Turkey shoots down a Russian warplane , claiming violation of air space, Putin calls it "a stab in the back not only to Russia, but the whole Western alliance and NATO,"

     

Sputnik

Two-Faced Turkey: ‘Stab in the Back’ Strikes NATO, Anti-ISIL Forces

© REUTERS/ Kayhan Ozer/Handout via Reuters

Middle East

09:35 25.11.2015Get short URL

By shooting down the Russian jet in Syria, Turkey has not only hurt Russia with its "stab in the back", but the whole Western alliance and NATO; its policy in Syria is largely “two-faced”, as it allows the supply of weaponry and ammunition through its territory, according to Jurgen Rose, a retired German lieutenant colonel.

© Sputnik/ Alexei Nikolsky

Putin Says Attack on Russian Su-24 is a 'Stab in the Back' (VIDEO)

"President Putin's comment that Turkey's move was a stab in the back is quite correct and fully corresponds with reality. In its fight against al-Nusra and the so-called Islamic State, namely the Islamists, Turkey stabs in the back not only Russia, but the whole Western alliance and NATO," he said.“Turkey, for example, is striking the forces on the ground, the Kurdish forces, and allows the supplies of weaponry and ammunition through its territory.”

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World | Wed Nov 25, 2015 1:06am GMT

Turkey downs Russian warplane near Syria border

ANKARA/MOSCOW | By Tulay Karadeniz and Maria Kiselyova

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying the jet had violated its air space, in one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a century.

 Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plane had been attacked when it was 1 km (0.62 mile) inside Syria and warned of "serious consequences" for what he termed a stab in the back administered by "the accomplices of terrorists".

 "We will never tolerate such crimes like the one committed today," Putin said, as Russian and Turkish shares fell on fears of an escalation between the former Cold War enemies.

 In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Turkey said it had shot down the jet while in Turkish air space. Along with a second plane, the aircraft had flown more than a mile into Turkey for 17 seconds, despite being warned 10 times in five minutes while approaching to change direction, the letter said.

 "Nobody should doubt that we made our best efforts to avoid this latest incident. But everyone should respect the right of Turkey to defend its borders," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.

In condemnation of Russian air strikes in Syria, during which Turkish air space has been violated several times in recent weeks, Erdogan said that only Turkey's "cool-headedness" had prevented worse incidents in the past.

Each country summoned a diplomatic representative of the other. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a visit to Turkey due on Wednesday and the defence ministry said it was preparing measures to respond to such incidents.

    Read More Here

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Turkey shoots down Russian jet near Syrian border

CBS This Morning

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Published on Nov 24, 2015

NATO member Turkey says it shot down a Russian warplane flying from Syria that violated its airspace. Video shows the fighter jet on fire before it crashes into mountains. Turkey says the plane ignored repeated warnings, but Moscow denies that. Charlie D'Agata reports on this new twist in the air war against ISIS.

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 Sputnik

BREAKING:

• Turkey's Protection of ISIL Not Surprising, Considering Its Financial, Oil Interests in Region - Medvedev

Turkey's Downing of Su-24 Threatens NATO-Russia Relations

© Sputnik/ Alexander Astafyev

World

09:51 25.11.2015(updated 10:37 25.11.2015) 

Dmitry Medvedev has criticized Turkey’s downing of a Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber over Syrian territory, calling it a "reckless criminal act".

 

© Sputnik/ Dmitriy Vinogradov

'17 Seconds': No One’s Buying Turkey’s Version of Su-24 Story

YEKATERINBURG (Sputnik) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has slammed Turkey’s downing of a Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber over Syrian territory, calling it a "reckless criminal act" that will worsen relations between Russia and NATO and shows that Ankara is protecting the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist organization.

 

"The recklessness of the Turkish authorities’ criminal actions of downing the Russian airplane has led to three consequences. The first is the dangerous worsening of relations between Russia and NATO that cannot be justified by any interests, including the protection of state borders," the Russian prime minister said.

