Syrian Civil War

Putin, Russia Appears Pleased Where the Syrian Conflict Is

The Syrian Civil War is moving towards a stalemate with the government of President Assad regaining control of 60 percent of his territory. The U.S.-led coalition will continue to hold ground in the east and the Turks have made it clear they will not return Syrian territory around Idlib.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin is fine with all of that. He’s already managing similar conflicts like this in Georgia and Ukraine.

Other significant players in Syria, including Israel, the United States, Turkey, and the remaining Sunni Arab rebels, may likewise discover they’d be satisfied with this new reality. The clearest losers, by contrast, would be the Assad regime and Iran.
What are the indications Syria is moving in the direction of frozen conflict? Consider the recent visit by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Russia to meet with Putin. At the press conference following the meeting, Putin told reporters that, “Following the Syrian Army’s notable successes in fighting terrorism, and with the activation of the political process, the foreign forces based in Syria will start to withdraw from the country.” This seemed to hint that the Russian president wasn’t interested in assisting the Assad regime’s reconquest of the entirety of Syria. And absent the Russian air support that the Syrian military has relied on in major combat operations (including the siege of Aleppo and the destruction of rebel-controlled Eastern Ghouta), such reconquest would be impossible.
Some have speculated that Putin was referring only to the withdrawal of foreign forces opposed to the regime. In the past, Moscow has sought to differentiate between its own presence in Syria (at the invitation of the “legitimate” Syrian authorities) and the uninvited presence of other foreign elements. On this occasion, however, Russia’s Syria envoy, Alexander Lavrentiev, clarified that the president was referring to “all foreign military forces stationed in Syria, including American, Turkish, Hezbollah, and Iranian [forces].”
The Russian statement was followed by an angry response from Tehran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told reporters in Tehran that, “No one can force Iran to do anything. … As long as terrorism exists and the Syrian government wants, Iran will have presence [in Syria].” The dueling statements are just one indication among many of differences between Moscow and some of its allies about the future of Syria.
Iran has been pushing for the regime to attempt an assault on remaining rebel enclaves in southwest Syria. The arrival of Iran-supported units to the border, however, brings with it the possibility of a large-scale Israeli response. Russia has no interest in such an outcome, which could plunge Syria into a new war and threaten the gains the Assad regime has already made.

Putin it seems is content with the consolidation of his main ally in the Assad regime and continuing to work with both Turkey and Israel as well as the continuing undermining of the West’s influence in the area.

To read the entire article from Foreign Policy, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Israeli Launches First Airstrike Using F-35 Against Iranian Troops in Syria

Israeli pilots have carried out the first operational airstrikes using the new U.S.-built F-35 stealth fighter according to Israeli Air Force General Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin.

The Israelis pounded Iranian bases and positions in Syria after the Iranian troops launched a slew of missiles at Israel from Syrian territory.

“The F-35 squadron has become an operational squadron. We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East,” he said.
Norkin presented images of the F-35 over Beirut, Lebanon, and said that the stealth fighter did not participate in the most recent strike in Syria but did in two previous ones. He was speaking at a three-day conference organized by the IAF in Herzliya, to which senior officers from armies all over the world were invited.
The IAF commander also said that Iran fired 32 rockets at Israel during the flare-up across the Syrian border earlier this month. According to him, four rockets were intercepted by Israel and the rest landed outside of Israeli territory, and more than 100 surface-to-air missiles were fired at Israeli jets over Syria.
“After that [the Iranian attack] we attacked over 20 Iranian targets in Syria. Unfortunately, Syrian air defense systems fired over 100 antiaircraft missiles at our planes and in response we destroyed their antiaircraft batteries,” Norkin said.
IAF chief Norkin outlined the reasons behind Israel’s growing anxiety over Iranian activities in Syria. “The Quds Force established itself at T-4 base, 250 kilometers from Israel. From this base they tried to attack using a drone that entered into Israel, a few months ago. After this incident we realized that they were continuing to store weapons on this base, including air defense capabilities, which we attacked last month,” he explained at the conference.
“Over the past few weeks we learned that Iran had sent long-range missiles and rockets to Syria, including the Uragan launchers that we attacked north of Damascus,” added Norkin.
After months of tensions, Israel and Iran locked horns directly in Syria on May 11. At the time, Israel reported that Iranian forces had fired 20 rockets at IDF positions in the Golan Heights. Four of the rockets aimed at Israel were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system while the remaining rockets exploded on Syrian territory, the military said.

