Russian naval task force led by aircraft carrier docks at Syrian port

Is WWIII starting this weekend?

The force, which includes the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Admiral Levchenko destroyer and the Nikolay Chiker salvage tug, was due to call in at the Syrian port of Tartus Monday, Jan. 12 after carrying out joint exercises with the Turkish navy last week.

DEBKAfile's military sources report that the arrival of the Russian flotilla in wartime is unusual and especially significant given Syria's role as one of the staunchest backers of Hamas which is embroiled in a war against Israel further down the coast in Gaza.

Our sources believe Moscow may be signaling its disapproval of Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip.

DEBKAfile's military sources report that 50 Russian seamen are permanently based at the Syrian maintenance and resupply facility, the only Russian base in the Mediterranean.

Russia is expanding Tartus port, which has six piers and building a pier at a second Syri an port – Latakia.

During the Russian-Georgian War last August, the Russian government decided to turn the Syrian port into a back-up facility for its Black Sea fleet and its base at the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5849

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Posted By DF to CNIN - The Conservative News Intelligence Network at 1/13/2009 05:34:00 PM

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US helicopters attack Syrian village

LAME DUCK PRESIDENT MY ASS............

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syria's state-run television and witnesses say U.S. military helicopters have attacked an area along the country's border with Iraq, causing casualties.

The report quoted unnamed Syrian officials and said the area is near the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal. It gave no other details on Sunday's attack.

Local residents told The Associated Press by telephone that two helicopters carrying U.S. soldiers raided the village of Hwijeh, 10 miles inside Syria's border, killing seven people and wounding five.

The U.S. military in Baghdad had no immediate comment.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D942BBS00&show_article=1

Syria masses 10,000 commandos on border to invade N. Lebanon

Damascus is pressing forward with its plan to occupy Greater Tripoli, Lebanon’s second largest city and port, DEBKAfile's military sources report. To this end, 10,000 Syrian commando troops have massed at Abboudieh on the Lebanese border ready to follow an advance force which occupied seven villages around the northern city earlier this month, as first disclosed by DEBKAfile on Sept. 20. To read the article click HERE.

A Lebanese army spokesman first denied the concentration while the mainstream Israeli media ran the official denial without checking the story out.

However, when witnesses said the boosted Syrian deployment was visible from the Lebanese side of the border Tuesday, Sept. 23, the spokesman issued a new statement. He said Beirut had asked Damascus for clarifications and was told the measure was “internal and in no way directed against Lebanon.” This left the deployment with the option of striking at anti-Syrian militias operating outside the Lebanese army in the Tripoli region.

Damascus stressed the move was linked to a crackdown against smugglers (sic).

In yet another “clarification,” the measure was linked to digging new wells along the Syrian-Lebanese border.

These various “clarifications” are so implausible that Damascus is obviously unconcerned about any serious challenge to its sudden build-up of a 10,000-strong special forces deployment.

This sort of strength, say DEBKAfile’s military sources, is deployed for war operations, not anti-smuggling policing.

Tuesday, unofficial Lebanese sources confirmed that Syrian commandos had occupied Wadi al-Ashaer, a village in the Rashaya district in the North.

Our sources add that this is only one of the seven villages captured by an advance Syrian force in northern Lebanon last week, after which Damascus advised Washington and Paris not to interfere. It is now engaged in building fortifications and paving military road links for the main body of special forces to move in.

Syrian occupation of northern Lebanon will make profound inroads on the strategic position of the United States and Israel in this part of the Middle East, yet Washington and Jerusalem are turning a blind eye.

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5605

Ten Russian Warships Docked at Syrian Port

I say that we skip Iran and NUKE RUSSIA instead. The Axis of Evil never dissolved and anyone that thinks the cold war ever ended or this so called Axis of Evil ever went away is clueless........

Israeli military and naval commanders were taken by surprise by Rear Adm. Andrei Baranov's disclosure that 10 Russian warships are already anchored at the Syrian port of Tartus, DEBKAfile’s military sources report.

Moscow and Damascus have worked fast to put in place the agreement reached in Moscow on Sept. 12 by Russian navy commander, Adm. Vladimir Wysotsky and Syrian naval commander Gen. Taleb al-Barri to provide the Russian fleet with a long-term base at Syrian ports. Israel was not aware that this many vessels were involved in the deal.

What most worries Israeli military leaders is an earlier announcement by Adm. Wysotsky that Russia’s Mediterranean assets would subjected to its Black Sea fleet command, thereby placing Russia’s warships near Israel’s shores at the service of Moscow’s contest against the US and NATO in the Caucasian. It is feared that Israel will be dragged into another cold war.

Rear Adm. Baranov disclosed that the warships in Tartus had brought engineering crews to widen and dredge the harbor to accommodate additional, fleet vessels. The crews were also working on expanding Latakia, another Syrian port, possibly for aircraft carriers or guided missile cruisers.

The Russians are making no secret of their intention of using their naval presence in Syrian ports as a deterrent to a possible Israeli air strike against Syria.

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5591

Russia considers nuclear missiles for Syria,

DEBKAfile's military sources report Moscow's planned retaliation for America's missile interceptors in Poland and US-Israeli military aid to Georgia may come in the form of installing Iskandar surface missiles in Syria and its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

Russian Baltic and Middle East warships, submarines and long-range bombers may be armed with nuclear warheads, according to Sunday newspapers in Europe.

In Georgia, Russian troops and tanks advanced to within 30 km of Tbilisi Saturday, Aug. 15. A Russian general said Sunday they had started pulling out after president Dimitry Medvedev signed the ceasefire agreement with Georgia and president George W. Bush called again for an immediate withdrawal.

After routing Georgia over the breakaway enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Moscow appears to be eying Poland, the Middle East, and possibly Ukraine, as the main arenas for its reprisals.

One plan on the table in Moscow, DEBKAfile's sources report, is the establishment of big Russian military, naval and air bases in Syria and the release of advanced weapons systems withheld until now to Iran (the S-300 air-missile defense system) and Syria (the nuclear-capable 200 km-range Iskandar surface missile).

Shortly before the Georgian conflict flared, Moscow promised Washington not to let Iran and Syria have these sophisticated pieces of hardware.

The Iskander's cruise attributes make its launch and trajectory extremely hard to detect and intercept. If this missile reaches Syria, Israel will have to revamp its anti-missile defense array and Air Force assault plans for the third time in two years, as it constitutes a threat which transcends all its defensive red lines.

Moscow's war planners know this and are therefore considering new sea and air bases in Syria as sites for the Iskander missiles. Russia would thus keep the missiles under its hand and make sure they were not transferred to Iran. At the same time, Syrian crews would be trained in their operation.

DEBKAfile's military sources report Syrian president Bashar Assad will be invited to Moscow soon to finalize these plans in detail.

Military spokesmen in Moscow said Saturday and Sunday that Russian military planners to started redesigning the nation’s strategic plans for a fitting response to America's decision to install 10 missile interceptors in Poland and the war developments in Georgia.

The chairman of the Israeli Knesset foreign affairs and defense committee, Tzahi Hanegbi, spoke out strongly Sunday, Aug. 17, against treasury plans to slash the defense budget. He warned that the military faced grave confrontations in the coming year - possibly on several fronts.

http://www.debka.com/index1.php

Syrian President arrives in Iran as nuclear deadline looms

BOOM.........

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived for talks in Tehran on Saturday, a few weeks after he told France he would use his good relations with Iran to help resolve the Islamic republic's nuclear stand-off with the West.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1007787.html


Top Hezbollah commander: We're stronger, ready for war

A senior Hezbollah commander told the U.K. Telegraph on Friday that the Lebanon-based militia is now stronger than before, and that though it does not seek war with Israel, it is prepared for a military confrontation.

Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, who commands Hezbollah's forces on Lebanon's border with Israel, was quoted as saying "the resistance is now stronger than before and this keeps the option of war awake."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1007771.html

Israel: Russia may be selling Syria arms

Fearing that Damascus is acquiring advanced military platforms, Israel is closely following meetings being held in Moscow this week between a high-level Syrian military delegation and Russian Defense Ministry officials.

Senior government officials in Jerusalem said they have been aware for several days of the Syrians' upcoming visit to the Russian capital but that it was not yet clear which military platforms Damascus was requesting.

According to reports in the Russian media, the delegation, led by Syrian Air Force commander Gen. Akhmad al-Ratyb, will be in Moscow for five days and meet with Russian Defense Ministry and Air Force officials, as well as visit several military bases and units.

According to the reports, the talks will focus on arms sales - including submarines, anti-aircraft missiles, the latest model MiG fighter jets and advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

Israel is particularly concerned with a Syrian request for long-range S-300 surface-to-air missiles that could threaten IAF jets flying on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights.

The S-300 is one of the best multi-target anti-aircraft-missile systems in the world and reportedly can track 100 targets simultaneously while engaging 12 at the same time. Syria recently received 36 Pantsir S1E air-defense systems from Russia. Iran is believed to have already procured several S-300 systems to protect its nuclear facilities.

