southfront--2020-05-12--Facebook Removes News Outlets in Latest Orwellian Purge

Over the past three years , Facebook has been removing accounts for participating in what they call “ coordinated inauthentic behavior ” ( CIB ) .
According to Facebook ’ s head of cybersecurity policy , the Orwellian term refers to when “ groups of pages or people work together to mislead others about who they are or what they ’ re doing.
” Facebook takes down accounts for CIB due to “ deceptive behavior ” not for sharing false information .
In the latest purge , Facebook removed accounts from two news outlets , SouthFront and News Front .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only thing they share besides the word “ Front ” in their names is content that does not toe the Western mainstream media line .
In its effort to remove CIB and limit “ disinformation , ” Facebook partners with the Atlantic Council ’ s Digital Forensics Research Lab ( DFRLab ) .
The Atlantic Council is a Washington-based think-tank that receives funding from Western and Gulf State governments , defense contractors , and social media outlets .
Some of its top contributors for the 2018 fiscal year include the British Foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UAE to the US , the US State Department , Lockheed Martin , and Raytheon .
Facebook started releasing monthly CIB reports in March that detail the networks and accounts they take down .
On May 5th , Facebook released its CIB report for April 2020 .
The report says Facebook removed eight networks of accounts , pages , and groups engaging in CIB .
SouthFront and News Front are included in the first network covered in the report .
“ We removed 46 Pages , 91 Facebook accounts , 2 Groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our policy against foreign interference which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign entity , ” the report reads .
Facebook claims they linked this activity to “ individuals in Russia and Donbass , and two media organizations in Crimea – NewsFront and SouthFront.
” In a response to the report , SouthFront says the claim that they are based in Crimea is a “ blatant lie ” that they are willing to “ defend in court.
” SouthFront says the organization is made up of “ an international team of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of whom are from Russia and post-USSR states .
News Front , on the other hand , is based in Crimea , but the organization does not try to hide its pro-Russia bias .
In a press release , the Atlantic Council ’ s DFRLab announced Facebook ’ s removal of the two organizations .
The DFRLab refers to News Front and SouthFront as “ two Crimea-based media organizations with ties to the FSB.
” The FSB is a Russian security and intelligence agency , a successor to the Soviet Union ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two outlets , the DFRLab offers little evidence to back up the claim of FSB ties .
The analysis only uses a 2017 story from the German outlet Zeit , where a former News Front staffer claims the organization receives funding from the FSB .
The DFRLab offers no evidence to link the FSB with SouthFront .
The DFRLab does not make a strong case for Facebook ’ s removal of the news outlets .
The press release says , “ While the DFRLab could not corroborate Facebook ’ s finding of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to contradict it.
” But using Facebook ’ s definition of CIB , the DFRLab ’ s analysis of the two outlets does seem to contradict Facebook ’ s findings .
The pages and users analyzed do not seem to be misleading others or hiding who they are .
“ Most of the assets that DFRLab had access to did not hide their connection to South Front or News Front .
Many of the pages wore their connections on their sleeves , naming themselves as different language versions of the websites , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an international news organization with websites in English , Russian , German , Spanish , French , and Georgian and had Facebook pages to reflect that .
The analysis finds what they call “ suspicious links ” between News Front and ANNA News , another pro-Russia news outlet .
But those “ suspicious links ” are just two former ANNA News anchors who now work for News Front .
Facebook removed pages dedicated to the two anchors .
The analysis goes on to address the only connection between SouthFront and News Front , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were removed from Facebook .
Both outlets share stories that go against the Western narrative .
The example the analysis seems to take the greatest issue with is stories that take into account Russia ’ s denial in the role in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014 .
The analysis also points out that News Front accounts shared news stories from Russian-state funded media outlets like RT and Sputnik .
Ultimately , the DFRLab does not provide any information linking SouthFront or News Front ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and does not give examples of the accounts intentionally hiding their identity .
The best they can do is mention some connections to the Russian government the founders of News Front have , but it is nothing they are trying to hide .
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an increase in internet censorship .
YouTube ’ s CEO recently said they would remove any videos that go against the World Health Organization ’ s guidelines for the virus .
On top of the Facebook ban , SouthFront ’ s YouTube channel has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most of SouthFront ’ s content is military analysis , some stories they published on Covid-19 were flagged as “ disinformation ” by a ministry of the European Union .
SouthFront published a detailed response to those accusations , pointing out that only three of the 3,000 stories they published this year were found to be “ disinformation ” by what they call “ pro-NATO propagandists.
” SouthFront posted a video asking their readers for support in the wake of the social media bans .
For independent news outlets , reach on social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SouthFront ’ s Facebook page had around 100,000 subscribers , and the YouTube channel had about 170,000 .
SouthFront publishes multiple news stories each day , mostly following updates on wars in the Middle East .
One of the website ’ s best resources is its frequently updated maps .
Other networks removed by Facebook in April include accounts in Iran , Georgia , Mauritania , the US , and Myanmar .
Facebook claims they took down a network of accounts connected to Iran ’ s state broadcasting company , although they provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Content credited to this network includes a post promoting former presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul from 2012 .
Another example from 2014 is just a news story about Israeli forces preventing Palestinians from praying in al-Aqsa Mosque .
Facebook and its Western government-backed partners will continue to remove accounts each month for engaging in CIB .
It will be hard to know if the connections they make to the accounts are genuine .
But if the sloppy work they did on SouthFront and News Front is any indication , claims from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DFRLab should always be met with skepticism .
Dave DeCamp is assistant editor at Antiwar.com and a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn NY , focusing on US foreign policy and wars .
He is on Twitter at @ decampdave .

