Puppet Masters
Moments ago in the Al-Raqqa countryside, the Syrian Arab Army's 555th Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division - in close coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF), Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks Brigade), Fouj Al-Joulan (Golani Regiment), and the pro-government Palestinian militia "Liwaa Al-Quds) - imposed full control over several hills surrounding the imperative village of Zakiyah along the Salamiyah-Raqqa Road.A map of the the SAA's advance:
According to a military source in the Al-Salamiyah District, the Syrian Armed Forces established control over several small hilltops that surround the village of Zakiyah in southern Al-Raqqa after a fierce battle with the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham" (ISIS) this morning.
Meanwhile, Turkey continues to shell these very forces that are advancing towards Raqqa. Damascus has filed a formal complaint with the UN regarding Turkey's blatant act of aggression.
Yesterday we reported that the ECB has begun contemplating the death of the €500 EURO note, a fate which is now virtually assured for the one banknote which not only makes up 30% of the total European paper currency in circulation by value, but provides the best, most cost-efficient alternative (in terms of sheer bulk and storage costs) to Europe's tax on money known as NIRP.
That also explains why Mario Draghi is so intent on eradicating it first, then the €200 bill, then the €100 bill, and so on.
Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, made the remarks during an interview with the Tasnim news agency on Sunday.
After praising the government and people of the Arab country for their five-year battle against foreign-backed Takfiri terrorism, he stressed that any military presence in Syria without the approval of Damascus would end in nothing but "defeat."
The remarks were made in the wake of reports that Turkey and Saudi Arabia were preparing to launch joint military operations on Syrian soil.
Iran's domestically-built advanced supersonic Saeqeh 2 fighter jetInstead of contemplating a ground presence in Syria, Esmaili noted, Riyadh should consider stopping atrocities in Yemen where over 8,200 people have been killed and some 16,000 more injured since March 26, 2015.
After praising the government and people of the Arab country for their five-year battle against foreign-backed Takfiri terrorism, he stressed that any military presence in Syria without the approval of Damascus would end in nothing but "defeat."
The remarks were made in the wake of reports that Turkey and Saudi Arabia were preparing to launch joint military operations on Syrian soil.
Iran's domestically-built advanced supersonic Saeqeh 2 fighter jet
© Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev
Closed checkpoint at Syria-Turkey border
Closed checkpoint at Syria-Turkey border
"Warplanes of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic have conducted 444 sorties, hitting 1,593 terrorist targets in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Homs, Homs, Latakia and Aleppo from February 10 to February 16," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov.
The Syrian army liberated over 800 square kilometers and 73 villages from terrorists since the beginning of the Russian anti-terrorist campaign, the Russian general said.
The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said that terrorists in Syria's Idlib and Aleppo continue to receive weapons and reinforcements through the Turkish border.
© www.globalresearch.ca
© www.globalresearch.ca
The arms and ammunition which were confiscated included 7 Israeli-made anti-tank rocket
© www.globalresearch.ca
Earlier on Saturday, the authorities, in cooperation with the popular committees, seized hundreds of U.S. and Israeli-made anti-tank mines loaded in a pickup in the western countryside of Sweida. The weapons were bound for the terrorists in eastern al-Badiya (desert).
On January 20th, the authorities in Sweida foiled an operation to smuggle a large quantity of ammunition for medium-sized and heavy weapons from eastern Daraa to terrorist organizations in al-Badiya
Comment: Just a sampling of many US/Israeli contributions to the War on Terrorism.
© Baz Ratner / Reuters
UK Gov: You can't choose not to buy criminally produced products.
UK Gov: You can't choose not to buy criminally produced products.
The plan to introduce such legislation was first proposed by the Conservative Party at its annual conference in October 2015. Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock is to formally announce the new regulation during his visit to Israel next week, The Independent reported.
The rules would ban institutions that receive the majority of their funding from the government from participating in procurement political campaigns, choosing not to buy products from companies on political grounds. The only exception would be nationwide boycotts mandated by the government.
London also wants to change the rules for pension investments so that they could not be used for punishing companies for political reasons.
Comment: One criminal organization protecting another.
© Anton Vergun/TASS
"In connection with the further boycott of Russian cargo transport vehicles in the territory of Ukraine the movement of Ukrainian cargo vehicles carrying out transit transportation of cargoes is fully suspended in Russian territory starting from 12:00 Moscow time of February 16, 2016," the news release runs.
© Fabian Bimmer / Reuters
Russian pilots take no aggressive actions towards their German colleagues, such as intercepting them or attempting to force them out of the operations area, Joachim Wundrak told Rheinische Post daily.
"Those encounters go on professionally, no incidents have been registered," said the Luftwaffe Lieutenant General, who has just returned from anti-Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) coalition's coordination center in Qatar.
© Beawiharta / Reuters
"The deal will be reached if other producers join the initiative," said Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak.
OPEC members Venezuela and Nigeria had called for a meeting to discuss crude prices that have fallen over 70 percent since 2014.
Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi said freezing output at January levels would be "adequate" however the country still wants to meet the demand of its customers.
Comment: Iran is a sticking point as they don't want to freeze or cut oil production:
OPEC member Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional arch rival, has pledged to steeply increase output in the coming months as it looks to regain market share lost after years of international sanctions, which were lifted in January following a deal with world powers over its nuclear program.
"Our situation is totally different to those countries that have been producing at high levels for the past few years," a senior source familiar with Iran's thinking told Reuters.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh also indicated Tehran would not agree to freezing its output at January levels, saying the country would not give up its appropriate share of the global oil market.
Comment: This war on cash meme isn't going away: