ’ re all psychopaths .
And , as for the publics anywhere — Syria , Libya , even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter , to him , any more than they do to the leaders of those other NATO countries .
Turkish forces started recruiting numbers of its armed fighters to send them to Azerbaijan in order to assist the Azerbaijani forces in confronting the Armenian army .
According to sources , Turkey opened special promotion offices in different parts of Afrin northern Aleppo , to attract the militants and encourage them to sign contracts by which they would move to fight in Azerbaijan for a period of six months , renewable in case they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the militants receive a monthly salary of $ 2500 , while the advantage of granting Turkish citizenship to the families of the militants in case they died is absent , contrary to the contracts that Turkey had signed with the armed men who wanted to move to Libya .
The sources said that Turkey has designated centers for registering militants wishing to fight in Azerbaijan within the towns of Genderes and Raju , along with Afrin city , and these centers have already started receiving requests by the militants .
So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas of Syria that Turkey has captured , and sending those men “ to assist the Azerbaijani forces in confronting the Armenian army , ” is likewise consistent with the NATO member-country Turkey ’ s restoration of its former Ottoman Empire .
Using these jihadist proxy-soldiers , NATO is now invading Christian Armenia .
If history is any guide , aristocratic interests will take precedence over theocratic interests , but democratic interests — the interests of the publics that are involved — will be entirely ignored .
The sheer hypocrisy of the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights ’ ) exceeds anything in human history .
How can anybody not loathe the U.S. regime and its allies ?
Only by getting one ’ s ‘ news ’ from its ‘ news ’ -media — especially ( but not only ) its mainstream ones .

Another important dispatch from The Greanville Post. Be sure to share it widely.
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches by historian Eric Zuesse
Modern jihadism was co-invented in 1979 by Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan al Saud, and U.S. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, working together, and here is the background for it, and the way — and the reasons — that it was done:
Back in the later Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church and its aristocracies had used religious fervor in order to motivate very conservative and devout people to invade foreign countries so as to spread their empire and to not need to rely only on taxes in order to fund these invasions, but also to highly motivate them by their faith in a heavenly reward. It was far cheaper this way, because these invading forces wouldn't need to be paid so much; the reason why they’d be far cheaper is that their pay would chiefly come to them in their afterlife (if at all). That’s why people of strong faith were used. (Aristocracies always rule by deceiving the public, and faith is the way.) Those invaders were Roman Catholic Crusaders, and they went out on Crusades to spread their faith and so ‘converted’ and slaughtered millions of Muslims and Jews, so as to expand actually the aristocracies’ and preachers’ empire, which is the reason why they had been sent out on those missions (to win ‘converts’). This was charity, after all. (Today’s large tax-exempt non-profits are no different — consistently promoting their aristocracy’s invasions, out of ‘humanitarian’ concern for the ‘welfare’, or else ‘souls’, of the people they are invading — and, if need be, to kill ‘bad people’. This has been the reality. And it still is. It’s the way to sell imperialism to individuals who won’t benefit from imperialism — make mental slaves of them.)
The fact that the decision about the Armenians was made after a great deal of thought, based on extensive debate and discussion by the Central Committee of the CUP [Committee for Union and Progress], can be understood by looking at other sources of information as well. The indictment of the Main Trial states as follows: ‘‘The murder and annihilation of the Armenians was a decision taken by the Central Committee of the Union and Progress Party.’’ These decisions were the result of ‘‘long and extensive discussions.’’ In the indictment are the statements of Dr. Nazım to the effect that ‘‘it was a matter taken by the Central Committee after thinking through all sides of the issue’’ and that it was ‘‘an attempt to reach a final solution to the Eastern Question.’’54 In his memoirs, which were published in the newspaper Vakit, Celal, the governor of Aleppo, describes the same words being spoken to him by a deputy of the Ottoman Parliament from Konya, coming as a ‘‘greeting of a member of the Central Committee.’’ This deputy told Celal that if he had ‘‘expressed an opinion that opposed the point of view of the others, [he would] have been expelled.’’55
(And, consequently, when Hitler allegedly — on 22 August 1939 , right before his invasion of Poland which started WW II, and it is on page 2 here , but the sincerity and even the authenticity of that alleged private ‘speech’ by him should be questioned and not accepted outright by historians — cited Turkey’s genocide against Armenian Christians as being proof that genocide is acceptable, Hitler would actually have been citing there not only a Muslim proponent of genocide, but an ally of Germany who had actually done it, because the Ottoman Empire’s aristocracy had been both Muslim and German-allied. Hitler would, in that ‘speech’, if he actually said it, have been citing that earlier ally of Germany, which had actually genocided Christians. The genocide happened, even if that speech mentioning it was concocted by some propagandist during WW II.)
The new jihad, or Islamic version of the Crusades, is, however, very different from the one that had started on 14 November 1914. It wasn’t Turkish, it instead came straight from Turkey’s top competitor to lead the world’s Muslims, the royal family who owned Saudi Arabia, the Sauds. But they partnered with America’s aristocracy, in creating it.
Today’s jihadism started in 1979, when U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski (a born Polish nobleman), and his colleague Prince Bandar bin Sultan al Saud, re-created jihad or Islamic Holy War, in order to produce a dirt-cheap army of Pakistani fundamentalist Sunni students or “mujahideen,” soon to be renamed Taliban (Pashto & Persian ṭālibān, plural of ṭālib student, seeker, from Arabic) so as to invade and conquer next door to the Soviet Union the newly Soviet-allied Afghanistan, and to turn it ‘pro-Western’, now meaning both anti-Soviet, and anti-Shiite. (The Saud family hate Shiites, and so do America’s aristocrats, whose CIA had conquered Shiite Iran in 1953, and who became outraged when Shiites retook Iran in 1979. And, from then on, America’s aristocracy, too, have hated Shiites and have craved to re-conquer Iran. By contrast, the Sauds had started in 1744 to hate Shiites.) So, modern Islamic Holy War started amongst fundamentalist Sunnis in Pakistan in 1979, against both the Soviets and the Iranians (and now against both Russia and Iran). Here is a video of Brzezinski actually doing that — starting the “mujahideen” (subsequently to become the Taliban) onto this ‘Holy War’:
Brzezinski , incidentally, had been born a Roman Catholic Polish aristocrat whose parents hated and despised Russians, and this hostility went back to the ancient conflicts between the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox Churches.
So: whereas on the American end this was mainly a Roman Catholic versus Orthodox operation, it was mainly a Sunni versus Shiite operation on the Saudi end.
Here’s more of the personal background regarding the co-creation, by the aristocracies of America and of Saudi Arabia, of today’s jihadism, or “radical Islamic terrorism”:
Whereas Nelson Rockefeller in the Republican Party sponsored Harvard’s Henry Kissinger as the geostrategist and National Security Advisor, David Rockefeller in the Democratic Party sponsored Harvard’s and then Columbia’s Zbigniew Brzezinski as the geostrategist and National Security Advisor. The Rockefeller family was centrally involved in controlling the U.S. Government.
According to pages 41-44 of David B. Ottaway’s 2008 The King’s Messenger: Prince Bandar , U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whose National Security Advisor was Brzezinski, personally requested and received advice from a certain graduate student at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan al Saud, regarding geostrategy. At the time, Brzezinski commented favorably on Bandar’s graduate thesis. But that’s not all. “Secretly, Carter had already turned to the kingdom for help, calling in Bandar and asking him to deliver a message to [King] Fahd pleading for an increase in Saudi [oil] production. Fahd’s reply, according to Bandar, was ‘Tell my friend, the president of the United States of America, when they need our help, they will not be disappointed.’13 The king was true to his world.” However, Bandar’s advice went beyond oil. And the re-creation, of the fundamentalist-Sunni movement (amongst only fundamentalist Sunni Muslims, both in 1914 and in 1979), that now is called “jihadism,” was a joint idea, from both Brzezinski and Bandar.
It was the United States that, together with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan, dispatched the jihadists to Afghanistan. Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia played a key role in those operations, with Saudi Arabia providing the key financial, military and human support for them. The kingdom encouraged its citizens to go to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet army. One such citizen was Osama bin Laden. Saudi Arabia agreed to match, dollar for dollar, any funds that the CIA could raise for the operations. The U.S. provided Pakistan with $3.2 billion , and Saudi Arabia bought weapons from everywhere, including international black markets, and sent them to Afghanistan through Pakistan’s ISI.
