Puppet MastersS


Gear

Israel quietly begins practicing for possible war with Russia and Iran in Syria

Darius Shahtahmasebi
Russia Insider
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 19:55 UTC
Israel Quietly Begins Practicing for Possible War With Russia
Israelis practiced scenarios "where Russians made trouble"

The Israeli army quietly conducted a military exercise last week that simulated a multi-front war where Russia intervened to prevent Israel from attacking Syria, Haaretz reports.

According to Haaretz, the drill involved the top-ranking officers of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), as well as the headquarters staff of all the commands that would be required to successfully pursue a fight with Hezbollah, an Iranian-aligned militia based in Lebanon. Haaretz noted that Israel prepared for the scenario in which a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon would require the Israeli military to fight on other fronts - most likely Syria - where Hezbollah retains a significant military presence.

"Throughout the exercise, we examined various implications of the Russian presence" in Syria, a senior IDF officer said, as quoted by Haaretz. "We practiced everything that could be coordinated with the Russians and also what couldn't be, how we would operate without harming their interests in the region, and on the flip side, scenarios in which the Russians made trouble." [emphasis added]

Comment: See also: IDF holds drill simulating mass missile attacks across Israel

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Bad Guys

UK pulls out of EU defense force despite EU's 'unequivocal' solidarity in Skripal propaganda


RT
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:02 UTC
British UK soldier
© Ray Tang/ Global Look Press
The UK has announced that it will pull out of the EU defense force after Brexit. The move comes after the EU stated it's "unequivocal" solidarity with Britain over the Skripal spy poisoning case.

London will rescind its pledge to lead a 1,500-strong battlegroup for EU defense in 2019. Britain's Lieutenant General George Norton cited logistical problems tied to Brexit as a reason for the move, which will likely see the first severing of defense ties between the two parties since the bloc's foundation.

The UK is withdrawing its offer to provide the bulk of troops for the so-called EU battlegroup, a force established in a bid to boost the bloc's military clout.
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Light Saber

Corbyn finds unlikely support in Mail columnist Peter Hitchens over his Russia stance


RT
Mon, 19 Mar 2018 15:52 UTC
Peter Hitchens Jeremy Corbyn
© Facebook / Agence France-PressePeter Hitchens(L), Jeremy Corbyn(R)
As the Russian spy poisoning saga rages on, Jeremy Corbyn has found an unlikely ally amongst the media establishment... Mail columnist Peter Hitchens, who leapt to defend Corbyn's cautious approach.

Corbyn has copped considerable flak from both sides of the House over his unwillingness to blame Russia in the poisoning that left ex-Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in intensive care. At least 16 Labour MPs have signed a motion backing PM Theresa May's hard-line stance against the Kremlin, in defiance of their own party leader.

In an op-ed for Mail on Sunday, Hitchens backed Corbyn's position that the UK should go through the appropriate avenues of international law before proportioning blame. He reminded readers of the danger of rushing into conflict - just as the UK has done in the past.

Comment: Corbyn demands Russia be given sample of nerve agent, says international law should be followed in Skripal case

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Bullseye

Russia and China block UN Security Council's 'politicized' meeting on human rights violations


Sputnik
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 13:48 UTC
United Nations
© AFP 2018/ TIMOTHY A. CLARY
The United Nations Security Council cancelled a meeting on human rights violations in Syria on Monday after Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gennady Kuzmin called for a procedural vote on the briefing's agenda.

"This really confirms the politicized nature of this initiative, that has nothing to do with concerns for Syrians itself," Kuzmin said of the effort to hold the briefing. "We believe there is a need to cancel this briefing, and we are going to asked the distinguished president to put this situation to a procedural vote."

The provisional agenda - which would have involved a briefing by the UN human rights chief - was put to a vote. Eight countries supported the initiative, but four others, including Russia and China, blocked it. Three council members abstained from voting.
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Vader

US CENTCOM Chief General Votel's three stunning admissions to Congress on the Mid-East

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sun, 18 Mar 2018 14:52 UTC
General Joseph Votel
© House Armed Services CommitteeGeneral Joseph Votel, commander of United States military operations in the Middle East.
Assad has won, Iran deal should stand and Saudis use American weapons without accountability in Yemen: head of U.S. military's Central Command's stunning Congressional testimony

The top U.S. general in the Middle East testified before Congress this week and dropped several bombshells: from signaled support for the Iran nuclear deal, admitting the U.S. does not know what Saudi Arabia does with its bombs in Yemen and that Assad has won the Syrian Civil War.

