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The SAA reportedly entered into the Al-Ajrawi farm south of the Tabqah airbase after repelling an attack by ISIS fighters on its new positions in the Raqqah province. Earlier this week, the SAA liberated the Al-Thawra oil field, the Al-Thawra housing and pumping station.
According to pro-government sources, the SAA may continue its advance via the Athria-Rusafa-Raqqa road. If government troops reach Rusafa, they will control the northern road to Deir Ezzor.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed up by the US-led coalition’s airpower, artillery units and military advisers, have taken control of Al-Sinaa district in the eastern part of the ISIS-held city of Raqqah. The SDF also began storming Al-Batani and continued clashing with ISIS in Al-Bared.
Separately, the SDF has captured Hawra Jrayat village and surrounding areas in the Raqqah countryside.
In Daraa city, the SAA and its allies further advanced against militants in the Nazheen camp and captured about a half of it. Clashes were also reported in Al-Manishiyah and Dara’a Al-Balad districts.
In the countryside of Palmyra, clashes between the SAA and ISIS continued near the Arak field. Following the previous gains, government forces captured the SyriaTel Hill that allows to dominate over the nearby positions controlled by ISIS.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the US military has deployed two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from Jordan to Syria. The ministry added that these systems cannot provide a support to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces storming the ISIS stronghold of Raqqah. Instead, they pose a direct threat to government forces.
“The US-led anti-Daesh coalition has several times already attacked Syrian government forces fighting Daesh [ISIS] near the Jordanian border. It is possible to assume that similar strikes could be continued in the future, involving HIMARS from now on. So what objectives is the US pursuing in Syria and whom are the US servicemen fighting there?” the statement read.
The MoD would not have said “we know what weapons system, where you’re putting it, and what it is for…now then, if you use it…” unless they meant business. They never bluff. Yes, tautological perhaps, but the missiles, if used, it will cost – that’s plain – and so the secondary implied message is also clear – “missiles shall be removed from the locus, or the cost will go up anyway…pretty soon.”
This is really simply a matter of contract-diplomacy behind a “tapestry” of delusions and manufactured fantasies… Contracts? Of course – all international relations and laws are essentially contracts – some might want to read Agi Khan’s article – and I would give the url but I can not find it. Agi Kahn at Washburn Law School wrote to the G W Bush and the Augustinian Sovereign… Interesting Law Review paper…and not dated at all…
The Great Game is based proportionality between power and prerogatives – like all contracts. As we know from Rome, there is no question of justice except between equals in power. Since the Gadgets and the big rockets got built, there is an equality in power…and justice must naturally follow on, unless the Reich can create a disequilibrium… and that’s not realistic, is it?
Now, like the cartoon animal that runs off a cliff and does not fall untill he looks down…
Well, QED, Comrades!
Pax, 99
Canthama’s outlook for the coming days:
“There have been a lot of info on Tiger forces close to Raqqa city or even close to Ithriyah, many of the info are planted or to create confusion. The Tiger Forces MO “Modus operandis” continue to have a 1-2 days delay on liberations since the Tiger knows very well that the army is walking on thin ice with the US regime and its coalition of the killing track record of mistakenly bomb the SAA and allies. No one wants a war at this moment against the US and its allies, this fight will come in due time but not now.
Tiger is more likely going for the gold, block ISIS in a large pocket in eastern Hama and then Der ez Zor.
All the area left behind in distant and no longer relevant in strategic value will be handled to the SAA and NDF without fights, ISIS will be so trapped, with minimum routes to escape, that they will have no choice, watch eastern Khanaser that is now probably with less than a hundreds ISIS die hard.
Between northern Palmyra and southern Raqqa, a big cauldron is forming up, follow the desert and mountain roads to anticipate moves, the Tiger is moving down through the main road toward Palmyra’s direction. Without capturing the mountains, any advance toward Sukhanah by the 5th Corps will be very risky.
