Recently in Syria Category

While not exactly my expertise, I thought that this look at the Syrian commandos and the way they are not being trained is interesting. If you want to know more, please go read the rest. Enjoy.

http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/Syrian-Commandos-Fade-Away-6-9-2009.asp

Syrian Commandos Fade Away
by James Dunnigan
June 9, 2009
Syria's elite units are falling apart. The total number of elite troops in Syria exceeds 15,000 personnel. This in line with their Soviet era doctrine and tactics that insist on special units in massive numbers. But years of poor funding, rapidly aging equipment (even small arms), and lack of action have turned Syria's special forces into a paper tiger. This is rapidly becoming a crisis for Syria because it is the only remaining frontline Arab state (the other two being Egypt and Jordan) that borders Israel that has not signed a peace agreement with the Jewish nation. Syria still harbors ambitions of eventual armed conflict with Israel to regain the Golan Heights. As ludicrous as this goal is, the Syrians have remained recalcitrant and stubborn in their relations with Israel. Secondly, the Syrians rely on their best troops maintain order and put down potential threats to the regime.

During the Cold War, Syria's elite units were considered, by Arab military standards, to be well-disciplined, thoroughly trained, and armed with the latest Russian (then Soviet) equipment. They had extensive battle experience against the Israelis on the Golan in 1973 and Lebanon in '82 and, according to most accounts, these units acquitted themselves well.

Obama does not care if people care or not - he just wants to give goodies to terrorists so they can be better armed for their war on the West. Why is he so determined to spend so much money, so quickly? Is this the best way to ruin America?

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?fc_c=1373919x2878624x58283161&id=30894

Syria is building a new chemical weapons factory next to a long-range missile base, hiding evidence of its mushrooming nuclear weapons program and radically increasing military spending on conventional systems. These activities which are primarily funded by Iran suggest Damascus is preparing for war and not -- in President Obama's unhappy terminology -- unclenching its fist.

President Obama promised "If countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us." Why then has the president "extended" his hand when Damascus is obviously on the war path?

Last month, Obama sent a congressional delegation headed by Senator John Kerry (D-Ma) to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad. After that meeting Kerry said there are possibilities for "real cooperation" with Syria but in return Syria must "change its behavior." Then last week Obama's State Department hosted talks with Syria's ambassador hoping to "advance U.S. interests" but immediately President Obama authorized the Commerce Department to approve the export of U.S. components for Syria's fleet of aging Boeing 747 aircraft.

The violence inherent in the Arab Muslim life style is slowly eroding their culture. Modern life is clashing with the antique ways of the Muslims who believe that Mohammad's time was the ultimate era.

Hamas thinks it is powerful because of Iranian influence and support. They know that other Iranian butt-plugs will be deployed in support of the anti-Israeli effort. Iran is even sending "volunteers" to die at Israeli hands to sow greater chaos in the region.

Everyone except the useful idiots of the "Peace" movement that will support anyone who wishes to defy Western Civilization. Morons.

Go Israel!

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24860529-15084,00.html

THE bitter Israel-Hamas conflict has touched off Arab-Arab conflicts almost as bitter.

Responsibility for the war in Gaza, and for the Palestinian fatalities there, was placed squarely on Hamas by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"We called the leaders of Hamas and told them, 'Please, do not end the truce'," he said. Hamas ended a six-month truce with Israel two weeks before the Israeli attack.

An Abbas aide, Nimr Hammad, termed the rocket fire into Israel reckless. "The one responsible for the massacre is Hamas," he said. "Hamas should not have given the Israelis a pretext."

Bassam Abu-Sumayyah, a columnist for the daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, accused Hamas of megalomania and said it had acted without even a little bit of political and security sense. It had behaved like a superpower.

"They thought they have a number of missiles and can therefore prevail in a war of such size," he wrote.

A columnist for the PA daily Al-Ayyam, Abdallah Awwad, said that Hamas had made a major mistake in trying to be both a government operating in the open and a resistance organisation that operated underground. "We are paying the price of stupidity and the maniacal

love of being rulers," he said.

Beyond intra-Palestinian disputes, the eruption in Gaza has widened the rift between Egypt, supported by other moderate Arab states, and the Hamas-Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alignment.

Cairo has long feared the radical influence of Hamas on its own Islamist parties. It regards Hamas as a proxy for Iran, which it sees attempting to wrest Muslim leadership in the Middle East from Egypt, even though Iran is not an Arab country.

