Puppet Masters
© Reuters / Ronen Zvulun
An Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.
An Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.
All Israeli settlements on the occupied territories are deemed illegal under international law, yet Tel Aviv distinguishes between those it approved and those it did not. On Sunday, the cabinet issued a decree recognizing one such squatter settlement - Mevoot Yericho located in the Jordan Valley - as an official one.
"The government passed the prime minister's motion to build Mevoot Yericho," a statement from Netanyahu's office said following a weekly government meeting, which was conspicuously held in the Jordan Valley this time.Such movements are quite rare, as, according to the Israeli media, only five similar decisions were taken over the past decade.
© Reuters
A draped military vehicle seen ahaead of a rehearsal of the military parade in Beijing, China September on 14, 2019.
A draped military vehicle seen ahaead of a rehearsal of the military parade in Beijing, China September on 14, 2019.
The overnight rehearsal yielded a large amount of photos and videos, captured by military enthusiasts and tourists. The imagery promptly surfaced on social media, where netizens embarked on speculating what exactly they were looking at.
Certain machines were easy to guess, like a new Chinese Type 15 light tank. Designed for mountainous warfare, it will make its first appearance at the parade.
On Saturday, Military Committee chairman Stuart Peach said that this new strategy should make it possible to maintain superiority against potential opponents.
NATO's renewed strategy this spring has been approved by the Military Committee, the Alliance's top military body, and is aimed at adapting to changing security challenges and also determining the pathways to effective containment.
Military strategy is a confidential document
Comment: See also:
- Stoltenberg: 'NATO to adopt new strategy' - but can't say what it is
- After Syria & Venezuela, Russian military prepares for Hybrid war
- How Neocon money is funding the Hong Kong protests
- Washington's and NATO's criminal wars and government austerity policies at the heart of European & US migration turmoil
Vlaams Belang
The Flemish extreme-right party wants to become the biggest political party in Flanders at the next election in 2024.
A poll published by several media outlets early Friday evening indicates they may have already achieved that.
Vlaams Belang is set to get 24.9% of the votes, while the N-VA is expected to get 22.7%
Parts of a Russian S-400 defense system are unloaded from a Russian plane at Murted Airport near Ankara in August.
Turkey's Defense Ministry posted photographs of the delivery on Twitter on September 15.
Turkey has purchased four S-400 batteries from Russia over the objections of the United States. After Turkey took delivery of the first S-400 unit in July, Washington struck the country from the program of the advanced F-35 fighter jet.
© TensionsBen Curtis
According to the Twitter account of the US Embassy in Beirut, the ship's arrival serves as "a symbol of the enduring partnership between the US and Lebanon to ensure security and stability in the eastern Mediterranean."
Sell-outs Conte and Di Maio grin from ear to ear as they pose with their new colleagues from Italy's unelected pro-EU establishment liberal left party
"I swear to be loyal to the republic and to respect its constitution and laws and to carry out my duties in the sole interest of the nation," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. The same words were spoken by the government's 21 ministers.
The ruling coalition, known as "yellow-red" due to the colors normally associated with the M5S and PD, also comprises the smaller leftist Free and Equals (LeU) party. The government will face parliamentary votes of confidence next week.
Comment: And what was the very first thing this government did?
Repealed Salvini's ban on accepting African migrants from people-smugglers - the very thing that made him so popular in Italy, and almost certain of winning the premiership in snap elections, until the 'dictatorship of the parliamentariat' conspired with the banksters and Brussels to concoct a govt out of assorted also-rans in the last general election in 2018...
The Guardian, delighted, reports:
Eighty-two migrants have disembarked in Italy, marking a break from the era of hardline immigration measures pushed by the former interior minister, Matteo Salvini.It would never win a vote of confidence from the people, and these chancers know it.
On Saturday night, the migrants were transferred from the Norwegian-flagged rescue boat Ocean Viking, operated by the French charities SOS Méditerranée and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), to a coastguard vessel before being taken ashore on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa.
The decision follows an agreement with other EU member states, coordinated by the European Commission, and most of those onboard will be relocated to other countries, including France, Germany, Portugal and Luxembourg.
It is the first time this year that Rome has allowed passengers to disembark from an NGO rescue vessel.
