southfront--2020-07-28--Philip M. Giraldi: “Quincy Rides Again”

Philip M. Giraldi: “Quincy Rides Again”

Written by Philip M. Giraldi ; Originally appeared at The Unz Review The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft think tank launched last November .
It has recently issued a roughly 15,000 word manifesto entitled “ Ending America ’ s Misguided Policy of Middle East Domination.
” For those who would find ten thousand words plus intimidating , the paper includes a more digestible 1,221 word executive summary which fairly accurately summarizes the document ’ s conclusions .
I have written about Quincy before , here and here and here .
In short , while I would applaud a restrained foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I find Quincy unconvincing .
It claims to promote “ ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace ” and further takes some pride in being non-partisan , though bipartisan might be a better description .
To be sure , Quincy ’ s two major donors have been reported to be the highly controversial George Soros on the globalist left and the equally notorious Koch Foundation on the libertarian-lite right .
Soros in particular has been much in the news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fund and otherwise support groups and organizations that many would regard as conspiratorial or even violently radical , to include black lives matter and Antifa .
Soros , a Hungarian Jew who is now a U.S. citizen , has been especially engaged in interventions to bring about “ regime change ” through “ democracy movements ” in Eastern Europe and he has exhibited a particularly animosity towards Russia , making one suspect that his cash will influence what Quincy is allowed to say about the Kremlin .
The new Quincy report was co-authored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trita Parsi and Annelle Sheline .
I am not familiar with Sheline ’ s work , but Pillar , Bacevich and Parsi are all highly respectable and very knowledgeable about both national security and developments in the Middle East .
To be sure , the paper includes a lot of useful information and insights into how various policies have evolved plus some very positive suggestions for extricating the U.S. from the Asian quagmire .
But one should also accept that what is included in its agenda and how it is framed might be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how Quincy is funded .
It is not so much a matter of what the contributors write , but rather how it is spun and what is either minimized or not even addressed at all .
The ability to write about the Middle East in an even-handed “ realistic ” fashion , which is what the new article seeks to do , is based on the premise that there is equivalency among all of the players involved .
That is , of course , nonsense .
Many observers would note that the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and playing the role that it does mostly due to the immense power of Israel and its domestic lobby operating largely out of Washington and New York City .
Israel ’ s ability to make American presidents and the U.S. Congress do what it wishes is clearly visible wherever one chooses to look .
The American people have gained nothing from giving Israel hundreds of billions of dollars and an endless supply of weapons while also looking the other way as Israel stole nuclear secrets and spied on the U.S. more than any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did the U.S. gain in recently moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem , in allowing Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Golan Heights , in approving the bombing of Syria and Iran , or in permitting the systematic Israeli dehumanizing of the Palestinians ?
A recent article by Professor Bacevich entitled “ President Trump , Please End the American Era in the Middle East ” appears to a precursor study to the current longer Quincy report .
It is a good example of how self-censorship over Israel by authors works .
The article particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bret Stephens , the resident neocon who writes for .
Stephens , per Bacevich , has been urging constant war in the Middle East and worrying lest “ we may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the American era in the Middle East.
” Bacevich correctly described how “ in the Middle East , the military power of the United States has played a large part in exacerbating problems rather than contributing to their solution.
” The overall message is sound , but in this case , it is interesting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he included .
He cited Iran seven times as well as Saudi Arabia , but , strangely enough , he never mentioned Israel at all , which a number of commenters on the piece noted .
It rather suggests that there is a line that Bacevich is reluctant to cross .
The omission is particularly odd as Israel is absolutely central to and might even be described as driving American policy in the Middle East and Bret Stephens , whom Bacevich excoriates , is a notable Israel-firster who once worked as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an op-ed entitled “ Foreign governments are messing with our elections the old-fashioned way ” in the .
It again fails to mention Israel at all in spite of that country ’ s enormous influence over the U.S. electoral process through the political donations provided by dual loyalty billionaires Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban to Republicans and Democrats respectively .
In fact , Bacevich has clearly indicated that there will be red lines , that the Quincy Institute won ’ t focus on “ highlighting pro-Israel organizations or donors.
” In other words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Lobby as a key driving element in America ’ s interventionist foreign policy .
Bacevich is a smart man who knows perfectly well what Israel and its lobby represents but he also knows that anyone who wants to be a player in Washington DC has to avoid the Israel hot wire .
The Quincy report includes , for example , lengthy separate sections on Iraq , Syria , Iran and Yemen but nothing similar on Israel .
I have , however , excerpted all the citations of Israel in the full text @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military assistance—most prominently to Israel , Egypt , and Jordan , but also to armed proxy groups in Syria , Iraq , Afghanistan , and Libya—exacerbates abuses that contribute to instability… Unconditional U.S. military support for Israel has facilitated its continued occupation of Palestinian territory ( potentially culminating in the annexation of the West Bank ) and reduced incentives to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
” The bombing of the U.S. “ embassy in Beirut , [ was ] a direct response to U.S. military intervention in Lebanon , which , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal with the consequences of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon a year earlier.
” “ The Israel–Palestine conflict has been an especially salient example of such an issue , as underscored by how Palestinians opposing the Israeli occupation were in the forefront of the wave of international terrorism that began in the late 1960s .
International terrorism sponsored by Palestinian organizations abated once the U.S. and Israel began engaging the Palestinians in the late 1980s.
” “ In other cases , U.S. support for a militarily superior partner has tended to reduce that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and instead opt to safeguard a status quo favorable to its interests but not to regional stability and U.S. interests .
As the only state in the region with nuclear weapons and as a highly effective conventional military power in its own right—and with a qualitative edge conferred over many years by the U.S. and effective weapons development and manufacturing capacities—Israel no longer needs the U.S. to guarantee its security .
Yet the U.S. sends Israel $ 3.8 billion in military aid annually .
As of 2019 , Israel had received $ 142.3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than any other nation.40 American military aid is sent regardless of whether Israel tries to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians .
By persistently bolstering Israel ’ s qualitative military edge no matter what direction Israeli policy takes , U.S. assistance as currently structured does not incentivize Israel to pursue compromise , whether with the Palestinians or other neighbors.
” “ …persistent U.S. antipathy creates a security dilemma for Iran .
U.S. military support for Israel , Saudi Arabia , and the UAE causes Iran to perceive itself as under threat and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own security , partly by investing in paramilitary groups beyond its borders.
” “ In Israel , where the well-reinforced assumption that unquestioning U.S. support will continue no matter what Israel does , it has long been evident that this has encouraged destructive Israeli practices such as the continued building of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories.
” “ Such a rights-respecting policy would include making military assistance to Israel—for decades ( and still ) the largest recipient of such assistance—conditional on Israel ending its routine violation of human rights in the Occupied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and attacks in Gaza that have failed to fulfill obligations to protect civilians .
Israel is a nuclear and military superpower in the region that does not need American military aid to defend itself .
As such , it should arguably not be a candidate for military aid in the first place .
To the extent military aid should be provided to Middle Eastern states , priority should be given to those at risk of becoming failed states .
If Washington decides to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditioned on changes to Israeli policies that advance stability and U.S. interests.
” “ A consistent rights-respecting policy embedded in a broader approach to the region , one that emphasizes core U.S. interests , problem-solving diplomacy , and engagement with all relevant regional actors , would have consequences for how the U.S. has traditionally managed the Israel–Palestine conflict .
The shortcomings of the U.S.–led peace process have become increasingly evident , all the more so as the Trump administration has abandoned any pretense of serving as an honest broker .
It is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Israel ’ s long-term well-being , let alone its failure to help the Palestinians.
” “ …there would be greater space for advancing negotiated and diplomatic solutions to various conflicts in the region , notably in the Saudi–Iran and Israel–Palestine cases.
” “ For the United States , this means a significant reduction of arms sales , primarily to Saudi Arabia , Israel , and the UAE.
” Some of the citations regarding Israel are bundled with other countries , most particularly as related to arms sales and regional conflicts .
Other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serves no American interests and is not even good for Israel , but the problem is that the solution is lame , or to describe it more properly , irrelevant .
Distancing the U.S. from the region ’ s quarrels depends solely on disengaging with Israel first as American hostility towards an unthreatening Iran , Lebanon and Syria is a result of successful advocacy by the Jewish state .
And serving as an “ honest broker ” vis-à-vis the Palestinians is sheer fantasy as it has never been the case for any U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If the Quincies were being honest , they would concede up front that the so-called peace plan currently being floated is a complete sell out to Israel .
Any kind of shift in policy also assumes that Israelis want peace with the Palestinians , but opinion polls suggest otherwise , with many Israelis routinely referring to the Arabs as “ terrorists.
” The only suggestion with any teeth to it is making military assistance to Israel conditional on its human rights record towards the Palestinians , but that in turn exposes the fundamental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The problem for the U.S. is not Israel but rather the enormously powerful domestic Israel Lobby which will make sure that nothing will be done to alter the .
The American government and media are completely dominated by Jewish billionaire-funded organizations that have repeatedly demonstrated that they have sufficient clout to stop any defections , witness the recent affirmation of the U.S./Israel relationship in the Democratic Party electoral platform and Joe Biden ’ s proud declaration that he is a “ Zionist.
” Quincy is delusional if it thinks that it can reorder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and restraint ” without the cooperation of Congress and the White House , which are bought and paid for and totally resistant to change .
So , Quincy has a lot of interesting ideas and the basic premise of non-interventionism is sound .
But regarding the real fly in the ointment , Israel , it is pointless to urge “ realism ” in a situation that has not been realistic since 1947 .
Unfortunately , in America everything has a price and Jewish groups have been canny enough to buy Congress , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at bargain prices to make sure that Israel stays protected .
If you are not addressing that issue out in the open you are wasting your time .
Not surprisingly , it would seem that any concerns over the reorganization of the Middle East as proposed by Quincy are most definitely not going to keep Benjamin Netanyahu awake at night .
Philip M. Giraldi , Ph.D. , is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest , a 501 ( c ) 3 tax deductible educational foundation ( Federal ID Number # @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East .
Website is https : //councilforthenationalinterest.org , address is P.O .
Box 2157 , Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform @ cnionline.org .