He added that the second consequence was a demonstration of Turkish intention to protect the ISIL militants, "which is not surprising taking into account information at hand on the direct financial interests of several Turkish officials, who are involved in the deliveries of oil products produced at ISIL-owned enterprises."

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The UN Security Council on Friday authorized countries to "take all necessary measures" to fight the Islamic State

msn

UN approves 'all necessary measures' to fight IS

 

AFP

 

Soldiers prepare a Rafale war plane on the deck of France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, at its home port of Toulon, southern France, Wednesday, Nov.18, 2015. France has decided to… 


The UN Security Council on Friday authorized countries to "take all necessary measures" to fight the Islamic State group in a resolution that won unanimous backing a week after the Paris attacks.
The measure drafted by France calls on all UN member states to "redouble and coordinate their efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks" committed by IS and other extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda.

French President Francois Hollande welcomed the adoption, saying the resolution would "help mobilise nations to eliminate Daesh" (IS), which has claimed responsibility for the attacks that left 130 dead in Paris.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said countries should now find concrete ways to shore up the fight, "either through military action, the search for political solutions or the battle against terrorist financing."

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Russian plane brought down in Sinai by terrorist act – Russian intelligence

     

RT America

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Published on Nov 17, 2015

Russia’s military forces are stepping up their airstrikes against the Islamic State as new information has confirmed an explosive device was behind the crash of the A321 jet in Egypt’s Sinai desert. Murad Gazdiev has the latest.

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Plane crash in Sinai a terrorist attack - Russian Security Service

 

Published time: 17 Nov, 2015 08:15Edited time: 17 Nov, 2015 16:16

The Russian plane crash in Sinai, Egypt, was caused by a terrorist attack as traces of explosives have been found in the wreckage of the plane, Federal Security Service director Aleksandr Bortnikov told President Vladimir Putin.

“We can say that that [Sinai plane crash] was a terror act,” Bortnikov told Putin. According to the FSB chief, experts analyzed passengers’ belongings as well as the parts of the plane. “After the examination on all these objects, we have found traces of a foreign-made explosive substance,” Bortnikov said. “During the flight, a homemade device with the power of 1.5 kilograms of TNT was detonated. As a result, the plane fell apart in the air, which can be explained by the huge scattering of the fuselage parts of the plane,” he added.

Russia will act in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which provides for countries’ right to self-defense, Putin said. “Those who attempt to assist criminals should be aware that the consequences of such attempts will be entirely their responsibility,” he added.  


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ISIS says Russia targeted over Syria campaign, shows alleged Sinai jet 'bomb'

Published time: 18 Nov, 2015 15:35Edited time: 18 Nov, 2015 17:31

The debris from a Russian airliner is seen at its crash site at the Hassana area in Arish city, north Egypt, November 1, 2015. © Mohamed Abd El Ghany / RIA Novosti

An image of alleged parts of a “bomb” used to take down a Russian passenger plane over Egypt's Sinai, killing all 224 people onboard, was posted by Islamic State’s magazine.

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RT ✔ @RT_com

BREAKING: #ISIS shows off alleged ‘bomb’ that brought down Russian plane over Sinai http://on.rt.com/6wws #7K9268

9:38 AM - 18 Nov 2015

A soft drink can and what appeared to be a detonator and switch allegedly made up the parts of an improvised homemade bomb, a photo published online on Wednesday by Dabiq magazine suggests.

Another photograph showed passports said to belong to Russian passengers killed in the bombing, with the documents allegedly obtained by Islamic fighters. The authenticity of the images has not been verified.


 Read More Here  


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Reports Egypt detained 2 airport workers suspected of aiding bomb plant on Russian plane denied

 

Published time: 17 Nov, 2015 09:27Edited time: 17 Nov, 2015 13:32

Security officers check passengers' belongings at the airport of the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, November 6, 2015. © Asmaa Waguih / Reuters

A report that Egypt is holding two employees of Sharm el-Sheikh Airport on suspicion of assisting those who planted the explosive device on the Russian jet that crashed in Sinai have been denied by Egyptian authorities and other airport officials.

