Konflikten i Syrien

Damascus air defence downed its first Israeli jet (F-16) ever, at a stroke changing the rules of engagement (ROE) with Israel and sending a clear message that it is ready for war and will no longer be silent on violations of its airspace. This clash has triggered the mobilisation of the Syrian army and its allies in Syria and in Lebanon, the Lebanese Hezbollah. The speed of the Syrian reaction was due to a prior decision taken at highest level among all allies operating on Syrian territory. These consider a possible confrontation may be inevitable if Israel has decided to respond and declare war. The violation of Syrian sovereignty is no longer an option open to Israel and the Israeli jets will no longer be able to carry out their usual promenades over the Levant without consequences.

Moreover, it is also clear that Russia – despite all that is said in the media – is aware of the Syrian decision to confront Israel. Moscow is supplying Syria with anti-aircraft missiles, its forces dominates the air space over the Syrian Army’s controlled territory, and has the radar capability to see and monitor any Israeli aircraft flying over Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Russia is also informed when the Syrian army repeatedly fires missiles and confronts the Israeli air force in the sky over Syria or in the border areas.

It is not in the interests of Russia to see war break out in Syria where its forces are present on the ground and in the Mediterranean. Russia considers it has the right to intervene because its official presence on Syrian territory is at the request of an agreement with the Damascus government. In its role as a superpower, it is in its interest to stop the tension on the Syrian border and show it has the power to impose peace on would-be belligerents.

It is also in Moscow’s interests to push Syria to react to Israel’s violations, even at the cost of downing an Israeli jet- especially when Russia accuses Washington of supplying the Faylaq al-Sham militants (al-Qaeda’s allies in northern Syria city of Idlib and its surroundings) with the anti-aircraft missiles which downed the Russian jet over Idlib and to the murder of its pilot who refused to surrender to the militants and jihadists.

Q: Can I ask a quick follow up, just a clarification on what you'd said earlier about Syria and sarin gas?

SEC. MATTIS: Yeah.

Q: Just make sure I heard you correctly, you're saying you think it's likely they have used it and you're looking for the evidence? Is that what you said?

SEC. MATTIS: That's -- we think that they did not carry out what they said they would do back when -- in the previous administration, when they were caught using it. Obviously they didn't, cause they used it again during our administration.

And that gives us a lot of reason to suspect them. And now we have other reports from the battlefield from people who claim it's been used.

We do not have evidence of it. But we're not refuting them; we're looking for evidence of it. Since clearly we are using -- we are dealing with the Assad regime that has used denial and deceit to hide their outlaw actions, okay?

Q: So the likelihood was not what your -- you're not characterizing it as a likelihood? I thought I used -- you used that word; I guess I misunderstood you.

SEC. MATTIS: Well, there's certainly groups that say they've used it. And so they think there's a likelihood, so we're looking for the evidence.

Q: Is there evidence of chlorine gas weapons used -- evidence of chlorine gas weapons?

SEC. MATTIS: I think that's, yes --

Q: No, I know, I heard you.

SEC. MATTIS: I think it's been used repeatedly. And that's, as you know, a somewhat separate category, which is why I broke out the sarin as another -- yeah.

Q: So there's credible evidence out there that both sarin and chlorine --

SEC. MATTIS: No, I have not got the evidence, not specifically. I don't have the evidence.

What I'm saying is that other -- that groups on the ground, NGOs, fighters on the ground have said that sarin has been used. So we are looking for evidence. I don't have evidence, credible or uncredible.

Operations Room of Syria’s Allies: Israeli aggression direct support to terrorism in Syria

Damascus, SANA- The Operations Room of Syria’s Allies said that the new Israeli aggression on Syria is a direct support for terrorism.

“The occupation entity’s claims that the drone has entered the airspace of occupied Palestinian territories are sheer lies,” The Operations Room added in a statement Saturday.

It stressed that the Zionist entity and the United States provide support to the terrorist organizations in Syria, including Daesh (ISIS) organization.

“ The Zionist entity’s aggression is a condemned terrorist act that will not be tolerated, and any new aggression will be responded seriously”, the Operations Room emphasized.

On Saturday morning, the army air defense confronted a new Israeli aggression on some of the military positions in the central and southern areas and hit more than one aircraft
Media of the Israeli enemy admitted that the Syrian air defense shot down an F-16 jet over Galilee in occupied Palestine and that its pilots were wounded.

Russian President Calls on Israeli Authorities to Avoid Escalation Following Aggression on Syria

TEHRAN (FNA)- Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the Israeli authorities to avoid escalating the situation in the region following their recent attack on Syrian territory.

The Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday evening that Putin called on the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call to avoid any step that could result in a new cycle of confrontation in the region, SANA reported.

“They discussed the situation around the actions of the Israeli air force, which carried our missile strikes on targets in Syria,” Interfax quoted the Kremlin as saying.

"The Russian side called for any steps, which might trigger a new spiral of dangerous confrontations for all in the region, to be avoided," the Kremlin press service added.

Hezbollah: Downed Israeli Jet Marks New Strategic Phase

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement strongly condemned the Israeli regime’s continued acts of aggression against Syria’s military and civilian structures, saying the downing of an Israeli F-16 jet by the Syrian air defense systems marks the “start of a new strategic phase” which would limit Israeli violations of the Syrian airspace.

Hezbollah, in a statement released on Saturday evening, praised “the vigilance of the Syrian army and its valiant response to shoot down the hostile Israeli aircraft”, presstv reported.

“Today's developments mean the old equations have categorically ended,” the statement noted, adding that the Lebanese resistance movement firmly and strongly supported the Syrian people in defending their land, sovereignty and legitimate rights.

Sean Moore says he spent 26 days in a concrete cell full of feces and urine that was too small to lie down in.

The hours were punctuated by a rhythmic smacking and the screams of his fellow inmates. The first time he was hauled out, Moore said he discovered what was causing the sound.

The inmates were being whipped with straps, and soon, so was he.

"They have different styles of straps," Moore told CBC Windsor.

"I had thicker straps, I believe. I don't know if they had a schedule or they were bored, they would pull me out of the cell, blindfold me and they would strap my back and my front and my legs and the bottoms of my feet."