Thread: Russia Preparing 2 Divisions, Spetsnaz Brigade for Deployment to Syria - Vid

Not ‘if’ but ‘when’: US intervention in Syria on countdown

Published: 17 June, 2012, 16:12



A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft (Official U.S. Air Force / Photo Jake Melampy)

A delegation from Syrian opposition is reportedly in talks with US officials over the targets they want to attack to weaken the Syrian government and the arms they want America to provide to do it. A “Libya lite” operation in Syria may be imminent.

The unnamed US official reportedly said that “the intervention will happen. It is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’.”

The delegation from the Syrian Free Army is meeting with US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and the State Department’s expert on Syria, Fred Hof, according to a report by debkafile, an Israeli news website, which is considered to have strong ties with the intelligence community.

The Syrian rebels have brought with them two lists for American approval.

One is that of targets in Syria they want to attack to hurt President Assad’s government. The second is a list of heavy weapons they need to carry out the attacks, which they want to get from the US, the report says.

Debkafile says the Obama administration is very close to given the green light to shipping off the weapons, most of which have already been purchased by Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The US is also close to deciding on the format of its own military operation in Syria, which the site’s source described as “Libya lite” – a small-scale version of the no-fly zone and air strikes carried out by NATO forces in Libya, which resulted in the toppling of its leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

Earlier top US military brass told American media that the Pentagon has finalized contingency plans for a possible operation in Syria.

This follows the UN observers pulling out of Syria due to the renewed violence in the country. The mission head said neither side of the conflict was willing to observe the ceasefire any longer, which put the UN personnel at risk.

Some reports suggest that the break in the warfare helped the Syrian opposition purchase new and better weapons with the money received from sponsors in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Not

‘Bound for Syria’ Russian warship remains unloaded in port

Published: 17 June, 2012, 15:22

War ships of the Russian Black Sea fleet at anchor in Sevastopol. (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Perventsev)

The Russian warship which was reported as moving towards Syria with a unit of commando troops, is at its home port on the Black Sea, Ukraine’s Sevastopol.

­The US media cited intelligence sources as saying last Sunday that the landing ship Nikolay Filchenkov was traveling to the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria. The vessel was said to be carrying arms and a unit of amphibious commando troops, who would be used to secure the Russian base in the troubled country from a possible attack.

The vessel, however, is still in Sevastopol, the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as a journalist from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti witnessed. The ship is not even loaded, as apparent by its draft, the report says.

The agency cites a naval officer familiar with the situation as saying that Nikolay Filchenkov has remained in this position since June 8.

“The ship is ready for deployment just as any warship of the Navy on duty. There are no marines on board and we received no orders to set sail to Syria. The crews are engaged in their normal routines,” the officer said.

Earlier this week Washington and Moscow clashed over Russian arms in Syria. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lashed out at Russia over a shipment of combat helicopters, which she said the Syrian government could use in a crackdown on the opposition forces.

It was later revealed that the aircraft in question were not new machines, but rather Syrian-owned helicopters, which Russian engineers had overhauled under a standing contract. Russia was obliged to return the helicopters to their proper owner.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that Russia does not sell to the Syrian government any arms, which could be used against the opposition, unlike the US, which sells anti-riot equipment to the governments of its Gulf region allies. The minister was referring to US supplying crowd control arms to Bahrain and other controversial allies, who are known to suppress domestic dissent with force.

‘Bound for Syria’ Russian warship remains unloaded in port — RT

Clinton misfires on Russian helicopters to Syria charge

The US has acknowledged that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was incorrect when she said that Russia was supplying the Syrian government with combat helicopters, thereby leading to a “dramatic escalation” in the conflict

Pentagon finishes contingency plans for Syria invasion

Officials with the US Department of Defense have confirmed that the Pentagon has finalized procedures that outline how American forces could soon combat the government of war-torn Syria and officially involve itself in that state’s bloody uprising

Will Russian And Chinese Military Forces On Syrian Soil Prevent Obama From Bombing Syria?


June 19th, 2012


Everyone knows that the Obama administration has been steadily gearing up for a military campaign against Syria. Everyone also knows that Russia and China do not want to see this happen. Now Russia and China are sending military forces to Syria. It is being reported that Russia, China, Iran and Syria will be conducting the "Middle East's largest ever military exercise" next month. Apparently tens of thousands of troops will be involved. This will be the first time that the Russians and the Chinese have jointly deployed large numbers of troops in Syria. Will this show of military power be enough to prevent Barack Obama from bombing Syria? Or will Obama go ahead anyway and risk ruining relations with the Russians and the Chinese? Tensions are rising in the Middle East and the region is a powder keg that could erupt at any time. If someone makes the wrong move we could end up with World War III.
A number of sources have reported that the Obama administration has been contemplating a military campaign in Syria similar to what happened in Libya. The U.S. would institute a no-fly zone, bomb the Syrian government and the Syrian military, and provide heavy military hardware for the rebel forces on the ground.
According to a recent Debka report, the plans for such a campaign in Syria are close to being finalized....