Italy's new government, which won a vote of confidence in the senate on Tuesday - the final step needed to exercise its full powers - intends to draw a line under a crisis sparked by Salvini, the far-right leader of the League.
Giuseppe Conte, on his second mandate as prime minister, has promised to revise the previous government's anti-immigration policies, which provide for the closure of seaports to rescue vessels carrying migrants, the seizure of NGO boats and fines for ships that bring asylum seekers to Italy without permission. He has formed a coalition between the centre-left Democratic party (PD) and anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).Good international relations with the liberal elites of other countries, more like.
Meanwhile, Rome announced that a new plan to end the painful process of "haggling over each boatload of rescued migrants" is being discussed among EU member states. The idea is to relocate the asylum seekers to other EU countries before they land in Italy.
The plan has gained immediate support from Berlin and Paris.
The German interior minister, Horst Seehofer, said that in the future his country would be ready to take 25% of rescued migrants landing in Italy. "That won't be too much for our immigration policy," he told Süddeutsche Zeitung.
"We now need to agree on a genuine temporary European mechanism," the French interior minister, Christophe Castaner, tweeted on Saturday.
EU interior ministers announced they will meet in Malta on 23 September to try to formalise the temporary deal, ahead of a summit in Luxembourg next October.
"This is the end of Salvini's propaganda over the skin of desperate people at sea and the beginning of good international relations with other countries," Dario Franceschini, Italy's minister for culture and leader of the PD party, said on Twitter.
"The new government has opened again its seaports to migrants," replied Salvini, who is now forced to watch from the opposition benches. "The new ministers must hate our country. Italy is back to being Europe's refugee camp."It's clear at this point that the EU is deliberately sending ships to Africa to pick up male migrants for the express purpose of depositing them throughout Europe. Now that the FPO in Austria and Lega in Italy have been knocked out of government, it's full-steam ahead with The Plan...
© Haim Zach/GPO
Russian President Vladimir Putin • Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Russian President Vladimir Putin • Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu
The controversy between Israel and Russia regarding airstrikes of Iranian targets in Syria and Iraq continues, despite the meeting Between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was reported on Friday by Independent Arabia.
According to the report, Moscow has prevented three Israeli air strikes on three Syrian outposts recently, and even threatened that any jets attempting such a thing would be shot down, either by Russian jets or by the S-400 anti-aircraft missiles. The source cited in the report claims a similar situation has happened twice - and that during August, Moscow stopped an air strike on a Syrian outpost in Qasioun, where a S-300 missile battery is placed.
Moreover, it was claimed that another air strike was planned for a week later on a Syrian outpost in the Qunaitra area and a third one on a sensitive area in Latakia. This development is what pushed Netanyahu to have his quick visit in Russia to try and convince Putin to ignore Israel's attacks in Syria.
Comment: An interesting development and, assuming it's accurate or at least in the ballpark, one that speaks to the balancing act Russia has undertaken in the region.
When it comes to Israel and the Middle East, Russian policies are pragmatic rather than ideological. They have to be pragmatic and part of the 'reality-based community' if Russia is going to achieve its aim of stabilizing the Middle East with Russia as the primary 'referee' (displacing the USA). Russia obviously has a full understanding of Israeli military capability, and because of that ability, Israeli 'interests' must be respected - again, from a pragmatic point of view rather than some kind of ideological support for Israel and what it stands for.
At the same time, Russia is trying to impress on Israel that other countries in the region, including Russia, also have interests. So Russia's goal, presumably, is to find a way to accommodate all of those interests, with the understanding that compromise on all sides will be necessary.
This is obviously a difficult thing to do, not least because the Israelis believe (correctly) that they have a strong hand to dictate terms in the region (god "gave them that land" after all). Hence we see the 'leeway' that Israel is being given by Russia in periodically bombing some areas of Syria (and the Iranian interests therein).
So the "compromise" that Israel is being asked for is to limit, not stop, its bombing of Syria. And the real compromise that Syria (and Lebanon and Iran) are being asked for is to allow some of that bombing to take place. Meanwhile, Russia is quietly creating certain 'facts on the ground' - militarily and politically, with a view to achieving its broader aim of a peace and stability in the region that has not been seen for, arguably, over 100 years.
Like we said, it's a tricky business replete with lots of mutual mistrust on all sides, especially the Israeli side. Ultimately, we suspect Israeli hubris, grandiosity and delusion will lead to them paying a rather large price in a rather unexpected way.
