Welcome to Sott.net
Wed, 03 Nov 2021
The World for People who Think

Puppet Masters
Map

Rocket

As the West threatens to escalate war against Syria, Israel bombs target near Damascus

Israel airforce
Israel launched a series of missile strikes on targets close to Damascus International Airport late Saturday night. The strikes, which are the latest in a long line of aggressive interventions into the Syrian conflict by Tel Aviv, were reportedly aimed at destroying a weapons depot belonging to Iranian forces or the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

The Israeli missiles, according to Syrian government news agency SANA, were aimed at the airport but were intercepted by air defences. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group with ties to the anti-Assad opposition, reported that the target was not the airport but the nearby weapons depot.

While the Israeli government as usual refused to confirm or deny the attack, comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday all but acknowledged Tel Aviv's involvement. "Israel is constantly working to prevent our enemies from arming themselves with advanced weaponry," declared Netanyahu following reports of the attack. "Our red lines are as sharp as ever, and our determination to enforce them is as strong as ever."


Comment: Though reports are still coming in, it appears as though this has been a multi-national attack made against Syria:

See:Syria hit with massive sustained attack: Russian S-400 defenses possibly active In huge escalation - UPDATES


Jet4

Syria hit with massive sustained attack: Russian S-400 defenses possibly active in huge escalation - UPDATES

missile attack Syria  september
Update: The Pentagon has formally denied that tonight's massive sustained attack on Syria had US involvement.

US-funded VOA News reports a Pentagon spokesman issuing the following statement: "I can unequivocally say this is not us," said Navy Cmdr. Sean Robertson.

Regional sources report, citing Syrian officials, that Monday night's attack involved "cruise missiles fired from the sea".

Comment: More from RT:
Syrian port city Latakia 'attacked by missiles from sea' - local media

Syrian air defenses have engaged missiles targeting the area of Latakia, a city in the coastal province that is the home of Russia's Khmeimim Air Base. Seven people were reportedly injured in the attack.

According to the state SANA news agency, the attack targeted the Technical Industries Agency headquarters in Latakia, owned by the Syrian military. Reports from the area refer to "powerful explosions" heard in the city. According to Syrian military sources, the strikes also targeted a power station and an aluminum factory.


The attack began around 10 pm local time. Photos posted on social media show tracers and missile plumes streaking across the night sky above Latakia, as well as several explosions.


Air defense activity was also reported in Homs and Tartous provinces, where Russia maintains a naval base.


Syrian media report that a "number of missiles" have been shot down. Multiple reports from the area speak of an attack by missiles launched from drones. It is unclear whether only the Syrian air defense batteries have been engaged, or if the Russian air defenses around Khmeimim are taking part as well.

Seven people were injured in the attacks, Ahmad Kazem of the Syrian Human Rights Network told RIA Novosti.


Multiple local reports have accused Israel of launching the strikes, but there has been no independent confirmation of that. Another possibility suggested by local media is that the drone attack came from the jihadists in Idlib. SANA reported the missiles targeting Latakia came "from the sea," citing military sources.


The attack comes just hours after Russia and Turkey negotiated a partial demilitarization of the Idlib province, which is the last remaining stronghold of anti-government militants, including the Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (also known as the Jabhat Al-Nusra).
Update 1: Sputnik reports missile launch from French frigate in Mediterranean:
Russian airspace control means registered missile launches from French frigate in Mediterranean late on Monday, Russian military reported.

Russian defence ministry said that Russian airspace controls means have detected several missile launches from French frigate in Mediterranean late on Monday.

Syrian media reported a missile attack on the coastal city of Latakia Monday evening. Some missiles hit parts of the city, according to local media, many of them were reportedly downed by Syrian air defense systems.

Earlier in the day, Russia and Turkey reached an agreement over a partial demilitarization of the Idlib province, which is the last remaining stronghold of anti-government insurgency and al-Qaeda-linked terror groups in Syria.
Update 2: RT reports disappearance of Russian aircraft from radar during attack:
A Russian military Il-20 aircraft with 14 service members on board went off the radars during an attack by four Israeli jets on Syria's Latakia province, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Air traffic controllers at the Khmeimim Air Base "lost contact" with the aircraft on Wednesday evening, during the attack of Israeli F-16 fighters on Latakia, said the MOD.

Russian radars also registered the launch of missiles from a French frigate in the Mediterranean on the evening of September 17.

Fourteen people were on board the plane at the time of the disappearance. A search and rescue mission is underway.