The Israelis are also looking to upgrade their refueling and helicopter fleets but as far as the F-35, the early usage looks to the outside as being a successful investment.

To read the entire article from Haaretz, click here:

Photo courtesy Screen shot of video

US Air Force Increasing the Airstrikes in Afghanistan

With the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria nearly complete, the U.S. Air Force is quickly turning its attention back to Afghanistan. As the number of close air support missions dwindles in Iraq and Syria, the need in Afghanistan remains constant and the Air Force is stepping up the air campaign.

In April 2017, American and allied jets dropped over 3,000 bombs on ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
But a year later, aircrafts dropped just 254 bombs, a sign of how much the war against ISIS has changed, according to a new strike report released over the weekend from the U.S. Air Force.

Throughout April, the U.S. military dropped the second-highest amount of bombs in Afghanistan in six-and-a-half years, the Air Force report said. The 562 bombs dropped in Afghanistan last month were more than the combined March and April totals in Iraq and Syria.
U.S. Forces Afghanistan released a video showing 28 Taliban fighters getting mowed down by American drones in Farah Province, which borders Iran.
The Pentagon wouldn’t rule out Tehran’s influence.
“I don’t think you can ever rule out how much Iran interferes throughout this region. Iran remains the most destabilizing factor in the Middle East. So no, I don’t think you can ever rule out their mischief,” Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said at a press conference at the Pentagon Thursday.
White didn’t offer any specific details about the battle last week.
According to the latest numbers, the U.S. Air Force dropped two-times more bombs in Afghanistan than Iraq and Syria last month, as the Afghan spring offensive against the Taliban ramps up.
The U.S. Air Force said that Afghan jets recently helped destroy 29 Taliban narcotics labs as a way of cutting off a key revenue source for the Taliban.

While a year ago, U.S. Air Force jets fired or dropped 40,000 munitions against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria against about 4000 in Afghanistan, those numbers have changed.

U.S. commanders from the Central Command are no stating that Afghanistan is the “main effort” for American troops in the Middle East.

To read the entire article from Fox News, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

US-Backed Troops Hunt for ISIS Leaders at Syria/Iraq Border

U.S.-backed and led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are trying to locate the key leaders of the Islamic State that are hiding along the Syria-Iraq border. The SDF along with the coalition has an ongoing operation to clear ISIS from the last of their Syrian strongholds.

The U.S.-backed operation, code-named al-Jazeera Storm, was launched last week to remove IS from the rest of the territory it still controls in Deir el-Zour province in eastern Syria.

The forces say the area contains hundreds of IS remnants and key leaders, foreign and local, who took shelter in the vast desert terrain border area after surviving the intense battles in Mosul and the self-proclaimed capital Raqqa.
“Powerful military figures of IS, including international terrorists, are hiding in the region,” said Abu Khawla, the commander of Deir el-Zour Military Council.
He said the fate of the IS leaders will be either “capture or death” as the militants face a siege from the Iraqi army and allied Shiite militias on the Iraqi side and an advancing U.S.-backed operation on the Syrian side.
The U.S.-backed SDF in the past weeks has caught several IS leaders in Deir el-Zour as it closed in on the group. Last month, the force announced it detained German militant and the suspected September 11 recruiter Mohammed Haydar Zammar in northern Syria.
Abu Adil, a member of SDF’s counterterrorism unit who took part in the operation to capture Zammar, told VOA that the fighter was hiding in a compound in eastern Deir el-Zour which was surrounded during a raid that took several hours. “He surrendered to us after about one hour of negotiation,” said Adil.
The U.S.-led coalition and local partners have been targeting IS senior personnel in Iraq and Syria since 2014 to disrupt the organization’s structure and ability to recruit and train members. The coalition airstrikes in 2016 killed the IS spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani and IS chief commander Abu Omar al-Shishani.

Also included in the ISIS top leaders reportedly in the area is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the world’s most wanted man, with a $25 million bounty on his head. He’s been reported to have been killed several times since 2007, but thus far, there is no proof he’s been killed.

To read the entire article from the Stars and Stripes, click here:

File photo of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi giving a sermon in Iraq

Israeli Airstrikes Hit All Major Iranian Infrastructure in Syria

Responding to an Iranian missile attack on their troops in the Golan Heights, Israel launched a major airstrike targeting Iranian bases in Syria. Of the 20 rockets fired at Israel, four were shot down by the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system and the rest landed in Syrian territory.

