The Syrian Crisis

[nrupatunga]

Will Syria War Mean End of Sykes-Picot?

The modern map of the heartland of the Middle East was largely designed by British and French diplomats and strategists (namely Mark Sykes of Britain and Georges Picot of France) during World War I.


The Ottomans had the good sense to administer most of the Levant as provinces that more or less aligned with their natural ethnic, religious, geographic and economic trade route orientations. For instance, today's Iraq comprised the Ottoman provinces of mostly Sunni Kurdish Mosul in the north, mostly Sunni Arab Baghdad in the center, and mostly Shiite Arab Basra in the south. What comprised today's Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Palestine was administered as smaller provincial units centered on major cities. These administrative units were by no means perfect, but for the most part the Ottomans, despite the stresses and strains that confronted them in the 1700s and 1800s leading up to the Great War, bargained and negotiated their way with local powers to produce relative stability.

 

[SajeevJino]

IDF Hits Syrian Military Position with Tammuz Missile​

In response to the mortar fire that hit the Israeli side of the Golan on Saturday multiple times, on Saturday afternoon the IDF launched a "Tammuz" missile at at least one of the Syrian military positions that launched the mortars. The missile hit the position and took out a Syrian's mortar cannon. It's unknown if any Syrian soldiers were hit in the retaliatory strike. The Tammuz guided missile has a range of 25 kilometers, can track a target independently, and can penetrate the armor of any tank. Each missile costs half a million shekels.

The Jewish Press » » IDF Hits Syrian Military Position with Tammuz Missile

 

[TrueSpirit]

So, Israelis have decided to aid Al-Qaida & cannibals in its hope that it would somehow contain the Persian juggernaut in West Asia.

Looks like they have not learnt anything out of US experience in Af-stan & especially in Libya.

Ok, let us see how this strategy pans out.

 

[The Messiah]

So, Israelis have decided to aid Al-Qaida & cannibals in its hope that it would somehow contain the Persian juggernaut in West Asia.

Looks like they have not learnt anything out of US experience in Af-stan & especially in Libya.

Ok, let us see how this strategy pans out.

Its always been there strategy, to boot out moderate opposition and replace them with extremist ones so the latter dont get any diplomatic traction in the international arena. check out how much diplomatic clout plo had compared to hamas now.

 

[TrueSpirit]

Its always been there strategy, to boot out moderate opposition and replace them with extremist ones so the latter dont get any diplomatic traction in the international arena. check out how much diplomatic clout plo had compared to hamas now.

You are spot-on.

 

[SajeevJino]

So, Israelis have decided to aid Al-Qaida & cannibals in its hope that it would somehow contain the Persian juggernaut in West Asia.

Looks like they have not learnt anything out of US experience in Af-stan & especially in Libya.

Ok, let us see how this strategy pans out.

How do you get that ..?

Anywhere Israelis told to accepting Western Backed Al qaida is good for Syria

After Israel's air attacks against Syrian government military targets last weekend, you might be forgiven for thinking that Israel is doing what it can to help the anti-Assad rebels bring down a hated dictator.

You would be wrong. Bizarre as it may seem, if Israel could choose - which, probably to its dismay, it can't - it would much rather Bashar al-Assad somehow survived the current bloodbath. Fierce enemy though he is, Israel's leaders feel they know him, they understand him, and in an odd sort of way, they can do business with him.

Robin Lustig: Why Israel Wants Syria's Assad to Survive

Somewhere one Told here "A known demon is Better than Unknown devil"

 

[TrueSpirit]

How do you get that ..?

Anywhere Israelis told to accepting Western Backed Al qaida is good for Syria

Robin Lustig: Why Israel Wants Syria's Assad to Survive

Somewhere one Told here "A known demon is Better than Unknown devil"

I did not get you at all. Could you please re-phrase whatever you meant ?

 

[SajeevJino]

I did not get you at all. Could you please re-phrase whatever you meant ?

Sorry

So, Israelis have decided to aid Al-Qaida & cannibals in its hope that it would somehow contain the Persian juggernaut in West Asia.

Israel will never support or aiding Al Qaida and They never Support the FSA Regime

 

[SajeevJino]

Hundreds reported killed in chemical attack near Damascus​

Syrian activists close to the country's opposition claimed hundreds of people were killed in a 'poison gas' attack by regime forces outside Damascus Wednesday.

The attack came as UN chemical weapons inspectors were beginning a probe of chemical weapon use in different sites around Syria.

There were several differing reports on a death toll. Activists told Al-Arabiya that 635 people were killed in the attack in Eastern Ghouta, while Reuters reported that 213 died.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at dozens, while the Local Coordination Committees said hundreds were killed.

The two groups quoted activists as saying that regime forces fired "rockets with poisonous gas heads" in the attack.