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Written by Philip M. Giraldi; Originally appeared at The Unz Review
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft think tank launched last November. It has recently issued a roughly 15,000 word manifesto entitled “Ending America’s Misguided Policy of Middle East Domination.” For those who would find ten thousand words plus intimidating, the paper includes a more digestible 1,221 word executive summary which fairly accurately summarizes the document’s conclusions.
I have written about Quincy before, here and here and here. In short, while I would applaud a restrained foreign policy, particularly for the Middle East, I find Quincy unconvincing. It claims to promote “ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war and toward vigorous diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace” and further takes some pride in being non-partisan, though bipartisan might be a better description. To be sure, Quincy’s two major donors have been reported to be the highly controversial George Soros on the globalist left and the equally notorious Koch Foundation on the libertarian-lite right.
Soros in particular has been much in the news of late given his alleged propensity to fund and otherwise support groups and organizations that many would regard as conspiratorial or even violently radical, to include black lives matter and Antifa. Soros, a Hungarian Jew who is now a U.S. citizen, has been especially engaged in interventions to bring about “regime change” through “democracy movements” in Eastern Europe and he has exhibited a particularly animosity towards Russia, making one suspect that his cash will influence what Quincy is allowed to say about the Kremlin.
The new Quincy report was co-authored by Paul Pillar, Andrew Bacevich, Trita Parsi and Annelle Sheline. I am not familiar with Sheline’s work, but Pillar, Bacevich and Parsi are all highly respectable and very knowledgeable about both national security and developments in the Middle East. To be sure, the paper includes a lot of useful information and insights into how various policies have evolved plus some very positive suggestions for extricating the U.S. from the Asian quagmire. But one should also accept that what is included in its agenda and how it is framed might be shaped by outside considerations, to include how Quincy is funded. It is not so much a matter of what the contributors write, but rather how it is spun and what is either minimized or not even addressed at all.
The ability to write about the Middle East in an even-handed “realistic” fashion, which is what the new article seeks to do, is based on the premise that there is equivalency among all of the players involved. That is, of course, nonsense. Many observers would note that the United States currently is in the Middle East and playing the role that it does mostly due to the immense power of Israel and its domestic lobby operating largely out of Washington and New York City.
Israel’s ability to make American presidents and the U.S. Congress do what it wishes is clearly visible wherever one chooses to look. The American people have gained nothing from giving Israel hundreds of billions of dollars and an endless supply of weapons while also looking the other way as Israel stole nuclear secrets and spied on the U.S. more than any other “friendly” country. What did the U.S. gain in recently moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem, in allowing Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the Golan Heights, in approving the bombing of Syria and Iran, or in permitting the systematic Israeli dehumanizing of the Palestinians?
A recent article by Professor Bacevich entitled “President Trump, Please End the American Era in the Middle East” appears to a precursor study to the current longer Quincy report. It is a good example of how self-censorship over Israel by authors works. The article particularly focused on the foreign policy pronouncements of Bret Stephens, the resident neocon who writes for The New York Times. Stephens, per Bacevich, has been urging constant war in the Middle East and worrying lest “we may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the American era in the Middle East.” Bacevich correctly described how “in the Middle East, the military power of the United States has played a large part in exacerbating problems rather than contributing to their solution.”
The overall message is sound, but in this case, it is interesting to note what Bacevich left out rather than what he included. He cited Iran seven times as well as Saudi Arabia, but, strangely enough, he never mentioned Israel at all, which a number of commenters on the piece noted. It rather suggests that there is a line that Bacevich is reluctant to cross. The omission is particularly odd as Israel is absolutely central to and might even be described as driving American policy in the Middle East and Bret Stephens, whom Bacevich excoriates, is a notable Israel-firster who once worked as the editor of the Jerusalem Post.
Bacevich also has produced an op-ed entitled “Foreign governments are messing with our elections the old-fashioned way” in the Boston Globe. It again fails to mention Israel at all in spite of that country’s enormous influence over the U.S. electoral process through the political donations provided by dual loyalty billionaires Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban to Republicans and Democrats respectively. In fact, Bacevich has clearly indicated that there will be red lines, that the Quincy Institute won’t focus on “highlighting pro-Israel organizations or donors.” In other words, it will not criticize Israel’s Lobby as a key driving element in America’s interventionist foreign policy.
Bacevich is a smart man who knows perfectly well what Israel and its lobby represents but he also knows that anyone who wants to be a player in Washington DC has to avoid the Israel hot wire. The Quincy report includes, for example, lengthy separate sections on Iraq, Syria, Iran and Yemen but nothing similar on Israel. I have, however, excerpted all the citations of Israel in the full text. They are:
“U.S. military assistance—most prominently to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, but also to armed proxy groups in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya—exacerbates abuses that contribute to instability… Unconditional U.S. military support for Israel has facilitated its continued occupation of Palestinian territory (potentially culminating in the annexation of the West Bank) and reduced incentives to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict.” The bombing of the U.S. “embassy in Beirut, [was] a direct response to U.S. military intervention in Lebanon, which, in turn, was an attempt to deal with the consequences of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon a year earlier.” “The Israel–Palestine conflict has been an especially salient example of such an issue, as underscored by how Palestinians opposing the Israeli occupation were in the forefront of the wave of international terrorism that began in the late 1960s. International terrorism sponsored by Palestinian organizations abated once the U.S. and Israel began engaging the Palestinians in the late 1980s.” “In other cases, U.S. support for a militarily superior partner has tended to reduce that country’s incentives to resolve conflicts and instead opt to safeguard a status quo favorable to its interests but not to regional stability and U.S. interests. As the only state in the region with nuclear weapons and as a highly effective conventional military power in its own right—and with a qualitative edge conferred over many years by the U.S. and effective weapons development and manufacturing capacities—Israel no longer needs the U.S. to guarantee its security. Yet the U.S. sends Israel $3.8 billion in military aid annually. As of 2019, Israel had received $142.3 billion from the U.S. since 1949 —significantly more than any other nation.40 American military aid is sent regardless of whether Israel tries to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. By persistently bolstering Israel’s qualitative military edge no matter what direction Israeli policy takes, U.S. assistance as currently structured does not incentivize Israel to pursue compromise, whether with the Palestinians or other neighbors.” “…persistent U.S. antipathy creates a security dilemma for Iran. U.S. military support for Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE causes Iran to perceive itself as under threat and to respond by trying to enhance its own security, partly by investing in paramilitary groups beyond its borders.” “In Israel, where the well-reinforced assumption that unquestioning U.S. support will continue no matter what Israel does, it has long been evident that this has encouraged destructive Israeli practices such as the continued building of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories.” “Such a rights-respecting policy would include making military assistance to Israel—for decades (and still) the largest recipient of such assistance—conditional on Israel ending its routine violation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These offenses include ongoing settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and attacks in Gaza that have failed to fulfill obligations to protect civilians. Israel is a nuclear and military superpower in the region that does not need American military aid to defend itself. As such, it should arguably not be a candidate for military aid in the first place. To the extent military aid should be provided to Middle Eastern states, priority should be given to those at risk of becoming failed states. If Washington decides to continue aid to Israel, it should be conditioned on changes to Israeli policies that advance stability and U.S. interests.” “A consistent rights-respecting policy embedded in a broader approach to the region, one that emphasizes core U.S. interests, problem-solving diplomacy, and engagement with all relevant regional actors, would have consequences for how the U.S. has traditionally managed the Israel–Palestine conflict. The shortcomings of the U.S.–led peace process have become increasingly evident, all the more so as the Trump administration has abandoned any pretense of serving as an honest broker. It is a process that ill-serves U.S. interests as well as Israel’s long-term well-being, let alone its failure to help the Palestinians.” “…there would be greater space for advancing negotiated and diplomatic solutions to various conflicts in the region, notably in the Saudi–Iran and Israel–Palestine cases.” “For the United States, this means a significant reduction of arms sales, primarily to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE.”
Some of the citations regarding Israel are bundled with other countries, most particularly as related to arms sales and regional conflicts. Other excerpts correctly note that the status quo with Israel serves no American interests and is not even good for Israel, but the problem is that the solution is lame, or to describe it more properly, irrelevant. Distancing the U.S. from the region’s quarrels depends solely on disengaging with Israel first as American hostility towards an unthreatening Iran, Lebanon and Syria is a result of successful advocacy by the Jewish state. And serving as an “honest broker” vis-à-vis the Palestinians is sheer fantasy as it has never been the case for any U.S. administration due to effective Israeli pressure. If the Quincies were being honest, they would concede up front that the so-called peace plan currently being floated is a complete sell out to Israel. Any kind of shift in policy also assumes that Israelis want peace with the Palestinians, but opinion polls suggest otherwise, with many Israelis routinely referring to the Arabs as “terrorists.”
The only suggestion with any teeth to it is making military assistance to Israel conditional on its human rights record towards the Palestinians, but that in turn exposes the fundamental flaw in the arguments being made. The problem for the U.S. is not Israel per se but rather the enormously powerful domestic Israel Lobby which will make sure that nothing will be done to alter the status quo. The American government and media are completely dominated by Jewish billionaire-funded organizations that have repeatedly demonstrated that they have sufficient clout to stop any defections, witness the recent affirmation of the U.S./Israel relationship in the Democratic Party electoral platform and Joe Biden’s proud declaration that he is a “Zionist.” Quincy is delusional if it thinks that it can reorder the Middle East based on “realism and restraint” without the cooperation of Congress and the White House, which are bought and paid for and totally resistant to change.
So, Quincy has a lot of interesting ideas and the basic premise of non-interventionism is sound. But regarding the real fly in the ointment, Israel, it is pointless to urge “realism” in a situation that has not been realistic since 1947. Unfortunately, in America everything has a price and Jewish groups have been canny enough to buy Congress, the White House and much of the media at bargain prices to make sure that Israel stays protected. If you are not addressing that issue out in the open you are wasting your time. Not surprisingly, it would seem that any concerns over the reorganization of the Middle East as proposed by Quincy are most definitely not going to keep Benjamin Netanyahu awake at night.
Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a 501(c)3 tax deductible educational foundation (Federal ID Number #52-1739023) that seeks a more interests-based U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Website is https://councilforthenationalinterest.org, address is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org.
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southfront--2020-07-28--Rockets Pounded U.S. Bases In Iraq Following Hezbollah-Israeli Escalation On Lebanese Border

On July 27 , fighting broke out between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Israeli-Lebanese contact line .
This became the heaviest open confrontation between the sides in about a year .
The incident occurred in an area known as Chebaa Farms , which was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war .
Israeli shelling started at around 3:30 p.m. local time which lasted for about an hour and a half .
The Israeli Defense Forces ( IDF ) claimed that they had repelled an infiltration attempt by a Hezbollah unit and there were no casualties among IDF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the IDF was on heightened alert for a possible attack by Hezbollah , after an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed a Hezbollah member earlier in July .
In a televised address , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah that it is “ playing with fire , ” and stated that “ Hezbollah and Lebanon bear full responsibility for this incident and any attack from Lebanese territory against Israel.
” In its own turn , pro-Hezbollah sources claimed that Hezbollah targeted a vehicle and a battle tank of the IDF with anti-tank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims about the outcome of the clashes as fake and aimed to boost the morale of Israeli forces by fabricating fictitious victories .
It also rejected reports about strikes on IDF targets .
“ The answer to the martyrdom of [ our ] brother , Ali Kamel Mohsen , in the vicinity of Damascus airport has not been given yet .
Zionist occupiers must still wait for that answer and their punishment at the hands of the resistance forces , ” Hezbollah said .
A few hours after the incident on the Lebanese-Israeli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bases in Iraq .
The strike on Camp Speicher , located near Tikrit , caused a large explosion on the site .
At the same time , at least three rockets targeted another US-operated military base – Camp Taji , located near Baghdad .
According to local media , one rocket hit an Iraqi helicopter while another landed in an artillery weapon depot .
The third rocket landed in the area of the 2nd Air Force Squadron but did not explode .
Local sources claim that the strikes came in response to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , south of Baghdad , on July 26 .
This camp is operated by the Popular Mobilization Units .
This branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces is often described by Washington and mainstream media as Iranian proxies and even terrorists .
Even if the incidents in Iraq and the Lebanese-Israeli border were not linked , they serve as strong evidence of the escalating tensions in the Middle East .
Despite the defeat of ISIS and the relative de-escalation of the conflict in Syria , the region still remains in a permanent state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ source of these tensions is the developing conflict between the Israeli-US bloc and Iranian-led forces .

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On July 27, fighting broke out between Israeli forces and Hezbollah along the Israeli-Lebanese contact line. This became the heaviest open confrontation between the sides in about a year. The incident occurred in an area known as Chebaa Farms, which was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
Israeli shelling started at around 3:30 p.m. local time which lasted for about an hour and a half. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that they had repelled an infiltration attempt by a Hezbollah unit and there were no casualties among IDF forces. The exchange of fire came as the IDF was on heightened alert for a possible attack by Hezbollah, after an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed a Hezbollah member earlier in July.
In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah that it is “playing with fire,” and stated that “Hezbollah and Lebanon bear full responsibility for this incident and any attack from Lebanese territory against Israel.”
In its own turn, pro-Hezbollah sources claimed that Hezbollah targeted a vehicle and a battle tank of the IDF with anti-tank guided missiles.
Hezbollah itself described Israeli claims about the outcome of the clashes as fake and aimed to boost the morale of Israeli forces by fabricating fictitious victories. It also rejected reports about strikes on IDF targets.
“The answer to the martyrdom of [our] brother, Ali Kamel Mohsen, in the vicinity of Damascus airport has not been given yet. Zionist occupiers must still wait for that answer and their punishment at the hands of the resistance forces,” Hezbollah said.
A few hours after the incident on the Lebanese-Israeli contact line, rockets struck US-operated military bases in Iraq. The strike on Camp Speicher, located near Tikrit, caused a large explosion on the site. At the same time, at least three rockets targeted another US-operated military base – Camp Taji, located near Baghdad. According to local media, one rocket hit an Iraqi helicopter while another landed in an artillery weapon depot. The third rocket landed in the area of the 2nd Air Force Squadron but did not explode.
Local sources claim that the strikes came in response to a drone strike on the al-Saqer military camp, south of Baghdad, on July 26. This camp is operated by the Popular Mobilization Units. This branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces is often described by Washington and mainstream media as Iranian proxies and even terrorists.
Even if the incidents in Iraq and the Lebanese-Israeli border were not linked, they serve as strong evidence of the escalating tensions in the Middle East. Despite the defeat of ISIS and the relative de-escalation of the conflict in Syria, the region still remains in a permanent state of escalation. However, now, the source of these tensions is the developing conflict between the Israeli-US bloc and Iranian-led forces.
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southfront--2020-07-28--YouTube’s Agressive Censorship Campaign Against SouthFront Continues

They do what they want and because all media outlets and everything western seems tied up together nobody says anything and in fact most countries leaderships welcome the censorship today , the biggest question I ’ d of thought would be why ?
But nobody ever thinks of asking the BIG question ?
WHY IS THIS ALL HAPPENING ?
To me it ’ s so obvious I find it really peculiar we see no one ask why is this happening ?
WHY is this happening ?
It seems the one question nobody knows the answer too ?
Yet Is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , only the consequences of what it really means have people in a state of mind that they ’ d rather deny everything that ’ s happening , and are all merely hoping it will go away ?
Even all media outlets , RT included ?
, none , not one has asked WHY ?
Why is this happening ?
What is really going on ?
Nobody asks or even talks about it ?
Let alone actually try to work it out ?
We all know we ’ re being lied to ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re being lied to ?
It has to be something like this ?
There will be people that understand this far more than I do , but as I ’ m just me , this is the best I can figure out , using only things I do know ?
For all Western governments and media , to be following the same scripted lies ?
( unprecedented in history ) , we must know it ’ s leading to something huge ?
I can make sense of all of this ?
Only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nobody wants to believe this ?
They all simply deny it ?
But this not only fits and makes sense .
It keeps making more sense every single year that passes ?
The US has known for many years their economy had to collapse , and they ’ ve planned for it .
They ’ ve been printing more and more dollars while increasing their military budget yearly , even with the collapse of the USSR the US continued to build more military and gain more military bases across the world .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years that if they can gain full world military dominance , they can then introduce/force a single world currency ( What this is ALL about ) … The effect as such , would see the US overnight become completely debt free ( explains the enormous military overspending , and explains their willingness to allow China to purchase so many US bonds ) and would see them/USA achieve full global military control , as well as full global financial control , ( a very nice achievement some might argue ) In other words for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That effectively means ‘ American Tyranny ’ and that ’ s no different from Nazi tyranny .
The US dollar Is the world ‘ reserve currency ’ and Is currently used by most other countries to sell/purchase their oil/gas/energy etc , meaning that billions if not trillions of dollars are kept by countries for their energy purchasing .
What that allowed the US to do , is print billions of dollars without showing the true rate of Inflation that would normally arise from such massive currency printing .
( They can only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US currency sits in vaults all over the world to purchase countries energy , those dollars would never find their way into the actual US economy ) , meaning the US could hold their level of Inflation right down from what It really should be .
The huge problem we ’ re now seeing is , countries like Russia , China , Iran , Venezuela , Europe and many more , will now sell/buy their energy In different currencies or Gold , not the US dollar , meaning that each country will start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so many years , replacing them with the Gold or currency they ’ re going to use .
The problem for the USA is , that when those billions if not trillions of dollars filter back into the US economy , ( as is now starting to happen ) the Inflation will explode as It can ’ t be hidden any more .
It will see hyperinflation and the price of a loaf of bread will skyrocket to over $ 200 , and that will cripple the USA , and will collapse the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before .
The USA will be in debt for hundreds of years to come , with no way of creating any more debt ?
It will all be over .
This is exactly why we ’ re seeing this attempt to drag Russia Into a war ?
After the collapse of the USSR , the USA bribed Yeltsin through the 90s , while helping dismantle Russia ’ s military , they even gained access to Russian Nuclear silos .
They helped to sell off Russian resources , in illegal corrupted auctions , carried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in pocket ’ Oligarchs , and ended with the USA really believing Russia could never become a threat to them again .
Only they were wrong .
And now today , ( right when they need too ) they can ’ t force in a single currency with the likes of Russia and her nuclear threat saying get lost .
They nearly had it done with the collapse of the USSR… What a bonus that was ?
It meant they could do it without war !
!
But they messed that right up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man – Putin .
The United States REALLY believed they had finished off Russia after the collapse of the USSR , to the point Russia could never be a threat to them again , they helped keep Russia in a state of pandemonium through Yeltsin ’ s reign , believing they had sealed Russia ’ s fate to the toilet .