That was then, and this is now, but it is merely an extension of that same operation, even after the Soviet Union and its communism and its Warsaw Pact military alliance all ended in 1991, and Russia ended its side of the Cold War but the United States secretly continued its side , as is shown here, by an example. This example, of America’s continuing its Cold War, is America’s longstanding effort, after the death of FDR in 1945, to overthrow and replace Syria’s pro-Russian Government and install instead a Syrian Government that will be controlled by the Sauds:
So, in this new ‘Islamic holy war’, to overthrow Syria’s non-sectarian Government, the fighters entered Syria through Turkey, and they were welcomed mainly in Syria’s province of Idlib, which adjoins Turkey.
On 13 March 2012, the Al Jazeera TV station, of the pro-jihad Thani royal family of Qatar, headlined “Inside Idlib: Saving Syria” , and opened
The Syrian government crackdown on the dissenting northern city of Idlib has continued for a third day, with casualties from random shelling and sniper fire mounting, and growing concerns for many citizens detained by government forces. “I can't tell you what an unequal contest this is .... The phrase that we felt yesterday applied to it was ‘Shooting fish in a barrel’ - these people can't escape, they can't help themselves, they have very little weaponry, what can they do but sit there and take it?”
The UK Government had given Qatar to the Thanis in 1868. On 12 September 1868 , Mohammed Bin Thani signed “an agreement with the British Political Resident Col. Lewis Pelly, which was considered as the first international recognition of the sovereignty of Qatar”; so, on that precise day, Britain’s Queen Victoria gave Qatar to his family, which owns it, to the present day. The Thanis are the leading financial backers of the Muslim Brotherhood, which spreads Thani influence to foreign countries. (At least up till 9/11, the Saud family have been the main financial backers of Al Qaeda .) The Thanis have been, along with the Sauds, the main financial backers of replacing the non-sectarian Syrian Government by a fundamentalist-Sunni Syrian Government. Whereas the Sauds want to control that new government, also the Thanis do, and this is one reason for the recent falling-out between those two families. America’s aristocracy prefers that Syria’s rulers will be selected by the Saud family, because they buy more weapons from the U.S. than does any other country. However, everything is transactional between aristocracies, and, so, international alliances can change. It’s always a jostling, everyone grabbing for whatever they can get: aristocracies operate no differently than crime-families do, because FDR’s dream of an anti-imperialistic U.N., which would set and enforce international laws, died when he did; we live instead in an internationally lawless world — he died far too soon. In a sense (at least ideologically), Hitler won, but, actually, Churchill did (he was as much an imperialist as Hitler and Mussolini were).
Financial Times headlined Anyway, uncounted tens of thousands of jihadists from all over the world descended upon Syria, funded by the Sauds and the Thanis, and armed and trained by the United States, to conquer Syria. At the Syrian Government’s request, Russia started bombing the jihadists on 30 September 2015 . That air-support for the Syrian Army turned the war around. By the time of 4 May 2018, Britain’sheadlined “Idlib offers uncertain sanctuary to Syria’s defeated rebels” (“rebels” being the U.S. and UK Governments’ term for jihadists who were serving as the U.S., Saud and Thani, proxy-forces or mercenaries to conquer Syria) and reported (stenographically transmitting what the CIA and MI6 told them to say) that, “more than 70,000 rebels and civilians” — meaning jihadists and their families — who were “fleeing … the last rebel holdout near the capital,” had been given a choice, and this “choice was die in Ghouta, or leave for Idlib,” and chose to get onto the Government-supplied buses taking them to Idlib. So, perhaps unnumbered hundreds of thousands of jihadists did that, from all over Syria, and collecting them in Idlib.
As I reported on 10 May 2018:
On May 8th, Syria’s Government bannered, “6th batch of terrorists leave southern Damascus for northern Syria” and reported that “During the past five days, 218 buses carrying … terrorists with their families exited from the three towns to Jarablos and Idleb under the supervision of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.” Jarablos (or “ Jarabulus ”) is a town or “District” in the Aleppo Governate; and Idleb (or “ Idlib ”) is the capital District in the adjoining Governate of Idlib, which Governate is immediately to the west of Aleppo Governate; and both Jarabulus and Idlib border on Turkey to the north. Those two towns in Syria’s far northwest are where captured jihadists are now being sent.
The Government is doing that because at this final stage in the 7-year-long war, it wants civilian deaths and additional destruction of buildings to be kept to a minimum, and so is offering jihadists the option of surviving instead of being forced to fight to the death (which would then require Syria’s Government to destroy the entire area that’s occupied by the terrorists); this way, these final clean-up operations against the terrorists won’t necessarily require bombing whole neighborhoods — surrenders thus become likelier, so as to end the war as soon as possible, and to keep destruction and civilian casualties at a minimum.
The Syrian and Russian Governments had planned to finish them off there in Idlib, so that none of them could escape back into their home countries to continue their jihad. However, the U.S. and its allies raised ‘humanitarian’ screams at the U.N. and other international organizations, in order to protect the ‘rebels’ against the ‘barbarous dictator’ of Syria, its President, Bashar al-Assad — just in order to create more anti-Assad (and anti-Russian, and anti-Iranian) propaganda. And, so, on 9 and 10 September 2018, Putin and Erdogan and Rouhani met in Rouhani’s Tehran to decide what to do. By that time, Erdogan was riding the fence between Washington and Moscow. On 17 September 2018, I headlined “Putin and Erdogan Plan Syria-Idlib DMZ as I Recommended” and reported that Putin and Rouhani entrusted Idlib to Erdogan, with the expectation that Erdogan would keep the jihadists penned-up there, so that Putin and Assad would be able to bomb them to hell after the ‘humanitarian crisis’ in Idlib would be no longer on front pages.
As things turned out, Erdogan double-crossed Putin and Rouhani, and just grabbed the territory
The role of the United Nations in this has been to stand aside and pretend that it’s a ‘humanitarian crisis’ (as the U.S. regime wanted it to be called) instead of a U.S.-and-allied invasion, aggressive war, and consequently a vast war-crime such as Hitler’s top leaders were prosecuted and executed for at Nuremberg. As Miri Wood wrote, at Syria News, on 28 February 2018
Members of the General Assembly must be in good financial standing to vote. Dues are on a sliding scale but do not factor in draconian sanctions against targeted members, nor crimes of war involved in their destruction. As such, CAR, Libya, Venezuela and Yemen have been stripped of their voting rights. The non-permanent SC members function as obedient House Servants to the P3 bullies, ever mindful of placing self-preservation above moral integrity.
So Truman’s U.N. turns out to be on the side of the new Nazism, against its victims.
against Christianity, because he knows that NATO’s other aristocracies — all of them majority-Christian, and all of these aristocrats ruling their respective Christian-majority countries — don’t really give a damn about that. Amongst themselves, the concern for ‘heaven’ is all just for show, because they are far more interested to buy Paradise in the here-and-now, for themselves and for their families. As for any possible ‘afterlife’, it will be reflected in the big buildings and charities that will bear their names, after they’re gone. Erdogan feels safe, knowing that they’re all psychopaths. And, as for the publics anywhere — Syria, Libya, even in Turkey itself — they don’t matter, to him, any more than they do to the leaders of those other NATO countries. Erdogan wants to be with the winners. He evidently believes that whatever empire he’ll be able to have will be just a vassal nation within the U.S. Empire. He had been extremely reluctant to accept this viewpoint , but, apparently, he now does. And so, now, Erdogan has become so confident that he has the backing of Christian-majority America and of Christian-majority Europe, so that Turkey’s Hagia Sophia , which had been “the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520,” has finally become officially declared by the Turkish Government to be, instead, a mosque. He feels safe enough to insult the publics in the other NATO countries so as to be able now to assert publicly his support for IslamChristianity, because he knows that NATO’saristocracies — all of them majority-Christian, and all of these aristocrats ruling their respective Christian-majority countries — don’t really give a damn about that. Amongst themselves, the concern for ‘heaven’ is all just for show, because they are far more interested to buy Paradise in the here-and-now, for themselves and for their families. As for any possible ‘afterlife’, it will be reflected in the big buildings and charities that will bear their names, after they’re gone. Erdogan feels safe, knowing that they’re all psychopaths. And, as for the publics anywhere — Syria, Libya, even in Turkey itself — they don’t matter, to him, any more than they do to the leaders of those other NATO countries.
