Meanwhile in Iraq & Syria

[Montegriffo]

Hi Cid!

That reminds me, where did I put my sheesha pipe?

[TheReal_ND]

Syrian UN Envoy: Putin Sent Message to Israel That Its Freedom to Act in Syria Is Over

“Putin sent a clear message,” said Bashar Jaafari, speaking on Syrian television. “The fact is that the Israeli ambassador [to Russia] was summoned for a conversation only a day after he submitted his credentials [to the Russian Foreign Ministry last Thursday], and was told categorically that this game is over.”

Syria’s use of anti-aircraft fire against Israel last Thursday night has changed the rules of the game, too, Jaafari said, adding that Syria will not stand idly by in the face of an Israeli threat.

He also claimed that when the civil war began in Syria in 2011, opposition militia groups sabotaged the anti-aircraft defense systems belonging to President Bashar Assad’s regime, giving Israel freedom to operate.

Between Thursday night and Friday morning, Israeli fighter jets attacked several targets in Syria, triggering the most serious clash between Israel and Syria since the civil war erupted six years ago. In response to the airstrikes, the Assad regime’s aerial defense system fired several missiles at the jets. Israel’s Arrow anti-missile defense system was launched, shooting down one of the missiles north of Jerusalem. The incident forced Israel to admit for the first time that it had launched an aerial attack in Syria.

Following that, Israel’s ambassador to Moscow, Gary Koren, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry for talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov – again, an unusual development. Since Russian forces began operating in Syria in 2015, there have been a number of airstrikes that foreign media have attributed to Israel. But the Israeli ambassador had never previously been called in to clarify Israel’s actions.

http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news ... um=twitter

[ssu]

Syrian UN Envoy: Putin Sent Message to Israel That Its Freedom to Act in Syria Is Over

“Putin sent a clear message,” said Bashar Jaafari, speaking on Syrian television. “The fact is that the Israeli ambassador [to Russia] was summoned for a conversation only a day after he submitted his credentials [to the Russian Foreign Ministry last Thursday], and was told categorically that this game is over.”

Syria’s use of anti-aircraft fire against Israel last Thursday night has changed the rules of the game, too, Jaafari said, adding that Syria will not stand idly by in the face of an Israeli threat.

He also claimed that when the civil war began in Syria in 2011, opposition militia groups sabotaged the anti-aircraft defense systems belonging to President Bashar Assad’s regime, giving Israel freedom to operate.

Between Thursday night and Friday morning, Israeli fighter jets attacked several targets in Syria, triggering the most serious clash between Israel and Syria since the civil war erupted six years ago. In response to the airstrikes, the Assad regime’s aerial defense system fired several missiles at the jets. Israel’s Arrow anti-missile defense system was launched, shooting down one of the missiles north of Jerusalem. The incident forced Israel to admit for the first time that it had launched an aerial attack in Syria.

Following that, Israel’s ambassador to Moscow, Gary Koren, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry for talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov – again, an unusual development. Since Russian forces began operating in Syria in 2015, there have been a number of airstrikes that foreign media have attributed to Israel. But the Israeli ambassador had never previously been called in to clarify Israel’s actions.

http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news ... um=twitter

Israel has to adapt to the realities: that it has Russia as it's neighbour.

Above all, now they are there publicly, not as just "military advisors", but flying their flag. So unlike during the old times, the Israeli Air Force cannot engage Russian pilots and shoot them down as they to those flying Egyptian fighters during the 1970's. It would be attacking Russia. How Russia reacts can be seen from the way they responded to one single shooting by Turkey. Afterwards Turkey chose to play ball with them (a wise choice, actually).

Russian defence minister in Syria last year:

[ssu]

Syrian UN Envoy: Putin Sent Message to Israel That Its Freedom to Act in Syria Is Over

“Putin sent a clear message,” said Bashar Jaafari, speaking on Syrian television. “The fact is that the Israeli ambassador [to Russia] was summoned for a conversation only a day after he submitted his credentials [to the Russian Foreign Ministry last Thursday], and was told categorically that this game is over.”

Syria’s use of anti-aircraft fire against Israel last Thursday night has changed the rules of the game, too, Jaafari said, adding that Syria will not stand idly by in the face of an Israeli threat.

He also claimed that when the civil war began in Syria in 2011, opposition militia groups sabotaged the anti-aircraft defense systems belonging to President Bashar Assad’s regime, giving Israel freedom to operate.

Between Thursday night and Friday morning, Israeli fighter jets attacked several targets in Syria, triggering the most serious clash between Israel and Syria since the civil war erupted six years ago. In response to the airstrikes, the Assad regime’s aerial defense system fired several missiles at the jets. Israel’s Arrow anti-missile defense system was launched, shooting down one of the missiles north of Jerusalem. The incident forced Israel to admit for the first time that it had launched an aerial attack in Syria.

Following that, Israel’s ambassador to Moscow, Gary Koren, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry for talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov – again, an unusual development. Since Russian forces began operating in Syria in 2015, there have been a number of airstrikes that foreign media have attributed to Israel. But the Israeli ambassador had never previously been called in to clarify Israel’s actions.

http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news ... um=twitter

Israel has to adapt to the realities: that it has Russia as it's neighbour. It cannot so freely engage targets in Syria ...as it has done in the past. At least not anywhere close to the Russian air bases.

Above all, now the Russians are there publicly, not as just "military advisors", but flying their flag. So unlike during the old times, the Israeli Air Force cannot engage Russian pilots and shoot them down as they did to those flying Egyptian fighters during the 1970's. It would be attacking Russia. How Russia reacts can be seen from the way they responded to one single shooting by Turkey. Afterwards Turkey chose to play ball with them (a wise choice, actually).

Russian defence minister in Syria last year:

[Okeefenokee]

[TheReal_ND]

https://twitter.com/maytham956/status/8 ... 2631262213

And boom goes the dynamite.

[TheReal_ND]

[Alexander PhiAlipson]

I like it. Perhaps Assad will make some concessions towards other factions--perhaps not--but if (mostly) everyone can (somewhat) unite against ISIS, perhaps words will replace warfare for a while.

[BjornP]

Kurdish news

Iraqi Kurdistan to hold a referendum on independence:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/300320174

..going to Washington to argue for an end of US "one-Iraq" policy:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/300320173

And in Syria, the Syrian Kurds in the PYD fear that they have been sidelined by Russia in the Geneva peace talks, as part of a supposed Russian concession to Turkey:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/22022017

...and it seems that not only the PYD Kurds felt ignored and so they left the Geneva peace talks:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/300320171

Maybe once ISIS is destroyed, the next big fight in the region is going to be the Kurds against Turkey, Syria and the Arab-majority parts of Iraq. That's a PR disaster waiting to happen, given the positive media attention they've gotten from several countries on both the left and right since the fight against ISIS started.

[Okeefenokee]

Kurdish news

Iraqi Kurdistan to hold a referendum on independence:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/300320174

..going to Washington to argue for an end of US "one-Iraq" policy:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/300320173

And in Syria, the Syrian Kurds in the PYD fear that they have been sidelined by Russia in the Geneva peace talks, as part of a supposed Russian concession to Turkey:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/22022017

...and it seems that not only the PYD Kurds felt ignored and so they left the Geneva peace talks:

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/300320171

Maybe once ISIS is destroyed, the next big fight in the region is going to be the Kurds against Turkey, Syria and the Arab-majority parts of Iraq. That's a PR disaster waiting to happen, given the positive media attention they've gotten from several countries on both the left and right since the fight against ISIS started.

Expect to see freedom loving nations come out against self determination.