© Stringer/Reuters
Smoke is seen following a fire at an Aramco factory in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 14, 2019.
Smoke is seen following a fire at an Aramco factory in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 14, 2019.
Allegations that Iran was behind the drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities are "unsubstantiated" and false, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Seyyed Abbas Mousavi stated on Sunday. He also said officials in Washington are accusing Iran in order to tarnish its image on the world stage in preparation for "future actions" against Tehran. "The Americans adopted the 'maximum pressure' policy against Iran, which, due to its failure, is leaning towards 'maximum lies'."
The Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for sending 10 armed drones to hit two Saudi oil refineries on Saturday. The attacks caused massive fires and other damage to the sites, which halved the kingdom's oil output.
Comment: Sputnik, 15/9/2019: IRGC General: 'Ready for War - two US bases, warship within range of Iran's missiles
Tehran has always been prepared for a full-fledged war, Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Force Chief Amirali Hajizadeh said in a statement on Sunday.Sputnik, 15/9/2019: Iraq denies drones attacking Saudi oil facilities were launched from Iraq
"Everybody should know that all American bases and their aircraft carriers, at a distance of up to 2,000 kilometres around Iran, are within the range of our missiles," Hajizadeh said. "Al-Udeid base in Qatar, az-Zafra base in the UAE and a US vessel in the Gulf of Oman would be targeted if Washington took military action," the commander said.
Global Community Condemns Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia
US Senator Lindsey Graham accused the Islamic Republic of looking to "wreak havoc in the Middle East", and recommend that the US "put on the table an attack on Iranian oil refineries if they continue their provocations".
Moreover, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pinned the blame on Tehran over the attacks calling for public condemnation of Iran's actions.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Trump during the phone call that the kingdom was willing and able to confront and deal with this "terrorist aggression."
The French Foreign Ministry also decried the attacks on Saudi oil facilities, expressing "full solidarity" with Riyadh. "These actions can only worsen regional tensions and risk of conflict," the ministry said. "It is imperative that they stop."
Drone Attacks on Saudi Oilfields
On Saturday, two drone attacks, claimed by Houthis, caused major fires in two oil facilities: in Abqaiq in eastern Saudia Arabia and Khurais northeast of Riyadh. These were eventually contained by security and emergency service personnel. According to the Saudi energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, oil production at the two plants has temporarily stopped, interrupting about half of the company's total daily oil output.
Iraq has denied media reports claiming that its territory was used to launch the drones that attacked Saudi Arabia's oil facilities on Saturday night, a statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister's press-service released on Twitter says.Sputnik, 15/9/2019: Saudi attack may nudge US to 'go to war' with Iran
It also says that the constitution of Iraq does not allow the use of its territory for aggressive actions towards its neighbours. The Iraqi authorities have set up a committee to monitor reports and the latest events relating to the drone attack on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities.
Iraq also urges the warring sides in Yemen to find a peaceful solution to the conflict and refrain from "mutual attacks that cause a huge damage to facilities and claim people's lives," according to the statement.
The United States will emerge as the "biggest beneficiary" of Saturday's drone attacks that targeted a Saudi Aramco processing facility and oilfield in eastern Saudi Arabia, internet tycoon Kim Dotcom has suggested.Sputnik, 15/9/2019: Zarif: US will not end war in Yemen by blaming Iran for everything
The attacks are expected to trigger a jump in oil prices when markets reopen on Monday, given that Saudi Arabia has halted half its oil production - around five million barrels of crude per day, or around 5 percent of the world's daily output.
The millionaire Megaupload founder...predicted the attacks would embolden the US - the largest oil producer - to "blame Iran, go to war, [and] take control of Iran's oil which pays for the war."
This scenario has partly come to pass already: although Yemen's Houthi rebels acknowledged they were behind the strikes, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed there was "no evidence" to believe the attacks came from Yemen and blamed Iran instead.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied any involvement and hit back by saying America's "maximum pressure" policy turned to "max deceit."
US senator Lindsey Graham, a leading Trump ally, has called on the government to consider attacking Iranian oil refineries in response.
The Houthis, who are at war with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, already claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a major Saudi pipeline in May. Back then, Saudi officials accused Iran of ordering the strike, but Tehran rejected their claims.