Once the Tiger Forces and allies control the three leg roads:
1)
Sfaiyeh-Resafa crossroad (very close to control it all)
this will trap ISIS in Raqqa fform getting down to Palmyra but not yet to reinforce Der ez Zor ISIS front.
2)
Sfaiyeh-Jabal al Asab (north of Palmyra)
this will trap ISIS in Homs and Hama.
3)
Resafa crossroad-Mount Bishri
this move will block northern ISIS reinforcements to al Sukhana letting this key city to be very vulnerable to the 5th Corps.
Events will start unfolding very fast with large retreats from ISIS, fronts will collapse very quickly with the lack of strategic value to hold, this will be the key aspect of events during the weekend and next week, we may approach the battle for Sukhana 10 days from now with ISIS being reduced to minimum territory in Hama and Homs.
I read an article on the UNZ website which mentioned in passing something which I had not heard of before, and I would like to know if there is any truth to this:
“The failure of President Bashar al-Assad to do anything for the two or three million Syrians who fled to the cities to escape the four-year-long drought in 2006-10 helped to cause the uprising the following year.”
There was a drought.
The impact of the drought was used (by the US and those who wanted the Qatar pipeline) to foment social unrest.
I don’t know what the Syrian government lead by Assad did – or did not do – to alleviate the impact of the drought.
It is important to understand that the Soros-backed (and other Demons) use anything, anything at all that will divide and create unrest in a targeted country.
Agri-prop. Aggravation/propaganda.
Even if the Syrian govt did provide some assistance during the drought, the agitators would shrill that this
1/ was not enough and/or
2/ only went to Assad family/connections
3/ was not provided at all (even if it was)
4/ all of the above (even if contradictory!)
As we are seeing in the US at the moment, it does not matter what lies, or even how outrageous the allegation, ^pissgate^ the media propagate, so long as there is an “anonymous source” to attribute to.
The US-UK-Israel alliance has targeted Syria long before 2011. The western-media championed, so-called Arab Spring, and then the “sudden” spawning of ISIS was just the latest, and a more diabolical master plan to destroy Syria
Snipers
Perhaps one of the biggest “tells” that the start of the Syrian “spring” was a Soros(et al) sponsored “color/regime change” controlled action is that unknown snipers were at work.
The use of snipers has been a unifying feature in civil unrest over decades, across dozens of countries…. whether in Argentina, Peru, Moscow or Kiev.
(The rollcall is long). The Soros snipers take out people from both sides – protestors and the government alike. Both sides then blame the other.
Here is a western media report of a 11-year old boy taken out by a sniper in Syria.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/syria-activists-boy-11-shot-in-head-by-sniper/
Killing children, women, the unarmed and elderly is a preferred tactic of the ubiquitous “unknown” snipers, as such barbarity naturally enrages everyone and allows the controlled western media to run a hate campaign against the country or government being targeted.
Here is a report of snipers at the Maiden.
This much is known: Snipers firing powerful rifles from rooftops and windows shot scores of people in the heart of Kiev.
Some victims were opposition protesters, but many were civilian bystanders clearly not involved in the clashes.
Among the dead were medics, as well as police officers.
A majority of the more than 100 people who died in the violence were shot by snipers; hundreds were also injured by the gunfire and other street fighting.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/2014/0308/Kiev-snipers-Who-was-behind-them
There were snipers atop the US Embassy in Moscow in 1993, targeting both sides as per their standard operating procedure.
https://www.sott.net/article/275826-Black-October-93-Tanks-in-Moscow-unknown-snipers-on-the-roofs-blood-on-the-streets
In fact, snipers inevitably make an appearance in most narratives of death, carnage and devastation of a country:
A Brief History of the Genocide and Its Aftermath in Rwanda
Starting on April 7, 1994, the day after snipers shot down the plane carrying the President of Rwanda………
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic920402.files/staub%202006.pdf
Syria was a modern, prosperous, secular, tolerant, independent country – one if the few remaining globally with its own, independent Central Bank in 2011.
Was Syria “perfect” ? Unlikely. Few if any countries offer paradise here on Earth. But it was by no means any more “repressive” than any other country – including the so-called liberal western democracies.
Syria was just road kill in the way of the geopolitical – global hydrocarbon/ energy controlling plans of the Demons.
As the Saker says, war nowadays is primarily informational– I forget his percentages. Some background on the brains behind the technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s01AsMUz844
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Ud0-QhT
Just as in Demons, Peter Verkhovensky advocates the killing of Shatov as a means to consolidate the revolutionary cell consisting of Liputin, Virginsky and others, So too the shedding of blood by snipers gets the dynamic of regime change rolling. In the first interview, Gene Sharp admits that loss of life is an unavoidable consequence of his nonviolent process.
This is likely a result of the military’s autonomy under Trump. This is war-gaming, for real.
A politician would not have moved these weapons there because they do not intend to use them, and don’t want to escalate by sending the message they might.
A military general with the order to protect US forces would do exactly the opposite: with the “enemy advancing” and constrained from engaging as yet, they would move the rocket artillery in as one of their few moves that might stop the enemy advance – just give them pause for thought – and would give an advantage in the event of an actual escalation.
In this sense, it is not a precursor to an intent to escalate to its use at all. While at the same time, of course, inevitably, escalating tensions.
If the CIA ordered them in, though, there’d be an intent to use.
Well said.
Positioning two lonely HIMARS in the Syrian desert is a little bit of a laugh. Advanced checkers strategy, I assume. Or Captagon induced loss of reality.
geewhiz, since the MoD seems to know where the HIMARS are, it would figure that the best way to protect his force might be for the US general to move those infernal missiles well away from the officer’s club…because the MoD just “telegraphed the coordinates of the probable-if-trouble-starts target set”…and HIMARS would, one assumes…
Such generals are functioning as idiots.
I expect generals functioning as idiots to find employment opportunities outside of military realm.
And I too would expect such silly action by CIA or maybe a second Lt…
this is a little off topic but will show why Syria is being attacked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEpcY5JU120
pt 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89ZuASiI7Go
these need to go viral, post links everywhere.
Very interesting links, because he explains in a short time how the world in reality ticks. Thank you for that.
I have two comments. First, I’m not exactly a fan of Obama, but when he was inaugurated and had his first meeting with ‘the men in black suits and black ties’ (as Putin described it) and got his instructions, he replied ‘You have to realize that we are the only ones between you and the pitchforks’.
Secondly, I think there are more reasons for the long before attack on Syria. I have posted it before, but I’m going to do that again because it so important: http://www.globalresearch.ca/plans-for-redrawing-the-middle-east-the-project-for-a-new-middle-east/3882
Just look at the map. The USA (in close cooperation with the UK, Israel and the KSA) are hell-bent to install a sunni statelet somewhere between Iraq and Syria. You know why? Because now, the whole area stretching from Lebanon to Iran is largely filled with shia-like muslims. If you break that, the supply lines of Hezbollah are blocked (Israel happy), and suddenly a sunni belt arises moving south to north going all the way to the south border of Russia.
And I think the Russians are quite aware of that.
Al Masdar News:
“BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:45 P.M.) – Syria and Jordan have entered into talks mediated by Russia to reopen the Nassib Border-Crossing, Al-Masdar learned today from a military source.
If the talks are successful, the rebel forces at the Nassib Border-Crossing will be ordered to withdraw from the area by their Jordanian partners.
Reopening the Nassib Border-Crossing would have a positive impact on Syria’s strained economy, as both countries were once key trade partners in the region.”
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syria-jordan-talks-reopen-border-crossing/
” It is impressive how recovery can be achieved in such a short amount of time. The Hayyan gas and oil fields were utterly destroyed by ISIS when they retook control back in January-February 2017, the filmed for all to see the mega explosion throughout the manufacturing plant.