An hour-long attack on Latakia began around 10 pm local time, and targeted a power station as well as two facilities belonging to the Syrian military. Syrian officials said the attack was "foreign" and came "from the sea," but could not initially confirm rumors that Israel was behind it.

The attack on Latakia came just hours after Russia and Turkey negotiated a partial demilitarization of the Idlib province, which is the last remaining stronghold of anti-government militants, including the Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (also known as the Jabhat Al-Nusra).



Wolf

Bill Browder strikes at Europe's financial system in latest attempt to harm Russia

William Browder
© Drew Angerer / AFP
William Browder
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."- The Empire Strikes Back

Since Vladimir Putin brought up Bill Browder's name in Helsinki events have escalated to a fever pitch. Russia is under extreme attack the U.S./European financial and political establishment.

And part of that push is coming from Browder himself. In July, just a week after Helsinki, Browder opened up a money-laundering complaint against Denmark's largest bank, Danske, alleging over $8 billion in money 'laundered' from Russia, Moldova and Azerbaijan through its Estonian Branch.

The details here are important so bear with me.

Comment: For more on shyster Browder's doings see Alex Krainer's excellent book, available here: Grand Deception: The Truth About Bill Browder, the Magnitsky Act, and Anti-Russian Sanctions


Biohazard

Ethnic-Specific Weapons: Leaked Documents Reveal US Diplomats in Georgia Trafficking Human Blood And Pathogens For Pentagon Biowarfare Laboratory


Comment: The following is another explosive investigative report from Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, who previously reported on US (and allied) diplomatic flights transporting weapons to ISIS and US bioweapons facilities around the world. We interviewed her here.


Dilyana Pathogens 1
© DTRA
Pentagon scientists have been deployed in 25 countries and given diplomatic immunity to research deadly viruses, bacteria and toxins at US military offshore biolaboratories under a $2.1 billion DoD program.
The US Embassy to Tbilisi transports frozen human blood and pathogens as diplomatic cargo for a secret US military program. Internal documents, implicating US diplomats in the transportation of, and experimenting on, pathogens under diplomatic cover, were leaked to me by Georgian insiders. According to these documents, Pentagon scientists have been deployed to the Republic of Georgia and have been given diplomatic immunity to research deadly diseases and biting insects at the Lugar Center - the Pentagon biolaboratory in Georgia's capital Tbilisi.

This military facility is just one of the many Pentagon biolaboratories in 25 countries across the world. They are funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) under a $2.1 billion military program - Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP), and are located in former Soviet Union countries such as Georgia and Ukraine, the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa.

Dilyana Pathogens 2
© Al Mayadeen TV
Instead of investing in the health of its own citizens the US government has spent $161 million of US taxpayer money on the Lugar Center in Tbilisi for research on deadly diseases and biting insects abroad.
Dilyana Pathogens 3

The secret facility is located just 17 km from the US Vaziani military airbase in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

Comment: For more excellent reporting by Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, see also: Salisbury Nerve Agent Attack Uncovers $70 Million Pentagon Bioweapons Program at Porton Down

Everyone has a good idea of the kinds of high technology available to governments today.

The only question you need to ask yourself is: would the US/Western deep state govt be insane enough to really go down this route of biological warfare targeting enemy populations, in this case Russians?

Judging by the anti-Russia black propaganda and dirty tricks we've seen in recent years, they certainly seem motivated enough to do it.


Oil Well

Meet Novatek, Russia's new gas giant and major global player in LNG

oil refinery
Something strange happened last week: Russia's largest independent gas producer, Novatek, surpassed in market value state behemoth Gazprom for the first time ever. Yet, as strange and possibly even unnatural as this may seem to some more casual observers of the Russian gas market, Novatek's value has been rising consistently over the last years while Gazprom's has kind of stagnated.

The most obvious difference between the two is ownership. Gazprom is majority owned by the Russian state. This means it caters mostly to its interests rather than the interests of its minority shareholders, as Bloomberg's Elena Mazneva and Dina Khrennikova note in a recent story. It also means the company undertakes projects with uncertain returns as a state company, and private shareholders like certain returns. So, that's one reason for Novatek's appeal right there: it's private. It is also a lot more focused on LNG than Gazprom.

The world seems to be firmly on its way to an energy era in which LNG will feature a lot more prominently than oil or coal as the fuel of choice for power generation, heating, and even transport in the maritime sector. Liquefied natural gas is in huge demand from a lot of industries.

Stock Down

Credit Suisse lambasted by financial watchdog over corruption and FIFA money laundering

credit suisse
© Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
Switzerland's financial supervisor FINMA says one of the country's largest banks, Credit Suisse, failed to properly oversee its anti-money laundering procedures for FIFA, as well as Brazil's and Venezuela's state oil companies.