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Written by Dave DeCamp; Originally appeared on AntiWar.com
Over the past three years, Facebook has been removing accounts for participating in what they call “coordinated inauthentic behavior” (CIB). According to Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, the Orwellian term refers to when “groups of pages or people work together to mislead others about who they are or what they’re doing.” Facebook takes down accounts for CIB due to “deceptive behavior” not for sharing false information. In the latest purge, Facebook removed accounts from two news outlets, SouthFront and News Front.
The two outlets have no affiliation; the only thing they share besides the word “Front” in their names is content that does not toe the Western mainstream media line. In its effort to remove CIB and limit “disinformation,” Facebook partners with the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Research Lab (DFRLab). The Atlantic Council is a Washington-based think-tank that receives funding from Western and Gulf State governments, defense contractors, and social media outlets. Some of its top contributors for the 2018 fiscal year include the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Embassy of the UAE to the US, the US State Department, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon.
Facebook started releasing monthly CIB reports in March that detail the networks and accounts they take down. On May 5th, Facebook released its CIB report for April 2020. The report says Facebook removed eight networks of accounts, pages, and groups engaging in CIB. SouthFront and News Front are included in the first network covered in the report. “We removed 46 Pages, 91 Facebook accounts, 2 Groups, and 1 Instagram account for violating our policy against foreign interference which is coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign entity,” the report reads.
Facebook claims they linked this activity to “individuals in Russia and Donbass, and two media organizations in Crimea – NewsFront and SouthFront.” In a response to the report, SouthFront says the claim that they are based in Crimea is a “blatant lie” that they are willing to “defend in court.” SouthFront says the organization is made up of “an international team of independent authors and experts,” some of whom are from Russia and post-USSR states. News Front, on the other hand, is based in Crimea, but the organization does not try to hide its pro-Russia bias.
In a press release, the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab announced Facebook’s removal of the two organizations. The DFRLab refers to News Front and SouthFront as “two Crimea-based media organizations with ties to the FSB.” The FSB is a Russian security and intelligence agency, a successor to the Soviet Union’s KGB. In its independent analysis of the two outlets, the DFRLab offers little evidence to back up the claim of FSB ties. The analysis only uses a 2017 story from the German outlet Zeit, where a former News Front staffer claims the organization receives funding from the FSB. The DFRLab offers no evidence to link the FSB with SouthFront.
The DFRLab does not make a strong case for Facebook’s removal of the news outlets. The press release says, “While the DFRLab could not corroborate Facebook’s finding of CIB, it also found no evidence to contradict it.”
But using Facebook’s definition of CIB, the DFRLab’s analysis of the two outlets does seem to contradict Facebook’s findings. The pages and users analyzed do not seem to be misleading others or hiding who they are. “Most of the assets that DFRLab had access to did not hide their connection to South Front or News Front. Many of the pages wore their connections on their sleeves, naming themselves as different language versions of the websites,” the analysis reads. News Front is an international news organization with websites in English, Russian, German, Spanish, French, and Georgian and had Facebook pages to reflect that.
The analysis finds what they call “suspicious links” between News Front and ANNA News, another pro-Russia news outlet. But those “suspicious links” are just two former ANNA News anchors who now work for News Front. Facebook removed pages dedicated to the two anchors.
The analysis goes on to address the only connection between SouthFront and News Front, and probably, the real reason why they were removed from Facebook. Both outlets share stories that go against the Western narrative. The example the analysis seems to take the greatest issue with is stories that take into account Russia’s denial in the role in the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The analysis also points out that News Front accounts shared news stories from Russian-state funded media outlets like RT and Sputnik.
Ultimately, the DFRLab does not provide any information linking SouthFront or News Front’s social media activity to the Russian government and does not give examples of the accounts intentionally hiding their identity. The best they can do is mention some connections to the Russian government the founders of News Front have, but it is nothing they are trying to hide.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an increase in internet censorship. YouTube’s CEO recently said they would remove any videos that go against the World Health Organization’s guidelines for the virus. On top of the Facebook ban, SouthFront’s YouTube channel has also been removed without any explanation. Although most of SouthFront’s content is military analysis, some stories they published on Covid-19 were flagged as “disinformation” by a ministry of the European Union. SouthFront published a detailed response to those accusations, pointing out that only three of the 3,000 stories they published this year were found to be “disinformation” by what they call “pro-NATO propagandists.”
SouthFront posted a video asking their readers for support in the wake of the social media bans. For independent news outlets, reach on social media is vital for their survival. SouthFront’s Facebook page had around 100,000 subscribers, and the YouTube channel had about 170,000. SouthFront publishes multiple news stories each day, mostly following updates on wars in the Middle East. One of the website’s best resources is its frequently updated maps.
Other networks removed by Facebook in April include accounts in Iran, Georgia, Mauritania, the US, and Myanmar. Facebook claims they took down a network of accounts connected to Iran’s state broadcasting company, although they provide no evidence to support the claim. Content credited to this network includes a post promoting former presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul from 2012. Another example from 2014 is just a news story about Israeli forces preventing Palestinians from praying in al-Aqsa Mosque.
Facebook and its Western government-backed partners will continue to remove accounts each month for engaging in CIB. It will be hard to know if the connections they make to the accounts are genuine. But if the sloppy work they did on SouthFront and News Front is any indication, claims from Facebook and the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab should always be met with skepticism.
Dave DeCamp is assistant editor at Antiwar.com and a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn NY, focusing on US foreign policy and wars. He is on Twitter at @decampdave.
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southfront--2020-05-12--BAE Caiman Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (Infographics)

Why would they want to copy this so-called MRAP ?
As wars all over this planet have shown , the @ @ @ @ @ marketing gimmick .
Just view the many videos of combat footage from Yemen and see @ @ @ @ @ vehicles can be knocked out .
At ~ $ 412,000 each that sounds to me @ @ @ @ @ numerous other types of light , armored , wheeled APCs that are equally vulnerable at @ @ @ @ @ because something is more expensive doesn ’ t mean it ’ s “ better.
” @ @ @ @ @ people without any concept of critical thought – i.e .
the US and its lapdogs @ @ @ @ @ in the Middle East .

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The BAE Caiman is an MRAP vehicle with a V-hull design based on the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) and Low Signature Armored Cab (LSAC), initially developed by Stewart & Stevenson. In addition to the ballistic and IED protection provided by the design and materials used for the personnel compartment, the vehicles can also be equipped with enhanced armor packages. The vehicle is capable of employing all types of manned and remote weapons stations.
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southfront--2020-05-12--In Video: Houthi Snipers In Action Against Saudi-backed Forces In Yemen

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southfront--2020-05-12--Al-Qaeda Launches Large-Scale Attack In Northwestern Hama Under Cover Of Ceasefire Deal