This "maximum pressure" campaign is being mounted at a time when the Middle East appears to be embracing a new geopolitical reality, where Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations such as the UAE and Oman are becoming increasingly closer to the United States and Israel over fears of growing Iranian influence in the region.
Riyadh, along with a number of Western states, accuses Tehran of arming the Houthi rebels. "For 40 years, the Iranian regime has been spreading chaos, death and destruction, by sponsoring and financing terrorist organizations including the Houthis," Saudi Arabia's deputy defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said in June.
Iran has acknowledged its ideological support for fellow Shiite Houthi insurgents, although it dismisses charges of providing the militants with weapons.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday that the United States would not be able to stop the war in Yemen by blaming Iran for everything.RT, 15/9/2019: Massive heart attack for oil market? Drone raid may push oil to $100
The fires, in particular, hit the Abqaiq oil refinery in Eastern Province, and an oil-processing facility near Khurais oil field, located about 100 miles east of Riyadh.
The drone strike on major Saudi Arabian oil sites, including the world's largest oil processing facility, could add a significant risk premium to the price of crude oil, as the attack cut the kingdom's output in half.RT, 15/9/2019: Saudi stocks slump after drone strikes hit Aramco oil plants
Armed drones targeted a refinery in the city of Abqaiq, the crown jewel of the Saudi oil infrastructure, which is crucial for global energy supplies, and a refinery at the vast Khurais oil field. The attack, claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels, seriously damaged the kingdom's production capacity, affecting more than 5 million barrels of crude processing per day.
Despite assurances from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that the global oil markets are "well supplied," and oil giant Saudi Aramco saying it can restore production, this major disruption in the world's leading oil exporting state is poised to send oil prices soaring when trading reopens late Sunday, analysts believe.
The gloomiest scenario includes crude prices in triple digits. If the shortage persists for a long time, oil is feared to rise to $100, according to Forbes and some industry experts. Moreover, the already slow global growth may suffer even more.
The attack on the Saudi oil facilities is "akin to a massive heart attack for the oil market and global economy," according to former top energy and economic adviser to President George W. Bush, Bob McNally. His concerns were echoed by a veteran OPEC watcher at consultant IHS Markit, Roger Diwan.
"Abqaiq is the heart of the system and they just had a heart attack," Diwan told Bloomberg.
While many agree that the oil market cannot ignore the attack in Abqaiq, how much the price of oil will spike is still a big question. Andrew Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates expects that oil will jump in the range of $5 to $10 per barrel, adding up to 25 cents per gallon for gasoline, according to CNBC.
Washington says it is ready to step in and offset any possible disruptions. On Saturday, the Department of Energy said the US can deploy resources from the Strategic Petroleum Oil Reserve, which holds nearly 645 million barrels of oil.
© Reuters/Faisal Al Nasser
Investor at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh
Investor at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh
The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) started Sunday's trading down as its key index dropped more than two percent, dragged down by the recent attacks on the kingdom's key oil facilities.See also:
The Tadawul All Share Index lost around 2.5 percent as it hit 7,629.49 points after the opening bell. The drop was reportedly led by Al Rajhi Bank and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, both of which slid around three percent.
The Arab world's largest equity market regained some losses later in the day, standing at 7,734.94 points, but still down 1.24 percent, as of 10am GMT.
Sunday's decline wipes out gains the market made this year, according to Reuters. The Tadawul All Share Index is down about 18 percent from this year's high of 9,403 points and down 1.8 percent compared to September 2018.
Other regional markets were not spared from the consequences of the drone attacks. Stocks, including those in Kuwait's premier index, fell around one percent, while equity markets in United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain lost up to 1.3 percent, according to Bloomberg.
The blow to the kingdom's stock market comes as oil major Saudi Aramco is reportedly preparing for local listing, and it could become the world's biggest initial public offering (IPO). However, the oil company is unlikely to change its mind on the matter, as the attack "will have only a limited impact on interest in Aramco shares," political risk research and consulting firm Eurasia Group said, as cited by Reuters.
- US predictably blames Iran for Yemen drone attacks that halted half of Saudi oil production
- Yemeni Houthis claim drone strikes on Saudi oil sites
- Who benefits from the drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities?
Comment: See also: