Middle East thread

Bamspeedy said:
Yes, im aware of those treatments, it was one of the reasons she allegedly wanted to leave Moscow for London (as she perceived she would get better treatment in London-i have no idea what is involved in those treatments, so have no idea if it would be better, and sometimes perceptions arent based in reality)
Click to expand...
Unless she speaks Russian, it seems pretty obvious why she would prefer London to Moscow.
 
russians can speak English and Arabic , too . It is an attack on the family album they left behind . Shown in mockery , it has some numbers of professionally made pictures the Syrians will remember when the celebrations wear off and Qatar creates yet another Afghanistan because it is what Qatar eventually does . Any specific explanations on the why of harping about rats and sinking ships ?
 
for those who won't believe it because ostrich is some very bird of the smart kind , the echo chamber has a short argument each day . One side blames Iran's evil propaganda . Other side talks of attacks , rapes , beheadings , preaching to Christians , burning Christmas trees . Because the carols have been already sung for the benefit of Western cameras . Did you hear about the US channel that had a gory interview with a prison inmate , who actually turned out to be a prison guard at the very same facility ? To the bottom of the Deutche Welle link . No such details seen there ?

because seperatists are full bore on atrocies committed by New Turkey's proxies . Even when they happen in areas out of the reach of New Turkey . There were no revenge killings before BSSS , Trump the President elect put the victory on New Turkey's tab . If you have failed generalship courses in some random place , everything that goes bad in Syria will be New Turkey's fault in the American narrative ? No ? A Zionist lie ? Right ...

and that 14 shows Esad's lot have still weapons and they can try killing some moderate jihadists . If organized . See , Esad can't save Syria . He can't keep a woman ...

link is stupidly named , because autocorrect ate it .
 

Israeli army bombs Damascus outskirts, seizes control of Syrian water sources​

Tel Aviv now controls the six most important water sources in southern Syria and continues to expand its occupation in the country

The Israeli air force launched a violent attack near the Syrian capital of Damascus on 2 January, coming as Israel’s military continues to expand its occupation in the country, reaching a key dam in the southern Quneitra area.
Syrian media outlets reported that powerful explosions rocked the capital’s western countryside and that the target was the Tal al-Shahem military site overlooking Quneitra, Damascus, and its countryside.
“This site is considered one of the most important military centers of the Syrian army in the southern Damascus countryside. It contains military communications centers and radars, in addition to being an important site for missiles and anti-tank weapons,” Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Syria said.
The Israeli army stated on Thursday that elite troops recently raided and destroyed an underground Iranian missile facility west of Hama.
Israel has launched hundreds of heavy airstrikes targeting the majority of the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) military infrastructure across Syria since former president Bashar al-Assad’s government fell to extremist groups on 8 December.
Billions of dollars worth of weapons and ammunition have reportedly been taken out in the ongoing campaign.
The Israeli army also continues to expand its occupation across southern Syria.
Al Mayadeen reported on 2 January that Israeli troops have now reached the Al-Mantara Dam in the Quneitra countryside, the largest dam in southern Syria, adding that Israel has seized control of the six most strategic bodies of water in the south.
Israel's recent expansion in Syria, which began immediately after the fall of the Assad government, has seen invading troops seize precious water sources such as the Al-Wahda Dam on the Yarmouk River Basin and others. Syrian and Israeli sources, as well as Carmel News citing an Iranian source, reported last month that Israel now controls 30 percent of Syria's water supply and 40 percent of Jordan's.
“The occupation's control over the Al-Wahda Dam, which is located on the Jordanian border, is a threat to Jordan, because it was the biggest beneficiary of this dam,” Al Mayadeen’s correspondent said on Thursday.
https://thecradle.co/articles/israe...skirts-seizes-control-of-syrian-water-sources
 
As Gaza fades, Syria blossoms. Is a "greater Israel" in the cards?
 
Birdjaguar said:
As Gaza fades, Syria blossoms. Is a "greater Israel" in the cards?
Click to expand...

Or, Israel is creating a corridor in Syria, through which its air force can strike directly against Iran? The Iranian regime hasn't been in a weaker state for decades than it is now.
And Russia can't help them with military aid.