LOL , it hasn ’ t taken long at all for the opposition forces to realign themselves has it , and these new political/military realignments are now simplifying the situation and making it even easier for Assad to sow division amongst the enemy in northern Syria , so double LOL .
If this keeps up HTS and Al Nusra will start turning on their own people , the Uighurs and Chechens will start turning up dead all over the place , which will mean Turkey will lose even more support from the local population .
LOL , and why would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 , unidentified gunmen attacked a headquarters of the Turkish-backed Sham Corps near the town of Binnish in eastern Idlib .
This became the second attack on the group in the last few days .
On May 7 , gunmen stormed the group ’ s HQ near the towns of al-Fu ’ ah and Kafriya .
Pro-Turkish sources claim that the attacks were staged by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or its allies like wa-Harid al-Mu ’ minin and the Turkistan Islamic Party.
” They can claim it could have been any of these 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ al-Mu ’ minin or the Turkistan Islamic Party but we all know it wouldn ’ t have been wa-Harid al-Mu ’ minin or the Turkistan Islamic Party , and that ’ s because they actually kiss Erdogan ’ s [ the Ottoman Empires ] ass .
The Turkistan Islamic Party [ TIP ] isn ’ t listed as a Turkish ally but instead designated as an enemy combatant , but that ’ s a complete and utter lie , the only reason the TIP isn ’ t a member of the Turkish coalition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a terrorist organization , if they weren ’ t designated as terrorists Erdogan would embrace them with open arms , and he does under the table but not in public .
The name of the group says it all , The Turkistan Islamic Party , and Erdogan ’ s been the biggest supporter of the Uighur cause and their ongoing fight against China , so why would the Uighurs bite the ONLY hand that feeds them , both here in Syria and in China , I don ’ t think there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TIP attacked Turkish interests or their allies .
Remember when the Turks shot down the Russian jet back in 2015 , the Russians were attacking the TIP at the time and Erdogan was frothing at the mouth warning the Russians to stop , when the Russians didn ’ t Erdogan shot down their plane .
And as to this group , wa-Harid al-Mu ’ minin , why would they attack Turkish interests or any of the Turks allies , they actually work with Turkey not against them .
Turkey ’ s supplied them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so why would they bite the hand that feeds them , especially when Turks feed them so well .
“ On 12 October 2018 , the Russian government ’ s reconciliation center in Syria accused the group of hoarding materials needed to develop chemical weapons for a false flag attack as well as being an ISIL affiliate .
[ 27 ] Along with Russian officials accusing the group of being an ISIL affiliate Iraqi media has claimed the group is also an ISIL affiliate operating along the Syrian-Iraqi border , however the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Idlib governorate of Syria , the group has not claimed any attacks outside the region nor have any other reports of activity outside of Syria been reported.
” And we all know that Turkey was actually responsible for all the false flag chemical attacks in Syria , they were the ones instigating all the rebel false flag attacks and White Helmets propaganda videos .
And the US also accuse the group of being linked to Isis too , they bombed the hell out them and Isis in Idlib last year killing nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that happened Turkey started recruiting ‘ clean ’ Isis fighters into the Turkish backed SNA and let the ‘ dirty ’ Isis fighter join some of the different groups that make up wa-Harid al-Mu ’ minin and HTS , Turkey also started locking up some prominent Isis members that were operating in Idlib [ like Baghdadi ’ s sister ] but I think it was just to protect them from US airstrikes , not so the Turks could interrogate them .
So that just leaves HTS as the group most likely responsible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They get nothing from Turkey and have no allegiance to Erdogan either , and atm they ’ re trying to open crossing points into government territory to facilitate trade with the government , which Turkey opposes .
And now HTS is trying to stop Turkey reopening the M4 highway so that Turkey can do the same thing with the Syrian government , so that can ’ t be making Erdogan very happy .
And now coincidentally wa-Harid al-Mu ’ minin just started a fight with the SAA in HTS/Al Nusra held territory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re trying to get the SAA to attack HTS by doing this now , it certainly looks like it .
Hopefully the SAA just concentrate on wa-Harid al-Mu ’ minin and the Turkistan Islamic Party when they retaliate , that would somewhat weaken the Turks influence in the region and strengthen HTS ’ s power .
Changing the status quo in this region is a good thing , it won ’ t harm Syria ’ s interests in the least to weaken Turkish influence and strengthen HTS ’ s influence , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run .
The Muslim Brotherhood [ MB ] is doing what it does best now , political subterfuge and military espionage , but I think Assad ’ s playing an even smarter game , he ’ s using the same tactics against them now , trading with just one of the enemies is proving to be very productive for Assad .
Use your enemies strengths against them and then exploit their weaknesses and vulnerabilities , sounds good to me , it ’ s just a pity Assad isn ’ t doing the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since it ’ s working out so well up here in Idlib and Hama , maybe he should try doing the same thing in the southern territories too .

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The southern part of the Idlib zone has once again turned into a hot point with the Syrian Army and al-Qaeda militants openly clashing with each other.
On May 10, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian Army and forces of the coalition of al-Qaeda-linked militant groups, wa-Harid al-Mu’minin, in northwestern Hama. Terrorists stormed army positions in the town of Tanjarah and seized it after a series of clashes. Intense artillery duels were also reported in al-Ankawi, al-Qahirah, Qulaydin, Kafr Uwayd, Mawzarah, Kansafrah and Ayn al-Arus. Early on May 11, the Syrian Army launched a counter-attack and recaptured Tanjarah. According to pro-militant sources, 37 soldiers and 24 militants were killed.
Earlier, on May 9, wa-Harid al-Mu’minin launched 4 rockets at Russia’s Hmeimim airbase from its positions in the village of Tardin in northern Lattakia. The rockets did not reach the airbase and fell into farmlands.
On May 8, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) struck a position of the Syrian Army near the town of al-Burayj with an anti-tank guided missile injuring several soldiers. On the same day, the army captured two field commanders and a fighter of the Turkish-backed militant group Jaysh al-Ahrar near Saraqib.
The situation is destabilizing not only on the contact line, but also inside the militant-held part of Greater Idlib itself.
On May 10, unidentified gunmen attacked a headquarters of the Turkish-backed Sham Corps near the town of Binnish in eastern Idlib. This became the second attack on the group in the last few days. On May 7, gunmen stormed the group’s HQ near the towns of al-Fu’ah and Kafriya. Pro-Turkish sources claim that the attacks were staged by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or its allies like wa-Harid al-Mu’minin and the Turkistan Islamic Party.
These attacks happened despite the recent Turkish tactical deal with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to de-block the M4 highway near Nayrab and allow extending the joint Russian-Turkish patrols west of Saraqib. In return, Ankara stopped opposing the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham decision to open a commercial crossing between the militant-held part of Greater Idlib and the government-controlled area in western Aleppo and impose fines on the commercial traffic there.
However, the contradictions between the sides are too high and the de-escalation did not last for a long time. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies openly sabotage Ankara’s attempts to at least formally demonstrate that the March 5 de-escalation agreement reached in Moscow is being implemented successfully.
A series of ISIS attacks targeted positions and personnel of Syrian forces in the province of Raqqah. On May 7, Lt. Col. Ahmed Mohamed, an Air Force Intelligence Directorate officer, was killed in Dibsi ‘Afnan. On May 10, an IED explosion struck an army vehicle near Resafa reportedly killing 2 soldiers.
Meanwhile, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, the US-led coalition and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces carried out a series of anti-ISIS operations. The most widely-covered of them took place in the village of al-Zawr. Two supposed ISIS members blew themselves up, while a third one was detained. Pro-US sources speculate that this was a high-ranking ISIS member. Some of them even speculated that he was Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the current leader of the terrorist group.
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southfront--2020-05-12--Philip M. Giraldi: “Israel to Annex the United States”