"Seventeen people are being held, two of them are suspected of helping whoever planted the bomb on the plane at Sharm al-Sheikh Airport," one of the officials apparently told Reuters. The reports, however, were promptly denied first by Egyptian authorities, and later by one of the airport employees, who spoke with RIA Novosti. “I have been here [in the airport] during these days, so I can say that no one was detained. In the first days after the tragedy, many people were questioned, but no one was arrested,” he said.

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ISIS releases video claiming revenge ‘downing’ of Russian passenger jet over Sinai

 

Published time: 4 Nov, 2015 01:15Edited time: 7 Nov, 2015 10:38

A screenshot from an ISIS video cached by archive.org

A new Islamic State video shows a Russian-speaking jihadist praising his “Sinai brothers” for “taking down” a Russian passenger jet and threatening more attacks, while both Russia and Egypt say the group doesn’t possess the means to shoot down a plane.

Follow RT’s LIVE UPDATES on Russian A321 jet crash over Sinai 


  In the newly-released video, five Islamic State (IS, formely ISIS/ISIL) jihadists are seen sitting outside as one of them praises militants in the Sinai Peninsula for allegedly bringing down the Russian A321 passenger jet with 224 people on board. Surrounded by four fellow jihadists, a Slavic-looking man speaking both in Russian and Arabic, addresses President Vladimir Putin, warning the Russian leader that he would regret targeting ISIS in Syria. With a knife in hand, he threatens to continue taking down planes, invading countries, and killing people in retaliation for Russia’s military operation in Syria.


 READ MORE: Flight 7K9268: What we do and don’t know about Russia’s deadliest-ever air crash


Islamic State first attempted to claim responsibility for bringing down the Airbus 321 shortly after the plane crashed en route from Egypt’s Sharm-el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on October 31. However, the claim was quickly rejected by both Russian and Egyptian officials as “unlikely.”


 

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‘Bogus bomb detectors’ used in Sharm el-Sheikh hotels before Sinai plane crash

Published time: 10 Nov, 2015 14:21

© Bogdan Cristel / Reuters

Bomb detectors used in Sharm el-Sheikh hotels as part of security procedures introduced to tackle terrorism have been exposed as “fake” by experts, it has emerged.

Hundreds of Britons are still stranded in the Egyptian resort after a plane carrying 224 people crashed in Sinai last week. Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond announced on Monday it is “highly likely” a bomb planted by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) supporters caused the disaster. A number of hotels in the resort have been using a wand-like aerial attached to a box to screen luggage.

Guards have been using the devices to sweep hotel guests, cars and luggage to ensure no explosive devices are kept in rooms or taken on to planes. Experts, however, have revealed the supposed bomb detectors offer “no protection” whatsoever against terrorism. This revelation means a bomb could have easily been smuggled into a hotel and planted in a passenger’s luggage before the Russian jet crashed last week. According to the Mail Online, the devices were being used to protect at least five top hotels in Egypt catering for Britons.  


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The jig is up! Putin , promises swift response as he acknowledges US missile defense aimed at neutralizing Russia nukes. N.Korea and Iran just a cover story.

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Putin: US missile defense aimed at neutralizing Russia nukes, N. Korea & Iran just a cover

Published time: 10 Nov, 2015 15:06Edited time: 10 Nov, 2015 19:46

 

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin. © Alexei Druzhinin / RIA Novosti

 

 

Vladimir Putin said the US is trying to “neutralize Russia’s nuclear potential” with its on-going deployment of a missile defense shield in Europe. The Russian president has promised a response.

“References to Iran and North Korea nuclear threats are just a cover for the true purpose [of NATO missile defense]. That is to neutralize the potential of other nuclear states not the US or its allies – primarily Russia,” Putin said during a meeting in Sochi dedicated to national military development. “The US is attempting to achieve strategic military superiority, with all the consequences that entails.”

Vladimir Putin has reminded that Iran reached a landmark nuclear deal with world powers in July. The agreement would remove sanctions that have crippled its economy, in exchange for severe restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Russia has been repeatedly told Iran is the main threat.

“Now, the Iranian problem is off the table – treaties have been signed and ratified. Yet, the work on missile defense continues, as before,” Putin said.

The Russian leader promised Russia would take the “necessary measures to respond by strengthening its own missile defense.”

“And at the first stage we are also going to develop strike weapons that can penetrate any missile defense shield.”

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Israel hosts its largest-ever international air force exercise. Until November 3rd, local media reports. Not far from where the Russian Airbus 321 flight crashed. Tragic coincidence?

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Photo essay / Drill aims to test the mettle of the men and women at the controls, rather than the technical capabilities of their fighter jets

Israel hosts its largest-ever international air force exercise

Israeli, American, Greek, and Polish air personnel square off against a fictional enemy state in two-week drill

By Judah Ari Gross October 30, 2015, 12:53 am 46

Israeli and foreign fighter jets fly in formation through cloudy skies over the Negev desert during the ‘Blue Flag’ exercise at Ovda Airfield near Eilat on October 27, 2015. (Israeli Air Force)

  Air forces from around the world have gathered deep in the Arava desert in the south of Israel for the past week and a half to take part in the largest aerial exercise in the history of the Israeli Air Force. The “Blue Flag” exercise, which is continuing through November 3, pits the Israeli Air Force, the United States Air Force, Greece’s Hellenic Air Force and the Polish Air Force against a fictional enemy state, the captain in charge of all IAF exercises told The Times of Israel Thursday night. A number of other countries, including Germany, also sent pilots and officers to observe the exercise, but did not take part. This joint drill is the second “Blue Flag” exercise; the first took place in 2013 and was the largest multi-lateral exercise the IAF had ever hosted. The various air forces collaborated closely through every step of the current exercise, the IAF captain said, from planning to execution and finally to debriefing.








Though the exercise began on October 18, planning for it started nearly eight months ago, the Israeli official said, with an IAF representative contacting each participating country and initially asking, “What do you want to train for?” Those requests came together to form the plan for “Blue Flag,” which sent Israeli and American F-15 squadrons, along with Israeli, Hellenic and Polish F-16 squadrons, flying through nearly all of Israel’s air space, firing simulated weapons against fictional enemy missile launchers, convoys and aircraft, he said.  



 Read More Here


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Israel hosts largest-ever intl air force drill, pitting troops against fictional enemy

Published time: 30 Oct, 2015 14:56

© Israeli Air Force / Flickr

Israel is hosting its largest-ever international air force exercise. The two-week 'Blue Flag' drill features Israeli, American, Greek and Polish troops in a battle against a fictional enemy state.

The Blue Flag drill consists of Israeli and American F-15 squadrons, as well as Israeli, Hellenic, and Polish F-16 squadrons flying through Israeli airspace while firing simulated weapons against fictional enemy missile launchers, convoys, and aircraft, the Israeli Air Force captain in charge of the exercise told the Times of Israel.

© Israeli Air Force / Flickr

However, the captain said the exercise is designed to test the capabilities of the troops involved, rather than the military equipment itself. “We wanted it to be challenging for the airmen, rather than for the machines,” said the IAF captain, who could not be named due to security reasons.  

Read More Here




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The following maps are presented  simply to put the sheer proximity  of the  military exercises and the  Russian Airbus A321 crash.

Russian Airbus A321 Crash – Can Putin Feel What Malaysians & Dutch Felt?

However, the Egyptian government has rubbished that the plane was shot down by missile. The Russian concluded that the Russian Airbus A321 that crashed in the Sinai broke up in mid-air at 36,000-feet. The plane had been heading from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to the Russian city of St Petersburg before the crash.

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CULTUREEL WOORDENBOEK

Suez-crisis map of Troop Movements

Suez-crisis

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Euroflights.info

Eilat with airports

Eilat Israel Port On a Map

 

Eilat is the southernmost city in Israel. Eilat is located on the Red Sea and is an important port for Israel and a popular resort town

Ovda Airport

Ovda Airport is located 45 km to the north from Eilat.

King Hussein International Airport, Jordan

King Hussein International Airport is located 10 km to the north east from Eilat.

Putin: The Russian President Says Something About ISIS That Western Media Won’t Air

November 5, 2015 by Arjun Walia.

“Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.” – Woodrow Wilson, American academic, politician and the 28th president of the United States (source)

What are politics today, and how do they relate to what’s happening on the planet? On the surface, it seems to be nothing more than the ‘political leaders’ of one country using their media outlets to ‘bash’ the ‘political leaders’ of another country.

A great example right now is the ongoing situation between the United States and Russia. Here in Canada, newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently called Putin, Russia’s President since May of 2012, a bully, and the United States did the same. HERE is what Putin had to say after Russia was accused of being a bully.

On the other side of the pond, you have millions of people listening to Russian and Chinese media outlets saying something completely different.

 Apart from mass propaganda that’s dished out to us regarding political issues via the mainstream media, where are we to turn to get more information on this subject when global media outlets are basically supporting the interests of their own country? On some issues it seems a little clearer, for example, what is the United States doing with regards to their infiltration of so many countries across the world? Why have they established so many military bases? What is going on here?
That being said, are these matters really in the hands of these politicians, or are they governed by a hidden hand that’s rocking the cradle mixed with corporate influence?

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CIA, Saudis To Give "Select" Syrian Militants Weapons Capable Of Downing Commercial Airliners

 

 

 

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 11/05/2015 12:49 -0500

 

 

Wednesday brought a veritable smorgasbord of “new” information about the Russian passenger jet which fell out of the sky above the Sinai Peninsula last weekend.

First there was an audio recording from ISIS’ Egyptian affiliate reiterating that they did indeed “down” the plane. Next, the ISIS home office in Raqqa (or Langley or Hollywood) released a video of five guys sitting in the front yard congratulating their Egyptian “brothers” on the accomplishment.





Then the UK grounded air traffic from Sharm el-Sheikh noting that the plane “may well” have had an “explosive device” on board.

Finally, US media lit up with reports that according to American “intelligence” sources, ISIS was probably responsible for the crash.





Over the course of the investigation, one question that’s continually come up is whether militants could have shot the plane down. Generally speaking, the contention that ISIS (or at least IS Sinai) has the technology and/or the expertise to shoot down a passenger jet flying at 31,000 feet has been discredited by “experts” and infrared satellite imagery.

But that’s nothing the CIA can’t fix.

With the Pentagon now set to deploy US ground troops to Syria (and indeed they may already be there, operating near Latakia no less), Washington is reportedly bolstering the supply lines to “moderate” anti-regime forces at the urging of (guess who) the Saudis and Erdogan.
Incredibly, some of the weapons being passed out may be shoulder-fire man-portable air-defense systems, or Manpads, capable of hitting civilian aircraft. 



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Syrian jihadists feud & bomb each other over funds as Russian jets destroy supply lines

Published time: 18 Oct, 2015 10:26Edited time: 18 Oct, 2015 11:53

 

Fueling a Russian Su-34 strike fighter before a mission at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. © Dmitriy Vinogradov / RIA Novosti

 

Russian attack jets have hit 51 Islamic State targets in Syria in the past 24 hours, including four command posts, six arms depots, a mortar battery, two underground bunkers, 32 field camps and six outposts.

 

The strikes took place in the Latakia, Aleppo, Hama and Damascus provinces.

The damage the Russian SU-34 jets caused to the underground bunkers was especially significant, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

They hit the terrorists' underground infrastructure in Homs, which had allowed the militants to move undetected and increase their effectiveness in combat.

The well-funded Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has been hiding whole weapons caches underground, which included explosive devices for carrying out terrorist attacks.

A small missile factory was among the objects destroyed. However, these underground bases and conduits are believed to be widespread across Syria, so more work needs to be done, Konashenkov says.


READ MORE: 'Weak and short-sighted' - Russian PM slams White House for failure to sync ISIS bombing campaign

 
A frontline supply junction for transporting fuel, arms and food supply lines was also hit in the Damascus province.


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Iran has rejected U.S. and French allegations that its recent long-range missile test violates United Nations resolutions

 VOA

Voice Of America

Iran: Missile Test Not in Violation of UN Resolution

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (C-R) welcomes with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier (C-L) in Tehran, Oct. 17, 2015.