U.S. Army General Joseph Votel said the Iran agreement, which President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw from, has played an important role in addressing Iran's nuclear program.
"The JCPOA addresses one of the principle threats that we deal with from Iran, so if the JCPOA goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program," said U.S. Army General Joseph Votel.
JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is the formal name of the accord reached with Iran in July 2015 in Vienna.
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Snakes in Suits

Fmr Obama advisor reveals Facebook allowed Obama campaign to have access to private user data


RT
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 21:27 UTC
obama zuckerberg
© Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
As Facebook faces public anger over Cambridge Analytica harvesting personal information for the Trump campaign, it's been revealed that the social media giant allowed Barack Obama to do the same in 2012.

Carol Davidsen, former director for media analytics for Obama's 2012 campaign, has poured oil onto the fire by reveling in a series of tweets that Facebook allowed them to do "things they wouldn't have allowed someone else to do."

That reportedly included "suck[ing] out the entire social graph" - an individual's network of friends on Facebook - in a bid to target more and more potential voters through friends' friends on social media.

After Facebook "realized" what the Obama campaign staffers had been doing, they preferred to turn a blind eye for one simple reason: "they were on our side," Davidsen claimed.
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Arrow Down

Samantha Power issues veiled threat to President Trump, then backpedals

Cristina Laila
Gateway Pundit
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 00:01 UTC
Samantha Power
Samantha Power
Obama's echo chamber of Deep State operatives came out swinging after Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired Andrew McCabe late Friday evening.

Former CIA Director and Twitter troll, John Brennan attacked President Trump for celebrating McCabe's firing.

Brennan tweeted to Trump: When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you.

Comment: Must be a slow news day to be focusing so much on what a couple of has-been Deep Staters are tweeting. Maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away.

See also:

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Jet3

US & South Korea to begin 'massive' joint military drills in April


RT
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:48 UTC
US Air Force South Korea Gunsan
© Josh Rosales / U.S. Air Force / ReutersA US Air Force F-35A conducts a training flight with F-16s over the city of Gunsan, South Korea on December 1, 2017
Following a months-long pause in military drills and despite a thaw in relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, South Korea and the US will resume joint military exercises on April 1, the Ministry of National Defense announced.

"The practice is slated to begin April 1, and it will be conducted on a similar size in previous years," the Ministry of National Defense said, according to Yonhap.

The Pentagon confirmed the planned resumption of joint US-South Korean drills, noting that the exercises are expected to conclude toward the end of May.

Comment: Further reading: Disastrous Winter Olympics For the USA, May Lose South Korea to Peace

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Bulb

Corbyn demands Russia be given sample of nerve agent, says international law should be followed in Skripal case


RT
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 13:38 UTC
Jeremy Corbyn
© Darren Staples / Reuters
Jeremy Corbyn has demanded that Russia be given a chance to verify the nerve agent used against Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The Labour leader said that, despite recent events, the UK must maintain "robust" ties with Russia.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One program, Corbyn said: "I asked the Russians be given a sample so that they can say categorically one way or the other." The opposition leader urged people to wait for an assessment of the nerve agent from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical weapons (OPCW) before they "shoot from the hip."

"All fingers point towards Russia's involvement in this, and obviously the manufacture of the material was undertaken by the Russian state originally," he said. "What I'm saying is the weapons were made from Russia, clearly. I think Russia has to be held responsible for it, but there has to be an absolutely definitive answer to the question where did the nerve agent come from?"
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Handcuffs

Ex-French President Sarkozy in police custody for questioning over 'Libyan aid' for his 2007 campaign


RT
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 13:29 UTC
Nicolas Sarkozy
© Lionel Bonaventure / AFPNicolas Sarkozy
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed in police custody for questioning over alleged Libyan aid to help fund his 2007 presidential election campaign, Reuters and local media report citing judicial sources.

According to Le Monde, this is the first time Sarkozy, 63, has been questioned in relation to the investigation, which was launched in April 2013. Sarkozy was placed in police custody in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris. His detention could last up to 48 hours, L'Obs reported.

Comment:

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