After 3 months it was recovered, Hayyan is back producing, 1/3rd of pre war of aggression volumes but yet significant and important volume of 5,000 barrels/day of oil and 3MM cubic meters of gas, and they aim soon for 10MM cu mts which is pre war levels.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMEWThYhhYM
Hussein:
“ i was wondering how many fighters are remaining in ISIS as of today?”
Canthama:
“hussein, ISIS in its pick had more than 100,000 terrorists in both countries, hiring + switching sides were higher then KIA and WIA in late 2014 mid 2015. Since late 2015 this math changed drastically. With fundings getting hit hard, oil, gas, trade, smuggling, kidnaping etc… plus much higher losses from RuAF air attacks, this nbr started to decline. When the Iraq Government, Syrian Government and the SDF started to recover ground, then ISIS was hit twice, losing terrorists KIA and WIA, plus losing the ability to hire more from the local villages.
When ISIS lost touch to most of the borders with Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, then international recruiting took a big hit.
2016 was a disaster for ISIS, the turning point for sure, then 2017 will seal most of their territorial losses, meaning ISIS they will most likely hold very little territory in eastern Der ez Zor Province and some smaller pockets here and there.
My best guess is that ISIS has some 30,000+ terrorists, it is spread thin in their constantly shrinking territory in Iraq and Syria, a force still strong to cause damage if concentrated in a smaller place, but that is ISIS weakness now, they are spread thin in a defensive war, a very bad spot to be.
Some references to consider, all nbrs are best guesses and estimates from many folks:
1)
ISIS had some 10-12,000 terrorists to defend Mosul.
2)
The Tiger Forces killed between 3-4,000 ISIS terrorists in all eastern Aleppo/Maskaneh campaigns.
3)
ISIS had 3-4,000 terrorists to defend Raqqa.
4)
ISIS lost some 4,000 terrorists in their attempt to take T4 and all the retreat since them i.e. Palmyra, gas fields, eastern Qalamoun, Desert Triangle, Sha’er, Arak etc…
5)
ISIS lost some 10,000 terrorists in the fight for Kobane.
6)
ISIS lost close to 15,000 terrorists in the many offensives to take Der e Zor, making Der ez Zor the ultimate ISIS meat grinder.
The last breeding ground for ISIS is the lower Syrian Euphrates villages and Anbar Province in Iraq, they still hold a lot of ground on both, so it is possible that will sustain some replenishment with forced recruitments, but ISIS is losing all over, money is short and people do not like to jump into a bus heading to a wall of bullets.”
Cynic:
“How many non-isis terrorists might be left?”
Canthama:
“That is a lot, considering the following:
1) Idlib/Northern Hama/NE Lattakia – estimated 50,000
2) Western Aleppo- estimated 10,000
3) Northern Aleppo – estimated 4,000
4) Northern Homs pocket – estimated
5,000 5) East Ghouta – estimated 6,000, all factions, but JAI leads with 4,500
6) Eastern Qalamoun – estimated 3,000 (about to reconcile)
7) Southern Front (Quneytra-Daraa-Lajat-Golan)- estimated 30,000 8) US/UK backed terrorists in the Syrian desert – estimated 3,000
All in one, it is estimated between 100,000-120,000 in all Syria, not counting the gangs under SDF, many smaller groups from the defunct FSA, would probably estimate a total of 10,000 max.
Both Idlib and Southern Front, took huge losses in the Aleppo and Daraa offensives, but they had a larger pool to get more terrorists in. On another side, thousands of terrorists that took the green buses from Aleppo, Homs and Western Ghouta managed to get terrorist jobs in their new homes, impossible to know how many stayed and how many went to Turkey/EU, but would at least 50% stayed in Idlib or Jarabulus, some 5,000 from original guesstimate of 10,000 that were green bused, these are in the nbrs above.