 

Lou Lorscheider

 

Last updated on: October 17, 2015 7:40 PM

Iran has rejected U.S. and French allegations that its recent long-range missile test violates United Nations resolutions, saying the Security Council restrictions only apply to missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.

Speaking Saturday in Tehran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said "none of the Islamic Republic of Iran's missiles have been designed for nuclear capabilities."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has proved and shall prove again that nuclear weapons have no place in our defense doctrines and never shall have a place, therefore our missiles have never been designed for carrying nuclear warheads because we have never planned on having nuclear warheads and shall not either," said Zarif.

Zarif's comments came a day after U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power referred to the October 10 launch of a medium-range missile.  She said the missile was "inherently capable of delivering a nuclear weapon," and said Washington will respond with “appropriate action” in the U.N. Security Council.

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Two shells hit the Russian embassy in Syria as scores gathered outside the compound to thank Moscow for its intervention in Syria.

Sputnik

 

 

Two Shells Hit Russian Embassy Compound in Damascus

© Sputnik/ Michael Alaeddin

Middle East

11:15 13.10.2015(updated 13:58 13.10.2015)

Two shells hit the Russian embassy area in Syria's capital Damascus Tuesday as scores of pro-government supporters gathered outside the compound to thank Moscow for its intervention in Syria.

 

According to a RIA Novosti correspondent on the scene, the diplomatic mission staff are all safe.

"Two mortar rounds hit the Russian Embassy compound in Damascus. Employees at the diplomatic mission were not hurt," the Embassy employee told RIA Novosti.

An eye-witness at the scene told the news agency that several shells hit close to the site of a peace rally in support of Russia’s air campaign in Syria.

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US says missile test by Iran ‘likely’ violated UN resolution of 1929 . Not the terms of a landmark nuclear accord between Iran, the US and five other major world powers.

 

 

Tuesday | October 13, 2015

"[T]he administration has shown a dangerous naivety regarding who it is dealing with," Ed Royce said in a statement. (AP Photo)

GOP to Obama: See, we told you Iran would cheat

By Jacqueline Klimas (@jacqklimas) • 10/13/15 12:01 AM

Top Republicans in Congress criticized the administration's strategy in Iran on Monday, saying recent actions prove President Obama made a mistake in securing a nuclear deal with a country that cannot be trusted.
Over the weekend, Iran tested a long-range ballistic missile, prompting some to wonder if it had already broken the newly-signed nuclear deal. Iran also announced the conviction of American reporter Jason Rezaian, who has been held in an Iranian jail for more than a year.
Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., said these moves demonstrate that the Obama administration has failed in its negotiations with Iran.
"[T]he administration has shown a dangerous naivety regarding who it is dealing with," Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement. "The administration didn't get Jason released when it had the leverage of the nuclear agreement. It must redouble efforts to get Jason and the other imprisoned Americans home now."

Read More Here

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US says missile test by Iran ‘likely’ violated UN resolution

Regime is banned from developing long-range ballistic weapons; official says Tehran not in breach of nuclear deal

By Times of Israel staff October 13, 2015, 5:40 am 9

Screen capture of an the launch of a new Iranian missile, named Imad, October 11, 2015. (YouTube/PressTV News Videos)

Iran over the weekend “likely” violated a UN Security Council resolution which prohibits the Islamic Republic from carrying out any military activity related to the use of ballistic missiles, a US official said Monday.
Based on information gathered by the White House so far, the Iranian regime appeared to have violated the international body’s Resolution 1929 when it recently conducted testing on a new, long-range, surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the official told US news outlet CNN.
Nevertheless, the US believes the Islamic Republic’s illegal activity does not breach the terms of a landmark nuclear accord between Iran, the US and five other major world powers.
The official indicated that the July agreement did not place restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, as it was aimed at blocking the regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Read More Here

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Press TV

Iran successfully puts to test new long-range ballistic missile

Sun Oct 11, 2015 6:27AM

Iran successfully test-fires its domestically-built Emad ballistic missile on October 11, 2015. © Tasnim news agency

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says the Islamic Republic has successfully test-fired a new long-range ballistic missile, dubbed Emad.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Dehqan said the surface-to-surface missile has been completely designed and manufactured by experts of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Defense.
Emad is Iran’s first long-range missile with guidance and control systems which can hit targets and completely destroy them with high precision, the Iranian minister added.