Consequently, too, on July 18th, the American Herald Tribune headlined “As It Did in Libya, Turkey Recruits Syrian Militants to Fight in Azerbaijan” , and Khaled Iskef, a journalist for Beirut’s Almaydeen TV, reported, based on unnamed “private sources in the northern countryside of Aleppo,” that
Turkish forces started recruiting numbers of its armed fighters to send them to Azerbaijan in order to assist the Azerbaijani forces in confronting the Armenian army.
According to sources, Turkey opened special promotion offices in different parts of Afrin northern Aleppo, to attract the militants and encourage them to sign contracts by which they would move to fight in Azerbaijan for a period of six months, renewable in case they wanted to.
According to the contract, the militants receive a monthly salary of $2500, while the advantage of granting Turkish citizenship to the families of the militants in case they died is absent, contrary to the contracts that Turkey had signed with the armed men who wanted to move to Libya.
The sources said that Turkey has designated centers for registering militants wishing to fight in Azerbaijan within the towns of Genderes and Raju, along with Afrin city, and these centers have already started receiving requests by the militants.
Armenia is virtually 100% Christian, and, according to Wikipedia
So, the recruitment of fundamentalist-Sunni mercenaries in the areas of Syria that Turkey has captured, and sending those men “to assist the Azerbaijani forces in confronting the Armenian army,” is likewise consistent with the NATO member-country Turkey’s restoration of its former Ottoman Empire. Using these jihadist proxy-soldiers, NATO is now invading Christian Armenia.
However, Iskef was reporting without paying any attention to the aristocratic interests which were actually very much involved in what Erdogan was doing here. On July 19th, Cyril Widdershoven at the “Oil Price” site bannered “The Forgotten Conflict That Is Threatening Energy Markets” and he reported the economic geostrategic factors which were at stake in this now-emerging likely hot war, which is yet another “pipeline war,” and which pits Turkey against Russia. In this particular matter, Turkey has an authentic economic reason to become engaged in a possible hot war allied with Muslim Azerbaijan against Christian Armenia. Russia, yet again, would be backing Christian soldiers. Of course, NATO, also yet again, would be on the Muslim side, against the Christians. But, this time, NATO would be backing Azerbaijan, which is 85% Shiite. Consequently, in such a conflict, the U.S. could end up on the same side as Iran, and against Russia.
If history is any guide, aristocratic interests will take precedence over theocratic interests, but democratic interests — the interests of the publics that are involved — will be entirely ignored. The sheer hypocrisy of the U.S. regime (‘defending democracy and human rights’) exceeds anything in human history.
How can anybody not loathe the U.S. regime and its allies? Only by getting one’s ‘news’ from its ‘news’-media — especially (but not only) its mainstream ones.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-29--Russia Report… A Triumph of Orwellian Bombast

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
Get this , folks : As befits a glorified puppet state , the British media are often more vile than their American cousins , and same goes for the Brits ' security agencies .
The sensational headlines screaming on the front pages of British newspapers this week showed that the parliamentary Russia Report was a triumph of bombast .
The Daily Mail led with “ Damning Russia Dossier ” while The Times heralded “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Tough new laws will combat threat of Russian spies ” .
The Times also splashed its front page with a large photograph of Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly lurking behind a curtain , which just goes to show how much British journalism has descended into cartoonish trivia .
There is sound reason why the British government delayed until this week publication of the so-called Russia Report by a cross-party parliamentary committee .
That ’ s plainly because there is nothing in it that could in any way substantiate lurid claims of alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 55-page document was neither “ damning ” nor “ devastating ” as The Daily Mail asserted .
The groundless hype suggests that the headline writers simply were looking for something to sell to readers regardless of facts .
Boris Johnson , the prime minister , received a copy of the report 10 months ago , but decided to postpone its publication until after the general election that was held in December .
That delay led to claims that his Conservative government was hiding something sinister .
There were procedural hiccups from the Intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replaced with new members .
However , now that the report is published any rationale reader can see that the real cause of the delay is down to the report being a dud , despite all the breathless speculation .
It is an empty vessel , with no evidence or substantive detail .
It consists of entirely prejudiced assertions that Russia is “ a hostile state ” and the UK “ is clearly a target for Russia disinformation campaigns and political influence ” .
The nine lawmakers on the committee and their nine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report the following individuals : Anne Applebaum , William Browder and Christopher Steele .
All of them are zealously anti-Russia and are prodigious purveyors of “ Russian interference ” narratives to anyone who will listen to them .
Steele is the notorious former MI6 spy who cooked up the ludicrous “ Russia Dossier ” for the Democrats to smear Trump with in the 2016 elections .
That dossier fueled the bogus “ Russiagate ” scandal .
Of course , the main sources for the parliamentary committee are British intelligence agencies , MI6 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all those sources should underscore with redlines that the so-called report is nothing but a propaganda screed .
Yet the British media treat it with deference and respect as if it is a credible , objective assessment .
What is rather laughable is the unrestrained prejudice of the authors who are , in reality , propagandists more suited to being frozen in Cold War mentality than offering any kind of “ expertise ” .
They claim Russian politics is “ paranoid ” and “ nihilistic ” driven by “ zero-sum calculation ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the authors of this report and their sources .
It is rather telling that in place of anything resembling substance of alleged Russian interference , the parliamentarians refer to “ open sources ” of media influence by Russian state-owned RT and Sputnik .
They accuse these media of “ direct support of a pro-Russian narrative in relation to particular events ” .
Oh , how shocking !
And the British state-owned BBC does not also do the same ?
Again referring to “ open sources ” – meaning public media reports – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Scottish referendum on independence back in 2014 .
So just because Russian news media featured that subject in its coverage is supposed to be “ evidence ” of Kremlin interference .
The absurd accusation is also a convenient way to smear Scottish pro-independence .
Oddly enough , the report says there was no manifest Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum .
Well that ’ s handy .
The Tory government wouldn ’ t want to smear its ambitions of reviving the British empire , that ’ s for sure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is “ not worth a penny ” , as Russian lawmaker Aleksy Chepa put it .
It is loaded with complacent British self-regard and knee-jerk Russophobia .
The parliamentarians repeatedly rebuke the British government and state intelligence for not taking the “ threat ” of alleged Russian meddling seriously enough .
A more plausible explanation is because there is negligible Russian meddling in British politics , as Moscow has consistently stated .
If the British government and its spooks fail to get excited – in private – about allegations of Russian malfeasance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing to the allegations .
Still , the parliamentarian anti-Russia ideologues assume to know better .
They are convinced that Britain is a target for Kremlin hostility and they lambast the government and intelligence services for “ not making it a priority issue ” .
The Orwellian plot thickens when the authors of the boilerplate Russian Report then conclude by urging MI5 to be given more secretive powers to collaborate with social media networks in order to control information in the name of combating a “ hostile state threat ” .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dictatorship for censoring and blackballing any dissenting views under the guise of “ defending democracy ” .
One area where the ISC document begins to deal with reality – but only superficially and misleadingly – is on the subject of super-rich Russian expatriates living in London , which is dubbed “ Londongrad ” .
Many of these oligarchs are beneficiaries of looting Russian state assets during the privatization-robbery frenzy under former President Boris Yeltsin .
They are not “ friends of Putin ” as the British lawmakers make out .
These shady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conservative party , not because they want to inject pro-Russian influence , but rather because they are typically opposed to the current Russian government and are seeking to destabilize it .
If there is any Russian “ influence ” in British politics it is that which promotes illegal regime-change policies in opposition to the Russian state .
In every aspect the much-vaunted Russia Report is a worthless pile of propaganda .
Even a glimmer resembling something real – the Russian oligarchs in Londongrad – turns out to be an inversion of reality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ media amplify the nonsense with reverence and gravitas .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
Get this, folks: As befits a glorified puppet state, the British media are often more vile than their American cousins, and same goes for the Brits' security agencies.
Finian Cunningham
The sensational headlines screaming on the front pages of British newspapers this week showed that the parliamentary Russia Report was a triumph of bombast.
The Daily Mail led with “Damning Russia Dossier” while The Times heralded “MI5 to get more powers” and “Tough new laws will combat threat of Russian spies”. The Times also splashed its front page with a large photograph of Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly lurking behind a curtain, which just goes to show how much British journalism has descended into cartoonish trivia.
There is sound reason why the British government delayed until this week publication of the so-called Russia Report by a cross-party parliamentary committee. That’s plainly because there is nothing in it that could in any way substantiate lurid claims of alleged Russian interference in British politics.