The 120,000+ nbr may see a lot, but we have to recall that at one point the SAA was facing 300,000 of terrorists, and there is a very big chance of thousands of terrorists to reconcile with the Syrian Government, there are rumours of 100 “no existent FSA” groups that could defect to the Syrian NDF very soon due to the KSA-Qatar “war”, I would take these rumours seriously, the terrorists fight for money, if money stops, they will stop also and try to return to their previous lives.
Another point is that when Daraa city is fully recovered, most of the cities as far as Lajat down to the Jordanian border will reconcile with the Government.
Last but not least is the effect of homeless Hamas and Qatar with the nusrats, since they are so intermingled, would this change nusrats’ stand in Syria ?”
“US Rocket Artillery Systems Pose Direct Threat To Govt Forces In Southeastern Syria”
No more than they did when they were based in Jordan. Their range is ~300 km (supposedly). This is just US dickwaddery on a par with the token IDF attacks. Their presense is of no strategic significance.
the 300km range is only for 1 type of missile the system can use and it can only fire one per launcher of that type. They only have 2 launchers and the warhead one that missile is not suited for any target in the area. The wrong warhead and only capacity to fire 2 missiles renders it useless.
What they do have most likely is the new warhead on their rockets which can fire 6 per launcher. These have a stated range of around 45 miles and tested at 35. These new warheads are air burst and rain down tungsten shrapnel taking out personel and light to medium armour over a larger area. The capacity to fire 12 rockets quickly with that warhead would be devistating to the border area under SAA control northeast of the US position. That is the imenent threat!!!!!
Better move them then – at least away from the latrines!…
Seriously, there is a Syrian Policy that dominates the arena…they can leave any time, one way or another.
I assume that it will be the same way they came in. But they are in the wrong place – a place when they can be ruined in seconds…and cannot be used to achieve any advantage.
Maybe the general has a post-retirement job lined up with Luckupp Missile Company – VP Public Relations, and they plan to shoot the commercials in Syria…
Sorry for off topic
But I would like someone, The saker maybe, to comment on the new sanctions that will be introduced by USA against Russia and that will affect Europé as well and companies that do business with Russia. what does this mean and can Ryssia respond in any way or will it be just empty Words?
Does anyone have any information over what is happening in DPR/LPR? Looks like SBU has silenced all youtube channels relating to developments with the DPR/LPR, Kazzura has not uploaded a video for a year already, as of now we know many DPR/LPR brigade/battalion commanders were killed within their own offices and areas of operation. Mozgovoi commander of prizrak battalion KIA, Arsen Pavlov “motorola” commander of sparta KIA, Mikhail Tolstykh “givi” commander of somalia KIA, Yevgeni Zhilin commander of oplot battalion KIA, Alexander Bedlov commander of batman battalion KIA… Sparta, Prizrak, Somalia, Oplot, Batman, these battalions were all grassroots in Donetsk, started by cossacks, how come Zakharchenko has not said anything on this? What is happening in this area? Not one russian outlet is covering this humanitarian disaster- Putin slandered the Ukrainian brothers on his interview and said he cannot support them–however he will respond to Nato at a time of his choosing…ahem sounds like a sorry excuse for we assasinated all leadership capable of doing damage to the ukrops, combat situation is tense and noone is reporting the escalations at the contact line, t80 tanks are in the AO, gvozdika is in the AO, mi24 in the AO, DPR/LPR in deep trouble, commander Niemets says: why is zakharchenko and plotnitsky not ordering training of NAF forces? UGF/Nazis/SBU is all training for an escalation and they have the area surrounded, OSCE is leaving the area and is acting as forward observation for artillery strikes, Nobody in Russia cares about the Syria distraction, why is putin surrendering novorossiya?????
The way lies not through the Donbass and the river there, but instead the way for Ukraine and the Republics lies elsewhere.
When Comrade P sails up a river in Maryland…
Then Ukraine will resume a fraternal relationship.
Of course they’ll discover that certain crimes must be brought to justice….