As the violence in Syria continued to go from bad to worse in scope and intensity, US official sources had this to say Saturday, June 16, about planned US military operations in the war-torn country:
“The intervention will happen. It is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when.’”
A Syrian Free Army rebel delegation is now in Washington to talk about their requests for heavy weapons from the Obama administration. In their meetings with US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and the State Department’s expert on Syria Fred Hof, the rebel leaders handed in two lists for approval: types of heavy weapons capable of challenging Bashar Assad’s armed forces and selected targets of attack to destabilize his regime.
debkafile’s Washington sources disclose that the administration is very near a decision on the types of weapons to be shipped to the Syrian rebels and when. Most of the items Washington is ready to send have been purchased by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and are ready for shipment.
The White House is also close to deciding on the format of its military operation in Syria. Some sources are defining it as “Libya lite” – that is, a reduced-scale version of the no-fly zone imposed on Libya two years ago and the direct air and other strikes which toppled the Qaddafi regime.

What the Obama administration fails to grasp is that Syria is not Libya.
Syria has a lot more friends, and any attack on Syria would almost certainly cause a wider Middle East war to erupt.
For Russia and China, Syria is a red line that must not be crossed.
Now Russia and China are sending substantial military forces to Syria for "war games". Obviously this is just an excuse to get troops into Syria. The following description of these upcoming "war games" is from a recent article in the Jerusalem Post....

According to ShamLife, China had gained Egyptian approval to allow 12 Chinese ships carrying military equipment to pass through the Suez Canal, and that these vessels would reach the Syrian ports of Tartous and Latakia in two weeks' time.
ShamLife said Syrian air defense missiles and its coastal defense would be put to the test in the military exercises, and that 90,000 troops from the four countries would be involved in the war games along with 400 aircraft and 1,000 tanks and "hundreds of rockets."
The exercises would be carried out after Syrian troops had "cleansed" several cities where "armed groups" - meaning Syrian opposition forces fighting against government troops loyal to President Bashar Assad - were gathering.

It is also being reported that the Russians are sending warships from the Black Sea Fleet to the Syrian coast to protect the Russian military base at Tartus.
The following is from a recent Los Angeles Times article....

Russia is preparing to dispatch a pair of warships carrying a contingent of Black Sea Fleet marines to its logistics base in the Syrian port of Tartus, the Russian Interfax news agency reported Monday, in what appeared to be another sign of the deteriorating security situation in the strife-ridden nation.
The report quoted an unidentified Russian naval source saying the amphibious ships Nikolay Filchenkov and Tsezar Kunikov, accompanied by the rescue tug SB-15, were “preparing for a non-routine departure” for Tartus, Russia’s only Mediterranean base.

In addition, according to a recent article in the Telegraph, a Russian ship that was apparently taking attack helicopters to Syria has been stopped off the coast of Scotland....

A Russian ship believed to be carrying helicopters and missiles for Syria has been effectively stopped in its tracks off the coast of Scotland after its insurance was cancelled at the behest of the British government.

Obviously the Russians and the Chinese are trying to stop an attack on Syria.
Things are getting very tense, and that is not going to change any time soon.
Just check out how a recent CBS News report described a private meeting between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Mexico....

"The two men barely looked at each other. You could just feel, sort of, the tension between them. And the body language really represented how far apart the two leaders remain on the issue of Syria."

Needless to say, it was not a pleasant conversation. In fact, Putin reportedly was very direct with Obama....

"Apparently President Obama got a bit of a lecture from Putin about some other failed transitions that are going on around the world."

When Barack Obama was elected, many Americans expected him to keep his campaign promises and greatly reduce U.S. military action around the globe.
Instead, Obama has actually greatly expanded U.S. military action around the globe.
It isn't reported on much in the mainstream media, but the U.S. military is actually at war in Yemen, in Somalia, in Pakistan, and in a whole bunch of other countries all over the planet.
The following is from a must-read Wired article that just came out....

The center of the US drone war has shifted to Yemen, where 23 American strikes have killed an estimated 155 people so far this year. But you wouldn’t know about it — or about the cruise missile attacks, or about the US commando teams in Yemen — by reading the report the White House sent to Congress about US military activities around the globe. Instead, there’s only the blandest acknowledgement of “direct action” in Yemen, “against a limited number of [al-Qaida] operatives and senior leaders.”
The report, issued late Friday, is the first time the United States has publicly, officially acknowledged the operations in Yemen and in nearby Somalia that anyone with internet access could’ve told you about years ago. But the report doesn’t just fail to admit the extent of the shadow war that America is waging in the region. It’s borderline legal — at best. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to inform Congress about any armed conflicts America is engaged in. Friday’s report isn’t just uninformative about Yemen. It doesn’t even mention the US campaign in Pakistan, even though the Defense Secretary says America is “at war” there.