The 55-page document was neither “damning” nor “devastating” as The Daily Mail asserted. The groundless hype suggests that the headline writers simply were looking for something to sell to readers regardless of facts.
Boris Johnson, the prime minister, received a copy of the report 10 months ago, but decided to postpone its publication until after the general election that was held in December. That delay led to claims that his Conservative government was hiding something sinister. There were procedural hiccups from the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) being replaced with new members. However, now that the report is published any rationale reader can see that the real cause of the delay is down to the report being a dud, despite all the breathless speculation. It is an empty vessel, with no evidence or substantive detail. It consists of entirely prejudiced assertions that Russia is “a hostile state” and the UK “is clearly a target for Russia disinformation campaigns and political influence”.
The nine lawmakers on the committee and their nine predecessors acknowledge among their sources for the report the following individuals: Anne Applebaum, William Browder and Christopher Steele. All of them are zealously anti-Russia and are prodigious purveyors of “Russian interference” narratives to anyone who will listen to them. Steele is the notorious former MI6 spy who cooked up the ludicrous “Russia Dossier” for the Democrats to smear Trump with in the 2016 elections. That dossier fueled the bogus “Russiagate” scandal.
Of course, the main sources for the parliamentary committee are British intelligence agencies, MI6, MI5 and GCHQ. Candid admission of all those sources should underscore with redlines that the so-called report is nothing but a propaganda screed. Yet the British media treat it with deference and respect as if it is a credible, objective assessment.
What is rather laughable is the unrestrained prejudice of the authors who are, in reality, propagandists more suited to being frozen in Cold War mentality than offering any kind of “expertise”. They claim Russian politics is “paranoid” and “nihilistic” driven by “zero-sum calculation”. All those attributed defects are merely self-projection by the authors of this report and their sources.
It is rather telling that in place of anything resembling substance of alleged Russian interference, the parliamentarians refer to “open sources” of media influence by Russian state-owned RT and Sputnik. They accuse these media of “direct support of a pro-Russian narrative in relation to particular events”. Oh, how shocking! And the British state-owned BBC does not also do the same?
Again referring to “open sources” – meaning public media reports – the parliamentarians claim that the Kremlin interfered in the Scottish referendum on independence back in 2014. So just because Russian news media featured that subject in its coverage is supposed to be “evidence” of Kremlin interference. The absurd accusation is also a convenient way to smear Scottish pro-independence.
Oddly enough, the report says there was no manifest Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum. Well that’s handy. The Tory government wouldn’t want to smear its ambitions of reviving the British empire, that’s for sure.
The ISC publication is a self-serving dud that is “not worth a penny”, as Russian lawmaker Aleksy Chepa put it.
It is loaded with complacent British self-regard and knee-jerk Russophobia.
The parliamentarians repeatedly rebuke the British government and state intelligence for not taking the “threat” of alleged Russian meddling seriously enough.
A more plausible explanation is because there is negligible Russian meddling in British politics, as Moscow has consistently stated. If the British government and its spooks fail to get excited – in private – about allegations of Russian malfeasance it’s because there is actually nothing to the allegations. Still, the parliamentarian anti-Russia ideologues assume to know better. They are convinced that Britain is a target for Kremlin hostility and they lambast the government and intelligence services for “not making it a priority issue”.
The Orwellian plot thickens when the authors of the boilerplate Russian Report then conclude by urging MI5 to be given more secretive powers to collaborate with social media networks in order to control information in the name of combating a “hostile state threat”. This is a sinister, anti-democratic call worthy of a dictatorship for censoring and blackballing any dissenting views under the guise of “defending democracy”.
One area where the ISC document begins to deal with reality – but only superficially and misleadingly – is on the subject of super-rich Russian expatriates living in London, which is dubbed “Londongrad”. Many of these oligarchs are beneficiaries of looting Russian state assets during the privatization-robbery frenzy under former President Boris Yeltsin. They are not “friends of Putin” as the British lawmakers make out. These shady oligarchs are often big donors to the Conservative party, not because they want to inject pro-Russian influence, but rather because they are typically opposed to the current Russian government and are seeking to destabilize it. If there is any Russian “influence” in British politics it is that which promotes illegal regime-change policies in opposition to the Russian state.
In every aspect the much-vaunted Russia Report is a worthless pile of propaganda. Even a glimmer resembling something real – the Russian oligarchs in Londongrad – turns out to be an inversion of reality. And yet, pathetically, the British media amplify the nonsense with reverence and gravitas.
Finian CUNNINGHAM Former editor and writer for major news media organizations. He has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. Former editor and writer for major news media organizations. He has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-30--What happened —and didn’t happen— at the Israel-Lebanon border?

On the night of Sunday , July 19th , airstrikes hit Damascus International Airport .
Though Israel didn ’ t claim responsibility for them , sticking to their longtime “ zone of denial ” policy , no one doubts they were the perpetrators .
On Monday , the Syrian Army announced 7 soldiers were injured .
It could have been one strike among hundreds of others , soon forgotten because of the lack of Syrian retaliatory measure .
But the day after , Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of one of its combatants , Ali Kamel Mohsen , killed during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Arab affairs put it in a tweet , this announcement “ certainly changes the picture ” .
In fact , it is an understatement : it turned a tactical success into a PR disaster for the Netanyahu government , and a nightmare for the Israeli ’ s Army Northern Command and settlers living close to the Lebanese border .
Because as everyone knew , a Hezbollah retaliation was inevitable .
We can not understand what is happening now if we don ’ t put it in its broader context .
Hezbollah ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syria were spelled out in January 2015 , after Israel targeted two of their vehicles in Syria ’ s Quneitra region , killing 6 Hezbollah fighters ( including Jihad Moghniyeh , son of Hezbollah ’ s martyred commander Imad Moghniyeh ) , along with an Iranian IRGC colonel .
Back then , Nasrallah didn ’ t make any speech until the retaliation , which came out 10 days later , on January 28 , when Hezbollah destroyed 3 vehicles in an Israeli convoy patrolling the occupied Shebaa farms , killing 2 to 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others ( Israel retaliated by symbolic strikes , harming no Lebanese life or property but killing a Spanish UN soldier ) .
Here is what Nasrallah stated in a speech two days later : This equation was put in practice and even broadened in August 2019 , after Yasser Dhaher and Hassan Zbib , two Hezbollah combatants , were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus suburbs , and an Israeli drone attack against Beirut ’ s southern suburb , a Hezbollah stronghold , was foiled .
Here is what Nasrallah stated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to attack Israel exclusively in the Shebaa farms , a Lebanese territory occupied by Israel , they now vowed to strike anywhere , a dramatic development which put tremendous pressure on the Israeli side , for whom any human loss is a national disaster .
Drastic & unprecedented measures were taken to foil Hezbollah ’ s retaliation : Israeli forces didn ’ t “ hole up ” in their bases as Nasrallah had advised them to , but went as far as evacuating all their positions close to Lebanon , in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and along the whole length of the border line .
All Israeli defenses were activated .
Strict security measures were taken to evacuate some settlements and forbid the remaining settlers to perform most daily activities —video footage showed empty streets & closed shops , most people being holed up in their house all day long .
For 8 days , the mighty Israeli army appeared as the “ spider web ” it was , frightened and terrorized , its border barracks and outposts left deserted —as was shown by an RT crew who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dummy soldiers inside , with tanks scattered everywhere for days hoping to lure Hezbollah to attack an empty target ( see all security measures Israel took detailed in Nasrallah ’ s speech back then ) .
Psychological warfare , perfectly mastered by Hezbollah , is a key element to understand what is happening —and not happening— right now , even before we speak of the retaliation itself .
As Nasrallah put it in his 2019 , September 2nd speech , Thus , Israel seemed humiliated and defeated even before the retaliation came .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when a moving Israeli military vehicle was destroyed in broad daylight by two anti-tank missiles near Avivim barracks , killing or wounding its occupants .
While Israel had promised to hit Lebanon hard and return it to the Stone Age via all channels ( diplomatic , media , etc . )
in case of retaliation , the IDF didn ’ t hit back at all , merely firing “ defensive phosphorous strikes aimed at building a smokescreen to protect themselves from further strikes ” , as Nasrallah put it .
Israeli TV channels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wounded soldier by helicopter , and his arrival at a Haifa hospital .
But Netanyahu claimed there was not as much as a scratch in the Israeli side , and that everything had been staged in order to convince Hezbollah they had avenged their martyrs and avoid any further escalation .