With the Americans, Israel has destroyed +70% of Syria's (meaning what belonged to the Assad regime) military hardware, including pretty much all its anti-air capability.
 
hey , an explanation for the occupation of Syria by Israel . Opening a corridor for Israeli Airforce to bomb Iran . Like Jordan , an Arab country has not been firing on all Iranian missiles fired on Israel , using its own missiles and hence its own money . Like American airpower in its entirity will not be in action . Like New Turkey and the Gulf Kingdoms will not join the attacks . Like Pakistan would not find a reason to join if it is given enough to betray the long standing connections . Like the Israelis are not already settling inside Syria . It is self defence , this corridor to stop the Iranian bomb !

edit: Something stupid ate Pakistan's connections with China . Didn't they fought with Iran the previous year of something ?
 
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www.aljazeera.com

Two Supreme Court judges killed in Tehran shooting attack

Assailant kills himself after shooting dead senior justices inside a Supreme Court building in the capital Tehran.
www.aljazeera.com www.aljazeera.com

Two senior Iranian justices have been killed in a shooting attack in the Supreme Court in the capital Tehran, according to the judiciary and state media.

The “assassination” was carried out by an armed person, who killed himself after opening fire early on Saturday, according to a statement by the media centre of the judiciary.

The victims were identifiedfied as Muslim scholars Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, both holding the rank of hujjat al-Islam and each presiding over a different branch of the court.

“[They] were actively involved in combating crimes against national security, espionage, and terrorism,” the statement added, describing the slain judges as “courageous and experienced”.

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told Iranian state television that “a person armed with a handgun entered the room” of the two judges and shot them. He said the assailant committed suicide.

The identity of the attacker and his motive were not immediately clear.
Click to expand...
 

Satellite imagery reveals Israeli military construction in buffer zone with Syria​

Newly released satellite imagery shows Israel Defense Forces (IDF) construction taking place within the demilitarised buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria.

The image, obtained exclusively by BBC Verify, shows building work taking place at a location more than 600m inside what is known as the Area of Separation (AoS).

Under the terms of Israel's ceasefire agreement with Syria in 1974, the IDF is prohibited from crossing the so-called Alpha Line on the western edge of the AoS.

When contacted about the images, the IDF told the BBC its "forces are operating in southern Syria, within the buffer zone and at strategic points, to protect the residents of northern Israel."

The imagery captured on 21 January shows new structures and trucks at the cleared area.

Construction appears to have begun at the beginning of this year, with lower resolution imagery showing gradual development at the site since 1 January.

A new track or road measuring around 1km also appears to join with a pre-existing road that leads into Israeli territory.

Drone photographs shared by a Syrian journalist 20 January shows trucks, excavators and bulldozers at the site.

Jeremy Binnie, Middle East specialist a defence intelligence company Janes told us: "The photo shows what appear to be four prefabricated guard posts that they will presumably crane into position in the corners, so this is somewhere they are planning to maintain at least an interim presence".

The BBC has previously filmed military forces near the town of Majdal Shams, which is within the buffer zone and around 5.5km from the new construction.

In November, satellite imagery also showed the IDF building a trench following the Alpha Line on the western side of the buffer zone, stretching past Jubata al-Khashab.

Following the fall of the Syrian regime last month, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his forces to enter the AoS, saying: "We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border."

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has previously said that Israeli construction along the AoS with Syria amounts to "severe violations" of the ceasefire agreement.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgmn3jmm1yo
 
more work on consent manufacturing . Israel set to double its settler population to 29-30 000 or to reach that number . Because there is a new front ! When there is a new front , you would expect people to stop civilians moving into danger zones ? Hey , civilians need protection and that's why peaceful Israel creates buffer zones to protect its buffer zone which was actually meant to protect an earlier buffer zone .

www.972mag.com

Israeli settlers eye land in Syria, Lebanon

With the Israeli army advancing into Syria following Assad's fall, a group promoting settlements in Lebanon is casting its gaze eastward.
www.972mag.com www.972mag.com
 
www.bbc.com

Mostly civilians were killed in IDF attack on Lebanon village, BBC finds

The missile strike on a Lebanese apartment block targeting Hezbollah left mostly civilians dead, BBC finds.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

IDF said bombed apartments were Hezbollah base - but most killed were civilians
Nawal al-Maghafi
Senior international investigations correspondent, BBC World Service

Ashraf (l) persuaded his sister Julia to join him in the family apartment, which he believed was safe from IDF strikes
Julia Ramadan was terrified - the war between Israel and Hezbollah was escalating and she'd had a nightmare that her family home was being bombed. When she sent her brother a panicked voice note from her apartment in Beirut, he encouraged her to join him in Ain El Delb, a sleepy village in southern Lebanon.