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YouTube Vs SouthFront
The comedy show named ‘YouTube and its attempts to justify the need to censor SouthFront’ just got a new episode.
On July 28, YouTube blocked SouthFront’s backup channel created in May to upload videos, while the main one remains terminated due to YouTube’s inability to tolerate independent points of view. The blocked channel had ZERO YouTube strikes.
The move is an apparent part of the ongoing censorship campaign against SouthFront.
The July 28 situation is the second time when YouTube blocked SouthFront’s backup channel. The previous censorship attempt happened on May 16.
Then, SouthFront appealed the decision and by May 18, YouTube restored SouthFront’s backup channel. The decision of YouTube Team to restore the channel clearly demonstrated that SouthFront content does not violate any YouTube Community Guidlines or Terms of Service.
At that moment, the backup channel had about 1,3900 subscribers. As of July 28, the number of subscribers overcame 7,000.
Therefore, this approach of YouTube confirms that this is clearly a politically-motivated decision aimed at suppressing SouthFront on the platform.
IN PREVIOUS SERIES
The text below was released by SouthFront on June 24, 2020 (source):
More than 1.5 months since the censorship of SouthFront’s main channel on YouTube, the YouTube staff has been ignoring SouthFront rejecting requests to provide at least some kind of formal reason behind this decision. However, in mid-June, YouTube finally invented some formal explanation for its illegal decision to censor SouthFront.
Now, YouTube claims that SouthFront’s main channel was terminated because of “repeated or severe violations” of YouTube Community Guidelines, including “spam, scams or commercially deceptive content”. The claim that SouthFront content on YouTube somehow promoted spam, scams or deceptive content is a blatant lie.
HINT: On May 1, YouTube terminated all of South Front’s channels, with approximately 170,000 subscribers. The main YouTube channel in English had over 152,000 subscribers, 1,900 uploaded videos and approximately 60 million views. The termination of our channels occurred without any warnings or notifications and regardless of the fact that our YouTube channels had zero active strikes. We immediately appealed this decision and during the next weeks repeatedly requested YouTube to explain reasons behind it. However, no real answers have been provided until now.
A summary of the recent events:
On June 16, YouTube requested us to provide him links to SouthFront channels, which were terminated (like YouTube Support Team cannot get these links by itself):
SouthFront provided all the requested information:
On June 18, YouTube finally invented a formal explantion for its unjustified decision to censor SouthFront by claiming that our main YouTube channel with over 152,000 subscribers was promoting “spam, scams or commercially deceptive content”:
However, this claim goes contrary to YouTube’s official data itself. There was zero YouTube Community Guidelines strikes or any other strikes on the channel.
On May 3, YouTube Support Team officially confirmed this fact in its own email saying that there were “no reasons” to terminate SouthFront’s channel:
We emphasized this in our answer to YouTube’s new claims:
On June 22, YouTube made a one more clumsy attempt to explain its decision to censor SouthFront. This time YouTube Support Team claimed that “multiple Community Guideline strikes” may have become the reason behind the termination of our channel.
Indeed, few years ago, SouthFront’s YouTube channel received Community Guidelines strikes because of a mass flagging of our videos by ill-wishers. These Community Guidelines strikes were removed after our appeals to YouTube Support Team. Therefore, YouTube officially confirmed that these strikes were unjustified or added by mistake. Therefore, SouthFront’s YouTube channel had ZERO strikes when it was terminated.
On June 23, YouTube sent us a new reply very similar to those that we received previously on June 11. This reply does not deal with the current situation in a direct way. In fact, YouTube cannot confirm its claims about supposed Community Guidelines violations because it has no evidence to do so. Therefore, it just used SouthFront’s readiness to defend its rights as a formal pretext to not provide any facts and evidence behind its decision to terminate SouthFront’s channel.
This situation once again demonstrates the double-faced approach of the service that tries to hide blatant acts of censorship behind baseless claims about supposed Community Guidelines violations.
We eagerly await the further development of this situation. How would YouTube try to explain this act of illegal censorship next time?
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southfront--2020-07-28--Military Situation In Iraq On July 28, 2020 (Map Update)

Click to see the full-size image A brief overview of the recent developments in Iraq : • Several rockets struck @ @ @ @ @ Baghdad , damaging an Iraqi army helicopter .
The rockets were reportedly launched from the @ @ @ @ @ • 2 explosions took place at Camp Speicher near the city of Tikrit .
According @ @ @ @ @ the explosions were caused by fire ; • During the 4th phase of Operation Iraqi @ @ @ @ @ ammunition and weapons was discovered in Abi Saida , Diyala province .
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A brief overview of the recent developments in Iraq:
Several rockets struck Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, damaging an Iraqi army helicopter. The rockets were reportedly launched from the Saba’ al-Bour area;
2 explosions took place at Camp Speicher near the city of Tikrit. According to Iraqi security officials, the explosions were caused by fire;
During the 4th phase of Operation Iraqi Heroes, a cache of ammunition and weapons was discovered in Abi Saida, Diyala province.
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southfront--2020-07-28--Military Situation In Syria On July 28, 2020 (Map Update)

and i just posted my comment now and it shows 9 hours ago .
lol they are going all out @ @ @ @ @ to start using alternatives to u.s made programs like youtube and google

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A brief overview of the recent develeopments in Syria:
Unknown gunmen broke into house of former rebel commander, killing him and 4 others, in the city of Sanamayn, in Daraa Governorate;
A former rebel was killed by unknown gunmen in the city of Tafas in Daraa Governorate;
Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery shelled militant positions in the village of Majdaliya;
SAA artillery shelled militant positions north of Lattakia;
At least one SAA soldier was killed in clashes between the SAA and the ISIS cells in the vicinity of Ithriya and Khanasser;
Turkish artillery shelled YPG positions in the Yulanli area in the west of Manbij city in Aleppo Governorate.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham Arrested Terrorist Commander For Refusing To Go To Libya – Report

Hay ’ at Tahrir al-Sham ( HTS ) had arrested a senior commander of al-Qaeda-affiliated Horas al-Din because he had refused to leave to Libya , the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ( SOHR ) reported on July 29 .
According to the London-based monitoring group , the commander , Fadel al-Libi , was arrested along with five foreign terrorists by HTS ’ security forces .
HTS reportedly wanted al-Libi , a citizen of Libyan , to go back to Libya and fight for the Government of National Accord .
Turkey made the decision on his return .
Turkey has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year .
Many unverified reports claim that Ankara also sends foreign Jihadists .
Al-Libi is the commander of Horas al-Din ’ s Coastal Army , which consists of 300 soldiers and is based in the northern countryside of Lattakia .
The commander arrived in Syria to support the rebels in 2013 , according to the SOHR .
Last week , HTS arrested Abu Yahya al-Jazaery , another senior foreign commander of Horas al-Din , after accusing him of “ corruption ” and “ theft.
” HTS is slowly eliminating Horas al-Din ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confrontation between the two sides broke out last month .
As a result , Horas al-Din lost most of its influence and assets in the Syrian region .
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Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had arrested a senior commander of al-Qaeda-affiliated Horas al-Din because he had refused to leave to Libya, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on July 29.
According to the London-based monitoring group, the commander, Fadel al-Libi, was arrested along with five foreign terrorists by HTS’ security forces.
HTS reportedly wanted al-Libi, a citizen of Libyan, to go back to Libya and fight for the Government of National Accord. Turkey made the decision on his return.
“They refused to leave Syria and go to Libya despite Turkish orders on this,” the SOHR’s report reads.
Turkey has been deploying Syrian militants in Libya since last year. Many unverified reports claim that Ankara also sends foreign Jihadists.
Al-Libi is the commander of Horas al-Din’s Coastal Army, which consists of 300 soldiers and is based in the northern countryside of Lattakia. The commander arrived in Syria to support the rebels in 2013, according to the SOHR.
Last week, HTS arrested Abu Yahya al-Jazaery, another senior foreign commander of Horas al-Din, after accusing him of “corruption” and “theft.”
HTS is slowly eliminating Horas al-Din’s remnants in Greater Idlib. A confrontation between the two sides broke out last month. As a result, Horas al-Din lost most of its influence and assets in the Syrian region.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Unidentified Gunmen Assassinated Former Syrian Rebel Commander In Daraa

A former Free Syrian Army ( FSA ) commander has been reportedly assassinated by unidentified gunmen in the southern Syrian city of Daraa .
The commander , Ibrahim al-Masalmah , was shot dead on July 27 by the gunmen in the southern part of the city , known as Daraa al-Balad .
Al-Masalmah ’ s friend Hussein Allullah , who was also a former rebel , was killed in the attack as well .
Al-Masalmah , known by his nom de guerre of “ Abu Hussein al-Yarmuk ” , was a senior commander in the al-Buniyan al-Marsus operations room .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the support from the U.S.-led Military Operation Center in Jordan .
The al-Buniyan al-Marsus operations room carried out a series of large-scale operations against the SAA and its allies between 2016 and 2018 .
The most significant operation was the offensive to capture Daraa city in 2017 .
Al-Masalamah was reportedly one of the main commanders of this offensive .
In mid-2018 , al-Masalamah joined the reconciliation process in Daraa .
He reportedly returned to civilian life and didn ’ t enlist in any pro-government formation .
Some opposition activists blamed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , there is no evidence indicating the truth of such claims .
The commander may have been assassinated by ISIS cells , which are present in Daraa .
The al-Buniyan al-Marsus operations room was engaged in a serious conflict with the terrorist group .
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A former Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander has been reportedly assassinated by unidentified gunmen in the southern Syrian city of Daraa.
The commander, Ibrahim al-Masalmah, was shot dead on July 27 by the gunmen in the southern part of the city, known as Daraa al-Balad. Al-Masalmah’s friend Hussein Allullah, who was also a former rebel, was killed in the attack as well.
Al-Masalmah, known by his nom de guerre of “Abu Hussein al-Yarmuk”, was a senior commander in the al-Buniyan al-Marsus operations room. The operations room was founded in 2016 with the support from the U.S.-led Military Operation Center in Jordan.
The al-Buniyan al-Marsus operations room carried out a series of large-scale operations against the SAA and its allies between 2016 and 2018. The most significant operation was the offensive to capture Daraa city in 2017. Al-Masalamah was reportedly one of the main commanders of this offensive.
In mid-2018, al-Masalamah joined the reconciliation process in Daraa. He reportedly returned to civilian life and didn’t enlist in any pro-government formation.
Some opposition activists blamed the Syrian intelligence for the assassination of al-Masalmah. However, there is no evidence indicating the truth of such claims. The commander may have been assassinated by ISIS cells, which are present in Daraa. The al-Buniyan al-Marsus operations room was engaged in a serious conflict with the terrorist group.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Military Situation In Syria On July 29, 2020 (Map Update)

