Discipline for dogs (and kennel masters)

 

"Israeli warplanes reportedly delivered airstrikes against Syrian army targets in the Qasioun Mount region near Damascus early on March 22nd. Israeli jets allegedly carried out four rounds of airstrikes. There were no reports about casualties or damage suffered by Syrian government forces.

Initially reports about the incident appeared in pro-militant social media accounts and then were widely spread by the Israeli media. If confirmed, the recent raids were the fourth round of airstrikes attributed to Israel in Syria in less than a week.

The reports about the fresh Israeli airstrikes in Syria came just a few hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue hitting targets in Syria. Netanyahu made this claim during a visit to China, adding that he had informed Putin of Israel’s intentions.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s Ambassador to Moscow to protest an Israeli military strike near the Syrian city of Palmyra last Friday. This was after Israeli jets breached Syrian air space and attacked a military target near Palmyra on the night of March 17th. According to Israel’s Channel 2, the Israeli strike hit close to Russian troops. In turn, the Syrian military fired several anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli warplanes and claimed that one of them was destroyed and another one hit. The Israel Defense Forces denied these claims and said that one missile fired from the ground was intercepted by the Arrow 2 anti-ballistic missile.

Following the incident, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, threatened to destroy Syrian air defense systems. “The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation,” Lieberman said on Israeli public radio.

At the same time, Israel continued to push the narrative that Russia and other powers must move to limit Iran’s military strength in Syria. The director-general of Israel’s Intelligence Ministry, Chagai Tzuriel, repeated this in an interview to Reuters on March 21st."  southfront

-------------------

After the earlier Israeli strikes near Palmyra there was a lot of chatter here on SST to the effect that the strikes either did not happen or were greatly exaggerated in meaning, but these strikes are different.

Jabal Qasioun looks down on the city of Damascus.  It looms over the city.  In better times Syrian middle class families flocked to the good road that zig-zags up the mountain to picnic.   There were a lot of little road side food carts and trucks with gaudy shade umbrellas where soft drinks, ice cream and food were sold. 

These strikes were not out in the desert somewhere or on the grounds of a somewhat distant airfield.   These were right on top of you if you are Damascene.  You could look up from your roof top and see the flashes, hear the boom, feel the building shake.

This is clearly defiance.  We are the Jewish state!  We can f---k with you because we are stronger in character than all of you!  We are talking to all of you, especially you Syrian dogs and you Muscovite keepers of dogs.  And if you dare to shoot back at us, we will have our American dogs tear your legs off!

Bibi and Liberman are happy with themselves, but what will happen if the Russians decide that they are not just keepers of the despised Syrian dogs?  What then?  pl  

 

https://southfront.org/israeli-airstrikes-contribute-to-escalation-of-syrian-conflict/

Comments

[alaric]

I take what i read on Sputnik with a grain of salt but they're claiming Assad will respond with Skud strikes on Israel if attacked again. Sputnik is a mouthpiece of the Russian gov so maybe there is something to that.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201703261051967762-syria-israel-scuds-response/

[trinlae]

This is OT but i wanted to pass on Vijay Prashad's piece here:

http://www.alternet.org/world/us-nato-invasion-libya-destroyed-country-beyond-all-recognition

[LeaNder]

Ok, hmm? interesting, thanks Heros.

So Dan Arbell informs us that Israel had to take out 200 kilo bomb directed at the center of Israel?

Interesting that Israel's enemies fighting on the side of the Syrian government (Hizbollah, Iran) have that much free capacities at hand to open up another front. Who would have thought?

[LeaNder]

Pat, I don't recall you ever did try to draw my or our attention to the difference between Hizbollah artillerists and Hizbollah infantry in Syria, or for that matter in Lebanon.

Dan Arbell:
https://www.brookings.edu/experts/dan-arbell/
http://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/arbell.cfm

I checked Brookings for recent contributions on Syria but didn't find anything recent. Not much time. ...

Am reverting to watching mode for a while, but would appreciate a hint on what's on your mind. Some leads I can follow up.