Written by Philip M. Giraldi ; Originally appeared at The Unz Review As the Beatles once put it , “ I read the news today , oh boy… ” One might argue that the “ oh boy ” has been part and parcel of one ’ s morning media review ever since 9/11 , but depending on one ’ s own inclinations , the daily content might well be considered particularly depressing over the past several years .
As regular readers of Unz.com will already know , my particular perception is that the American “ special relationship ” with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States and for the entire Middle East region , to include even Israel itself .
Israel has used the uncritical U.S. support it has enjoyed since the time of Lyndon Johnson to pursue unwise policies vis-à-vis its neighbors that have drawn Washington into conflicts that would have been avoided .
It has meanwhile exploited the power of its formidable domestic lobby to bleed the U.S. Treasury of well over $ 100 billion in direct grants plus three times that much in terms of largely hidden trade and co-production arrangements approved by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controlled media .
In return , the United States has wound up with a “ best friend and ally ” that has spied on the U.S. , stolen its technology , corrupted its government processes and lied consistently about its neighbors to create a so Americans can die in pointless wars rather than Israelis .
The Lavon Affair and the attack on the U.S.S .
Liberty reveal that Israel ’ s government will kill Americans when it suits them to do so , knowing full well that the sycophants in Washington and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the affront .
Over the past three years Donald J. Trump has delivered on his promise to be the “ best friend in Washington that Israel has ever had.
” He appointed his own bankruptcy lawyer and arch Zionist David Friedman as U.S .
Ambassador , a man who clearly sees his mission as promoting Israeli interests rather than those of the United States .
Israel has illegally exploited an American green light to declare all of Jerusalem its capital and Trump has obligingly moved the U.S. Embassy to suit .
The Jewish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legally to be “ Jewish ” and no longer anything like a democracy , has also illegally annexed the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and is now preparing to assimilate much of the formerly Palestinian West Bank .
Expulsion of nearly all remaining Palestinians , even the ones who are Israeli citizens , will no doubt come next and has in fact been called for by some Jewish politicians .
The extreme Israel-philia embraced by the White House and Congress has , , meant unrelenting hostility towards both Iran and Syria , neither of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the American people or to any genuine U.S. interests .
Friedman has even distorted the State Department ’ s use of the English language , the “ occupied ” West Bank is now referred to as “ disputed ” or “ contested.
” Friedman , who has disregarded existing U.S. law by contributing to Israel ’ s illegal settlements , has consistently served as an apologist for Israeli snipers shooting unarmed demonstrators in Gaza and for his much beloved rampaging settlers destroying the livelihoods of Palestinian farmers .
The record is appalling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to return to the “ news today , ” an article that appeared last Thursday in the still had the power to make me spill my cup of coffee in disbelief .
The headline read “ Friedman : Second Trump term could take U.S.-Israel ties to next level .
” I was not sure if I wanted to read the piece at all as I feared that it would probably mandate transferring the U.S. Treasury Department to Jerusalem and placing the Pentagon under the control of Benjamin Netanyahu .
Meanwhile , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checkpoints when traveling between states and would only be able to find Untermensch work growing cabbages on a sprawling network of kibbutzes .
As it turned out , of course , the Friedman interview with journalists was all about Israel , not the United States , even though there was some vague nonsense about the Trump so-called peace plan munificently ending most conflict in the Middle East region and thereby benefiting Americans .
Friedman began with “ We need to maximize mutual benefits of the relationship in ways I don ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are one ’ s imagination as to where we can go.
” If Friedman meant that the U.S. has not reaped any of the “ mutual benefits ” he is undoubtedly correct , but somehow I don ’ t think that was his intention .
And there certainly has been a lot of imagination in the convoluted and often hidden Israeli Lobby schemes to bilk the American taxpayer over the course of the past 75 years .
Friedman characterized the situation before the Embassy move as “ We were applying a double standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country in the world .
We were telling Israel , you don ’ t have the right to choose your capital city… And it ’ s not just any capital ; it ’ s Jerusalem.
” Wrong , Dave .
The problem with Jerusalem is that the Jewish state wanted its capital on land that it controlled but did not own under international law and through the agreements that led to the founding of Israel .
Pretending that there is some special right through divine providence doesn ’ t change that one bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment that illustrated just how warped the Trump view of Israel actually is .
Apparently , Friedman and the president-elect had discussions on moving the Embassy prior to inauguration day “ with some officials predicting that he was going to announce the move the same day as his inauguration on January 20 , 2017 .
That didn ’ t happen , Friedman said , because first conversations were needed in all of the different government offices – State Department , the Pentagon and more.
” That Trump was willing to highlight and promote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the very day he was inaugurated is more than just telling , it is bizarre .
Symbols are apparently also dear to the heart of David Friedman .
“ Americans who support Israel understand the significance of Jerusalem .
It ’ s what the Statue of Liberty , the Lincoln Memorial , Plymouth Rock and Valley Forge are… Because America was founded on those types of principles , Americans profoundly understand the importance of Jerusalem to the State of Israel.
” Friedman added that retaining symbols like Hebron , which is in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DNA ” is also an important element in the Trump “ peace plan.
” Whoa , David , it ’ s convenient to cite the American experience to justify what Israel is doing but the United States at least ostensibly was founded on the principle that “ all men are created equal.
” Israel is by law an apartheid state based on religion .
And when last I checked Hebron was a predominantly Palestinian city under military occupation to protect the settler interlopers who are working hard to drive out the original residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre of Palestinian worshippers carried out by Brooklyn-born Jewish fanatic Baruch Goldstein .
Twenty-nine Palestinians were killed .
Yes , “ biblical DNA ” seems to fit just right if one considers the fate of the Canaanites .
And Friedman had something to say about the planned July 1st Israeli annexation of “ West Bank settlements , biblical sites and the Jordan Valley.
” He provided a Trump Administration green light saying “ We will be ready to address this issue if Israel is ready .
Ultimately , as Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision .
They have to decide what they want to do.
” According to Friedman , the Trump administration ’ s “ vision for peace ” would allow Israel to directly annex 30 % of the West Bank and exercise control over most of the remainder , which would include “ all settlements and the entire Jordan Valley.
” The Palestinians would have no control over water resources or even their own airspace .
Mapping the precise details is currently subject to “ judgment calls in Israel ’ s court.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is by Israel with the full backing of the United States .
The peace plan has been rightly characterized as a complete surrender to Israeli interests with the Palestinians having no say in the outcome .
Friedman also described the importance of sending a clear message to the Palestinians blaming them for everything to include the denial of basic human rights , which is in fact an Israeli specialty .
“ If you tell the Palestinians that no matter what happens , no matter how recalcitrant you are , no matter how malign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you fail to observe basic human rights for your own people – with all that , you still get to veto the rights of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and their unquestionable capital… it ’ s just the wrong signal.
” And where to go from here ?
Friedman opines that “ the equation of U.S.-Israel relations needs to be flipped .
Rather than Americans seeing themselves as helping Israel , they must realize how much Israel can do for the U.S. – for example , by putting groundbreaking Israeli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first.
” Sure , steal the technology , re-engineer it , and then quietly arrange sweetheart trade deals through one ’ s co-religionists to sell it back to the suckers in the United States .
The interview concludes with Friedman ’ s prediction that “ Should Trump be reelected , there will be many more opportunities for deepening the connections between the U.S. and Israel.
” If that is all true , we Americans might as well surrender our sovereignty right now and save ourselves the pain of going through another corrupt presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 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 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