However, Egypt attempted to broker a reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority that would permit a leadership acceptable to all Palestinians to emerge in new elections. Hamas derailed the proposal, to Egypt's fury.

Egypt, in turn, refused to open the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to Gaza residents, even during the Israeli attack when many Gazans were clamouring to get out. This infuriated Hamas and caused anti-Egyptian protests in much of the Arab world.

For Egypt, the most annoying criticism came from Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the formidable leader of the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Addressing Egyptian citizens, particularly army officers, Nasrallah called on them to protest at Cairo's lack of response to the Israeli attack.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said of Nasrallah's speech: "(He) practically declared war on us." As for Nasrallah's appeal to Egyptian officers, Mr Gheit said of Egypt's army: "They will also protect Egypt against people like you."

http://www.debka.com/

Covert marine operation uncovers Syria's return to plutonium production

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

December 5, 2008, 4:14 PM (GMT+02:00)
The Orontes River, Syria

The Orontes River, Syria

In the face of Damascus' refusal to allow UN inspectors access to three suspect "research laboratories, Western agents recently carried out a daring covert operation to collect water samples from the Orontes river in Syria where it drains into the Mediterranean, DEBKAfile's intelligence sources reveal. Their discoveries were presented to a closed session of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency's board on Nov. 27-28.

Situated on the river bank near Homs is one of the three research institutes where Syrian, Iranian and North Korean technicians and scientists are suspected of reprocessing plutonium for Syria's clandestine military nuclear program. The Orentes samples confirmed the suspicion that Syria has gone back to the plutonium project which was cut short when Israeli destroyed its reactor at Al Kibar in September 2007.

The Orontes rises at Tal al Musa north of Damascus and south of Homs. It flows into the sea near Antakya, which is north of Latakiya and west of Aleppo, not far from the Turkish border.

The IAEA board meeting was told in general teams how the tainted river samples were obtained. DEBKAfile's military sources add that western nuclear technicians collected them from a boat which sailed surreptitiously up to the river mouth in Syria. To make sure of their finding, they collected river water on three different dates in the last two months.

Their discovery tied in with a separate report reaching the nuclear watchdog board that Iran and North Korea were frantically drafting in nuclear specialists to help Syria revive its plutonium reprocessing project. The product is to be stored in protected hideouts.

It was the view of some board members that Tehran and Pyongyang had determined to prove that the Israeli attack had not put Syria off its nuclear program. Both were even more insistent on showing the world that the Iranian nuclear program of which the Syrian project was a part was unstoppable.

Syria and North Korea accordingly renewed their clandestine nuclear cooperation accord on Oct. 22, so making sure of an uninterrupted flow from Pyongyang of nuclear materials, technology and experts for Syria's covert nuclear facilities.

When the local government does everything short of declare war, it is time to pack up and get most of the people out. Only leave the Ambassador, Marines and a couple of communications guys to keep the lines open.

Sure, Syria gave us a few terrorist tips in exchange for some serious cash and good works, but they received much more than they gave. They need to be reminded about that occasionally! And they just were.

US shuts Damascus embassy amid rising tensions

DEBKAfile Special Report

October 29, 2008, 11:47 PM (GMT+02:00)
US embassy in Damascus shut

US embassy in Damascus shut

The statement cited "increased security risk and rising tensions."

DEBKAfile's military sources report that the Syrian government expects more US attacks after Sunday's US raid in the north which left 8 people dead. A spokesman in Damascus announced Wednesday night, Oct. 30, that if US strikes are repeated, Syria will break off security cooperation not only with the US but also with Iraq on their common border. The situation is explosive enough to lead to a Syrian declaration of war if Iraqi forces hit terrorist bases on its soil.

Thursday, Syrians will demonstrate against the US helicopter-borne raid in the north. US official has said a smuggler of foreign fighters into Iraq was targeted. "The U.S. Embassy in Damascus remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens," said the embassy spokesman.

DEBKAfile's sources reported earlier that following a Syrian threat of "painful responses" for the American attack, the embassy had prepared for extreme events, such as possibly a Syrian military siege of the embassy, violent demonstrations or even a direct attack that would force the evacuation of staff.

The embassy spokesman declined to comment on whether the number or status of US diplomats in Syria could change.

Our sources believe that the Assad government's closure of the American cultural and school Monday and protest to the UN Secretary General and Security Council Chairman were only the beginning and that more extreme steps are in store in Syria and Iraq.

Following pressure from Tehran, the Baghdad government denounced the American incursion into Syria after first accusing Damascus of cross-border terror against Iraq.