10-5-17

US staging ‘fatal provocations’ against Russian forces in Syria – Lavrov

Washington is playing a dangerous game of encouraging terrorists in Syria to attack government forces and the Russian military, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Moscow won’t leave aggressive US steps unanswered, but wants to overcome the political deadlock, he added.

In an interview with the London-based, Arabic-language Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, taken ahead of the visit of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Moscow, Lavrov noted that the US-led coalition and the Syrian rebel forces they support consistently act in a way that helps Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and other terrorist groups. 

In some cases, these forces mount allegedly accidental strikes against the Syrian Armed Forces, after which Islamic State [banned in Russia] counterattacks. In other cases, they inspire other terrorists to attack strategic locations over which official Damascus has restored its legitimate authority, or to stage fatal provocations against our military personnel,” Lavrov said.

Washington is guided by “double standards” in Syria, the Russian foreign minister said, slamming the US for failing to acknowledge that there are no such things as bad or good terrorists.

“If you apply double standards, divide terrorists into ‘bad’ and ‘very bad,’ force others to enter the coalition on political motives, forgetting about the necessary UN sanction to approve these actions, then it’s hard to speak about the effectiveness of an anti-terror campaign,” he said.

Russia’s involvement in the campaign against ISIS in Syria aids not only Russia’s national security, but also regional stability, Lavrov said. He added that it is not enough to defeat terrorists on the ground to bring peace to embattled regions, noting the importance of diplomatic efforts. 

It’s impossible to eradicate terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa through military means only. We are deeply convinced about that. The advantage of our policy lies in that it is not self-interested and does not have a hidden agenda,”he said.

Moscow will continue to engage in the process of conflict resolution in these regions through peaceful political and diplomatic efforts, and it “invites everyone interested to participate in this joint and honest work,” Russia’s top diplomat said.

The major contribution to the defeat of IS in Syria has been made by the Syrian Armed Forces and the Russian Air Force, Lavrov noted. Read more RT

Trump’s Secret Plan To Destroy North Korea

Source Miltary Today

Putin Welcomes Saudi Arabia Into His Middle East Sphere Of Influence To Expand Russian Role | TIME

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman arrived in Moscow on Wednesday in the first-ever official visit by a Saudi monarch to Russia, in a mission that signals an expanding Russian role in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East as the Syrian civil war approaches an endgame.

Source Time

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Warns of Fatal Provocations

Source Israeli News

Indian Air Force ready for two-front war with China: Air Chief BS Dhanoa

The Indian Air Force is ready to take on the challenge of a two-front war with China, according to Indian Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa. Speaking on the eve of Air Force Day, the Air Chief Marshal on Thursday said that the IAF has adequate facilities and is prepared to fight at short notice. He added that the IAF is in full synergy with its sister services. “We need a strength of 42 squadrons to carry out full spectrum of operations in a two-front scenario. It doesn’t mean we are not capable of fighting in a two-front scenario as we speak,” he said.

China puts more boots at Doklam

A conclave of Army Commanders next week is set to discuss military preparedness along the China border, amid indications that the Chinese may have beefed up their presence near the Doklam standoff site since the disengagement more than a month ago. According to sources in the Indian security establishment, the Chinese have 1,500 to 1,700 troops of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stationed a few hundred metres afrom the standoff site on their side.

Sources World of Weapons

US State Department Approves Sale of 3,900 F-35 Bombs to Australia

The US State Department notified Congress September 29 of a potential sale of $815 million worth of GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bombs – Increment II (SDB II) sanctioned by the department to ship to Australia, according to an October 2 news release.

According to the Pentagon’s arms export branch, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Canberra requested the bombs. “The proposed sale of SDB II supports and complements the ongoing sale of the F-35A to the Royal Australian Air Force,” the agency said. 

In addition to the munitions themselves, the proposed deal also includes 30 GBU-53/B Guided Test Vehicles, 60 GBU-53/B Captive Carry Reliability Trainers, Weapon Load Crew Trainers, Practical Explosive Ordnance Disposal Trainers, containers, support, transportation, warranties, maintenance, repair and return, and related logistical services.

The weapons will “improve Australia’s F-35 survivability,” enhance the jet’s capability “to deter global threats,” bolster the island nation and continent’s homeland security and perhaps most crucially, allow RAAF to “cooperate in coalition defense initiatives,” the announcement states.
The bombs are manufactured by contracting giant Raytheon.

The firm’s stock price ticked up about $0.66 during trading hours Tuesday, an increase of roughly 0.35 percent, according to data from Seeking Alpha. 

Next, lawmakers have 30 days to allow the deal to go through; promises from the State Department, Defense Department and the White House to sell weapons can be halted by Congress. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Congress has to pass a bill “expressing its will on the sale” and be able to secure enough votes to beat a potential presidential veto in order to block arms sales.

DSCA states in its charter lawmakers remain “free to pass legislation to block or modify an arms sale at any time up to the point of delivery of the items involved.”

The Australian military is not part of NATO but Australia is considered by the US government a non-NATO major ally (NNMA) in terms of security arrangements. Australia, New Zealand and the US signed a security treaty in 1952 known as the ANZUS Treaty.

The GBU-53/B SDB II is a 250-pound bomb that can acquire targets via millimeter-wave radar, infrared homing and semi-active laser tracking. The bomb is designed to track moving targets and can change course mid-flight with updates from the missile’s data link package. Source Sputnik

‘Faced with Russians & Iranians 24/7’: Israel calls for US to be more active in Syria

The Israeli defense minister has urged Washington to engage more in Syria, where President Bashar Assad “is winning.” The official has asked for increased US involvement, saying Israel is struggling to deal with the “Russians, Iranians, and also the Turks and Hezbollah.”

“We hope that the United States will be more active in the Syrian arena and in the Middle East in general,” Avigdor Lieberman said in an interview with Israel’s Walla news on Tuesday.  

“In the northern arena, we are faced with the Russians, Iranians, and also the Turks and Hezbollah. The public does not know everything and it’s a good thing, but it’s an investment and an effort 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The minister went on to express his apparently grave concerns that “in spite of everything, Assad is winning the battle.” He also called the situation in Syria “one of the greatest absurdities.” ”The United States has quite a few challenges of their own, but as a trend, the more active the US is, the better,” Lieberman said.

According to the right-wing Israeli official, “suddenly everyone is running to get closer to Assad,” including countries in the West “queuing” to win the Syrian president’s favor. 

In another unfortunate scenario for Israel, the situation in Syria has led to widespread Iranian consolidation, according to Lieberman, who is known for his harsh statements and anti-Iranian stance.

Despite Israel generally not being involved in the Syrian war, there has long been a concern that the situation would see some of its main foes – Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant organization designated as a terrorist group by Israel and the US – gain a foothold of power in Syria.

Claiming “errant projectiles” from Syrian territory have reached Israel, the IDF has on several occasions targeted positions of the Syrian Army and allied forces. The Israeli military have also targeted military convoys within Syria, claiming they were carrying weapons for Hezbollah.

In a recent development in the region, Israel endorsed a referendum on the creation of an independent Kurdish state, despite a number of other nations having condemned the vote. Having warned that the Kurds’ independence drive is a threat to the whole region, the Hezbollah chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has called the referendum a part of the US-Israeli plot to carve up the Middle East, saying that those nations are back on course to plunge the region into chaos by sowing division. Source RT

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