The Syrian Crisis

Armand2REP

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France, Saudi Arabia sign multiple contracts worth $18bn
Tue Apr 10, 2018 02:57PM

The photo, provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on April 9, 2018, shows French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (R) welcoming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman upon his arrival at the Hotel de Matignon in Paris. (AFP photo)


France has managed to sign 20 major agreements with Saudi Arabia worth $18 billion, sources have revealed at the end of a trip by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Paris.

Al ArabiyaTV, a channel run by the Saudi government, said Tuesday that the agreements covered various economic fields, without elaborating whether they were full contracts or memorandums of understanding.

The mega deals come at the end of a trip by bin Salman to France, a country he has managed to build close relations with over the past years. Earlier reports had suggested that the bulk of the deals, around $10 billion, were related to cooperation in the oil sector between the state oil giant Saudi Aramco on one side and major French companies including Total, Technip and Suez, on the other.


The photo, provided by the Saudi Royal Palace on April 9, 2018, shows French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) looking at a painting at the Louvre museum in Paris on April 8, 2018. (AFP photo)
Other reports on Tuesday suggested some of the major deals signed during Salman’s current visit were for arms sale, including a deal for navy patrol boats from French company CMN and another one for Caesar artillery canons from Nexter. The French presidency has played down a possible contract while the two companies in question have also refused to comment.

The French companies have always been among the main suppliers of modern weaponry to Saudi Arabia and Paris has already reached military deals worth around 20 billion with the Saudis.

Most of those weapons have been used in Saudi Arabia’s more than three years of war on its southern neighbor Yemen. Rights groups have repeatedly called on Paris to stop the provision of arms and instead impose pressure on Saudis to stop the carnage which has left more than 14,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the war started in March 2015. As part of the increasing arms sale, Riyadh has been procured with French tanks, armored vehicles, munitions and artillery and navy ships over the past years.

Reports on Sunday said France and Saudi Arabia had reached an agreement on a new intergovernmental accord to conclude weapons deals. French authorities said the new mechanism was devised to appease bin Salman who was critical of the way the military contracts had been reached and implemented.

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/04/10/558054/France-Saudi-Arabia-deals

France, the world’s third-biggest arms exporter, counts Saudi Arabia among its biggest purchasers, and defense firms including Dassault and Thales have major contracts there.

In recent years, Riyadh has bought French tanks, armored vehicles, munitions and artillery and navy ships.

In 2016, licenses potentially worth 18 billion euros ($22.11 billion) to Saudi were approved, with deliveries worth about 2 billion euros.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-new-defense-contracts-strategy-idUSKBN1HF0DN

The only thing that was signed was oil contracts, none of it was an arms deal. France hasn't had a major defence contract in KSA in years.
 

Tactical Frog

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OPCW is investigating the matter. They haven’t said anything yet about their conclusions. I often check their twitter account , so if they find something, I will kindly let you know.
 

Tactical Frog

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OPCW inspection happened, NATO folks are not happy as they said no chemical attack took place.

I think this news will not be shown in France @Armand2REP & @Tactical Frog what say!?

Joint Statement by Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America


OPCW investigators have been in Syria for two weeks now. They are conducting their work in extremely difficult circumstances. They have our full support. Instead of working with the OPCW to support their investigation, Syria and Russia have continued to create obstacles to delay their deployment to Duma and to wage a propaganda campaign against the OPCW. Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, the signatories of this joint declaration and States Parties to the Convention for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, wish here to spotlight and call for an end to such unacceptable Russian defamation of the OPCW. Today, Russia has decided to hold a so-called information meeting at OPCW headquarters that is nothing more than a crude propaganda exercise.

Worse, by presenting the briefing in the OPCW premises, Russia is trying to create the false impression that the OPCW has convened this meeting at Russia’s request. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Director General of the OPCW has made a clear point of distancing himself from this event. He informed Russia that such a meeting, in which "witnesses" will claim to have been hired to simulate a chemical weapons attack, runs against the work currently being carried out in Syria by OPCW investigators, and that if these “witnesses” have useful information on the incident, they should first be presented to the FFM to be interviewed.