Click to see the full-size image A brief overview of the recent developments in Syria : • Syrian Arab Army @ @ @ @ @ militant positions in the villages of Fatirah , Kafr Uwayd and Balyun ; • Unidentified @ @ @ @ @ in Nawa town in the western countryside of Daraa ; • The joint “ Russian-Turkish @ @ @ @ @ 29 was cancelled due to shelling and increasing tensions in southern Idlib .
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A brief overview of the recent developments in Syria:
Syrian Arab Army (SAA) artillery shelled militant positions in the villages of Fatirah, Kafr Uwayd and Balyun;
Unidentified gunmen attacked a security post in Nawa town in the western countryside of Daraa;
The joint “Russian-Turkish” patrol scheduled for July 29 was cancelled due to shelling and increasing tensions in southern Idlib.
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southfront--2020-07-29--SouthFront Is At A Crucial Turning Point

Since early May , SouthFront has been the target of a new active censorship and propaganda campaign aimed at damaging our work as a whole .
Our main YouTube channel and Facebook page with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and millions of views have been terminated .
At the same time , Euro-Atlantic structures and mainstream media are trying to discredit SouthFront .
SouthFront has not surrendered and we continue our work even in these conditions .
However , our resources are depleted by regular agressive censorship actinos against SouthFront Team .
ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE END OF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collected 3125 USD .
This is 62.5 % of the monthly budget needed to keep SouthFront working and further .
Since July 23 , we ’ ve collected over 800 USD .
If this level of support remains in the coming days , SouthFront will get all chances to overcome the current situation .
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WITHOUT YOUR HELP : Donate via VISA , PayPal , Paysafecard , Bitcoin and other options .
This systems accepts all types of cards , PayPal , Amazon Payments , bitcoin ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in P.S . )
You can subscribe for a monthly donation of $ 15 ( or any another amount ) OR make one time donation by clicking buttons below

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Since early May, SouthFront has been the target of a new active censorship and propaganda campaign aimed at damaging our work as a whole. Our main YouTube channel and Facebook page with hundreds of thousands of subscribers and millions of views have been terminated. At the same time, Euro-Atlantic structures and mainstream media are trying to discredit SouthFront.
SouthFront has not surrendered and we continue our work even in these conditions. However, our resources are depleted by regular agressive censorship actinos against SouthFront Team.
ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT UNTIL THE END OF JULY
Since July 1, SouthFront has collected 3212 USD. This is 64.24% of the monthly budget needed to keep SouthFront working and further.
Since July 23, we’ve collected over 1060 USD. If this level of support remains in the coming days, SouthFront will get all chances to overcome the current situation.
WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WITHOUT YOUR HELP:
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Account: southfront@list.ru
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Donate via VISA, PayPal, Paysafecard, Bitcoin and other options.
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This systems accepts all types of cards, PayPal, Amazon Payments, bitcoin (FAQ is under the main text, in P.S.)
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SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence Team
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southfront--2020-07-29--Gone! Ecumenial Patriarch Sold His Position Towards Hagia Sophia For Reopening Of Sumela Monastery

On July 28th , it became clear why Bartholomew I of Constantinople remained quiet and didn ’ t criticize Turkey converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque .
His solemn expression of “ support ” was , essentially , bought by the reopening of the Sumela Monastery , in the Black Sea province of Trabzon .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reopened the monastery via video link , not even personally attending it .
He rejected criticism over the reopening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque in the week ending on July 26th .
On July 24th , Friday prayers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first acts of worship there in 86 years .
Ecumenial Patriarch Bartholomew , on July 28th , thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the restoration of Sumela Monastery and its reopening to visit .
Turkey ’ s Communications Directorate said in a statement that Erdogan and Bartholomew talked over the phone .
Bartholomew expressed his gratitude to Erdogan for his support and interest in the restoration of the Sumela Monastery , the directorate added .
It said Bartholomew also congratulated the upcoming Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha of the Turkish and Islamic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monastery have been completed after landscaping , investigation , and strengthening of the geological and geotechnical maintenance of rocks were carried out at the monastic complex .
In May 2019 the monastery opened for tourist visits and religious use , after nearly three years of restoration .
It wasn ’ t opened entirely opened and it would appear that Bartholomew ’ s silence regarding the Hagia Sophia fiasco was entirely bought via the reopening of the monastery .
The Sumela Monastery is located in the Macka district , the monastery is a site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was included in UNESCO ’ s temporary list of World Heritage sites in 2000 .
It reopened for religious use on August 15th , 2010 with the permission of the Culture and Tourism Ministry , following an 88-year hiatus .
The cliff-face monastery , which has drawn the attention of both locals and foreigners , hosts hundreds of thousands of sightseers every year .
Its construction began in approximately the year 385 , according to UNESCO .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Turkish President Attends First Official Prayer At Hagia Sophia For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of Hagia Sophia Into Mosque Is Sign Of Weakness Of Orthodox World : Metropolitan Seraphim

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On July 28th, it became clear why Bartholomew I of Constantinople remained quiet and didn’t criticize Turkey converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
His solemn expression of “support” was, essentially, bought by the reopening of the Sumela Monastery, in the Black Sea province of Trabzon.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reopened the monastery via video link, not even personally attending it.
He rejected criticism over the reopening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque in the week ending on July 26th.
On July 24th, Friday prayers in the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque marked the first acts of worship there in 86 years.
“On August 15th, our Orthodox citizens will be able to perform the [Litany of the Blessed] Virgin Mary religious service, which was suspended during the restoration period at the Sumela Monastery,” he added.
Ecumenial Patriarch Bartholomew, on July 28th, thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the restoration of Sumela Monastery and its reopening to visit.
Turkey’s Communications Directorate said in a statement that Erdogan and Bartholomew talked over the phone.
Bartholomew expressed his gratitude to Erdogan for his support and interest in the restoration of the Sumela Monastery, the directorate added.
It said Bartholomew also congratulated the upcoming Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha of the Turkish and Islamic world.
Restoration works at the majestic monastery have been completed after landscaping, investigation, and strengthening of the geological and geotechnical maintenance of rocks were carried out at the monastic complex.
In May 2019 the monastery opened for tourist visits and religious use, after nearly three years of restoration.
It wasn’t opened entirely opened and it would appear that Bartholomew’s silence regarding the Hagia Sophia fiasco was entirely bought via the reopening of the monastery.
The Sumela Monastery is located in the Macka district, the monastery is a site of historical and cultural significance. It was included in UNESCO’s temporary list of World Heritage sites in 2000.
It reopened for religious use on August 15th, 2010 with the permission of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, following an 88-year hiatus.
The cliff-face monastery, which has drawn the attention of both locals and foreigners, hosts hundreds of thousands of sightseers every year. Its construction began in approximately the year 385, according to UNESCO.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Turkey Passes Bill To Control Social Media, But That “Will Not Lead To Censorship”

On July 29th , the Turkish Parliament passed a law that will give authorities more powers to control social media content .
The law requires foreign social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to appoint Turkish-based representatives to address authorities ’ concerns over content and includes deadlines for removal of material they take exception to .
Companies that do not adhere to this may face fines , the blocking of advertisement rights , as well as having their bandwidth cut down by up to 90 % .
These sanctions will be applied depending on the severity of the infraction if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the content that has been found unacceptable is not removed or blocked within 24 hours .
Administrative fines for providers who fail to meet obligations would be raised to encourage compliance .
Previously , fines were between 10,000-100,000 Turkish Liras ( $ 1,500 – $ 15,000 ) , but the amount would now be between 1 million – 10 million liras ( $ 146,165 – $ 1,461,650 ) .
If the representative will be a real entity , not a legal one , it has to be a Turkish citizen .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media networks to be stored in Turkey .
The law was submitted by the ruling AKP and its nationalist partner the MHP , which have a majority in the parliament , and passed after debates that took almost the entire July 28th .
Human rights groups and the opposition are worried over what they call the erosion of freedom of expression in Turkey , with thousands of people subject to criminal proceedings for “ insulting ” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on social media .
Human Rights Watch expressed concerns that the law would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to get content removed at will and to arbitrarily target individual users .
Main opposition Republican People ’ s Party ( CHP ) deputy chair Engin Özkoç criticized the government for “ seizing ” mainstream media and said people had found refuge in social media to express their opinions in the absence of an impartial media .
İYİ ( Good ) Party group deputy chair Lütfü Türkkan suggested that the ruling party aims to make the internet “ a part of a totalitarian regime that they want to build , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said the bill would not lead to censorship but “ would establish commercial and legal ties with the social media platforms.
” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly criticized social media and said a rise of “ immoral acts ” online in recent years was due to a lack of regulations .
To avoid any backtracking , Turkish parliament also passed a motion to put itself in recess until October 1st .
According to Twitter ’ s latest “ transparency report ” for the first half of 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content removal with more than 6,000 requests .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Erdogan Vows Government Control Of Social Media Over Insults On Twitter