He also stated that Defense Ministry pursues a strategy based on developing and increasing the missile capabilities of the Iranian Armed Forces and enhancing the Islamic Republic’s deterrent power.

Read More Here

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Sputnik

 

US Suspects Iran of Violating UN Resolution by Missile Test

© Photo: Youtube/ ali javid

Politics

08:04 13.10.2015(updated 09:15 13.10.2015)

 

The test-fire of a new long-range ballistic missile by Iran likely represents violation of a UN resolution, an official from US President Obama administration told CNN.

 

© Photo: Youtube/ ali javid

Tehran Test-Fires New Long-Range Ballistic Missile

 

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Sunday, Iran’s Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said that the country test-fired a new surface-to-surface Emad (Pillar) missile. According to Dehghan, the rocket, indigenously designed and manufactured, represents “the first Iran's long-range missile that can be directed and controlled till it strikes the target.”

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Syria: are we at a turning point?

The Irish Times

The Syrian conflict has lasted more than four years, displacing 11m Syrians and killing 250,000. Russia’s intervention this week raises the dim prospect of an end to the conflict

Uphill battle: the aftermath of air strikes in Kafr Nabel, a town in Idlib province. Photograph: Hadi al-Abdallah via AP

 Sat, Oct 3, 2015, 01:00

Ruadhán Mac Cormaic
 

The timeline of Syria’s grinding civil war is dotted with illusory turning points. These were atrocities or grim milestones that the world assumed would usher the conflict towards an endgame but served only to reinforce its horrendous, unswerving trajectory. The use of chemical weapons was one. The advance of Islamic State was another.

The pattern has held with almost every town that has fallen (Raqqa, Palmyra) or been razed (Aleppo, Homs), and with each new intervention by a foreign power. None has been decisive.

Instead the dynamic of the conflict has held firm. Four and a half years after it began amid the optimism of the Arab Spring, the war’s aftershocks are still pulsing outwards, across the Middle East and into Europe, and the outside world is steadily and with varying degrees of reluctance being drawn further in.

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The World Post

 

Ian Bremmer  

 

President, Eurasia Group; Author, 'Superpower: Three Choices for America’s Role in the World'

Putin Scores Another Much-Needed Win in Syria

Posted: 10/02/2015 9:18 am EDT Updated: 10/02/2015 9:59 am EDT

When Boris Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin prime minister in 1999, Putin had an approval rating in Russia of 31 percent. About 37 percent of Russians didn't even know who he was. After a series of mysterious bombings in Moscow, Putin blamed Chechen separatists and promised to flush Chechens down their toilets (his words). Bombing began in October of that year. By 2000, Putin's poll numbers hit 84 percent. Putin needed a win, and he got one. That was a formative political experience.

Times are hard in today's Russia. Falling oil prices have taken a serious toll, and Western sanctions haven't helped. Prices have surged 16 percent since August, and the ruble has fallen 5.5 percent against the dollar. Russia's economy will shrink 3.4 percent this year. No one, not even Russian state officials, expects economic conditions to improve much anytime soon.

With power comes responsibility. That's the downside of being as powerful as Putin is in Russia. He can blame others for Russia's problems but he needs to keep putting wins on the board. On Feb. 22, 2014, Ukrainian protesters infuriated the Kremlin by ousting then-President Viktor Yanukovych, Moscow's man in Kiev, and Putin moved quickly to flex his muscles. By Feb. 27, the streets of Crimea were filled with men in ski masks carrying automatic weapons. Locals then voted in a referendum to trade Ukrainian for Russian citizenship, and Putin held aloft his trophy for all to see. Within a few more days, his domestic approval numbers spiked from 65 percent to 80 percent, and he is still riding that wave of popularity.

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