The authenticity of the information gathered to date on the chemical attacks that occurred in Duma on 7 April, through numerous testimonies, is unassailable. Medical NGOs have found traces of chemical agents on the victims. Photographs and videos, numerous and mutually reinforcing, have been authenticated. The symptoms of more than 500 patients who presented on the same day of the attack in health care facilities undoubtedly corresponded to gas intoxication. The WHO has expressed its concern at reports from its partners of patients exhibiting signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals. We expect this information to be tested and verified by the FFM through its independent examination.

Obstruction, propaganda, misinformation are attempts to undermine the multilateral framework. We call on Russia to cooperate fully with the OPCW, as it has repeatedly claimed to want to do and as required by its international commitments. We also call on Russia to exercise its responsibility to urge Syria to fully honor its commitments under the CWC.

We reiterate our full support for the Director-General of the OPCW and the Technical Secretariat and to express our full confidence in the work of the OPCW.

http://bit.ly/2Hv3B7O
 

Flame Thrower

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@Tactical Frog in simple terms you don't accept OPCW report as they said no chemicals we're used in 7th April attack!?

If you go through the video, it says that testimonies didn't show any sign of chemical attack symptoms.....
 

Tactical Frog

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@Tactical Frog in simple terms you don't accept OPCW report as they said no chemicals we're used in 7th April attack!?

If you go through the video, it says that testimonies didn't show any sign of chemical attack symptoms.....
Man.I am not even clicking on your mysterious video links . Twitter account of OPCW is what matters to me.

Meantime ... Israel seems to be hitting hard targets near Hama, if you check Twitter.

EDIT : okay I did click on your video !! The witnesses have been produced by Russia. There is zero guarantee they are not under direct pressure from Syrian authorities. I guess you remember very well Godfather 2 trial sequence.
 
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Tactical Frog

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“The target was reportedly an underground missile production facility and depot for surface-to-surface missiles.

The Syrian army confirmed that Sunday that several military bases in northern Syria were struck in an attack blamed on Israel by the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al Akhbar.

According to official news agency SANA, a military source said that “some military sites in the countryside of Hama and Aleppo provinces were exposed at 10:30 PM to a new aggression with hostile rockets.”

The explosions following the strike registered as a 2.6 magnitude earthquake by the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, but the weapons used did not cause the quake. Over 18 people were killed and another 60 were wounded, Sky News Arabia reported citing regime media.

Al Akhbar
reported the targets of the strike were Syrian army bases being used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Shi'ite militias with troops from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hezbollah’s Al Mayadeen reported missiles also struck targets in the Al-Malikiyah area, north of the Aleppo’s airport.


Iran's Tasnim news agency denied that its bases were hit.

According to some reports the target in Hama, an army base known as Brigade 47, was an underground missile production facility and depot for surface-to-surface missile funded by Iran and built with the help of North Korea. Located near Hama, it was also widely known as a recruitment center for Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias who fight alongside President Bashar Assad's force.”

https://m.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iranians-killed-in-alleged-Israeli-strike-on-military-site-in-Syria-553099/amp
 

Flame Thrower

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“The target was reportedly an underground missile production facility and depot for surface-to-surface missiles.

The Syrian army confirmed that Sunday that several military bases in northern Syria were struck in an attack blamed on Israel by the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al Akhbar.

According to official news agency SANA, a military source said that “some military sites in the countryside of Hama and Aleppo provinces were exposed at 10:30 PM to a new aggression with hostile rockets.”

The explosions following the strike registered as a 2.6 magnitude earthquake by the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, but the weapons used did not cause the quake. Over 18 people were killed and another 60 were wounded, Sky News Arabia reported citing regime media.

Al Akhbar
reported the targets of the strike were Syrian army bases being used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Shi'ite militias with troops from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Hezbollah’s Al Mayadeen reported missiles also struck targets in the Al-Malikiyah area, north of the Aleppo’s airport.


Iran's Tasnim news agency denied that its bases were hit.