The point is that Strategy is Indirect…
If you intend that it ought to actually work…
(*Hey Donald!… pttst…wannaknow how to do it…watch the Master…” Well, that’s what somebody said….
They’ll invite him…like they did Winston…probably make him an honorary citizen the same way…History takes one by s’prize…an’ everybody just loves surprises, don’t they?
Here’s my take on everything:
“The US’ deployment of the HIMARS missile system to eastern Syria is designed to deter the Syrian Arab Army’s Dash for Deir az-Zor.
…
Therefore, the outcome of the Dash for Deir az-Zor will depend on the speed with which the SAA can reach their destination, the tactical maneuvers that the SDF-YPG take to beat them there from the northern direction, and the degree to which the US will be successful in using HIMARS to tip the balance in its favor from the southern front.
The odds are overwhelming, but it still can’t be ruled out that the SAA will ultimately prevail against this pincer strategy, liberate the desert city, and drive a stake in the heart of the US’ attempts to set up two “geopolitical ‘Israels’” in the heart of the Mideast, though the prospects of this optimistic scenario playing out are admittedly low.”
http://www.globalvillagespace.com/syrias-dash-deir-az-zor-americas-himars-missiles-threaten-progress/
Crucial days for the future of free Syria!
Just in: latest updates by Canthama:
“The SAA and allies have met the PMU inside the Iraqi border at al Waleed, in fact it means the US backed terrorists are actually blocked with the SAA few kms alway. The US backed terrorists and the US regime forces are boxed from the 3 sides at the moment, their presence made irrelevant at the al Tanf side of the border.”
and
“Multiple developments in Syria this weekend, as expected.
1)
The SAA, PMU and allies have now full control of the Iraq-Syria border in a long border stretch. Soon we will get the full details but it could mean that the SAA, PMU and allies are now very close to al Qaim and that the T2 station is liberated.
The implications are many, road from Bulkamal to T3 and Sukhanah is now cut which implies T3 and all the desert area south of Palmyra that still has ISIS presence is irrelevant for ISIS to hold, they will retreat most likely from it, liberating a very large chunk of ground and the best of all the SAA will have a chance to get to Der ez Zor through the T3-T2 road, through the empty desert, maybe not to lift the siege but to raid ISIS from behind their defensive lines.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=pt&lat=34.141362&lon=40.259399&z=9&m=b&gz=0;390220642;338555910;6976318;0;15298461;3800566;12716674;5660466;0;3346306
2)
The area below is considered under fire control by the Tiger Forces, with the confirmed liberation of the villages of Ouija Abo Khamis, Sawh al Ghawr and al-Issawi early today. Tiger is at the door of the ancient city of Sergiopolis (Resafa).
There is a current race toward Bir Dahl which lies in the road to the Euphrates, SDF is pushing hard to get there to block Tiger’s access to Euphrates. Expect skirmishes today or tomorrow, Tiger is no NDF.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=pt&lat=35.658412&lon=38.729210&z=12&m=b&gz=0;386620903;355960419;96130;1007168;1692581;1032261;1043701;0;805091;107473;820541;616727;0;703198
Race to the Euphrates
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=pt&lat=35.752085&lon=38.949280&z=11&m=b&gz=0;387824249;356653855;0;331854;202560;0;4521560;1521492;3903579;2016880;140762;680293
Meanwhile and with no fears of retaliation –
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706181054746884-usa-coalition-shoots-down-syrian-aircraft/
America the Brave has to start paying its duty to Zion by committing war crimes without hiding behind al-Qaida and ISIS masks.
Quite remarkable and with possible long-term implications.
Deir-ez Zor i……..I do not know…but terrible anyway https://www.rt.com/news/392940-iran-fires-missiles-syria/
https://www.rt.com/news/392941-us-led-coalition-downed-syrian-plane/
Considering the incoherent “policy” of the Reich in this theater one does tend to suspect that the sitzkrieg phase of W3 is opening. Barbarossa is the natural second phase, is it not?
Head between knees time? Bummer!