Israeli defense officials expressed grave concern over the possibility that Syria would obtain these new military platforms. Damascus, the officials said, had dramatically increased defense spending recently. In the past three years, Syria has spent more than $3 billion on weapons, up from less than $100 million in 2002.

Officials said that Israel was working diplomatically with Moscow to prevent the sales, but that for the right amount of money, Russia would likely approve the sales in any case.

http://once-upon-a-time-in-the-west.blogspot.com/

Hizballah moves missiles into S. Lebanon, Syria Orders $5 Bln. in Russian Weapons

Well, we all knew this was happening, but I was waiting for Israel to announce it and here it is. This shyte is going to explode soon...

May 27, 2008, 10:20 AM (GMT+02:00)

Furthermore, as the Israeli military intelligence research director, Brig. Gen.Yossi Baidatz, disclosed to a Knesset panel earlier Monday , missiles continue to stream across the Syrian border for Hizballah and are being deployed in southern Lebanon, below the Litani River.

UNIFIL is letting this happen in breach of its Security Council mandate to prevent the recurrence of the 2006 Lebanon War threat to Israel.AND AS A SPECIAL

BONUS***********************

DEBKA-Net-Weekly 350 has revealed that Damascus, in the process of peace talks with Israel, sent a large military delegation to Moscow, headed by air force-air defenses commander Gen. Akhmad Ratyb with an Iranian $5 billion check, to buy the latest Russian missiles, warplanes and other military hardware for the Syrian armed forces.

DEBKAfile adds: The makeup of Damascus’ shopping list and its financing source do not support the contention that peace talks will pull Syria away from its alliance with Iran and sponsorship of terror.

The Syrian purchasing list was disclosed by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military sources on May 23, and is reviewed in the article below.

Russian News - Iran & Syria developing WMDs to wipe out USA

And I suppose that Russia has nothing to do with this???? Bush has to hit Russia, we have no other choice. Their intentions are obvious and still the media and the people deny the link between Russia and terrorism. I feel like I am living in the bizarro world.....

I still hear from people that say Russia has no military. Listen you retards, they already smuggled nukes into the Country and they will have Muslims detonate them and after that happens, the Russians launch nukes with submarines and fighter jets. They have plenty of those, they are only selling them all over the world to our enemies.

I believe the Russians sold about $15 Billion in weapons last year and they control the gas and oil going into Eastern Europe. They have plenty of weapons, cash and moral support from the American liberals.

The American people are a bunch of gullable dolts......
GOD BLESS AMERICA...

Proof of cooperation between Iran and Syria in the proliferation and development of weapons of mass destruction was brought to light Monday in a Jane's Defence Weekly report that dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrian officers were killed in a July 23 accident in Syria.

According to the report, cited by Channel 10, the joint Syrian-Iranian team was attempting to mount a chemical warhead on a Scud missile when the explosion occurred, spreading lethal chemical agents, including sarin nerve gas.

Reports of the accident were circulated at the time; however, no details were released by the Syrian government, and there were no hints of an Iranian connection.

The report comes on the heels of criticism leveled by the Syrians at the United States, accusing it of spreading "false" claims of Syrian nuclear activity and cooperation with North Korea to excuse an alleged Israeli air incursion over the country this month.

According to globalsecurity.org, Syria is not a signatory of either the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), - an international agreement banning the production, stockpiling or use of chemical weapons - or the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Syria began developing chemical weapons in 1973, just before the Yom Kipper War. Globalsecurity.org cites the country as having one of the most advanced chemical weapons programs in the Middle East, JPost.com reports.

According to the British magazine, the facility where the accident took place was built as part of a cooperation agreement signed between Syria and Iran in 2005. The joint activity included technological supply and assistance from Syria to Iran.

A Western diplomatic source reported in the past that in exchange, Tehran was providing Damascus with means that would enable it to independently produce chemical weapons, including help in planning and building facilities and carrying out chemical weapons experiments in a number of locations. According to the source, the cost of the project was estimated at millions of dollars.

Syria is currently in the midst of a PR battle aimed at denying the allegations that it has nuclear ties with Iran and North Korea. On Tuesday, Syrian Expatriate Affairs Minister Bussaina Shaaban said that the allegations of nuclear cooperation between Syria and North Korea which led to the reported Israeli overflight were "an orchestra of lies".

In an interview with the Iranian Fars news agency, the minister denied reports in Israeli and American media that suggested Pyongyang was helping Damascus build a nuclear installation in the country and said that "Syria maintains the right to respond when and where it sees fit."

http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/19-09-2007/97351-iran_syria_wmd-0