In a statement, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that the Israelis hit all of the major Iranian infrastructure in Syria.

The IDF responded with airstrikes against around 50 Iranian military training sites, Iranian Revolution Guard Corps intelligence collection and logistics, rocket firing positions, airfield positions and weapons storage facilities.
Liberman said that not a single Israeli civilian or piece of Israeli property was harmed. “Last night, Iran tried to attack Israeli sovereign territory and failed,” he said.
The defense minister also threatened Iran going forward, stating that “if Iran hits us with rain [a small number of rockets] – we will hit them with a deluge [of airstrikes].”
He said that Israel “will not let Iran turn Syria into a base for attacking Israel. There are many radical Islamists, but Iran is the only one which is really” implementing its ideology “all over the Middle East and Africa.”
“Iran has wasted $13 billion in the Syrian civil war and continues to spend $2 billion a year there. Iran is wasting its next generation with its efforts to expand,” he stated.
Liberman explained that Israel has no interest in conquering any part of Syria and cautioned against celebrations on the Israeli side or anything that might push for further escalation.
The defense minister seemed to signal to Iran that Israel would prefer to return to quiet following the exchange of attacks. It is only Iran, he said that wants to build a new base for attacking Israel – a goal he thinks even most Iranians oppose.

The Russian claimed that they shot down the majority of the Israeli missiles during their retaliatory strike. But the tensions remain high. Lieberman made it clear that there will be no peaceful coexistence with Iran or their proxies in Hamas, as they want to destroy Israel.

To read the entire article from the Jerusalem Post, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Iranian Base in Syria Nine Reported Killed

Israeli aircraft reportedly have launched a missile strike on an Iranian base outside of Damascus after monitoring what was described as “abnormal activity” and IDF troops went on high alert in the Golan.

Nine Iranian soldiers were killed as Syrian officials report that they shot down two of the Israeli missiles.

Syrian state media reported on Tuesday night that Israel conducted an airstrike south of Damascus, reportedly killing nine pro-Iranian fighters in an area previously identified as the site of a suspected Iranian military base.

Syria’s official SANA news outlet said that the country’s air defenses intercepted two Israeli missiles over the el-Kiswah area, south of Damascus. The report did not specify how many missiles were fired.

The attack happened in Kisweh, according to the official news agency SANA, about an hour after President Trump’s announced that he would be pulling the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal.
High tension between rivals Iran and Israel have prompted an increasing number of strikes as of late. Iran has promised to respond to Israeli-led attacks aimed at Iranian outposts in Syria.
Those include an attack on Syria’s T4 air base in the Homs province in April that killed seven Iranian military personnel. And on April 30, Israel was accused of attacking government outposts in northern Syria, which left several pro-government fighters, some of whom were Iranians, dead.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military said they’d identified “irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria” and urged citizens in Golan Heights near Syria to ready bomb shelters.

The pro-Hezbollah al-Mayadeen news outlet reported that fires had broken out in the area following the blasts.

An official with the Iran-led axis of resistance told the Associated Press the strike targeted a Syrian army position and caused only material damage. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements.
Videos from the scene, which was posted on social media, showed the moment of the strike’s impact and its aftermath. Surveillance footage showed a blast of white light as the bombs hit, followed by what appeared to be secondary explosions, supporting the claim that the targets of the strike were missiles. Cellphone videos also showed trucks burning and fires raging in the direction of the alleged Iranian base.

The video from the Times of Israel can be seen here

To read the entire article from Fox News, click here:

Featured Photo is a screenshot from Syrian television of the aftermath of the missile strike.

Iraqi Prime Minister: Air Force Hits Islamic State Targets in Syria

Iraqi air force planes have attacked Islamic State targets in Syria that were reportedly occupied by ISIS commanders. They targeted the positions as the terror group is still a threat to them as well.

The airstrike was confirmed by Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi’s office in a statement released on Sunday morning.