According to some reports the target in Hama, an army base known as Brigade 47, was an underground missile production facility and depot for surface-to-surface missile funded by Iran and built with the help of North Korea. Located near Hama, it was also widely known as a recruitment center for Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias who fight alongside President Bashar Assad's force.”

https://m.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iranians-killed-in-alleged-Israeli-strike-on-military-site-in-Syria-553099/amp
Funny that explosions measured in Richter scale can be quite deceiving.

For example this news, the explosions registered as a 2.6 magnitude earthquake by the European Mediterranean Seismological Center, the attack may be less than 470kgs of TNT explosion

https://www.easycalculation.com/other/earthquake-magnitude-tnt-explosion.php

We know that Israeli forces had hit Syria, some damage had been done, but neither Israel nor Syria had confirmed that underground storage of SAMs had been destroyed.(if I am wrong, then please provide a Source)

I started my post about the earthquake because, the article had made that there was extensive damage happened to Syria, which didn't quite seem so.

Thus I rest my case
 

Armand2REP

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If not Israel then who could be!!!!

Well the local sources says so....no one claimed this attack(at least not that I know off).

I was hoping for this(attack from Israel)
I was thinking the US. If it was Israel a fighter would have been shot down.
 

Tactical Frog

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New Israeli strike on Damascus just a few hours after Trump’s speech on Iran deal. Full-scale war between Israel and Iran / Hezbollah starting tonight ?

 
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Flame Thrower

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New Israeli strike on Damascus just a few hours after Trump’s speech on Iran deal. Full-scale war between Israel and Iran / Hezbollah starting tonight ?

This is the last thing I want.

Sure Israel will win, but the cost will be higher than 2006.

In 2006 Hezbollah proved that Israel is not invincible.

Today's Hezbollah has more experience, better access to arms and ammo than it had in 2006.

As long as Israel sticks to couple of cruise missile strikes, it is good. Then again couple of cruise missile strikes is not going to heart anyone. Only land forces can do a lot of damage to Hezbollah, but if that has to happen then Israel will bleed and it's gonna be worse than 2006.

Once invincibility of Israel is questioned then it's survival is going to be difficult until something far worse happens...whose chain of reactions will not end well for anyone including Israel.
 

Chimpoo

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New Israeli strike on Damascus just a few hours after Trump’s speech on Iran deal.
Full-scale war between Israel and Iran / Hezbollah starting tonight ?
Israel has been bombing targets in Syria multiple times since the Syrian Civil war began. Also, Israel is not massing forces to launch a full-scale ground invasion into Lebanon or Syria,either

Nor sure where are you seeing this "full-scale war" between Israel and Iran- or rather Israel and Iran's proxies?
 

Tactical Frog

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Israel has been bombing targets in Syria multiple times since the Syrian Civil war began. Also, Israel is not massing forces to launch a full-scale ground invasion into Lebanon or Syria,either

Nor sure where are you seeing this "full-scale war" between Israel and Iran- or rather Israel and Iran's proxies?
Full-scale war would be fought at Israel’s borders by Iran ‘ proxies in Syria and Lebanon. But there is always the possibility of further escalation with ballistic missiles fired from Iran at Israel or Israeli air strikes on Iranian soil.
 

Tactical Frog

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Map of new Israeli strikes in Syria
CBCF1D06-7198-4426-9198-F0848F8964F9.jpeg



(Reuters) - Iranian forces in Syria launched a rocket attack on Israeli army bases in the Golan Heights early on Thursday, Israel said, prompting one of the heaviest Israeli barrages against Syria since the conflict there began in 2011.

The attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, just past midnight, marked the first time Iranian forces have hit Israel from Syria, where they have deployed along with Iran-backed Shi'ite militias and Russian troops to support President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war.

Dozens of Israeli missiles hit a radar station, Syrian air defense positions and an ammunition dump, Syrian state media said, underscoring the risks of a wider escalation involving Iran and its regional allies.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...rgets-in-golan-israeli-military-idUSKBN1IA3GF
 
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