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On July 29th, the Turkish Parliament passed a law that will give authorities more powers to control social media content.
The law requires foreign social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to appoint Turkish-based representatives to address authorities’ concerns over content and includes deadlines for removal of material they take exception to.
Companies that do not adhere to this may face fines, the blocking of advertisement rights, as well as having their bandwidth cut down by up to 90%.
These sanctions will be applied depending on the severity of the infraction if they fail to designate a representative or if the content that has been found unacceptable is not removed or blocked within 24 hours.
Administrative fines for providers who fail to meet obligations would be raised to encourage compliance.
Previously, fines were between 10,000-100,000 Turkish Liras ($1,500 – $15,000), but the amount would now be between 1 million – 10 million liras ($146,165 – $1,461,650).
If the representative will be a real entity, not a legal one, it has to be a Turkish citizen.
The new legislation requires user data from social media networks to be stored in Turkey.
The law was submitted by the ruling AKP and its nationalist partner the MHP, which have a majority in the parliament, and passed after debates that took almost the entire July 28th.
Human rights groups and the opposition are worried over what they call the erosion of freedom of expression in Turkey, with thousands of people subject to criminal proceedings for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on social media.
Human Rights Watch expressed concerns that the law would enable the government to control social media, to get content removed at will and to arbitrarily target individual users.
“Social media is a lifeline for many people who use it to access news, so this law signals a new dark era of online censorship,” said Tom Porteous, deputy program director at Human Rights Watch in a statement before the legislation passed.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy chair Engin Özkoç criticized the government for “seizing” mainstream media and said people had found refuge in social media to express their opinions in the absence of an impartial media.
“We believe and support that any kind of thoughts that do not exceed the limits of morality should be freely expressed on social media,” Özkoç told reporters ahead of the debate at the parliament’s general assembly.
İYİ (Good) Party group deputy chair Lütfü Türkkan suggested that the ruling party aims to make the internet “a part of a totalitarian regime that they want to build, and it has betrayed” Turkey’s future.
“The government is trying to build a new regime in Turkey,” he said.
Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said the bill would not lead to censorship but “would establish commercial and legal ties with the social media platforms.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly criticized social media and said a rise of “immoral acts” online in recent years was due to a lack of regulations.
To avoid any backtracking, Turkish parliament also passed a motion to put itself in recess until October 1st.
According to Twitter’s latest “transparency report” for the first half of 2019, Turkey ranked number one for seeking content removal with more than 6,000 requests.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Bite The Hand That Feeds: BLM Rioters & US-funded Kurdish Groups Against Trump

The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone ( CHAZ ) in Seattle was broken down and cleared out on July 1st , after being established on June 8th .
In its brief existence it presented some interesting things , notably that it had representatives from the United States ’ allies in the face of the Syrian Democratic Forces , whose core is made up of the Kurdish People ’ s Protection Units ( YPG ) and the Women ’ s Protection Units ( YPJ ) that are linked with the Kurdistan Workers ’ Party ( PKK ) .
On June 15th , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anna , presumably a YPJ fighter who was allegedly killed by Turkish Forces in Afrin .
Pro-Kurdish groups are protesting on the side of BLM supporters , and are protesting against “ fascist imperialism ” – according to them the US government is the same as the Turkish government in its oppression .
The protest is against “ violent authoritarian repression , ” allegedly carried out by the government that actually funded Kurdish militias ( YPG , YPJ ) for years and provided supporters and even members of the YPG/YPJ with the opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The pro-Kurdish organizations even have a banner of support for the BLM protesters in the US , which is filled throughout with symbolism .
The banner has quite a bit of symbolism – the Kurds are with the black people fighting against oppression in the US , similarly to those fighting against the Turkish government .
Then comes the heavy boot of imperialism which is stepping on nails , with the names of cities who are allegedly resisting it – Afrin ( Syria ) , Ar-Raqqa ( Syria ) , Seattle ( the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States ) and others .
The boot itself has a snake in it , and a snake is often used by supporters US President Donald Trump in the Internet .
Then comes the resistance to fascism : Finally , the Sun from the flag of Kurdistan expresses the love between the two groups that are being oppressed and are being refused to have their own land , presumably .
After all , the Kurds understand the struggle , and are willing to offer their comrades in the US some skills and knowledge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in organizing autonomous zones and fighting against the authorities of the state , similarly to what is taking place in Syria .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • “ I Need To Buy A Firearm ” : Radio Host Who Defended “ Peaceful ” Protesters Has Apartment Destroyed By Rioters • Protestors In Portland Diversify Tactics And Upgrade Hardware , The Winner Is Confusion and Chaos

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The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) in Seattle was broken down and cleared out on July 1st, after being established on June 8th.
In its brief existence it presented some interesting things, notably that it had representatives from the United States’ allies in the face of the Syrian Democratic Forces, whose core is made up of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) that are linked with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Last night a few of us hung a banner for Anna Campbell's birthday at the #chaz. Anna fought in the YPJ in Rojava, and was killed in Afrîn by Turkish military forces. We remember her here as we remember the lives lost in the fight against state and white supremacist violence. pic.twitter.com/NHsH9E9auu — 1312press (@1312press) June 13, 2020
On June 15th, protesters from the CHAZ expressed support for Anna, presumably a YPJ fighter who was allegedly killed by Turkish Forces in Afrin.
Pro-Kurdish groups are protesting on the side of BLM supporters, and are protesting against “fascist imperialism” – according to them the US government is the same as the Turkish government in its oppression.
just connecting two different struggles against violent authoritarian repression. Turkey clearly isn't a "white" state but they carry out fascistic imperialism in a very similar way as the US does. dont think about it too hard. — 1312press (@1312press) June 13, 2020
The protest is against “violent authoritarian repression,” allegedly carried out by the government that actually funded Kurdish militias (YPG, YPJ) for years and provided supporters and even members of the YPG/YPJ with the opportunity to operate in the United States.
The pro-Kurdish organizations even have a banner of support for the BLM protesters in the US, which is filled throughout with symbolism.
The banner has quite a bit of symbolism – the Kurds are with the black people fighting against oppression in the US, similarly to those fighting against the Turkish government.
Then comes the heavy boot of imperialism which is stepping on nails, with the names of cities who are allegedly resisting it – Afrin (Syria), Ar-Raqqa (Syria), Seattle (the United States), Portland (the United States) and others.
The boot itself has a snake in it, and a snake is often used by supporters US President Donald Trump in the Internet.
Then comes the resistance to fascism:
Finally, the Sun from the flag of Kurdistan expresses the love between the two groups that are being oppressed and are being refused to have their own land, presumably.
After all, the Kurds understand the struggle, and are willing to offer their comrades in the US some skills and knowledge, for which the US government paid in organizing autonomous zones and fighting against the authorities of the state, similarly to what is taking place in Syria.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Turkey Halts Oil And Gas Exploration In East Med In Order To Negotiate With Greece

On July 28th , Turkey paused its drilling for oil and gas in the Eastern Mediterranean “ for a while ” while waiting for talks with Greece .
This was announced by Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin .
In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk , Kalin said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his aides to “ be constructive and put this on hold for some time ” .
Turkish vessel “ Oruc Reis ” planned to search for hydrocarbons “ 180 kilometres from the island of Meis ( Kastellorizo in Greek ) ” , Kalin told the private broadcaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous announcement by the Turkish government , which would see a research vessel and two support vessels carry out operations through August 2nd in the area that Ankara claims is on its continental shelf .
In response , Greece ’ s navy said it had deployed ships in the Aegean in “ heightened readiness.
” Turkey has accused Greece of trying to exclude it from the benefits of oil and gas finds in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean , arguing that sea boundaries for commercial exploitation should be divided between the Greek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greek islands on an equal basis .
Athens counters that Turkey ’ s position is a violation of international law .
He also said that bilateral issues with Greece should be solved through dialogue , and not by threatening Turkey ’ s bid to join the EU .
On July 27th , Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said that Turkey was withdrawing navy vessels from the area , adding that Athens remained ready to enter negotiations with Turkey “ within the framework of international law and good neighbourly relations ” .
In what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense , Ibrahim Kalin said Greece was an “ important neighbor ” to Turkey and added : The US Ambassador to Greece , Geoffrey Pyatt repeated urges from other EU states for Turkey to halt its operations in the Eastern Mediterranean : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the Trump administration supported Greece , Cyprus and the EU ’ s interpretations of economic zones and that Turkey is violating them .
Still , Turkey maintains that its operations aren ’ t encroaching on Greek or Cypriot sovereignty .
MORE ON THE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greece-Turkey Maritime Dispute Clarifies : Turkey Is Definitely Alone • Egypt and France Carry Out Naval Drill As Show Of Force To Turkey • Ripple Effects : Greece And Turkey Open New Northern Front On Libyan Conflict