While this seems like a PR stunt aimed at damage control ( especially when we consider that at the same time , Israeli media reported that a soldier stationed in the North was severely injured by a bizarre game of stone-throwing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the strict military censorship ) , Nasrallah didn ’ t rule it out , and stated in a September 10th speech : It would be difficult to conclude that this 2019 round ended in anything but a crushing defeat for Israel , be it on the military , psychological or PR level .
Though all of this is little known to the Western public , where the media is but an echo chamber of the Israeli Army ’ s propaganda ( even RT , Sputnik and most alternative media often take their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no doubt that it was strongly present in the mind of Israel ’ s political & military leaders when they heard of a Hezbollah operative killed in their latest strike on Syria ten days ago .
Israeli media reported the high alert status of the Army in the North , where military drills were canceled , reinforcements sent and units & defenses put in high alert in the expectation of an imminent Hezbollah attack .
The usual huff and puff about Israel ’ s forceful response in case of an attack was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Israel is in the eye of the storm because of the coronavirus crisis & current civil unrest and daily & violent protests against Netanyahu , another round against Hezbollah , Israel ’ s most dreaded enemy , is the last thing they ’ d want .
That ’ s why Israel took the unprecedented step of sending an apology letter to Hezbollah via the UN representative in Lebanon , as was reported by Lebanese & Israeli media , and confirmed by Hezbollah ’ s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem , though the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contents , and only stated that Hezbollah didn ’ t and wouldn ’ t reply to it .
Commenting on this development , Senior Lebanese political analyst Anis Naqqash , closely linked to Hezbollah , stated the following in an interview to Al-Mayadeen on July 26 : Anis Naqqash : This letter is the greatest proof of Israel ’ s weakness and fear of Hezbollah ’ s response .
( Recall that in the past ) Israel slaughtered ( civilians ) by the hundreds , and did not apologize or send ( explanatory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupied territories , and did not apologize or send ( explanatory ) letters .
( But ) today , fearing Hezbollah ’ s reaction , Israel sends an urgent letter via the UN as an apology , because they are afraid of the reaction .
First , the fact that Hezbollah did not make the contents of the letter public helps to make it irrelevant .
If they had published it , they would have given the impression of wanting to make public what Israel said .
Second , the fact that Hezbollah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel .
Despite their apologies and asking for forgiveness , what is Hezbollah ’ s response ?
Absolute silence .
This leaves Israel in a state of great disarray .
( Hezbollah ) has also confirmed ( via its Deputy Secretary General ) that Hezbollah will do what they have to do when the time comes , which also leaves more to fear ( in Israel ) .
Therefore , today Israel is clearly in a state of continued confusion and fear , and the statements of Sheikh Naim ( Qassem ) today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on the contrary , they are even more worried ( after hearing him ) .
Journalist : Israel therefore stands on one foot and a half ( Nasrallah ’ s formula to designate the fear and terror of Israeli soldiers , ready to flee at full speed at the slightest alarm ) without even the Hezbollah Secretary General needing to speak ( and warn them of an imminent response ) ?
Anis Naqqash : The last time he warned them , but this time they ( already ) know what to expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pupil standing up and facing the wall on his own every time he does something silly .
Today Israel stands up and faces the wall , and does so on one foot and a half , taking ( drastic ) precautions .
No one can say if the response will come before the Eid-el-Kebir ( on July 31st ) or after , or even if the response will take the Eid festival into account or not .
Everything is possible on the part of the Resistance .
Journalist : But isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public the contents of the letter a sign of seriousness , respect and responsibility given that it is an official letter that has been delivered via the United Nations ?
Isn ’ t that an important sign ( of maturity ) ?
Anis Naqqash : This can only be understood by comparison with what the Arab leaders and Presidents , and even the former leaders of the Palestinian resistance factions , used to do when they received such marks of attention from the ( Israeli ) enemy , or from the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of these countries paid attention to them , made a mere gesture of consideration towards them , they were quick to show it to everyone ( as a sign of pride ) , ( boasting ) that they had received a glance , a letter from such or such country , an apology , etc .
Their opponents saw them as eager for any sign of recognition from the enemy .
As far as Hezbollah is concerned , it is quite the opposite .
Hezbollah does not attach any importance to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they study them closely ( one has to know its enemy very well ) , but they do not give them this importance ; they don ’ t manifest this avidity ( towards any sign of respect from the enemy ) .
Hezbollah doesn ’ t rush to their people telling them , “ Look , look , they ’ ve apologized to us !
” The confidence of Hezbollah ’ s grassroots in the Resistance is much higher than that , and they know Israel is afraid of it regardless of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is why Hezbollah does not attach importance to it and does not bother to respond to it , making it clear that for them , whether Israel sent the letter or not , it is the same thing and it will not change anything ( about the inevitable response ) .
We have to analyze this from the point of view of psychological warfare , of politics , in order to correctly assess the strategic capacities of the Resistance with regard to political , security and media battles .
[ … @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to Hezbollah are pathetic and can prevent in no way the inevitable retaliation , it must be emphasized that Israel certainly does everything it can to avoid hitting Hezbollah operatives when it strikes Syria —and therefore tries hard not to kill anyone at all—going so far as warning them before hitting one of their vehicles , as we can see in this video from last April .
Israel was therefore left with the crushing pressure of the unknown , especially that Hezbollah didn ’ t comment on what it would do or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the rules of engagement previously stated were still in force , and that the coming days would answer everyone ’ s questions .
There were no doubts in Israel & Lebanon that an imminent Hezbollah retaliation was coming .
The pressure & nervousness —and downright panic— at the border are probably the cause of the death of an Israeli soldier on July 22 when his car crashed in the Shebaa farms , near the Lebanese border .
As a Koweiti put it on Twitter , “ Hezbollah ’ s silence is sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enemy than their missiles , because they live hours , days and weeks in a state of fear , terror and high nervousness .
Silence is a destructive weapon of psychological warfare against the Israeli entity , both at the political and psychological levels.
” Avigdor Lieberman , former Israeli Defense Minister , stated that “ I am still worried because the North is paralyzed by the killing of one single Hezbollah member in Damascus .
Unfortunately , Nasrallah proved that he does what he says , an eye for an eye , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this extremely tense situation , on July 27th , the Israeli Army , parroted by the Western media ( both mainstream and alternative ) , stated that it had foiled a Hezbollah attempt to infiltrate the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms , killing and wounding the operatives in the following skirmish while suffering no death or injuries itself .
Later reports made no mention of Hezbollah casualties , alleging that their lives were willfully spared as a de-escalation measure .
Here is the account of the “ battle ” by Haaretz ’ s military correspondent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the details are still shrouded in fog , it ’ s clear that the IDF forces – soldiers from the Nahal Brigade , the elite Egoz unit and a tank crew – weren ’ t taken by surprise and were well prepared for their mission .
An IDF lookout spotted the Hezbollah cell while it was still moving toward Har Dov ( Shebaa Farms ) .
When the cell had made it about 20 meters into Israel , in a hilly , wooded area where there ’ s no border fence , tanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a few hundred meters away.The Shi ’ ite militiamen quickly left the area .
There have been no reports of them taking casualties .
They entered Israel not that far from an IDF outpost and a road that serves troops in the area .
( Har Dov is always closed to civilian traffic . )
Their goal was presumably to carry out an attack – via sniper fire or bombs – on the IDF forces posted there .
But given what has been reported about how the cell operated , the attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sophisticated .
Thick vegetation makes it hard to hit an enemy moving cautiously even in broad daylight .
The IDF has refused to say whether the soldiers were ordered to shoot to kill , or whether the plan was always to drive off the Hezbollah cell without causing casualties .
Nevertheless , there are fairly solid grounds for assuming that Israel deliberately decided on the latter course of action .
Any such decision would have had to be made at the highest levels .
Had Hezbollah suffered losses in the incident , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional retaliation , and that could have escalated the situation along the border .
Thus what looks like a tie with no casualties appears to be very convenient for both sides.
” This scenario makes Israel look good : according to this report , not only did they successfully foil an attack , but they did it with a concern for enemy human lives in order to avoid an escalation .
Hezbollah ’ s “ unsophisticated ” attack , for a change , is supposed to make its outcome more plausible , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who can go along with it , claim he retaliated somewhat and climb down the ladder .