As the Beatles once put it, “I read the news today, oh boy…” One might argue that the “oh boy” has been part and parcel of one’s morning media review ever since 9/11, but depending on one’s own inclinations, the daily content might well be considered particularly depressing over the past several years. As regular readers of Unz.com will already know, my particular perception is that the American “special relationship” with the Jewish state has been a disaster for the United States and for the entire Middle East region, to include even Israel itself. Israel has used the uncritical U.S. support it has enjoyed since the time of Lyndon Johnson to pursue unwise policies vis-à-vis its neighbors that have drawn Washington into conflicts that would have been avoided. It has meanwhile exploited the power of its formidable domestic lobby to bleed the U.S. Treasury of well over $100 billion in direct grants plus three times that much in terms of largely hidden trade and co-production arrangements approved by a subservient Congress and endorsed by a controlled media.
In return, the United States has wound up with a “best friend and ally” that has spied on the U.S., stolen its technology, corrupted its government processes and lied consistently about its neighbors to create a casus belli so Americans can die in pointless wars rather than Israelis. The Lavon Affair and the attack on the U.S.S. Liberty reveal that Israel’s government will kill Americans when it suits them to do so, knowing full well that the sycophants in Washington and the Jewish dominated media will hardly whimper at the affront.
Over the past three years Donald J. Trump has delivered on his promise to be the “best friend in Washington that Israel has ever had.” He appointed his own bankruptcy lawyer and arch Zionist David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador, a man who clearly sees his mission as promoting Israeli interests rather than those of the United States. Israel has illegally exploited an American green light to declare all of Jerusalem its capital and Trump has obligingly moved the U.S. Embassy to suit. The Jewish state, which has inevitably declared itself legally to be “Jewish” and no longer anything like a democracy, has also illegally annexed the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and is now preparing to assimilate much of the formerly Palestinian West Bank. Expulsion of nearly all remaining Palestinians, even the ones who are Israeli citizens, will no doubt come next and has in fact been called for by some Jewish politicians. The extreme Israel-philia embraced by the White House and Congress has, inter alia, meant unrelenting hostility towards both Iran and Syria, neither of which poses any real threat or challenge to the American people or to any genuine U.S. interests.
Friedman has even distorted the State Department’s use of the English language, the “occupied” West Bank is now referred to as “disputed” or “contested.” Friedman, who has disregarded existing U.S. law by contributing to Israel’s illegal settlements, has consistently served as an apologist for Israeli snipers shooting unarmed demonstrators in Gaza and for his much beloved rampaging settlers destroying the livelihoods of Palestinian farmers.
The record is appalling, thank you Mr. Trump, but, to return to the “news today,” an article that appeared last Thursday in the Jerusalem Post still had the power to make me spill my cup of coffee in disbelief. The headline read “Friedman: Second Trump term could take U.S.-Israel ties to next level.” I was not sure if I wanted to read the piece at all as I feared that it would probably mandate transferring the U.S. Treasury Department to Jerusalem and placing the Pentagon under the control of Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, we Americans would be required to cross through checkpoints when traveling between states and would only be able to find Untermensch work growing cabbages on a sprawling network of kibbutzes.
As it turned out, of course, the Friedman interview with Jerusalem Post journalists was all about Israel, not the United States, even though there was some vague nonsense about the Trump so-called peace plan munificently ending most conflict in the Middle East region and thereby benefiting Americans. Friedman began with “We need to maximize mutual benefits of the relationship in ways I don’t think have happened before. The only limits are one’s imagination as to where we can go.” If Friedman meant that the U.S. has not reaped any of the “mutual benefits” he is undoubtedly correct, but somehow I don’t think that was his intention. And there certainly has been a lot of imagination in the convoluted and often hidden Israeli Lobby schemes to bilk the American taxpayer over the course of the past 75 years.
Friedman characterized the situation before the Embassy move as “We were applying a double standard to Israel, relative to every other country in the world. We were telling Israel, you don’t have the right to choose your capital city… And it’s not just any capital; it’s Jerusalem.” Wrong, Dave. The problem with Jerusalem is that the Jewish state wanted its capital on land that it controlled but did not own under international law and through the agreements that led to the founding of Israel. Pretending that there is some special right through divine providence doesn’t change that one bit.
Friedman also had the interesting sidebar comment that illustrated just how warped the Trump view of Israel actually is. Apparently, Friedman and the president-elect had discussions on moving the Embassy prior to inauguration day “with some officials predicting that he was going to announce the move the same day as his inauguration on January 20, 2017. That didn’t happen, Friedman said, because first conversations were needed in all of the different government offices – State Department, the Pentagon and more.” That Trump was willing to highlight and promote a major pander to the Israel Lobby on the very day he was inaugurated is more than just telling, it is bizarre.
Symbols are apparently also dear to the heart of David Friedman. “Americans who support Israel understand the significance of Jerusalem. It’s what the Statue of Liberty, the Lincoln Memorial, Plymouth Rock and Valley Forge are… Because America was founded on those types of principles, Americans profoundly understand the importance of Jerusalem to the State of Israel.” Friedman added that retaining symbols like Hebron, which is in the Jewish people’s “biblical DNA” is also an important element in the Trump “peace plan.”
Whoa, David, it’s convenient to cite the American experience to justify what Israel is doing but the United States at least ostensibly was founded on the principle that “all men are created equal.” Israel is by law an apartheid state based on religion. And when last I checked Hebron was a predominantly Palestinian city under military occupation to protect the settler interlopers who are working hard to drive out the original residents. It is the site of the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre of Palestinian worshippers carried out by Brooklyn-born Jewish fanatic Baruch Goldstein. Twenty-nine Palestinians were killed. Yes, “biblical DNA” seems to fit just right if one considers the fate of the Canaanites.
And Friedman had something to say about the planned July 1st Israeli annexation of “West Bank settlements, biblical sites and the Jordan Valley.” He provided a Trump Administration green light saying “We will be ready to address this issue if Israel is ready. Ultimately, as Secretary Pompeo said, it’s Israel’s decision. They have to decide what they want to do.” According to Friedman, the Trump administration’s “vision for peace” would allow Israel to directly annex 30% of the West Bank and exercise control over most of the remainder, which would include “all settlements and the entire Jordan Valley.” The Palestinians would have no control over water resources or even their own airspace. Mapping the precise details is currently subject to “judgment calls in Israel’s court.” Note that all the critical decision making is by Israel with the full backing of the United States. The peace plan has been rightly characterized as a complete surrender to Israeli interests with the Palestinians having no say in the outcome.
Friedman also described the importance of sending a clear message to the Palestinians blaming them for everything to include the denial of basic human rights, which is in fact an Israeli specialty. “If you tell the Palestinians that no matter what happens, no matter how recalcitrant you are, no matter how malign your activities are, no matter how you fail to observe basic human rights for your own people – with all that, you still get to veto the rights of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and their unquestionable capital… it’s just the wrong signal.”
And where to go from here? Friedman opines that “the equation of U.S.-Israel relations needs to be flipped. Rather than Americans seeing themselves as helping Israel, they must realize how much Israel can do for the U.S. – for example, by putting groundbreaking Israeli innovations on the market in the U.S. first.” Sure, steal the technology, re-engineer it, and then quietly arrange sweetheart trade deals through one’s co-religionists to sell it back to the suckers in the United States.
The Jerusalem Post interview concludes with Friedman’s prediction that “Should Trump be reelected, there will be many more opportunities for deepening the connections between the U.S. and Israel.” If that is all true, we Americans might as well surrender our sovereignty right now and save ourselves the pain of going through another corrupt presidential election.
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 councilforthenationalinterest.org, address is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org.
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southfront--2020-05-12--In Videos: Syrians Block US Military Column In Al-Hasakah Province

lolol stop crying motherfucker…..sooner or later you NAZIS will looser thousands of men hahahaha… look how scared the dirty american @ @ @ @ @ sooner or later YOU AMERICANS are Nothing more than JEW SLAVES…..hahahaha sending your sons to @ @ @ @ @ the JEWS .
U FOLKS are so ridiculous…….no Food at home..homelessness…massive heroin epidemic… and the @ @ @ @ @ fucking YOUR USA Kids…….wow you american Folks cant get any lower… .
ps .
was @ @ @ @ @ Girls that JEW EPSTEIN fucked up her american ass ?
?
?

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Patriotic Syrian locals have blocked a US military convoy near the town of Tell Tamra in the province of al-Hasakah. The incident happened near the village of Alkareha.
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southfront--2020-05-12--A Close Look At Efforts Of Pro-NATO Propaganda Units Behind the Scenes Of SouthFront Censorship

Pro-NATO propaganda units have broadcasted a new episode of their censorship excuse series .
On May 5th , the Atlantic Council ’ s Digital Forensic Research Lab ( DFRLab ) , published a new piece designed to label SouthFront as official Russian propaganda .
( LINK ) The article employs a twisted , yet sophisticated , style of mixing words , pictures and public facts in order to support the Atlantic Council ’ s agenda .
It largely attempts to build an association between SouthFront and News Front , and in so doing , relies heavily , if not entirely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SouthFront as official Russian propaganda .
Throughout its report , the DFRLab fails to provide a single example of any association between the two entities , providing zero evidence .
The DFRLab “ hit piece ” fully confirms the conclusions reached by our analysis “ An In-Depth Look Behind the Scenes of SouthFront Censorship ” , published last week .
Thus , we would like to extend a big thank you to the team of DFRLab .
Thanks to their incompetence , they provided us with overwhelming evidence for the upcoming court case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s take a closer look at the DFRLab ’ s published “ report ” .
As we have already pointed out , in order to label SouthFront as official Russian propaganda , NATO propagandists first identify another media site with a similar name , and then proceed to emphasize the similarity of the two brands .
During the entire article , DFRLab proceeds to regularly put the SouthFront name next to that of News Front , as if in a crime witness line-up , and yet 90 % of the text is dedicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paragraphs are dedicated to an overview of open data about the founders and editors of News Front .
In order to paint a picture of the supposed malign behavior of News Front , the DFLab authors added to the report such names as RT , Sputniknews , Mehr , Press TV .
In other words , media sites whose affiliation with state governments is a declared matter of public record .
SouthFront is only sparingly mentioned during this entire segment .
For example , the authors added a single screenshot of the deleted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most of the assets that DFRLab had access to did not hide their connection to South Front or News Front.
” Any reader , even the most loyal of DFRLab followers , would be surprised by such an almost subliminal attempt to conflate the two organizations .
What is the aim of the authors in presenting to the audience this screenshot ?
If they were trying to display their deep investigative research in concluding that the screenshot belongs to SouthFront , then we can only say , thank you Captain Obvious .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again forgets about SouthFront all together and focuses on publishing screenshots demonstrating that News Front ’ s various Facebook pages were linked with one another .
All Facebook pages run by a single organization are linked .
What a surprise !
Bravo DFRLabs for this brilliant deduction .
We do not know if there are any violations of journalistic norms or Facebook ’ s Terms of Service on the part of News Front .
In any case , it remains unclear how the big international team of authors working under the brand of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to News Front in any way .
Instead the DFRLab authors resort to a little bit of journalistic “ sleight of hand.
” From this quote , it becomes clear that they accuse SouthFront ’ s Facebook page ( https : //www.facebook.com/southFrontEnTwo/ ) of using “ sockpuppet ” accounts to push content ; however , they decline to provide any evidence to confirm this claim , because it is simply a blatant lie .
At this point in the article , DFRLab focuses on juggling screenshots of News Front and Anna News accounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda they are trying to peddle to the reader .
Vague conspiracy reasoning of the authors regarding News Front and Anna News continues almost until the end of the article .
After this , they once again , without any pretext , mention SouthFront .
This claim demonstrates that DFRLab team members have never actually read any of the content available on southfront.org and know nothing about SouthFront ’ s long history of accomplished work , content and editorial policy .
Instead , they resort to simple dishonesty .
To push their stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our old acquaintances from EUvsdisinfo : If EUvsdisinfo is the only source of DFRLab ’ s revelations about SouthFront , this explains the poor quality of the article .
On May 6th , SouthFront released an in-depth look at claims made by EUvsdidinfo regarding SouthFront .
In its recent article vilifying SouthFront , this pro-NATO propaganda unit cherry-picks a mere 3 of approximately 3,000 articles released by SouthFront since the start of the year .
Near the end of the report , having realized that their ‘ investigation ’ is long on inuendo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their imaginary conspiracy , DFRLabs presented the coup de grace .
They found two Facebook pages “ ZuidFront ” and “ South Front Netherlands ” and published 3 screenshots of posts from these pages dated 2015 , 2016 and 2017 .
The Facebook post of “ ZuidFront ” demonstrates the position of then DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko towards Brexit , while two SouthFront Netherlands posts are dedicated to the MH17 case .
The DFRLab article then presents a screenshot of the “ South Front Netherlands ” description which states that the page is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that translate content of SouthFront and other media organizations .
The screenshots posted by DFRLab are below : SouthFront : Analysis & Intelligence is an independent group of authors from around the world that focuses on issues of international relations , armed conflicts and crises .
The individuals that run “ ZuidFront ” and “ South Front Netherlands ” made use of the umbrella brand of SouthFront , but operated independently .
We regularly receive emails and messages from people that want to contribute their efforts to share and promote an independent point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
SouthFront always tries to provide them with technical help , advice and other assistance .
We have repeatedly done this in the past and will continue to do this .
Another ridiculous attempt by the DFRLab authors to link SouthFront with News Front is through the use of various screenshots and statistics regarding the posting of content on News Front ’ s Facebook page .
The main point is that News Front published some southfront.org content on their Facebook page .
Until recently , and largely as a result of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little about News Front .
The only contact that we had with any of the other sites mentioned was with Anna News in 2016 , when Anna News translated several SouthFront videos into Russian on their own initiative .
These examples are the few meager “ contacts ” that SouthFront has had with the group of nefarious Russian organizations mentioned in the DFLab hit piece .
Furthermore , DFRLab failed to specify how many News Front articles were published by SouhFront ’ s Facebook page .
Why ?
The answer is simple : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News Front articles .
All content published on our Facebook page originated from southfront.org .
SouthFront is also mentioned again in the conclusion of the DFRLab piece .
The incompetence of the authors is perplexing , as they assert that in general , SouthFront specializes in covering the conflict in Ukraine .
The conflict in eastern Ukraine is just one among the many conflicts covered by SouthFront .
In the recent years , accounting for only 1.5 % of SouthFront content .
Now that we realize how especially concerned the pro-NATO propagandists are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ukraine , we promise to contribute far more time and energy in our efforts to cover developments in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in general .
We suggest that you read the DFRLab piece for yourselves and make your own conclusions regarding this comedy series promoted by DFRLab and EUvsdisinfo , and the intellectual potential of these organizations that operate thanks to taxpayers ’ money .
Their efforts would be truly laughable , if not for their total disregard for journalistic integrity and the pursuit of truth .
YOU CAN HELP SOUTHFRONT TO CONTINUE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via VISA , PayPal , Paysafecard , Bitcoin and other options .
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Pro-NATO propaganda units have broadcasted a new episode of their censorship excuse series.
On May 5th, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), published a new piece designed to label SouthFront as official Russian propaganda. (LINK) The article employs a twisted, yet sophisticated, style of mixing words, pictures and public facts in order to support the Atlantic Council’s agenda. It largely attempts to build an association between SouthFront and News Front, and in so doing, relies heavily, if not entirely on guilt by association, to label SouthFront as official Russian propaganda. Throughout its report, the DFRLab fails to provide a single example of any association between the two entities, providing zero evidence.
The DFRLab “hit piece” fully confirms the conclusions reached by our analysis “An In-Depth Look Behind the Scenes of SouthFront Censorship”, published last week. Thus, we would like to extend a big thank you to the team of DFRLab. Thanks to their incompetence, they provided us with overwhelming evidence for the upcoming court case against Facebook and YouTube.
Let’s take a closer look at the DFRLab’s published “report”. As we have already pointed out, in order to label SouthFront as official Russian propaganda, NATO propagandists first identify another media site with a similar name, and then proceed to emphasize the similarity of the two brands.
The name of this organization is “News Front”, which indeed shares the word “Front” in its name, yet the similarities end there. News Front is an official Russian organization that is located in Crimea and publicly pursues an acute pro-Russian patriotic informational agenda for a Russian speaking audience.
During the entire article, DFRLab proceeds to regularly put the SouthFront name next to that of News Front, as if in a crime witness line-up, and yet 90% of the text is dedicated to News Front. The first 12 paragraphs are dedicated to an overview of open data about the founders and editors of News Front. In order to paint a picture of the supposed malign behavior of News Front, the DFLab authors added to the report such names as RT, Sputniknews, Mehr, Press TV. In other words, media sites whose affiliation with state governments is a declared matter of public record.
SouthFront is only sparingly mentioned during this entire segment. For example, the authors added a single screenshot of the deleted Facebook page of SouthFront claiming that “Most of the assets that DFRLab had access to did not hide their connection to South Front or News Front.”
Any reader, even the most loyal of DFRLab followers, would be surprised by such an almost subliminal attempt to conflate the two organizations. What is the aim of the authors in presenting to the audience this screenshot? If they were trying to display their deep investigative research in concluding that the screenshot belongs to SouthFront, then we can only say, thank you Captain Obvious.
At this point, this brilliant investigation once again forgets about SouthFront all together and focuses on publishing screenshots demonstrating that News Front’s various Facebook pages were linked with one another. All Facebook pages run by a single organization are linked. What a surprise! Bravo DFRLabs for this brilliant deduction.
We do not know if there are any violations of journalistic norms or Facebook’s Terms of Service on the part of News Front. In any case, it remains unclear how the big international team of authors working under the brand of SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence is linked to News Front in any way. Instead the DFRLab authors resort to a little bit of journalistic “sleight of hand.”
“Though the DFRLab did not find that the accounts involved used inauthentic means at scale, there were clear attempts to use sockpuppet accounts to push content, especially in promoting News Front and South Front stories.”
From this quote, it becomes clear that they accuse SouthFront’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/southFrontEnTwo/) of using “sockpuppet” accounts to push content; however, they decline to provide any evidence to confirm this claim, because it is simply a blatant lie.
At this point in the article, DFRLab focuses on juggling screenshots of News Front and Anna News accounts related to various aspects of the pro-Russian agenda they are trying to peddle to the reader. Vague conspiracy reasoning of the authors regarding News Front and Anna News continues almost until the end of the article. After this, they once again, without any pretext, mention SouthFront.
“South Front features similar content to News Front, but the former mostly posts military-related analysis.”
This claim demonstrates that DFRLab team members have never actually read any of the content available on southfront.org and know nothing about SouthFront’s long history of accomplished work, content and editorial policy. Instead, they resort to simple dishonesty. To push their stated agenda, they enlist the aid of our old acquaintances from EUvsdisinfo:
“According to EUvsDisinfo, the outlet shares Russian talking points “verbatim” and is “frequently featured in [its] database of cases of disinformation.”
If EUvsdisinfo is the only source of DFRLab’s revelations about SouthFront, this explains the poor quality of the article. On May 6th, SouthFront released an in-depth look at claims made by EUvsdidinfo regarding SouthFront. In its recent article vilifying SouthFront, this pro-NATO propaganda unit cherry-picks a mere 3 of approximately 3,000 articles released by SouthFront since the start of the year.
Near the end of the report, having realized that their ‘investigation’ is long on inuendo and short on facts implicating SouthFront in their imaginary conspiracy, DFRLabs presented the coup de grace. They found two Facebook pages “ZuidFront” and “South Front Netherlands” and published 3 screenshots of posts from these pages dated 2015, 2016 and 2017. The Facebook post of “ZuidFront” demonstrates the position of then DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko towards Brexit, while two SouthFront Netherlands posts are dedicated to the MH17 case. The DFRLab article then presents a screenshot of the “South Front Netherlands” description which states that the page is run by a group of Dutch citizens that translate content of SouthFront and other media organizations.
The screenshots posted by DFRLab are below:
SouthFront: Analysis & Intelligence is an independent group of authors from around the world that focuses on issues of international relations, armed conflicts and crises. The individuals that run “ZuidFront” and “South Front Netherlands” made use of the umbrella brand of SouthFront, but operated independently. We regularly receive emails and messages from people that want to contribute their efforts to share and promote an independent point of view on key developments around the world. SouthFront always tries to provide them with technical help, advice and other assistance. We have repeatedly done this in the past and will continue to do this.
Another ridiculous attempt by the DFRLab authors to link SouthFront with News Front is through the use of various screenshots and statistics regarding the posting of content on News Front’s Facebook page. The main point is that News Front published some southfront.org content on their Facebook page.
Until recently, and largely as a result of this issue, the SouthFront team knew very little about News Front. The only contact that we had with any of the other sites mentioned was with Anna News in 2016, when Anna News translated several SouthFront videos into Russian on their own initiative. These examples are the few meager “contacts” that SouthFront has had with the group of nefarious Russian organizations mentioned in the DFLab hit piece. Furthermore, DFRLab failed to specify how many News Front articles were published by SouhFront’s Facebook page. Why? The answer is simple: the SouthFront Facebook page has never posted News Front articles. All content published on our Facebook page originated from southfront.org.
SouthFront is also mentioned again in the conclusion of the DFRLab piece. The incompetence of the authors is perplexing, as they assert that in general, SouthFront specializes in covering the conflict in Ukraine.
The conflict in eastern Ukraine is just one among the many conflicts covered by SouthFront. In the recent years, accounting for only 1.5% of SouthFront content. Now that we realize how especially concerned the pro-NATO propagandists are by alternative coverage of the conflict in Ukraine, we promise to contribute far more time and energy in our efforts to cover developments in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in general.
Dear friends,
We suggest that you read the DFRLab piece for yourselves and make your own conclusions regarding this comedy series promoted by DFRLab and EUvsdisinfo, and the intellectual potential of these organizations that operate thanks to taxpayers’ money. Their efforts would be truly laughable, if not for their total disregard for journalistic integrity and the pursuit of truth.
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southfront--2020-05-12--Military Situation In Libya On May 12, 2020 (Map Update)

Τhis is a typical example of the turkish ( baboon ) society : He confessed that he killed his five-year-old son who had a corona because he did not love him { { inconceivable } } … Jevcher Toktas , a fifth league Bursa Gildirim Spor player in Turkey , confessed to killing his five-year-old son who had a corona because he didn ’ t love him !
The events took place on April 23 , when Taktas ’ son was admitted to a clinic in Bursa with high fever and other symptoms of the Covid-19 virus .
On the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying his son had trouble breathing and the child died two hours later in the intensive care unit .
Eleven days passed before Toktas turned himself in to the police and explained that he had smothered the child with a pillow ( ! )
Because he did not like it , not because he was afraid because he had a corona or something similar .
“ I put a pillow on my son ’ s head , which was lying on his back .
I pressed for 15 minutes without stopping .
My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he stopped moving , I removed the pillow .
Then I called the doctors so that they would not suspect anything “ was the player ’ s creepy confession .
“ I have never wanted my little son since he was born .
I don ’ t know why I don ’ t love him .
The only reason I killed him was because I didn ’ t want him .
I have no psychological problems , “ added Toktas with incredible cynicism , who is now facing life imprisonment .

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A brief overview of the recent developments in Libya:
Government of National Accord (GNA) forces destroy two trucks with fueld and equipment for Libyan National Army (LNA) forces at Al-Washaka;
According to the GNA, two people were killed in LNA strikes on two civilian cars in Abu Qarin;
Clashes between the LNA and the GNA continue in southern Tripoli;
Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece and UAE condemned the Turkish military interference into the conflict, its disrespect of the UN arms embargo and the deployment of Syrian fighters to Libya;
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southfront--2020-05-12--Military Situation In Afghanistan On May 12, 2020 (Map Update)

Click to see the full-size image A brief overview of the recent developments in Afghanistan : • The Taliban has @ @ @ @ @ Kunar and Nuristan provinces over the past two months , according to pro-government sources .
@ @ @ @ @ is cooperating with al-Qaeda there ; • At least 24 people were killed and almost @ @ @ @ @ a bombing at a funeral in the Shewa district pf Nangarhar province ; • The @ @ @ @ @ Taliban members were killed and 10 others were injured in airstrikes on the Balkh district @ @ @ @ @ 14 people were killed in a series of explosions and gunfire by ISIS miltiants in @ @ @ @ @ in western Kabul .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Military Situation In Afghanistan On @ @ @ @ @ Map Update )

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A brief overview of the recent developments in Afghanistan:
The Taliban has expanded operations in Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan provinces over the past two months, according to pro-government sources. Authorities say that the Taliban is cooperating with al-Qaeda there;
At least 24 people were killed and almost 70 others were wounded in a bombing at a funeral in the Shewa district pf Nangarhar province;
The Afghan military said that 11 Taliban members were killed and 10 others were injured in airstrikes on the Balkh district of Balkh province;
14 people were killed in a series of explosions and gunfire by ISIS miltiants in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of PD13 in western Kabul.
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southfront--2020-05-12--Moudge-Class Multi-Purpose Guided Missile Frigate (Infographics)

Based on the ability of Iran at the time , Iran signed a contract with France to deliver the propulsion @ @ @ @ @ first ship in this class ) .
Naturally , France did not deliver the system @ @ @ @ @ shaft and propellers plus some other major parts were missing ) so we had to @ @ @ @ @ drive shaft is > 16 m long and at that time Iran could not make @ @ @ @ @ so .
That experience gave us the needed expertise for our next class of warships @ @ @ @ @ thank you France for forcing us to make yet another crucial system by ourselves , @ @ @ @ @ to Italy for not launching our aged satellite and forcing us to have our own @ @ @ @ @ so many other “ partners ” that made us lean on nobody but ourselves and @ @ @ @ @ products , from oil and gas industries to medicine , weapons systems and foodstuff .
@ @ @ @ @ ; )

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The Moudge is a class of Iranian indigenously built multi-purpose guided missile frigates. The design of the frigate is based on the Alvand Class (Vosper Mk 5) light patrol frigates. Moudge-class frigates could be deployed for a variety of missions, including surveillance in national territorial waters, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare and amphibious operations.
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southfront--2020-05-12--Military Situation In Syria On May 12, 2020 (Map Update)

Click to see the full-size image A brief overview of the recent developments in Syria : • On May 12 @ @ @ @ @ took place on the M4 highway .
An explosion reportedly caused by an IED erupted @ @ @ @ @ seized and looted an oil truck near Shula ; • Government forces are conducting anti-ISIS @ @ @ @ @ area .
At least one vehicle was seized ; • An IED attack was reported @ @ @ @ @ MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Military Situation In Southern Idlib Following Recent Clashes In @ @ @ @ @ • Military Situation In Syria On May 10 , 2020 ( Map Update )

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A brief overview of the recent developments in Syria:
On May 12, the 10th Russian-Turkish patrol took place on the M4 highway. An explosion reportedly caused by an IED erupted near it;
ISIS seized and looted an oil truck near Shula;
Government forces are conducting anti-ISIS raids in the Bishri Mount area. At least one vehicle was seized;
An IED attack was reported near the T3 station.
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