"It's safe here," he reassured her. "Come stay with us until things calm down."

Earlier that month, Israel intensified air campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in response to escalating rocket attacks by the Iran-backed armed group which had killed civilians, and displaced tens of thousands more from homes in northern Israel.

Ashraf was confident their family's apartment block would be a haven, so Julia joined him. But the next day, on 29 September, it was subject to this conflict's deadliest single Israeli attack. Struck by Israeli missiles, the entire six-storey building collapsed, killing 73 people.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says the building was targeted because it was a Hezbollah "terrorist command centre" and it "eliminated" a Hezbollah commander. It added that "the overwhelming majority" of those killed in the strike were "confirmed to be terror operatives".

But a BBC Eye investigation verified the identity of 68 of the 73 people killed in the attack and uncovered evidence suggesting just six were linked to Hezbollah's military wing. None of those we identified appeared to hold a senior rank. The BBC's World Service also found that the other 62 were civilians - 23 of them children.

Among the dead were babies only a few months old, like Nouh Kobeissi in apartment -2B. In apartment -1C, school teacher Abeer Hallak was killed alongside her husband and three sons. Three floors above, Amal Hakawati died along with three generations of her family - her husband, children and two granddaughters.


Ashraf and Julia had always been close, sharing everything with each other. "She was like a black box, holding all my secrets," he says.

On the afternoon of 29 September, the siblings had just returned home from handing out food to families who had fled the fighting. Hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon had been displaced by the war.

Ashraf was in the shower, and Julia was sitting in the living room with their father, helping him upload a video to social media. Their mother, Janan, was in the kitchen, clearing up.

Then, without warning, they heard a deafening bang. The entire building shook, and a massive cloud of dust and smoke poured into their apartment.

"I shouted, 'Julia! Julia!,'" says Ashraf.

"She replied, 'I'm here.'

"I looked at my dad, who was struggling to get up from the sofa because of an existing injury to his leg, and saw my mother running toward the front door."

Julia's nightmare was playing out in real life.

"Julia was hyperventilating, crying so hard on the sofa. I was trying to calm her down and told her we needed to get out. Then, there was another attack."

Video footage of the strike, shared online and verified by the BBC, reveals four Israeli missiles flying through the air towards the building. Seconds later, the block collapses.

Watch the moment missiles struck the building, causing it to collapse
Ashraf, along with many others, was trapped under the rubble. He began calling out, but the only voice he could hear was that of his father, who told him he could still hear Julia and that she was alive. Neither of them could hear Ashraf's mother.

Ashraf sent a voice note to friends in the neighbourhood to alert them. The next few hours were agonising. He could hear rescuers sifting through the debris - and residents wailing as they discovered loved ones dead. "I just kept thinking, please, God, not Julia. I can't live this life without Julia."

Ashraf was finally pulled from the rubble hours later, with only minor injuries.

He discovered his mother had been rescued but died in hospital. Julia had suffocated under the rubble. His father later told him Julia's last words were calls for her brother.

In November, a ceasefire deal was agreed between Israel and Hezbollah with the aim of ending the conflict. The deal gives a 60-day deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon and for Hezbollah to withdraw its forces and weapons north of the Litani River. As this 26 January deadline approaches, we sought to find out more about the deadliest single Israeli attack on Lebanon in years.

In the apartment below Julia and Ashraf's, Hawraa and Ali Fares had been hosting family members displaced by the war. Among them was Hawraa's sister Batoul, who, like Julia, had arrived the previous day - with her husband and two young children. They had fled intense bombardment near the Lebanon-Israel border, in areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence.

"We hesitated about where to go," says Batoul. "And then I told my husband, 'Let's go to Ain El Delb. My sister said their building was safe and that they couldn't hear any bombing nearby.'"

Batoul's husband Mohammed Fares was killed in the Ain El Delb attack. A pillar fell on Batoul and her children. She says no-one responded to her calls for help. She finally managed to lift it alone, but her four-year-old daughter Hawraa had been fatally crushed. Miraculously, her baby Malak survived.

Three floors below Batoul lived Denise and Moheyaldeen Al-Baba. That Sunday, Denise had invited her brother Hisham over for lunch.