Thus , this alleged round would give a military & PR victory for Israel , while allowing Hezbollah to save face , and Netanyahu & Gantz wasted no time in collecting their medal and warning Nasrallah that he was “ playing with fire ” , and that any further Hezbollah operations against Israel “ would be a mistake and would be followed by a harsh military response ” .
Interestingly , both Netanyahu and Gantz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , without taking any questions from the journalists .
One wonders why they wouldn ’ t enjoy their “ victory ” .
In reality , this story is very unlikely , as the Israeli media themselves were quick to point out .
In an article titled ‘ Was Mount Dov incident another Hollywood show for Hezbollah ?
’ , the Jerusalem Post recalled the Avivim mascarade and asked : The IDF stated that they had footage of the incident and were considering releasing it , but haven ’ t done so far , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Naftali Bennett , former Defense Minister , seemed to indirectly deny that any skirmish happenned , stating to Israel ’ s Channel 13 that in the region of the incident , one can get the impression that something is moving while there is nothing at all .
As for Hezbollah , they denied that any skirmish had taken place in the following statement : “ It appears that the state of terror in which the Zionist occupation army and its settlers on the Lebanese border find themselves , the high alert status and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s reaction to the enemy crime which led to the martyrdom of our mujahid brother Ali Kamel Mohsen , as well as the enemy ’ s complete inability to know the intentions of the Resistance , all these factors made the enemy extremely nervous on the ground and in the media , and he behaves as someone afraid of his own shadow .
Everything that the enemy media claim about Israel thwarting an infiltration operation from Lebanese territory into occupied Palestine , as well as their claims that there were martyrs and wounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bombardments which took place near the occupation sites in the Shebaa farms , is absolutely not true .
This is just a futile attempt to forge illusory & bogus victories .
The Islamic Resistance affirms that there has been no clash or shooting on its part in the events of the day so far .
Rather , it was one single part , meaning the frightened , anxious and nervous ( Israeli ) enemy , who fired all the shots .
Our response to the martyrdom of our mujahedin brother Ali @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Zionist aggression on the outskirts of Damascus International Airport , will inevitably come , and the Zionists have only to await punishment for their crimes .
Moreover , the strikes which took place today on the ( Lebanese ) village of Al-Habaria and hit a civilian ’ s house will not go unpunished .
The next few days will soon deliver their verdict ( our response to all of this is imminent ) .
Victory comes only from Almighty God .
Even if it was a matter of Hezbollah ’ s word @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respective PR record , it would be safe to trust Hezbollah ’ s account .
In fact , the Israelis themselves believe Nasrallah more than their own leaders , as was shown by polls held in Israel , Hezbollah ’ s huge credibility being one of its great achievements —as Norman Finkelstein stated , “ Israeli leaders carefully scrutinize Nasrallah ’ s every word ” .
Anyway , Israel has gained nothing from what is most likely a new PR stunt .
Whether the incident started as a mistake of Israeli troops firing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panicked imagination ( IDF soldiers are world-class cowards ) , or whether it was all staged from the beginning in order to claim a fake victory before the inevitable , real retaliation , it is safe to believe that no Hezbollah attack happened , and that Israel further humiliated & discredited itself with this umpteenth lie .
However , it would be a mistake to think that all this show was futile .
First , Hezbollah stated for the first time that the retaliation was coming indeed , though it was pretty much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now have two reasons to strike back : their combatant killed in Damascus , and the attack against a civilian house , which puts all the Israeli settlers in the line of fire .
Thus , Israel went from a bad situation to an even worse one .
Back in August 2019 , Nasrallah had already stated that the failed drone attack against Beirut ’ s southern suburb meant that from now on , the settlers would be seen as fair game : Hezbollah still refrained from attacking settlements back then , focusing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escalation , even if it was likely accidental , could very well change their mind .
The only remaining question is when and where Hezbollah ’ s retaliation will come , and how will it unfold ?
As surprise is a major component of Hezbollah ’ s strategy , it would be vain to speculate , even if one can think that Hezbollah will take its time , in order to keep the enemy on tenterhooks .
But Nasrallah gave us an interesting hint in his ‘ Hollywood Army ’ Speech : Also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inevitable retaliation can lead to a war .
It is most unlikely , and this idea has been dismissed by Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General , though he stated that they were always ready for war .
But the daily threats from Netanyahu or Gantz should fool no one : Israel ’ s bite has never been a match for its bark , and their threats towards Hezbollah always turned out to be a damp squib .
Netanyahu boasted of having won an imaginary round only because he knew that he had already lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , psychological , PR— , and that when the deterrence & rules of engagement between Hezbollah and Israel change , it is only at the latter ’ s expense .

On the night of Sunday, July 19th, airstrikes hit Damascus International Airport. Though Israel didn’t claim responsibility for them, sticking to their longtime “zone of denial” policy, no one doubts they were the perpetrators. On Monday, the Syrian Army announced 7 soldiers were injured. It could have been one strike among hundreds of others, soon forgotten because of the lack of Syrian retaliatory measure. But the day after, Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of one of its combatants, Ali Kamel Mohsen, killed during the Israeli raid. As an Israeli commentator on Arab affairs put it in a tweet, this announcement “certainly changes the picture”. In fact, it is an understatement: it turned a tactical success into a PR disaster for the Netanyahu government, and a nightmare for the Israeli’s Army Northern Command and settlers living close to the Lebanese border. Because as everyone knew, a Hezbollah retaliation was inevitable.
We cannot understand what is happening now if we don’t put it in its broader context. Hezbollah’s rules of engagement against Israel in Syria were spelled out in January 2015, after Israel targeted two of their vehicles in Syria’s Quneitra region, killing 6 Hezbollah fighters (including Jihad Moghniyeh, son of Hezbollah’s martyred commander Imad Moghniyeh), along with an Iranian IRGC colonel. Back then, Nasrallah didn’t make any speech until the retaliation, which came out 10 days later, on January 28, when Hezbollah destroyed 3 vehicles in an Israeli convoy patrolling the occupied Shebaa farms, killing 2 to 5 soldiers —the sources differ— and wounding seven others (Israel retaliated by symbolic strikes, harming no Lebanese life or property but killing a Spanish UN soldier). Here is what Nasrallah stated in a speech two days later:
“The Resistance operation happened in broad daylight (just before noon), at the highest state of alert of the Israeli enemy, who until now is incapable of understanding how it happened. […] Because they are cowards and not (real) men, and because “They will not fight you (even) together, except in fortified townships, or from behind walls” (Quran, 59, 14), they struck us treacherously and didn’t dare to claim responsibility for the attack. As for Hezbollah fighters, because they are (real) men who don’t fear death, they attacked them frontally, face to face, and we claimed responsibility for the attack immediately after it happened. […] My message today is the following: from now on, any Hezbollah cadre or commander, any young Hezbollah (combatant) who will be assassinated (in Lebanon or in Syria), we will blame Israel for it, and we will consider it our right to retaliate anywhere, anytime and in any way we see fit.”
This equation was put in practice and even broadened in August 2019, after Yasser Dhaher and Hassan Zbib, two Hezbollah combatants, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus suburbs, and an Israeli drone attack against Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold, was foiled. Here is what Nasrallah stated in an August 25th speech:
“We will retaliate from Lebanon, and not (necessarily) from the Shebaa farms! I declare to the Israeli soldiers at the border tonight: wait for us against the (separation) wall (standing) on one foot and a half (be ready to flee for your lives)! Wait for us on one foot and a half! Wait for us (because we’ll certainly come at you)! In one day, two days, three days, four days… Just wait for us!”
While Hezbollah used to attack Israel exclusively in the Shebaa farms, a Lebanese territory occupied by Israel, they now vowed to strike anywhere, a dramatic development which put tremendous pressure on the Israeli side, for whom any human loss is a national disaster. Drastic & unprecedented measures were taken to foil Hezbollah’s retaliation: Israeli forces didn’t “hole up” in their bases as Nasrallah had advised them to, but went as far as evacuating all their positions close to Lebanon, in a width of 5 to 7 kilometers, and along the whole length of the border line. All Israeli defenses were activated. Strict security measures were taken to evacuate some settlements and forbid the remaining settlers to perform most daily activities —video footage showed empty streets & closed shops, most people being holed up in their house all day long.
For 8 days, the mighty Israeli army appeared as the “spider web” it was, frightened and terrorized, its border barracks and outposts left deserted —as was shown by an RT crew who got inside—, its vehicles abandoned with dummy soldiers inside, with tanks scattered everywhere for days hoping to lure Hezbollah to attack an empty target (see all security measures Israel took detailed in Nasrallah’s speech back then).