The Observatory said the shelling was intense and hit the eastern suburbs of Zamalka, Arbeen and Ein Tarma. Activists told Reuters that Jobar was also targeted. The areas are largely held by rebel forces.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, the Observatory chief, said the activists in the area said "poisonous gas" was fired in rockets as well as from the air. He added that regime forces were on a wide offensive on the eastern and western rebel-held suburbs of Damascus.


Abdul-Rahman said more than 40 people have been confirmed dead and that the death toll could reach as many as 200 in the suburbs of Damascus.

Mohammed Saeed, an activist in the area, told The Associated Press via Skype that hundreds of dead and injured people were rushed to six makeshift hospitals in the eastern suburbs of Damascus.

"This is a massacre by chemical weapons," said Saeed. "The visit by the U.N. team is a joke "¦ Bashar is using the weapons and telling the world that he does not care."

The use of a chemical agent could not be immediately verified. The government denied it had used chemical weapons, according to a report in the state-run SANA news agency.

Video purportedly from the attack posted to YouTube showed over a dozen people killed from what was called a chemical attack. The veracity of the videos could not be immediately verified.


http://www.timesofisrael.com/hundreds-reported-killed-in-chemical-attack-near-damascus/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[SajeevJino]

[video=youtube_share;ErXcLuUPg44]http://youtu.be/ErXcLuUPg44[/video]

[video=youtube_share;Sud5mDm-rNU]http://youtu.be/Sud5mDm-rNU[/video]

 

[asianobserve]

US Preps for Possible Cruise Missile Attack on Syria
By Editor, CBS on Saturday, August 24th, 2013

CBS News has learned that the Pentagon is making the initial preparations for a cruise missile attack on Syrian government forces. We say "initial preparations" because such an attack won't happen until the president gives the green light. And it was clear during an interview on CNN Friday that he is not there yet.

"If the U.S. goes in and attacks another country, without a U.N. mandate and without clear evidence that can be presented," the president told CNN, "then there are questions in terms of whether international law supports it — 'do we have the coalition to make it work?' Those are considerations that we have to take into account."

The attack on the Damascus suburbs, which left hundreds dead this week, is looking more and more like a poison gas was used. The United States warned Syria months ago that using chemical weapons could provoke a U.S. response.


Read more: US preps for possible cruise missile attack on Syria | Defense & Security News at DefenceTalk

 

[SajeevJino]

^^^

Just Only one this ..Russians Should Calm down ..Otherwise They should intervene Syria atleast seize all Chemical warheads

 

[asianobserve]

It's interesting to see if Syria will use its newly delivered and much hyped S-300 system to intercept American cruise missiles. If it turns on its radar it will be vulnerable to HARM missiles and other anti-radar assets of the Americans and Israel.

 

[SajeevJino]

It's interesting to see if Syria will use its newly delivered and much hyped S-300 system to intercept American cruise missiles. If it turns on its radar it will be vulnerable to HARM missiles and other anti-radar assets of the Americans and Israel.

They don't have S 300's to intercept TOMAHAWKS ..They have some Pantysir but Is it eough to intercept Tomahawks altitude

 

[asianobserve]

They don't have S 300's to intercept TOMAHAWKS ..They have some Pantysir but Is it eough to intercept Tomahawks altitude

the S-300PMU2 Favorit can engage targets flying from 10 m to 27 km above the surface at a speed of up to 10,000 km/h. It is claimed that it has a kill ratio ranging from 0.8 to 0.93 against aircraft and from 0.8 to 0.98 against Tomahawk-class cruise missiles.

S-300PMU2 S-300 PMU2 SA-20B Gargoyle B surface to air defense missile system technical data sheet UK---Army Recognition

 

[asianobserve]

Of course they can save their S-300s for last, when all their command and control infra have already been decimated. By then there isn't much to save anymore...

 

[SajeevJino]

I agree S 300 can Intercept Tomahawks

But Syrians don't have S 300 Systems ..they only have Pantysir VSHORAD's

and Pantysir can't intercept Tomahawks

 

[drkrn]

As a blow to assad russia sided away from syria this time


Russia Supports UN Probe Of Possible Chemical Attack In Syria - By Joshua Haber | The Middle East Channel

Moscow announced support for a UN investigation into Wednesday's attack, joining a chorus of international calls for both the Assad regime and Syrian opposition to facilitate an independent inquiry. According to a statement released on Friday by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the "Russian side called on the Syrian government to cooperate with the UN chemical experts" immediately following reports about Wednesday's attack. The statement also said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed that the two powers had a "mutual interest" in calling for an objective UN inquiry. China has also backed the UN probe, but cautioned that "all sides should avoid prejudging the outcome." In an interview with CNN on Friday, President Barack Obama called the possible use of chemical weapons a "big event of grave concern" that "is going to require America's attention." While the United States, United Nations, and European Union have called for a swift investigation into Wednesday's attack, all have urged caution in forming a response. Obama told CNN that the United States would carefully weigh a response and must "think through strategically what's going to be in our long-term national interests" before action is taken." Syrian opposition activists say hundreds died in Wednesday's attack, and images have emerged showing mass casualties -- including many children. On Friday, the United Nations refugee agency estimated that the number of Syrian child refugees now exceeds 1 million, or over half of the total 1.9 million Syrian refugees in the region. A further 2 million children are displaced inside Syria, according to the United Nations.

