that was a major facility they took out that was getting ready to go into production. to get in and out with no casualties is impressive. can't imagine how many tens of millions were spent creating that facility to only see it all blow up
what happens when djt orders us troops to abandon their kurdish allies who helped them defeat isis? sounds like the southern group is ready to join up as a unit but not give up their weapons and be dispersed within a group to be led by others... South Syria fighters reluctant to give up weapons: spokesman Fighters in southern Syria who helped topple President Bashar al-Assad are reluctant to disarm and disband as ordered by the country's new rulers, their spokesman told AFP. On December 25, the country's new Islamist rulers said they had reached an agreement with rebel groups on their dissolution and integration under the defence ministry.New leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said the authorities would "absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control". But a spokesman for the Southern Operations Room, a coalition of armed groups from the southern province of Daraa formed on December 6 to help topple Assad, said the alliance did not agree. "We're not convinced by the idea of dissolving armed groups," said its spokesman Naseem Abu Orra. "We're an organised force in the south... headed by officers who defected" from Assad's army, he told AFP in Daraa's town of Bosra. "We can integrate the defence ministry as a pre-organised entity... We have weapons, heavy equipment," he said. Abu Orra said the group, led by local leader Ahmed al-Awdeh, included thousands of men, without any Islamist affiliation.
Syria denies russian freighter port access. good for them. should israel take out the s-400 systems sitting on the dock? Syria denies Russian warships access to Tartus port As of January 10, the Russian military transport ship Sparta II continues circling in neutral waters near Tartus, unable to enter the port. Other Russian vessels are also attempting to navigate the situation: ・The military transport ship Baltic Leader is heading toward Tartus. ・The Lady Mariia is returning to the Baltic Sea. ・The tanker Ivan Skobelev was last detected three days ago near Sicily. Analysts also reported the presence of S-400 air defense systems stationed on the piers in Tartus.
If those system paint Coalition aircraft, then yes. If they stay turned off, then no. I think Israel should avoid bombing anywhere else in Syria unless it’s absolutely necessary. A new regime means a renewed chance, however slim, for a peace treaty between Israel and Syria. Israel should maximize its chances for making that happen, or failing that at least not go out of its way to appear that it is the problem instead of Syria.
likely mroe concerend about the security of those weapons not under central control right now. I could be wrong
If we had a discussion you would be destroyed. I don't want to do that to you. Anymore than I would want to crush the spirit of my dog.
trouble brewing and Israel ready to send forces to Damascus to protect Druze vs new syrian forces?? Syrian forces deployed in Jaramana to end unrest Syria has deployed security forces in Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, to restore order after a dispute at a checkpoint led to the killing of a Syrian security officer and the injury of another by a militia linked to Bashar al-Assad’s former regime. The move to deploy forces late on Sunday follows the refusal of local militias to hand over suspects involved in Friday’s incident. “Our forces have begun deploying in Jaramana after those involved in the assassination of Ahmed Al-Khatib, a Defence Ministry employee, refused to surrender,” Lieutenant Colonel Hussam al-Tahan told the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Al-Tahan added that the operation aims to dismantle illegal checkpoints operated by armed groups accused of kidnapping, murder and armed robbery. Calm had begun to return after negotiations between Ministry of Interior forces and local leaders, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. Jaramana, a densely populated suburb, is predominantly inhabited by Druze and Christian communities. The Druze live mainly in Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that orders had been given to the Israeli army to “prepare to defend” Jaramana’s Druze population. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Jaramana was “under attack by the forces of the Syrian regime” and Israel is “committed to our Druze brothers in Israel to do everything to prevent harm to their Druze brothers in Syria”.
Are Syria’s Druze about to break away with Israel’s help? Fresh clashes south of Damascus between local Druze and government forces suggest the community may be laying groundwork for a semi-autonomous or fully independent non-Islamic statelet before Damascus manages to create a new government. Amid clashes in Jaramana and Israeli military positioning, the latest movements since the fall of the Assad regime in the area earlier in December could spell the first post-war challenge for the Turkish-backed regime in Damascus, which has so far attempted to avoid the topic of Israeli encroachment in its territory. ........ Damascus, though, is starting to become alert, with the government-owned SANA reporting Syrian security forces have begun deploying inside the city of Jaramana, a Damascus suburb, following the refusal of alleged suspects in a Defence Ministry employee's assassination to surrender themselves, state media reported on March 2. Colonel Hussam Tahan, Director of Security for Damascus Countryside Governorate, told SANA news agency that the operation aims to arrest those involved in the killing of Ahmed Al-Khatib, who worked for the Ministry of Defence. 'Our forces have begun deploying inside the city of Jaramana... We will work to arrest them and bring them to fair justice,' Tahan said. According to the official, the suspects [the Druze] rejected all mediation attempts and agreements. 'We have confirmed that no Syrian geographical area will remain outside the control of state institutions, and we have witnessed great cooperation from the people of Jaramana in this regard,' he added. These developments align with Netanyahu's recent directives to the IDF to 'prepare to defend' the Druze in Jaramana, where clashes on March 1, 2025, resulted in casualties. Israel's insistence on demilitarising southern Syria – encompassing Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces – signals a desire to neutralise threats along its border.