Psychological warfare, perfectly mastered by Hezbollah, is a key element to understand what is happening —and not happening— right now, even before we speak of the retaliation itself. As Nasrallah put it in his 2019, September 2nd speech,
“We warned the enemy that he had to expect us (any time) from now on. This is a strength point of the Resistance. We could have remained silent, refrained from threatening (Israel of an imminent retaliation), not revealing our intentions, keeping quiet as we say, for 1, 2 or 3 days, then hit them by surprise. The military know that one of the most important aspects of a military operation is the element of surprise. But we have not done so, because our fight against the Zionist entity has a major psychological component, affecting the morale and soul of the enemy (which we strive to undermine). So we told them from the beginning to wait for us, because we were coming. In itself, it is an enormous challenge issued by the Resistance.[…] [This high alert of the enemy and the evacuation of the border outposts] are part of the punishment (we inflicted on Israel). Before we retaliated with our military operation, some people were (ironically) asking: where is your response? But (this terror situation on the Israeli side) was already a punishment and a retaliation. […] [The whole world saw the staggering difference between] our good Lebanese people (who) was normally moving in border areas, whether in villages or fields, and led a completely normal life, [while Israeli settlers were forbidden to approach “their” fields in occupied Palestine and where holed up in their houses].”
Thus, Israel seemed humiliated and defeated even before the retaliation came. It did happen on September 1st, when a moving Israeli military vehicle was destroyed in broad daylight by two anti-tank missiles near Avivim barracks, killing or wounding its occupants. While Israel had promised to hit Lebanon hard and return it to the Stone Age via all channels (diplomatic, media, etc.) in case of retaliation, the IDF didn’t hit back at all, merely firing “defensive phosphorous strikes aimed at building a smokescreen to protect themselves from further strikes”, as Nasrallah put it. Israeli TV channels showed the evacuation of a seemingly badly wounded soldier by helicopter, and his arrival at a Haifa hospital.
But Netanyahu claimed there was not as much as a scratch in the Israeli side, and that everything had been staged in order to convince Hezbollah they had avenged their martyrs and avoid any further escalation. While this seems like a PR stunt aimed at damage control (especially when we consider that at the same time, Israeli media reported that a soldier stationed in the North was severely injured by a bizarre game of stone-throwing, suggesting a ludicrous cover-up only made possible by the strict military censorship), Nasrallah didn’t rule it out, and stated in a September 10th speech:
“Everything that was done by the Israelis in recent days, for example the Israeli dummy soldiers (in their vehicles), this shows the weakness of the Israeli army. And when things have come to what they called “the deception operation”, in which they allegedly staged the evacuation of soldiers with fake injuries that they carried on stretchers, covered in fake blood, and would thus have deceived Hezbollah (into believing that his goal was reached, to prevent him from launching new strikes). Let us imagine that you really tricked us: all that would prove is, in few words, that your renowned legendary and invincible army has turned into a Hollywood army, which makes movies for the cinema, because it became helpless on the ground, incapable, weak, fearful and cowardly, withdrawing from the border to a width of 5 to 7 kilometers (for fear of the promised response by Hezbollah.”
It would be difficult to conclude that this 2019 round ended in anything but a crushing defeat for Israel, be it on the military, psychological or PR level. Though all of this is little known to the Western public, where the media is but an echo chamber of the Israeli Army’s propaganda (even RT, Sputnik and most alternative media often take their claims at face value), there is no doubt that it was strongly present in the mind of Israel’s political & military leaders when they heard of a Hezbollah operative killed in their latest strike on Syria ten days ago. Israeli media reported the high alert status of the Army in the North, where military drills were canceled, reinforcements sent and units & defenses put in high alert in the expectation of an imminent Hezbollah attack. The usual huff and puff about Israel’s forceful response in case of an attack was heard from Netanyahu & Gantz. But as Israel is in the eye of the storm because of the coronavirus crisis & current civil unrest and daily & violent protests against Netanyahu, another round against Hezbollah, Israel’s most dreaded enemy, is the last thing they’d want. That’s why Israel took the unprecedented step of sending an apology letter to Hezbollah via the UN representative in Lebanon, as was reported by Lebanese & Israeli media, and confirmed by Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem, though the latter wouldn’t speak of its contents, and only stated that Hezbollah didn’t and wouldn’t reply to it.
Commenting on this development, Senior Lebanese political analyst Anis Naqqash, closely linked to Hezbollah, stated the following in an interview to Al-Mayadeen on July 26:
Anis Naqqash: This letter is the greatest proof of Israel’s weakness and fear of Hezbollah’s response. (Recall that in the past) Israel slaughtered (civilians) by the hundreds, and did not apologize or send (explanatory) letters. Israel committed aggressions and occupied territories, and did not apologize or send (explanatory) letters. (But) today, fearing Hezbollah’s reaction, Israel sends an urgent letter via the UN as an apology, because they are afraid of the reaction. First, the fact that Hezbollah did not make the contents of the letter public helps to make it irrelevant. If they had published it, they would have given the impression of wanting to make public what Israel said. Second, the fact that Hezbollah did not respond to the letter confuses Israel. Despite their apologies and asking for forgiveness, what is Hezbollah’s response? Absolute silence. This leaves Israel in a state of great disarray. (Hezbollah) has also confirmed (via its Deputy Secretary General) that Hezbollah will do what they have to do when the time comes, which also leaves more to fear (in Israel). Therefore, today Israel is clearly in a state of continued confusion and fear, and the statements of Sheikh Naim (Qassem) today will not allow them to sleep peacefully, on the contrary, they are even more worried (after hearing him). Journalist: Israel therefore stands on one foot and a half (Nasrallah’s formula to designate the fear and terror of Israeli soldiers, ready to flee at full speed at the slightest alarm) without even the Hezbollah Secretary General needing to speak (and warn them of an imminent response)? Anis Naqqash: The last time he warned them, but this time they (already) know what to expect. It’s like an unruly pupil standing up and facing the wall on his own every time he does something silly. Today Israel stands up and faces the wall, and does so on one foot and a half, taking (drastic) precautions. No one can say if the response will come before the Eid-el-Kebir (on July 31st) or after, or even if the response will take the Eid festival into account or not. Everything is possible on the part of the Resistance. Journalist: But isn’t the fact that Hezbollah has not made public the contents of the letter a sign of seriousness, respect and responsibility given that it is an official letter that has been delivered via the United Nations? Isn’t that an important sign (of maturity)? Anis Naqqash: This can only be understood by comparison with what the Arab leaders and Presidents, and even the former leaders of the Palestinian resistance factions, used to do when they received such marks of attention from the (Israeli) enemy, or from the United States or Europe. The mere fact that one of these countries paid attention to them, made a mere gesture of consideration towards them, they were quick to show it to everyone (as a sign of pride), (boasting) that they had received a glance, a letter from such or such country, an apology, etc. Their opponents saw them as eager for any sign of recognition from the enemy. As far as Hezbollah is concerned, it is quite the opposite. Hezbollah does not attach any importance to the enemy and its stances. Of course, they study them closely (one has to know its enemy very well), but they do not give them this importance; they don’t manifest this avidity (towards any sign of respect from the enemy). Hezbollah doesn’t rush to their people telling them, “Look, look, they’ve apologized to us!” The confidence of Hezbollah’s grassroots in the Resistance is much higher than that, and they know Israel is afraid of it regardless of what they can say in any letter. This is why Hezbollah does not attach importance to it and does not bother to respond to it, making it clear that for them, whether Israel sent the letter or not, it is the same thing and it will not change anything (about the inevitable response). We have to analyze this from the point of view of psychological warfare, of politics, in order to correctly assess the strategic capacities of the Resistance with regard to political, security and media battles. […]
While Israel’s “apologies” to Hezbollah are pathetic and can prevent in no way the inevitable retaliation, it must be emphasized that Israel certainly does everything it can to avoid hitting Hezbollah operatives when it strikes Syria —and therefore tries hard not to kill anyone at all—going so far as warning them before hitting one of their vehicles, as we can see in this video from last April.