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On July 28th, Turkey paused its drilling for oil and gas in the Eastern Mediterranean “for a while” while waiting for talks with Greece.
This was announced by Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Kalin said that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his aides to “be constructive and put this on hold for some time”.
Turkish vessel “Oruc Reis” planned to search for hydrocarbons “180 kilometres from the island of Meis (Kastellorizo in Greek)”, Kalin told the private broadcaster.
“Despite this our president said while the negotiations are continuing, let’s be constructive and hold (energy search) for a while,” he said.
This is a turn-around from a previous announcement by the Turkish government, which would see a research vessel and two support vessels carry out operations through August 2nd in the area that Ankara claims is on its continental shelf.
In response, Greece’s navy said it had deployed ships in the Aegean in “heightened readiness.”
Turkey has accused Greece of trying to exclude it from the benefits of oil and gas finds in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, arguing that sea boundaries for commercial exploitation should be divided between the Greek and Turkish mainlands and not include the Greek islands on an equal basis.
Athens counters that Turkey’s position is a violation of international law.
“Everyone should continue working on their own continental shelves and conduct joint work in contested areas,” Kalin said.
He also said that bilateral issues with Greece should be solved through dialogue, and not by threatening Turkey’s bid to join the EU.
On July 27th, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said that Turkey was withdrawing navy vessels from the area, adding that Athens remained ready to enter negotiations with Turkey “within the framework of international law and good neighbourly relations”.
In what appears as a rare sign of common sense, Ibrahim Kalin said Greece was an “important neighbor” to Turkey and added:
“We are ready to discuss (all disputes) with Greece without any conditions.”
The US Ambassador to Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt repeated urges from other EU states for Turkey to halt its operations in the Eastern Mediterranean:
“I want to echo the clear message from Washington and elsewhere in Europe, urging Turkish authorities to halt operations that raise tensions in the region, such as plans to survey for natural resources in areas where Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean,” he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the Trump administration supported Greece, Cyprus and the EU’s interpretations of economic zones and that Turkey is violating them.
Still, Turkey maintains that its operations aren’t encroaching on Greek or Cypriot sovereignty.
“We want all natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean to be shared fairly,” said Turkish presidency spokesman Ibrahim Kalin. “We will never accept threats or sanctions. We do not accept Greece’s maximalist position.”
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southfront--2020-07-29--Turkish Magazine Calls For Revival Of Caliphate

The Turkish bar association has filed a criminal complaint against pro-Islam magazine Gercek Hayat for instigated hatred and called for an armed rebellion against the Turkish government , reported RT News .
Ankara Bar Association requested government prosecutors to investigate the magazine ’ s editor-in-chief , Kemal Ozer , and columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak , claiming their radical newspaper called for an Islamic caliphate .
Gercek Hayat , owned and operated by the pro-government Yeni Safak media group , published a red caliphate flag from the Ottoman Empire on Monday that read : “ Get together for caliphate .
If not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who ?
” RT News notes a caliphate is a state “ dedicated to the cause of Islam , seeking to be a unifying and defending force for all Muslims .
The word had received plenty of negative attention in recent times since the terrorist group Islamic State ( IS , formerly ISIS ) claimed the title for itself.
” Gercek Hayat has a little more than 10,000 readers .
The red caliphate flag magazine cover was enough for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’ s ruling Justice and Development Party ( AKP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response : “ The Republic of Turkey is a democratic , secular and social state governed by the rule of law , ” Celik tweeted , citing the first article of the Turkish constitution .
“ It is wrong to create political polarisation regarding Turkey ’ s political regime .
Our republic is the apple of our eyes with its all attributions .
The unhealthy debate and polarization on social media since yesterday on our political regime isn ’ t on Turkey ’ s agenda.
” Ozer , the magazine ’ s editor-in-chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Our journal demands that the countries of Islam come together , just as Europe has come together and established a union , just as others have made similar ones .
Our call has nothing to do with any country , ” he said .
A recent poll showed the majority of Turkish citizens weren ’ t excited about the possible return of the caliphate .

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Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
The Turkish bar association has filed a criminal complaint against pro-Islam magazine Gercek Hayat for instigated hatred and called for an armed rebellion against the Turkish government, reported RT News.
Ankara Bar Association requested government prosecutors to investigate the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Kemal Ozer, and columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak, claiming their radical newspaper called for an Islamic caliphate.
Gerçek Hayat Dergisi'nin yetkilileri hakkında "Şimdi Değilse Ne Zaman, Sen Değilsen Kim? Hilafet İçin Toparlanın" başlıklı kapağı ile Anayasal düzene karşı yaptıkları saldırı nedeniyle suç duyurusunda bulunulmuştur. https://t.co/PTJU3CdqOb pic.twitter.com/g572Fcrcwt — Ankara Barosu (@ankarabarosu) July 27, 2020
Gercek Hayat, owned and operated by the pro-government Yeni Safak media group, published a red caliphate flag from the Ottoman Empire on Monday that read: “Get together for caliphate. If not now, when? If not you, who?”
RT News notes a caliphate is a state “dedicated to the cause of Islam, seeking to be a unifying and defending force for all Muslims. The word had received plenty of negative attention in recent times since the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) claimed the title for itself.”
“Historically, four major caliphates existed, the latest being the Ottoman Empire. Modern Turkey was founded by Kemal Ataturk on the ruins of this fourth caliphate as a modern secular republic that had cast away the outdated institutions of its predecessor,” RT said.
Gercek Hayat has a little more than 10,000 readers. The red caliphate flag magazine cover was enough for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesperson Omer Celik to tweet a response:
“The Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law,” Celik tweeted, citing the first article of the Turkish constitution. “It is wrong to create political polarisation regarding Turkey’s political regime. Our republic is the apple of our eyes with its all attributions. The unhealthy debate and polarization on social media since yesterday on our political regime isn’t on Turkey’s agenda.”
Ozer, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, said critics had misread his piece:
“Our journal demands that the countries of Islam come together, just as Europe has come together and established a union, just as others have made similar ones. Our call has nothing to do with any country,” he said.
A recent poll showed the majority of Turkish citizens weren’t excited about the possible return of the caliphate.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Video Shows Alleged Russian Mercenary Convoy Towards Sirte, As LNA Builds Berms And Trenches

On July 28th , a video showed a column of trucks belonging Russian private military contractors moving from Al-Jufra to @ @ @ @ @ of alleged Chadian mercenaries also joined in on behalf of the Libyan National Army ( @ @ @ @ @ against the presumed impending attack by the Turkish Forces and the Government of National Accord @ @ @ @ @ .
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar ’ s forces appear to be hard at work in @ @ @ @ @ .
Footage showed trenches and berms being constructed south of Sirte .
In recent days @ @ @ @ @ lot of reports of the mythical “ Wagner ” PMC and its presence in Libya @ @ @ @ @ several videos and photographs alleging that they specifically show mercenaries from the legendary paramilitary contractor @ @ @ @ @ the Turkish forces and GNA , deliveries of equipment and fighters continue through Misrata and @ @ @ @ @ TOPIC : • Turkey Shifts Focus To Libya ’ s Southern Borders As Resistance In @ @ @

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On July 28th, a video showed a column of trucks belonging Russian private military contractors moving from Al-Jufra to Sirte.
#Libya
Geolocation of the video that shows Russian Wagner mercenaries, allegedly going to Sirte from Jufra. Video was recorded near the Waddan Grain Silos, in Waddan city. Convoy is near a roundabout that connects the road to Sirte. Claim stands. 29°11'11.5"N 16°08'59.8"E https://t.co/FWrhNewh1q pic.twitter.com/3VyzAPLcdj — Sargon Courtenay (@CourtenaySargon) July 28, 2020
A large convoy of alleged Chadian mercenaries also joined in on behalf of the Libyan National Army (LNA) to defend Sirte against the presumed impending attack by the Turkish Forces and the Government of National Accord (GNA) it supports.
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces appear to be hard at work in preparing for an impending attack.
Footage showed trenches and berms being constructed south of Sirte.
geolocation/july 25th sat image of newly constructed berms south of qasr abu hadi
30.779948,16.544981https://t.co/bnALHHiDbK pic.twitter.com/C64LUJVokO — il kanguru (@il_kanguru) July 27, 2020
عصابات مجرم الحرب #حفتر تقوم بحتصينات على طريق سرت الجفرة و جارف و حفر خنادق و سواتر ترابية لكي تعيق اي تقدم للقوات الحكومية و استعادتها تلك المناطق . ? pic.twitter.com/HGpSRuWTAA — ابراهيم قصودة ???? (@EbrahimGasuda) July 27, 2020
In recent days there’s been a lot of reports of the mythical “Wagner” PMC and its presence in Libya, there’s been several videos and photographs alleging that they specifically show mercenaries from the legendary paramilitary contractor.
PMC Wagner mercenaries flying out with a helicopter from Benina Airport in #Benghazi .#Libya pic.twitter.com/jknLK0nbOk — Ouais Hasairi | أويس الحصائري (@HasairiOuais) July 26, 2020
PMC Wagner mercenaries flying out with a helicopter from Benina Airport in #Benghazi .#Libya pic.twitter.com/jknLK0nbOk — Ouais Hasairi | أويس الحصائري (@HasairiOuais) July 26, 2020
On the side of the Turkish forces and GNA, deliveries of equipment and fighters continue through Misrata and al-Watiya.
Weird Harmony Jets Dassault Falcon 50 9H-DFS from #Misurata pic.twitter.com/fV37cNn64c — Manu Gómez (@GDarkconrad) July 29, 2020
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southfront--2020-07-29--Joe Biden Promises $150 Billion Bribe To Communities Of Color For His Election