 

[drkrn]

I agree S 300 can Intercept Tomahawks

But Syrians don't have S 300 Systems ..they only have Pantysir VSHORAD's

and Pantysir can't intercept Tomahawks

Russia won't supply outstanding S-300s to Syria until mid-2014 - report — RT News
no s-300 till 2014

 

[rock127]

Missile strikes on Syria 'in days': Britain and US to hit back after Assad's nerve gas massacre

Britain and the US are set to launch missile strikes against the Syrian regime in retaliation for its barbaric chemical attack on civilians.David Cameron and Barack Obama discussed the plan in a 40-minute phone call at the weekend and will finalise the details within 48 hours.The two leaders want to send a clear warning to dictator Bashar Al-Assad over the deaths of as many as 1,300 people, many of them children.

William Hague said 'all the evidence' suggested Assad's henchmen carried out last week's horrific nerve gas atrocity.'We cannot, in the 21st century, allow the idea that chemical weapons can be used with impunity – that people can be killed in this way and that there are no consequences for it,' insisted the Foreign Secretary.'We believe it is very important there is a very strong response so that dictators, whether Assad or others who might slaughter their own people, know that using chemical weapons is to cross a line, and that the world will respond.'Royal Navy commanders in the region are preparing to take part in the assault, which is likely to be unleashed within ten days.

Government sources indicated the cruise missile blitz is likely to be short and sharp and will not signal an intention to get involved in the bloody civil war in Syria.But it will inevitably lead to fears that Britain could get sucked into another Iraq-style nightmare.Military planners in Washington and London are addressing the 'significant challenge' of finalising a list of potential targets designed to cripple Assad's chemical warfare capability.

The intervention is likely to involve missile strikes rather than an airborne bombing campaign, in order to avoid the dangers posed by the sophisticated air defences supplied to Syria by Russia.A British source said 'naval assets in the region' were likely to be involved, suggesting the possible use of submarine-borne Tomahawk cruise missiles.In an ominous development Damascus last night warned US president Obama that any intervention would not be a 'walk in the park', adding: 'It will bring chaos and the region will burn.'Iran warned the West it would face 'severe consequences' if it intervened in Syria.

They are armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of hitting a target from up to 1,200 miles away. Around 124 of the 18ft-long, £300,000 warheads were fired by US and British forces against Colonel Gaddafi's forces during the Libyan war.

The US Air Force could also send B-2 stealth bombers to pound Assad's military installations. Based in Missouri, they can cover the entire world with just one refuelling.

The most expensive aircraft ever – at a cost of £600million each – they are almost invisible to radar and can carry 40,000lbs of bombs.

As well as having F-16 fighter jets and refuelling aircraft based at airfields in the Middle East, the US also has defensive Patriot missile batteries positioned in Jordan, which neighbours Syria.

WHAT BASES WOULD BE USED?

US-led strikes would be launched from warships or submarines patrolling in the eastern Mediterranean or Persian Gulf, or from combat aircraft that can fire missiles from hundreds of miles away.A US Navy battlegroup including four destroyers is already in the eastern Mediterranean and has moved closer to Syria in preparation for action.

WHAT FIREPOWER CAN BRITAIN OFFER?

Despite multi-billion-pound cuts to the defence budge that have seen top brass axe fast jets, warships, spy planes and 30,000 troops, the armed forces can still contribute to an assault on Syria.The Royal Navy could fire Tomahawk missiles from its nuclear-powered Trafalgar-class submarines – one of which is constantly on patrol in the Middle East.The subs carry a giant payload of the super-accurate missiles.

Heavily-armed RAF Tornados could in theory fly from RAF Marham in Norfolk to attack targets in Syria – a 4,200 mile round trip – or be deployed to Cyprus to launch bombing raids from there.Carrying precision-guided Storm Shadow missiles, the air crews could devastate enemy defences including radar stations, anti-aircraft batteries and supply lines.The Storm Shadows have a range of more than 150 miles, allowing the aircraft to attack targets deep inside enemy territory without getting too close to anti-air defences.The 1,300kg missile, which technicians programme with the target details before the mission, then uses hi-tech GPS systems and terrain-following equipment to fly low under radar to its detonation point.

And Russia, which has blocked UN action against Syria, said unilateral action by the West would undermine efforts for peace and have a 'devastating impact' on the security situation in the Middle East.The Syrian regime last night attempted to head off a military intervention by the West by announcing it would finally allow United Nations experts to visit the gas atrocity site in Damascus. Inspectors are expected to begin their work today.