The impact of the strike was brutal, says Hisham.

"The second missile slammed me to the floor… the entire wall fell on top of me."

He spent seven hours under the rubble.

"I heard a voice far away. People talking. Screams and… 'Cover her. Remove her. Lift the stone. He's still alive. It's a child. Lift this child.' I mean… Oh my God. I thought to myself, I'm the last one deep underground. No-one will know about me. I will die here."

When Hisham was finally rescued, he found his niece's fiance waiting to hear if she was alive. He lied to him and told him she was fine. They found her body three days later.

Hisham lost four members of his family - his sister, brother-in-law and their two children. He told us he had lost his faith and no longer believes in God.

To find out more about who died, we have analysed Lebanese Health Ministry data, videos, social media posts, as well as speaking to survivors of the attack.

We particularly wanted to interrogate the IDF's response to media - immediately following the attack - that the apartment block had been a Hezbollah command centre. We asked the IDF multiple times what constituted a command centre, but it did not give clarification.

So we began sifting through social media tributes, gravesites, public health records and videos of funerals to determine whether those killed in the attack had any military affiliation with Hezbollah.

We could only find evidence that six of the 68 dead we identified were connected to Hezbollah's military wing.

Hezbollah memorial photos for the six men use the label "Mujahid", meaning "fighter". Senior figures, by contrast, are referred to as "Qaid", meaning "commander" - and we found no such labels used by the group to describe those killed.

We asked the IDF whether the six Hezbollah fighters we identified were the intended targets of the strike. It did not respond to this question.

One of the Hezbollah fighters we identified was Batoul's husband, Mohammed Fares. Batoul told us that her husband, like many other men in southern Lebanon, was a reservist for the group, though she added that he had never been paid by Hezbollah, held a formal rank, or participated in combat.

Israel sees Hezbollah as one of its main threats and the group is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, many Western governments and Gulf Arab states.

But alongside its large, well-armed military wing, Hezbollah is also an influential political party, holding seats in Lebanese parliament. In many parts of the country it is woven into the social fabric, providing a network of social services.

In response to our investigation, the IDF stated: "The IDF's strikes on military targets are subject to relevant provisions of international law, including taking feasible precautions, and are carried out after an assessment that the expected collateral damage and civilian casualties are not excessive in relation to the military advantage expected from the strike."

It had earlier also told the BBC it had executed "evacuation procedures" for the strike on Ain El Delb, but everyone we spoke to said they had received no warning.

UN experts have raised concerns about the proportionality and necessity of Israeli air strikes on residential buildings in densely populated areas in Lebanon.

This pattern of targeting entire buildings - resulting in significant civilian casualties - has been a recurring feature of Israel's latest conflict with Hezbollah, which began when the group escalated rocket attacks in response to Israel's war in Gaza.

Between October 2023 and November 2024, Lebanese authorities say more than 3,960 people were killed in Lebanon by Israeli forces, many of them civilians. Over the same time period, Israeli authorities say at least 47 civilians were killed by Hezbollah rockets fired from southern Lebanon. At least 80 Israeli soldiers were also killed fighting in southern Lebanon or as a result of rocket attacks on northern Israel.

The missile strike in Ain El Delb is the deadliest Israeli attack on a building in Lebanon for at least 18 years.

Families continued to visit the site of devastation weeks later to rake through the rubble
The village remains haunted by its impact. When we visited, more than a month after the strike, a father continued to visit the site every day, hoping for news of his 11-year-old son, whose body had yet to be found.

Ashraf Ramadan, too, returns to sift through the rubble, searching for what remains of the memories his family built over the two decades they lived there.

He shows me the door of his wardrobe, still adorned with pictures of footballers and pop stars he once admired. Then, he pulls a teddy bear from the debris and tells me it was always on his bed.

"Nothing I find here will make up for the people we lost," he says.
 
Maybe militants should man up and don't hide among civilians. My compassion goes for innocent civilians not the armed rats hiding among them, F them!
 
Read enough already about the behaviour of hiding the civilians wearing civilian clothing whilst carrying an assault rifle or an RPG. Nothing new.
Anyway why were they in a civilian building in the first place? Title is all I need for this Hamas/Hezbollah wash pieces! Even Russians avoid this kind of behaviour and try somewhat to avoid russian civilian casualties!
 
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