Israel was therefore left with the crushing pressure of the unknown, especially that Hezbollah didn’t comment on what it would do or not do, Naim Qassem merely stating that the rules of engagement previously stated were still in force, and that the coming days would answer everyone’s questions. There were no doubts in Israel & Lebanon that an imminent Hezbollah retaliation was coming. The pressure & nervousness —and downright panic— at the border are probably the cause of the death of an Israeli soldier on July 22 when his car crashed in the Shebaa farms, near the Lebanese border. As a Koweiti put it on Twitter, “Hezbollah’s silence is sometimes more powerful and painful to the Zionist enemy than their missiles, because they live hours, days and weeks in a state of fear, terror and high nervousness. Silence is a destructive weapon of psychological warfare against the Israeli entity, both at the political and psychological levels.” Avigdor Lieberman, former Israeli Defense Minister, stated that “I am still worried because the North is paralyzed by the killing of one single Hezbollah member in Damascus. Unfortunately, Nasrallah proved that he does what he says, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
In this extremely tense situation, on July 27th, the Israeli Army, parroted by the Western media (both mainstream and alternative), stated that it had foiled a Hezbollah attempt to infiltrate the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, killing and wounding the operatives in the following skirmish while suffering no death or injuries itself. Later reports made no mention of Hezbollah casualties, alleging that their lives were willfully spared as a de-escalation measure. Here is the account of the “battle” by Haaretz’s military correspondent Amos Harel:
“While some of the details are still shrouded in fog, it’s clear that the IDF forces – soldiers from the Nahal Brigade, the elite Egoz unit and a tank crew – weren’t taken by surprise and were well prepared for their mission. An IDF lookout spotted the Hezbollah cell while it was still moving toward Har Dov (Shebaa Farms). When the cell had made it about 20 meters into Israel, in a hilly, wooded area where there’s no border fence, tanks and machine guns opened fire at it from a few hundred meters away.The Shi’ite militiamen quickly left the area. There have been no reports of them taking casualties. They entered Israel not that far from an IDF outpost and a road that serves troops in the area. (Har Dov is always closed to civilian traffic.) Their goal was presumably to carry out an attack – via sniper fire or bombs – on the IDF forces posted there. But given what has been reported about how the cell operated, the attempt does not seem to have been particularly sophisticated. Thick vegetation makes it hard to hit an enemy moving cautiously even in broad daylight. The IDF has refused to say whether the soldiers were ordered to shoot to kill, or whether the plan was always to drive off the Hezbollah cell without causing casualties. Nevertheless, there are fairly solid grounds for assuming that Israel deliberately decided on the latter course of action. Any such decision would have had to be made at the highest levels. Had Hezbollah suffered losses in the incident, it might have felt compelled to mount an additional retaliation, and that could have escalated the situation along the border. Thus what looks like a tie with no casualties appears to be very convenient for both sides.”
This scenario makes Israel look good: according to this report, not only did they successfully foil an attack, but they did it with a concern for enemy human lives in order to avoid an escalation. Hezbollah’s “unsophisticated” attack, for a change, is supposed to make its outcome more plausible, and more acceptable to the Party of God, who can go along with it, claim he retaliated somewhat and climb down the ladder. Thus, this alleged round would give a military & PR victory for Israel, while allowing Hezbollah to save face, and Netanyahu & Gantz wasted no time in collecting their medal and warning Nasrallah that he was “playing with fire”, and that any further Hezbollah operations against Israel “would be a mistake and would be followed by a harsh military response”. Interestingly, both Netanyahu and Gantz left directly after reading their short statement, without taking any questions from the journalists. One wonders why they wouldn’t enjoy their “victory”.
In reality, this story is very unlikely, as the Israeli media themselves were quick to point out. In an article titled ‘Was Mount Dov incident another Hollywood show for Hezbollah?’, the Jerusalem Post recalled the Avivim mascarade and asked:
“In this day and age, everything is filmed. So where is the footage of the infiltrators crossing into Israel? Where is the drone footage of the area at the time of the incident?”
The IDF stated that they had footage of the incident and were considering releasing it, but haven’t done so far, which adds to the skepticism. Even Naftali Bennett, former Defense Minister, seemed to indirectly deny that any skirmish happenned, stating to Israel’s Channel 13 that in the region of the incident, one can get the impression that something is moving while there is nothing at all.
As for Hezbollah, they denied that any skirmish had taken place in the following statement:
“It appears that the state of terror in which the Zionist occupation army and its settlers on the Lebanese border find themselves, the high alert status and the extreme concern over the Resistance’s reaction to the enemy crime which led to the martyrdom of our mujahid brother Ali Kamel Mohsen, as well as the enemy’s complete inability to know the intentions of the Resistance, all these factors made the enemy extremely nervous on the ground and in the media, and he behaves as someone afraid of his own shadow. Everything that the enemy media claim about Israel thwarting an infiltration operation from Lebanese territory into occupied Palestine, as well as their claims that there were martyrs and wounded on the Resistance side as a result of the bombardments which took place near the occupation sites in the Shebaa farms, is absolutely not true. This is just a futile attempt to forge illusory & bogus victories. The Islamic Resistance affirms that there has been no clash or shooting on its part in the events of the day so far. Rather, it was one single part, meaning the frightened, anxious and nervous (Israeli) enemy, who fired all the shots. Our response to the martyrdom of our mujahedin brother Ali Kamel Mohsen, who found martyrdom in the Zionist aggression on the outskirts of Damascus International Airport, will inevitably come, and the Zionists have only to await punishment for their crimes. Moreover, the strikes which took place today on the (Lebanese) village of Al-Habaria and hit a civilian’s house will not go unpunished. The next few days will soon deliver their verdict (our response to all of this is imminent). Victory comes only from Almighty God. Islamic Resistance in Lebanon”
Even if it was a matter of Hezbollah’s word against Israel’s, given their respective PR record, it would be safe to trust Hezbollah’s account. In fact, the Israelis themselves believe Nasrallah more than their own leaders, as was shown by polls held in Israel, Hezbollah’s huge credibility being one of its great achievements —as Norman Finkelstein stated, “Israeli leaders carefully scrutinize Nasrallah’s every word”. Anyway, Israel has gained nothing from what is most likely a new PR stunt. Whether the incident started as a mistake of Israeli troops firing at inexistent Hezbollah combatants conjured by their panicked imagination (IDF soldiers are world-class cowards), or whether it was all staged from the beginning in order to claim a fake victory before the inevitable, real retaliation, it is safe to believe that no Hezbollah attack happened, and that Israel further humiliated & discredited itself with this umpteenth lie.
However, it would be a mistake to think that all this show was futile. First, Hezbollah stated for the first time that the retaliation was coming indeed, though it was pretty much a given anyway. Second, they now have two reasons to strike back: their combatant killed in Damascus, and the attack against a civilian house, which puts all the Israeli settlers in the line of fire. Thus, Israel went from a bad situation to an even worse one. Back in August 2019, Nasrallah had already stated that the failed drone attack against Beirut’s southern suburb meant that from now on, the settlers would be seen as fair game:
« I declare to all the inhabitants of northern Israel and everywhere in occupied Palestine: do not live (normally), do not be in peace, do not feel safe, and do not think for one second that Hezbollah will accept such a scenario (where he would suffer such attacks in his neighborhoods without retaliating against settlers). »
Hezbollah still refrained from attacking settlements back then, focusing on military targets, but the latest escalation, even if it was likely accidental, could very well change their mind.
The only remaining question is when and where Hezbollah’s retaliation will come, and how will it unfold? As surprise is a major component of Hezbollah’s strategy, it would be vain to speculate, even if one can think that Hezbollah will take its time, in order to keep the enemy on tenterhooks. But Nasrallah gave us an interesting hint in his ‘Hollywood Army’ Speech:
“O Hollywood army, the lesson we draw from this experience, if indeed it is real (it remains to be proven true that you tricked us), is that the next time, you invite us not be content to hit one vehicle or one place, but several vehicles and several positions, so as not to be fooled by new Hollywood movies. (This comedy simulating injuries so that we’d stop hitting you) is a demonstration of weakness and helplessness (and not a sign of strength or intelligence).”
Also, many wonder if Hezbollah’s inevitable retaliation can lead to a war. It is most unlikely, and this idea has been dismissed by Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General, though he stated that they were always ready for war. But the daily threats from Netanyahu or Gantz should fool no one: Israel’s bite has never been a match for its bark, and their threats towards Hezbollah always turned out to be a damp squib. Netanyahu boasted of having won an imaginary round only because he knew that he had already lost the real one at all levels —military, psychological, PR—, and that when the deterrence & rules of engagement between Hezbollah and Israel change, it is only at the latter’s expense.