On July 27th , US Presidential candidate Joe Biden is ramping up populism in attempts to increase his chances of victory .
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden , visited the Capitol to pay their respects to the late Rep. John Lewis ( D-Ga. ) as he lay in state in the Rotunda .
he Bidens were accompanied by Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) as they approached Lewis ’ s flag-draped coffin .
Lewis died on July 17th at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer .
The former congressman had endorsed Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months before he died .
“ It is my belief that we need Joe Biden now more than ever before , ” Lewis said in a call with reporters in April .
“ We need his voice .
We need his leadership now more than ever before , ” he continued .
“ We need someone who is going to get our country on the right side of history and help save our planet.
” Later , on July 28th , at a speech in Wilmington , Delaware , Biden said Lewis told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation and to remain undaunted by the public health crisis and economic crisis.
” He unveiled the fourth pillar of his “ Build Back Better ” plan – focusing on racial disparities in wealth and health .
His plan includes setting aside $ 30 billion of the $ 300 billion he announced in his first pillar for innovation funding for small businesses .
The goal is to leverage the $ 30 billion to make more than $ 150 billion available .
Beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , additional federal funds would benefit communities of color , but the Biden campaign hasn ’ t specified how much of the multitrillion-dollar plan would be directed toward those groups .
It is unclear how this plan would even be paid , but there ’ s hints by Biden and his aides that it would happen by repealing the Trump tax cuts , while other parts will be considered stimulus spending .
Campaign officials haven ’ t put a total price tag on Biden ’ s spending ambitions , but the first three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 3 trillion .
His first plank included some $ 700 billion to create 5 million jobs , the second detailed roughly $ 2 trillion for climate-friendly infrastructure , and the third promised $ 775 billion for caregiver and education jobs .
These statements are careful , in a way that they could be flexible depending on the economic fallout of COVID-19 .
There is little present in the claims other than pure propaganda and populism to win votes .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Additional Conversations Between Poroshenko And Biden Released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Regime • Leaked Phone Calls Between Biden And Poroshenko Reveal How Washington Was Pillaging Ukraine

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On July 27th, US Presidential candidate Joe Biden is ramping up populism in attempts to increase his chances of victory.
Video of Joe & Jill Biden pic.twitter.com/CCTDmtuzfp — Tia Mitchell, AJC’s Washington Correspondent (@ajconwashington) July 27, 2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, visited the Capitol to pay their respects to the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) as he lay in state in the Rotunda.
he Bidens were accompanied by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as they approached Lewis’s flag-draped coffin.
Lewis died on July 17th at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer.
“We are made in the image of God, and then there is John Lewis,” Joe Biden said in a statement at the time. “How could someone in flesh and blood be so courageous, so full of hope and love in the face of so much hate, violence, and vengeance?”
The former congressman had endorsed Biden’s presidential bid a couple of months before he died.
“It is my belief that we need Joe Biden now more than ever before,” Lewis said in a call with reporters in April. “We need his voice. We need his leadership now more than ever before,” he continued. “We need someone who is going to get our country on the right side of history and help save our planet.”
Later, on July 28th, at a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said Lewis told him on his deathbed that Americans should “stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation and to remain undaunted by the public health crisis and economic crisis.”
He unveiled the fourth pillar of his “Build Back Better” plan – focusing on racial disparities in wealth and health.
“It’s a bold, practical plan that is going to help build a stronger and more just and sustainable economy for everybody,” Biden said. “It’s also about jobs. Good paying jobs. Financial stability and building wealth for families of color.”
His plan includes setting aside $30 billion of the $300 billion he announced in his first pillar for innovation funding for small businesses.
The goal is to leverage the $30 billion to make more than $150 billion available.
Beyond the $150 billion for small businesses, additional federal funds would benefit communities of color, but the Biden campaign hasn’t specified how much of the multitrillion-dollar plan would be directed toward those groups.
It is unclear how this plan would even be paid, but there’s hints by Biden and his aides that it would happen by repealing the Trump tax cuts, while other parts will be considered stimulus spending.
Campaign officials haven’t put a total price tag on Biden’s spending ambitions, but the first three planks are likely to cost upwards of $3 trillion.
His first plank included some $700 billion to create 5 million jobs, the second detailed roughly $2 trillion for climate-friendly infrastructure, and the third promised $775 billion for caregiver and education jobs.
These statements are careful, in a way that they could be flexible depending on the economic fallout of COVID-19. There is little present in the claims other than pure propaganda and populism to win votes.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Canberra-Class Landing Helicopter Dock (Infographics)

Click to see the full-size image The Canberra is a class of landing helicopter dock ( LHD ) warshisp designed @ @ @ @ @ Australian Navy .
Two warships of the class are currently in service with the Navy @ @ @ @ @ :

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The Canberra is a class of landing helicopter dock (LHD) warshisp designed and built for the Royal Australian Navy. Two warships of the class are currently in service with the Navy.
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southfront--2020-07-29--IRGC Simulates Attack On US Aircraft Carrier In Large-Scale Drills In Persian Gulf (Videos, Photos)

Totally agree , and the Iranian know it full well , hence their decades-long focus on developping their so-called “ asymetrical warfare ” where the idea is not to “ win ” or go toe-to-toe in a given engagement , but rather to inflict to the much more powerful attacker a level of economically and politically unacceptable losses in a short period of time .
The Pentagon itself estimates a 10-15 % immediate surface ship loss rate in the opening hours of a conflict , this would be a rate unseen since the days of the Pacific wars with Japan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would ever survive , hence attemt that .
The entire Iranian military doctrine revolves around being able to repeatedly hit and even kill prized assets such as heavy destroyers , and on paper at the very least , they have what it takes to do it in the confines of the Persian Gulf .
As for a military invasion of the Iranian mainland and its rugged and impractical terrain for foreign armor having to cross its huge strategic depht , no US military commander or political thinker in its right mind would ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together .
That is , short of being able to deploy 1 million troops and 6 carrier groups and station them for 20 years in that theater , of which a good 200,000 would have to die ( along with a probably around a million Iranians though… ) .
We ’ re talking Vietnam redux with much more firepower for the enemy .
A quagmyre of epic proportions .
Indeed Iran is certainly not yet another third-world impoverished nation and is qualified by the US military itself as a “ high technology opponent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destroy some of their key infrastructure assets like the USN ’ s 5th fleet anchorage .
A conflict of this magnitude is unthinkable .
To anyone in charge at least .
And I personally hope it stays that way .

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The Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) simulated the attack on a US aircraft carrier during the final phase of large-scale aerial and naval drills, codenamed Payambar-e A’zam (The Great Prophet) 14, in the Persian Gulf.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Military Situation In Northern Egypt On July 28, 2020 (Map Update)

Sisi should do his home work first.. then try take on Turkish army in Libya

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A brief overview of the recent developments in northern Egypt:
ISIS forces are reportedly spreading in the villages of Qaatiyeh, Aqtiyyah, al-Jinayen and al-Mrayyah;
ISIS claimed sniper attack, killing one soldier and wounding another near Rabiah, Bir al-Abd.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Military Situation On Israeli-Lebanese Contact Line On July 28, 2020 (Map Update)

Hezbollah still wants to execute their little plan on the border , they can only blame themselves when the IDF @ @ @ @ @ against them and Lebanon .
We won ’ t hurt the Sunnis nor Christians , @ @ @ @ @ over Lebanon back .
As for the Shias in Southern Lebanon , it will be @ @ @ @ @ ME .
Now Hezbollah , give us a reason please .

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A brief overview of the recent developments in Palestine and on the contact line between Israeli forces and Hezbollah:
The Lebanese Prime Minister called on the United Nations to condemn the Israeli attack and implement Resolution 1701;
According to Israeli army spokesman, Hezbollah forces infiltrated the northern Israeli border at the Shebaa Farms and were repulsed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF);
Israeli army shelled the border area near the village of Kafr Shuba in Nabatieh Governorate;
Hezbollah issued a statement denying Israeli claims, saying none of the movement’s members were killed.
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southfront--2020-07-29--Al Khalid Main Battle Tank (Infographics)

Click to see the full-size image The Al-Khalid is a main battle tank jointly developed by Pakistan and China on @ @ @ @ @ Type 90-IIM tank .
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The Al-Khalid is a main battle tank jointly developed by Pakistan and China on the basis of the Chinese Type 90-IIM tank.
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southfront--2020-07-29--SAA Offensive Continues: Over 200 Shells, Rockets Hit Militant Positions In Southern Idlib

On July 29 , the Syrian Arab Army ( SAA ) targeted militants ’ positions in the Zawiya Mount in the southern countryside of Idlib with more than 200 artillery shells and rockets , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights .
The UK-based monitoring group said the shelling had targeted the towns of Kansafra , Ain La Rose , al-Bara , Kafar Aweed , Almaouzrah , Baluon , Fatterah and Erinah .
Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay ’ at Tahrir al-Sham and its allies responded by shelling SAA positions in the town of Kafr Nabl in the southern Idlib countryside .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last few days , the SAA amassed a large offensive force on the frontlines near the Zawiya Mount .
Recent reports said that the army and its allies were preparing to launch a new military operation in Greater Idlib .
Fearing a new military operation by the SAA , HTS and its allies deployed reinforcements in the Zawiya Mount and put their forces on high alerts .
A new operation by the SAA could facilitate the implementation of the Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement signed on March 5 .
One of the agreement ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups occupying Greater Idlib , mainly HTS .
Ankara committed to fulfill this term .
However , its forces are yet to fulfil their the obligations .
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On July 29, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) targeted militants’ positions in the Zawiya Mount in the southern countryside of Idlib with more than 200 artillery shells and rockets, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UK-based monitoring group said the shelling had targeted the towns of Kansafra, Ain La Rose, al-Bara, Kafar Aweed, Almaouzrah, Baluon, Fatterah and Erinah.
Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and its allies responded by shelling SAA positions in the town of Kafr Nabl in the southern Idlib countryside. No losses were reported.
In the last few days, the SAA amassed a large offensive force on the frontlines near the Zawiya Mount. Recent reports said that the army and its allies were preparing to launch a new military operation in Greater Idlib.
Fearing a new military operation by the SAA, HTS and its allies deployed reinforcements in the Zawiya Mount and put their forces on high alerts.
A new operation by the SAA could facilitate the implementation of the Russian-Turkish ceasefire agreement signed on March 5. One of the agreement’s key terms is the elimination of terrorist groups occupying Greater Idlib, mainly HTS. Ankara committed to fulfill this term. However, its forces are yet to fulfil their the obligations.
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