According to the regulator, the banking multinational showed serious "deficiencies" in its attempts to counter illegal financial activities when dealing with soccer's ruling body FIFA, Brazilian oil corporation Petrobras, and Venezuela's state energy company PDVSA.

"To combat money laundering effectively, every relevant department within the bank must be able to see all the client's relationships with the bank instantly and automatically," FINMA said, adding that some progress had been made so far.

Comment: Following the banking crash, governments robbed the public to bail out the banks, and the banks were then freed to carry on as though nothing had happened: Fraud, deception, laundering - Bailed out banks still behaving badly and no one's stopping them

See also:


Attention

Lisa Page reveals FBI had no evidence of collusion for 'Russiagate' probe

Lisa Page
© Leah Millis / Reuters
Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page arrives for her House Judiciary Committee deposition
By the time special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed, the FBI had found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 US presidential election, according to agency lawyer Lisa Page.

Page told lawmakers that in May 2017, after a nine-month FBI investigation, and as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 'Russiagate' investigation was kicking off, the agency still had no idea whether Donald Trump's presidential campaign actually colluded with Russia.
As far as May 2017, we still couldn't answer the question (of collusion)
Page told Republican Representative John Ratcliffe during the closed-door hearing in July, according to documents reviewed by Fox News and reported on Sunday.

Comment:


Snakes in Suits

Projection: Creepy Joe Biden refers to Trump supporters as 'dregs of society'

Joe Biden
© Yuri Gripas / Reuters
Joe Biden who has a penchant for fondling young girls refers to Trump supporters as 'dregs of society'. How rich!
Joe Biden called Trump voters the "dregs of society" during an impassioned speech at an LGBT charity event. Donald Trump Jr. has hit back at the former vice president saying his statement went "too far".

While speaking to the crowd at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington on Saturday night, Biden lamented the fact that "virulent people" and the "dregs of society" have a friend in the White House.

"Despite losing in the courts and in the court of public opinion, these forces of intolerance remain determined to undermine and roll back the progress you all have made," he argued.

Comment: Speaking of 'dregs of society'...


Colosseum

Civil war coming to Europe, warns German politician

German riot police flags
© John MacDougall/AFP/Getty
German riot police out in force.
"Civil war is coming to Europe," a German city politician told me this week. I shan't mention his name - it was an off-the-record briefing and, anyway, in Germany there are penalties for this kind of frankness.

But he was only repeating what plenty of other people say in private in Germany where I've spent the last couple of weeks, soaking up the atmosphere, people-watching, gauging the public mood in the wake of Angela Merkel's open invitation to perhaps three million immigrants - most of them fighting-age males from Muslim countries.

Three million is higher than the figure admitted by the German authorities, which tend to put it closer to 1.5 million. My source tells me the higher number is closer to the mark.

Comment: See the latest kink in Germany's migrant issues:
'Not our minister': Migrant NGO's demand Germany's Seehofer change stance on migration or resign


Robot

Stoltenberg: NATO may invoke 'Article 5' if cyber-attacked by Russia

Natoflag
© Brookings Institute
Article 5 of the 1949 Washington Treaty established the principle of collective defense in the case of an attack against one of the allies, which would then be considered an attack on all signatories. The text, however, did not anticipate a cyber attack at the time.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview released on Monday that the bloc could invoke Article 5 on collective defense in the event of a cyber attack by Russia.

"We will never be specific [about] when we will turn to Article 5," Stoltenberg told Axios news portal, responding to strategies for a possible cyber attack in Russia. Stoltenberg added that the alliance was boosting its cyber security and planned to develop cybernetic offensive capabilities.


Comment: Becoming the thing they fear?


In July, the Alliance had already confirmed in a statement after the summit in Brussels that, in the case of a hybrid war, the bloc would step up its Article 5 on collective defense. Meanwhile, US and British troops participated on Sunday in NATO maneuvers on the border between Poland and Lithuania.

Hybrid war refers to the use of combined civilian and 'volunteer' and mercenary combatants in an armed conflict which may include regular state-sanctioned army forces, whether war is declared or undeclared. It also refers to the use of virtual spaces, the internet, and cyber attacks. It is a feature within 4GW or Fourth Generation Warfare.

Comment: NATO's existential search for relevance continues. There seems to be a mechanical timing to the assaults on Russia, one after another, and now from many sources. We are hearing the drums...

In the meantime, in the real world, NATO (read: the US and UK, primarily) have cyber-warfare operations running 24/7, even against their 'members' (read: vassals).