Obama has shown contempt for Congress on so many levels. Not only does he not ask them when he starts a new war, he barely even informs them of what is going on.
In the past, Russia and China kind of stood aside as the U.S. imposed its will all over the Middle East, but that is no longer the case.
Russia and China are clearly saying "no" to military action against Syria.
Will Obama back down or will he defy the Russians and the Chinese?
It is going to be very interesting to watch.
And this emerging alliance between the Russians and the Chinese is going to be something to keep a close eye on. We have been seeing increasing cooperation between the two nations in a bunch of different areas.
If the United States is not very careful, it could find itself in a direct conflict with both Russia and China in the years ahead.
The Russian military and the Chinese military have been very busy preparing for such a conflict. The U.S. military has been focused on other things.
Sadly, most Americans know much more about "America's Got Talent" and "American Idol" than they do about geopolitics these days.


Will Russian And Chinese Military Forces On Syrian Soil Prevent Obama From Bombing Syria?

Syria: Russia to send marines to naval base

Russia confirmed that it was preparing to send an elite unit of marines to its naval base in Syria on Monday, sharply raising the stakes in its confrontation with the West over the future of the Assad regime.
Russia was particularly unnerved after William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and other Western officials compared the slaughter in Syria to the civil war in Bosnia in the 1990s, a Western defence official said Photo: REX

By Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent
8:28PM BST 18 Jun 2012

The planned deployment was designed to send a powerful signal that Russia would not tolerate foreign military intervention in Syria, according to a Western defence source.

It was apparently ordered after the Kremlin came to conclusion that Western powers were preparing to circumvent the United Nations Security Council – where Russia holds a veto – by unilaterally authorising Nato military action in Syria. The source said that Russia had "completely misunderstood" Western intentions.

Classified US satellite images last week indicated that loading work had begun on two amphibious landing vessels, the Nikolai Filchenkov and the Caesar Kunikov, at the Crimean naval base of Sebastopol.

After initially remaining silent on the subject, a senior naval commander yesterday confirmed that both ships would shortly be heading to the Russian base at the Syrian port of Tartus, the Interfax news agency reported.

The officer said that they would carry marines charged with protecting the security of Russian citizens and evacuating a part of the base, marking the first time Moscow has sent troops to Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began more than 15 months ago.

If fully loaded, the two vessels could carry as many as 600 troops and 24 tanks.

Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta, citing anonymous military sources, suggested that the soldiers would be drawn from the elite Pskov airborne brigades and special forces units stationed in Chechnya.

The move comes amid heightened international tension over Syria, with the United States, Britain and France all pressing Russia to accept Mr Assad's departure as part of a new peace plan. Moscow has insisted that it will not tolerate regime change enforced by outside powers.

Russia was particularly unnerved after William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and other Western officials compared the slaughter in Syria to the civil war in Bosnia in the 1990s, the Western defence official said.

They believed the comparisons amounted to a coded signal that the West was preparing to authorise a Nato mission to Syria similar to the peacekeeping operation mounted in Bosnia and later in Kosovo.

Both missions angered nationalists in Russia, a long-standing ally of Serbia, and is said to have contributed to President Vladimir Putin's deep distrust of the West. Recent experience in Libya, however, suggests that any Nato action without the blessing of the UN is unlikely – even if the West were contemplating it.

But the deployment also signalled that Russia was hedging its bets, according to the diplomat.

"The purpose is threefold," he said. "First, they want to send a signal to the West about military intervention. Second, they want to demonstrate support for Assad.

"But they are also preparing for the worst and realise that the worsening situation may leave them no choice but to evacuate their nationals as a last resort. If that happens, it is game over for the Russians.

"They project strength, but know their position in Syria is actually a weak one. It may be this is a last throw of the dice."

Syria has long been Moscow's most important Arab ally, both as a major importer of its arms and as the providers of Russia's only warm-water naval base outside the former Soviet Union.

Before the uprising began, Russia had hoped to expand its naval presence in Syria in order to give its ailing navy the opportunity of challenging the dominance of the US Fifth Fleet in the Mediterranean.

The planned deployment is the latest in a series of warnings to the West against military involvement in Syria. Last Friday, Russia confirmed that it was shipping advance defensive missile systems to Syria that could be used to shoot down aircraft and sink ships.

"I would like to say these mechanisms are really a good means of defence, a reliable defence against attacks from the air or sea," Anatoly Isaykin, director of the state arms company Rosoboronexport, said.

"This is not a threat, but whoever is planning an attack should think about this."