One of the strikes targeted a position south of the town of Deshaisha, the statement said.
ISIL commanders, according to Abadi, used the base, situated near the city of Deir Az Zor in the country’s east.
Iraq launched air raids on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) positions several times over the past year with the support of the Syrian government and the US-led coalition fighting ISIL.
ISIL, also known by its Arabic acronym “Daesh,” controlled significant portions of Iraq and Syria. At its peak, the group ruled over roughly 110,000sq km between the two countries.
By October 2017, the group’s territory had been reduced to about 10,000sq km, mostly in Syria’s east.
ISIL’s administrative capital was once in Mosul, a large city in western Iraq. Mosul was freed by the Iraqi military and militias collaborating with the US-led coalition in July 2017 after nearly a year of battles.
Abadi stated at an April meeting of his ruling Darwa party that Iraq’s “land war with Daesh has ended. We have saved all the land of our country and taken control of the Syrian border.
“But the danger of Daesh’s ideology and sleeper cells remains. I should warn everyone about that,” he said.

The Iraqis were being proactive in targeting the ISIS positions, they know as the noose tightens around them in Syria, they’ll be looking to slip back into Iraq once again.

To read the entire article from Al Jazeera, click here:

Photo :Wikipedia File photo of Iraqi pilot firing a Hellfire missile

Missile Strikes on pro-Assad Forces in Syria Kill Dozens

Many Syrian troops loyal to President Assad and Iranian troops assisting them were killed in a missile strike that targeted several locations.

The Syrian military said facilities in Hama and Aleppo provinces were struck.
It did not say if there were any casualties. But a UK-based monitoring group said four Syrians and 22 foreigners, mostly Iranians, died.
It is not known who was behind the attacks. But Western nations and Israel have previously hit sites in Syria.
Earlier this month, the US, UK and France bombed three facilities they said were associated with the Syrian government’s alleged chemical weapons programme.
Israel is meanwhile alleged to have hit an airbase reportedly serving as an Iranian drone command centre and containing an advanced Iranian air defence system.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will issue a statement on Monday evening on a “significant development” regarding the nuclear deal between Western powers and Iran.
A Syrian military source cited by the official Sana news agency did not identify any specific locations, saying only that the military sites were “exposed… to a new aggression” at 22:30 (19:30 GMT).
The source added that the strikes came after “terrorist organisations” had suffered defeats in the countryside around the capital, Damascus, an apparent reference to the recent recapture of the Eastern Ghouta region from rebel groups.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said one strike appeared to have targeted a depot for surface-to-surface missiles at the 47th Brigade military base, south of the city of Hama.
The pro-opposition Orient News website also reported that large explosions were seen coming from what were believed to be ammunition caches at the base.
Opposition media activist Mohammed Rasheed told the Associated Press that debris from the explosion at the depot struck parts of Hama and that residents of areas near the base fled their homes.
Missiles are also reported to have hit locations in the Salhab area, west of Hama city, and the area surrounding Nairab military airport, which is close to the city of Aleppo and its international airport.

The SOHR reported that 26 soldiers were killed, the majority of them Iranians. Over 60 were injured, several of them seriously and many were still missing. Iranian state-run news services stated that “reports of killed Iranian troops were baseless.”

It is believed but has not been confirmed that the missiles were fired by the Israelis.

To read the entire article from BBC, click here:

Photo courtesy Video Screenshot

Plasan Unveils New Border Security, Special Ops Vehicle

Last week in Mexico City, the Israeli company Plasan debuted a new lightweight, fully protected vehicle that was designed for border security but could definitely have a role as a Special Operations tactical assault vehicle.

With the increased importance by the current administration with protecting the borders, especially with Border Patrol agents having to deal not only with illegal immigrants but increasing numbers of drug cartel members who are normally heavily armed, this vehicle will be a good addition.

It will allow troops along the border be they Border Patrol or National Guard to cover more square miles of territory than with the current issued vehicles while giving them much better protection.

For Special Operations troops it is a possible fit to replace the Polaris MRZR since those don’t offer the crew any protection at all while not sacrificing much on mobility and speed.

Plasan took an existing Arctic Cat 4 1000 All Terrain Vehicle and transformed it into a three-man fully protected all-terrain vehicle capable of operating in muddy, sandy, rocky and steep-sloped areas with ease. With a dry weight of 1.48 tons, the Yagu, as it is called, has plenty of power-to-weight ratios to carry the crew and its payload to do any mission.

The three-man crew will operate in an enclosed, fully armored, air-conditioned capsule. It has plenty of windows in front and on the side but also has 360-degree cameras that will provide the crew excellent situational awareness and response time.