[turcopolier]

LeaNder

You try my patience. You obviously don't pay attention nor do you value my opinions. http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2017/03/httpswwwwashingtonpostcomworldmiddle_eastisraels-multi-layer-defense-system-fully-operation.html

"GCP Hizbullah is an independent Lebanese Shia force with a huge pre-positioned cache of missiles and artillery rockets in dug in bunkers. In front of these is a fortified belt of Hizbullah infantry complete with tank kill boxes armed with anti-tank missiles and minefields, This screen has reinforced concrete fighting positions with telephone commo in buried armored cable. The troops have body armor, gas masks and night vision equipment. What part of this don't you understand? The IDF has tried to for years to solve the riddle of how to disable all that firepower. They have never been able to figure out how to do it before Hizbullah salvos into Israel. Should this lead to peace? Yes, but it won't because the Israelis persist in seeing the Arab goyim as people to be dominated."

06 December 2016 at 05:22 PM

http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2013/11/government-troops-take-more-towns-in-syria.html

pl

[Chris Chuba]

Col, you have such a colorful and succinct way of expressing yourself. This is definitely one for my bookmark folder.

The only strategic value I can see with Israel doing all this is that they can force the SAA and Hezbollah to send extra forces around the Golan Heights to stretch their already thin manpower. Forces that they would rather use against the Jihadis in Syria. But yeah, I can't argue against your point that they are reminding the Syrians of their low station in the region.

It's sad, the Syrians have been through so much and just when it looked like their fortunes were turning around they have one more knife twisting in their back.

[johnf]

This Ha-aretz story is about Israeli Intelligence using a joint operation with French Intelligence into Syrian chemical weapons to subborn members of French intelligence. The story seems to my amateur, untrained eyes to be hiding a great deal more than its revealing.

Anyone more knowledgeable about such things care to comment?

"Mossad reportedly turned French spies into double agents after joint Syria op

Le Monde reveals how Israeli espionage agency allegedly exploited a successful chemical weapons operation to get French counterparts to become sources; former head of French counterintelligence agency being questioned as suspect in case."

http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page//.premium-1.779644

[LeaNder]

Pat, I am sorry my ill-conceived irony above raised your ire. But it also leaves me a bit puzzled.*

I do recall your comments about the "Tabouleh Line -2" all the way back to your article series in 2006. Not sure though, why it still matters, with Israel's new found security beneath David's Sling and the Iron Dome. I surely preferred them to stay--as much as they managed to--out of the whole chaos in Syria. ...

Thanks for the last link, especially the reminder of Nagi Najjar's contributions in this context, and Babak's hints at the meaning Damascus has for Shia:

Among those captives was Imam Hussein’s sister – Zeynab – who is buried in Damascus in the area called Zeynabiyah.

* Are you suggesting that just as Israel prepares for its next action against its enemies, Hizbollah, present Shia militias, Assad troops, those also get ready by erecting missiles directed at the center of Israel in Syria, as Dan Arbell claimed? Right in the middle of the whole chaos? I still have a hard time to believe it. I better should? It doesn't matter?

[GivePeaceATry]

Seems greater conflict in Middle East is inevitable, regardless of participants intentions.
https://t.co/QK1MuSnh8d

[WarrenPeese]

Several points. One, Southfront is a group of pro-Putin trolls. They will, every single time, say not one word critical of Putin and they will tell just one side of the story, and you know what side that is. It's what Putin propagandists do. The Southfront link is an example of that one-sidedness. What they don't say is that, on March 17, it was the first time that the Syrian army fired back at Israeli jets when they were striking Hezbollah--not Syrian army--targets.* Not long after, Putin summoned the Israeli ambassador to Russia for a little talk.
In response, the March 22nd airstrikes by Israel had meaning and purpose. For one, there was historical context for striking Mt. Qasioun, which was a location where Assad was secretly producing chemical weapons. Striking that site again, this time with no casualties, sent a direct message to Assad--and by extension, Putin--which was, "Don't f**k with us. We didn't kill you this time but we can if we want." That's the kind of message dictators like Assad and Putin understand. And now that Israel has a loyal ally again in this Trump era, the message has heft.
* Israel has good reason to confront Hezbollah, given the support they get from the theocratic Iranian regime.

[turcopolier]

WarrenPeese

OK. You don't like South Front. I assume you think much the same of Al- Masdar News. What would be your recommendations for sources on the actual on the ground and in the air fighting in the ME? I presume you would describe yourself as a Zionist? pl