Syria: Russia to send marines to naval base - Telegraph

Media ship-storm over Russian vessels ‘bound for Syria’

Published: 19 June, 2012, 20:34



The MV Alaed, a multipurpose twin-deck cargo vessel was stopped by the UK-based marine insurer the Standard Club (Image from femco.com)

TAGS: Military, Russia, UK, Middle East, USA, Syria, Army

A Russian cargo ship stopped near Scotland has been forced to turn back to home shores as the UK-based insurer withdrew the vessel’s cover. Western media are mired in speculation over alleged Russian supplies to Syria.
*The MV Alaed, a multipurpose twin-deck cargo vessel was proceeding through the North Sea when it was stopped by the UK marine insurer the Standard Club some 50 miles (80.4km) off Scotland.

The ship was halted after the US told the insurer Washington suspected the vessel was heading to Syria, carrying MI25 helicopters known as "flying tanks" and other choppers.

"We are aware of a ship carrying a consignment of refurbished Russian-made attack helicopters heading to Syria,” the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said in the statement.

The Standard Club Company withdrew the vessel’s insurance, making it difficult for the ship to dock legally in ports.

On Tuesday the MV Alaed had to head back to Russia, noted UK Foreign Secretary William Hague.

The insurer also canceled all licenses belonging to Russia’s FEMCO Group, under which the cargo vessel operated.

Standard Club explained its decision saying that FEMCO Group had "broken internal rules" of the company – a mutual insurance association.

“We are working closely with international partners to ensure that we are doing all we can to stop the Syrian regime's ability to slaughter civilians being reinforced through assistance from other countries,'' the Foreign Office added.

The vessel's operator FEMCO refused to comment Tuesday.

Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton triggered a diplomatic row between Moscow and Washington when she lashed out at Russia over a shipment of attack helicopters, which she said the Syrian government could use in a crackdown on opposition.

Moscow insists it is merely sending to Syria “old, refurbished helicopters” that had been repaired and were being returned to Damascus as specified under an earlier contractual agreement.

Tensions have also been ratcheted by media reports suggesting that Russian vessels are delivering weapons to Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday saying that no navy ships were making their way to Syria.

According to the Defense Ministry, the one morsel of truth in the media reports was that the specific warships mentioned do in fact belong to the country’s Black Sea Fleet.

Concern over alleged Russian supplies to Syria have been growing as the West is accusing Moscow of violating the European Union arms embargo against Damascus, imposed last May.

Media ship-storm over Russian vessels

Related: Hidden US-Israeli Military Agenda: "Break Syria into Pieces"

actually... that's what the GLOBALISTS want to do here as well

War Clouds

June 20, 2012 by Bob Livingston

U.S. NAVY PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS CHAD J. MCNEELEY

Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta welcomed Israeli President Shimon Peres, left, to the Pentagon.

The clouds of a Mideast war are growing darker by the day.

The United States is using al-Qaida-aligned terrorists to overthrow the Bashar Assad regime just as it did to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi in Libya.

Although NATO has been hesitant to provide air support like it did in Libya — despite calls from neocon war lovers like Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman to let the bombing commence sooner rather than later — the organization is using Turkey’s Military High Command and funds from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states to arm and train the rebels in the use of anti-tank and anti-aircraft rockets, mortars and heavy machine guns.

Meanwhile, the drumbeat for an attack on Iran grows louder and stronger, despite the fact that no one really believes Iran is on the verge of producing a nuclear weapon. And U.S. troops are being placed strategically in the region to prepare for an attack.

But Russia and China are warning the United States to cease its meddling in the region.

Russia is sending two warships to Syria. A Russian transport carrying attack helicopters has been halted by the British after the ship’s insurer revoked insurance coverage. Syria, Iran, Russia and China are planning joint war games that will involve almost 100,000 troops, 400 aircraft and 1,000 tanks — and a fleet of warships from Russia and China that includes Russian nuclear attack submarines.

The American Free Press reports that the Bilderberg group “emerged from their annual meeting determined to force a war in the Middle East.” Their puppet, President Barack Obama, has decided he can start wars whenever he chooses. That time may be soon.

“We can get Israel to attack Iran because we Americans throw so much money at them,” Bilderberger and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told his Bilderberg brethren, according to an AFP report. “Israel has a strong army, loves to use it and knows American troops will join them immediately.”

And that will further advance the group’s goal, according to Carl Bildt, Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs. “Your American ‘nationalists’ will be pleading for a global agency that can impose economic orders on any country on Earth, force them to raise taxes, increase aid to other states, or whatever,” he said, according to AFP.

Besides, there’s nothing like a good shootin’ war to up a President’s re-election prospects — especially early in the game before fatigue for the latest “adventure” sets in.

War Clouds : Personal Liberty Alerts

Immediate Action and calls needed here, please help!

http://www.alipac.us/f8/congress-res...2/#post1288268