Posts Tagged ‘ syria ’

US to arm Syrian rebels: Putin’s rebuke, Chinese “peace plan” mar Netanyahu’s Chinese trip

US to arm Syrian rebels: Putin’s rebuke, Chinese “peace plan” mar Netanyahu’s Chinese trip

Negative diplomatic ricochets are pursuing Israel in the aftermath of its air force attacks on Syria. In the first place, they are seen to have had no effect on Hizballah’s successful military intervention on the side of the Assad regime or the Syrian war at large. In the second, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, while in Shanghai, was given a sharp dressing-down by President Vladimir Putin Monday, May 6, a warning that Russia would not tolerate further Israeli attacks on Damascus and would respond.  Putin did not say how, but he did announce he had ordered the acceleration of highly…

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US training Syrian opposition forces in Jordan for months, sources say

American Special Operations forces and Special Force troops tasked to work with U.S. intelligence agents are training small groups of Syrian opposition forces in Jordan, U.S. military sources told Fox News. The U.S. trainers are working alongside their Jordanian counterparts to facilitate the training, which has been going on for the past eight to 12 months, the sources say. The training program, first reported by the Associated Press, involves classes of about 50 to 60 secular Syrian fighters led by about 100 American trainers, a number that was capped by the Jordanian government. The program is part of a bid…

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Israel braces for ‘retaliation’

Israel braces for ‘retaliation’

Israeli media on Friday warned that an alleged air strike on a convoy carrying arms from Syria to Lebanon's Hezbollah could set off a chain reaction, and reported troops on high alert in the country's north. There was still no official Israeli comment on Syrian claims that Israeli warplanes bombed a military site near Damascus on Wednesday or on separate reports that its aircraft struck a weapons convoy along the Syria-Lebanon border. Newspapers, however, seemed to have little doubt on what had happened or the likely consequences. "Complete restraint over the long term to Israel's actions could be considered weakness…

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Syria’s Chief of Staff: We’ll respond to ‘Zionist Aggression’

Syria’s Chief of Staff: We’ll respond to ‘Zionist Aggression’

The Syrian army’s chief of staff threatens his country will respond to an alleged Israeli airstrike "when the time is right." By Elad Benari Syria will respond to the “Zionist aggression” at the appropriate time which it will decide, the Syrian army’s chief of staff threatened on Thursday night. According to a report on Channel 2 News, General Ali Abdullah Ayub made the comments as he visited with various field units of the Syrian army. He was referring to the alleged Israeli airstrike on a Syrian site which may have been involved in manufacturing chemical and biological weapons. Meanwhile, reported…

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Syria, Iran threaten retaliation against Israel

Deputy Iranian foreign minister says alleged Israeli strike will have 'serious implications' for Tel Aviv while Syrian envoy threatens to launch 'surprise attack'. Meanwhile Syria summons UN Golan commander to protest attack Syria and Iran have threatened to retaliate for an alleged Israeli air raid near the capital Damascus. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali says Damascus has "the option and the surprise to retaliate." He said he cannot predict when the retaliation will be, saying it is up to relevant authorities to prepare for it. "Israel, the Americans and the Arab regimes that have conspired together know that…

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US sends forces to Jordan

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and PAULINE JELINEK Enlarge PhotoAssociated Press/Virginia Mayo - United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gestures while speaking during a media conference after a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels …more on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012. NATO defense ministers gathered in Belgium Wednesday to begin deliberating the next phase of the Afghanistan war and to hear how military commanders plan to tamp down the insider attacks that have killed or injured 130 allied forces. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) less Related ContentEnlarge GalleryA view shows the wreckage of a bus after a bomb exploded…

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Off the beaten track: An explosive history

Off the beaten track: An explosive history

Mount Bental, which has been an inactive volcano for 50,000 years, offers stunning views of the north of the country. By JOE YUDIN Joe Yudin owns Touring Israel, a company that specializes in “Lifestyle” tours of Israel. We make our way up the winding road climbing Mount Bental, an extinct volcano on the northern Golan Heights, which last erupted over 50,000 years ago. I open the windows of my van and as we climb the temperature drastically drops, which is quite welcoming in the August summer heat.

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Assad will use chemical weapons: top defector

Assad will use chemical weapons: top defector

....Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will use chemical weapons against opposition forces and may have already deployed them, Nawaf Fares, the first Syrian ambassador to defect, told the BBC on Monday. Fares, the most prominent politician to defect since the uprising against Assad began, insisted that the president's days were numbered but warned he would be prepared "to eradicate the entire Syrian people" to remain in power. When asked by the BBC's Frank Gardner whether that would mean the use of chemical weapons, Fares said: "I am convinced that if Bashar al-Assad's regime is further cornered by the people -- he…

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Syria, Iran, Russia and China plan joint war games

Syria, Iran, Russia and China plan joint war games

By Gabe Fisher Iranian news agency saysLargest exercise in Mideast history set to take place within a month; Syrian official denies reportBy Gabe Fisher June 19, 2012, 1:11 pm 510 Share on emailEmailShare on printPrintShareAn Iranian ship crossing the Suez Canal in March 2012 (photo credit: CC BY FreedomHouse/Flickr)Related TopicswargamesIranSyriaIran, Syria, Russia and China are planning the “biggest-ever wargames in the Middle East,” according to an unconfirmed report on the semi-official Iranian news site Fars News. A Syrian official denied the claims. According to the article, the four countries are preparing 90,000 troops, 400 aircraft and 1,000 tanks for the…

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Syria, Iran, Russia and China plan joint war games

Syria, Iran, Russia and China plan joint war games

Largest joint exercise in Mideast history, reportedly involving troops, tanks, planes and even Russian nuclear subs, set to take place within a month along Syrian coast By Gabe Fisher An Iranian ship crossing the Suez Canal in March 2012 IranSyriaIran, Syria, Russia and China are planning the “biggest-ever wargames in the Middle East,” according to an unconfirmed report on the semi-official Iranian news site Fars News. According to the article, the four countries are preparing 90,000 troops, 400 aircraft and 1,000 tanks for the massive joint maneuvers, which are to take place along the Syrian coast within a month. The…

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