The vehicle’s crew pod is encased in a composite armor that is rated as B6+ in ballistic protection. This armor with increased bullet resistant front and side windows will protect the crew from the NATO-standard 5.56x45mm and the most common Russian 7.62x39mm. The “+” in regards to the armor would mean that Plasan’s protective armor should be able to withstand even more powerful cartridges, up to .50 caliber.

This level of protection would normally require ballistic steel which would make the vehicle much too heavy for practical use. However, the weight of Plasan’s Yagu falls between the General Dynamics Flyer 72 and the current Special Operations-used Polaris MRZR.

The MRZR offers no ballistic protection at all and several Special Operations troops were complaining that the vehicle has a very limited combat role. The relatively narrow width of the vehicle makes it easier to traverse in narrow or blocked roads as well as loading it into Chinook Special Operations helicopters.

The weapon system mounted on a top cupola is operated remotely from inside the crew compartment. The Yagu also has a drone system that can be launched from inside the vehicle operating independently or as they displayed in a promotional video, can be launched on a cable tethered to the vehicle. The operating time for the drone is 27 minutes and contains target tracking features for additional situation awareness for the crew.

The Yagu uses the original Arctic Cat 1000 H2 V- Twin, S0HC 4 – stroke, 4 – valve w/EFI 951cc engine with electronic fuel injection, coupled to an automatic transmission with HI/LO gear, 2 or 4 wheel drive and the long-travel front and rear suspension used in the original vehicle. To support the added weight and improve mobility, the Yagu uses bigger tires (28 X 10r14 instead of the civilian model’s 26x9R14 and 26x11R14).

One thing that stands out is that the generator used for the air conditioning system is unprotected in the rear of the vehicle.

It is interesting that Plasan opted to release this vehicle at an event in Mexico City. With their contentious relationship with President Trump over the issues on the border and over the construction of a wall, the last thing they probably want to see is a Yagu.

But for the U.S. Border Patrol, the National Guard troops manning the border and for our Special Operations troops, this vehicle has some intriguing possibilities. It looks to be light, mobile and tough. It is based on a proven design and the Arctic Cat name means that the vehicle will be reliable.

The company offers other add-ons such as enhanced protection packages that will make the vehicle more survivable but will add weight to the vehicle. But the versatility and simplicity of the overall design make it worth testing for Special Operation Forces.

Video courtesy of Plasan:

Photos: Plasan

Iranian Base in Syria Hit by “Enemy” Missile Attack

A missile attack has hit a series of military bases housing Iranian military forces. One of the bases is said to be the recruitment center for Iranian-based Shiite militias.

“Syria is being exposed to a new aggression with some military bases in rural Hama and Aleppo hit with enemy rockets,” an army source was quoted as saying without elaborating.
Reports from the Syrian opposition said 38 regime soldiers were killed and 57 were injured in the attack, citing media outlets with connections to the regime.
An opposition source said one of the locations hit was an army base known as Brigade 47 near Hama city, widely known as a recruitment center for Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias who fight alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces.
State television did not give a location for the explosions but two residents contacted in eastern Hama countryside said the blasts came from a military base reported to be used by Iranian-backed forces.
“If someone thinks that it is possible to launch missiles to Israeli cities or our aircraft, no doubt we will respond and we will respond very forcefully,” he said at The Jerusalem Post conference in New York when asked by Yaakov Katz, Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Post.
“We will keep our freedom of operation in all of Syria. We have no intention to attack Russia or to interfere in domestic Syrian issues. But if somebody thinks that it is possible to launch missiles or to attack Israel or even our aircraft, no doubt we will respond and we will respond very forcefully.”
A clip from Israeli television shows damage to the base where the Iranian forces are recruiting.
Liberman along with other senior Israeli officials have been warning of Iranian entrenchment on the Golan Heights, an area of key strategic importance for the Jewish State, stressing that it is a red line for Jerusalem.
Over the course of Syria’s eight-year long civil war Israel has publicly admitted to having struck over 100 Hezbollah convoys and other Iranian targets in Syria, while keeping mum on hundreds of other strikes attributed to it.

So while Iranian militias were attacking US-backed SDF forces in the north, it appears the Israelis were hitting their bases hard in other locations, including their recruitment centers.

To read the entire article from Jerusalem Post, click here:

Photo courtesy video screenshot