Tag: Middle East

News From The Middle East

We have heard all the lies about a ceasefire and apparently Israel does not want any progress on that front for they just keep attacking Lebanon trying to turn it in Gaza…..

Israel said Monday that Iran had launched missiles targeting it, hours after Israel launched airstrikes targeting central and western Iran in response to missile fire from Tehran. The exchange of strikes threatened to drag the wider Middle East back into a regional war, the AP reports. Sirens sounded in central Israel, and the government urged the public to seek shelter. Explosions could be heard in central Israel as Israeli air defenses sought to intercept the incoming Iranian fire. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the attack. Meanwhile, the White House did not respond to messages about Israel’s strikes and whether they were done in coordination with the US.

Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions being heard in Isfahan, Karaj, Tabriz, and Tehran, without immediately elaborating. A witness in Tehran described hearing at least one large blast somewhere to the west of the country’s capital city. Iran closed the airspace around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main airfield, after the Israeli attack. Sirens sounded across Israel on Monday after its military said a missile launched from Yemen targeted the country, without elaborating. Israel’s rescue services said there were no reports of casualties or impacts from the launch from Yemen.

Israel is using Lebanon as an excuse for Iran and their unwarranted attacks….typical bullshit from these cowards.

Then in an interview on Sunday Donny made one of his BS pronouncements….’never promised no new wars’….

President Trump now says a central theme of his assurances to voters was never actually a promise. In a Meet the Press interview that aired Sunday, Trump rejected the idea that he ever pledged “no new wars,” telling NBC‘s Kristen Welker, “I didn’t promise anything.” He argued that his push to build what he called the “strongest military in the world” undercuts the notion that he guaranteed he’d avoid fighting. Trump insisted he dislikes “endless wars” but cast the current confrontation with Iran as short term, saying, “We’re there for a few months and the threat is largely over.”

Of course that interview did not go well for Donny had to slip back into his accusation mode….and walk out.

On a side note…..

It’s the strange world of international espionage: The US has long understood that Israel is going to do a little spying on America, and it’s acceptable as long as they don’t overdo it. Now, multiple reports suggest they’re overdoing it. The Pentagon has ramped up the counterintelligence threat posed by ally Israel to “critical,” the highest level, reports the New York Times and NBC News. A big factor is the Iran war: Intelligence assessments warn that Israeli agencies have significantly stepped up efforts to monitor top US negotiator Steve Witkoff, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, and other American authorities. One senior US official describes Israel’s aggressive moves as “unhinged,” per the Times.

Defense Intelligence Agency report cited by both outlets says Israel’s threat level was recently raised from “high” to the top tier, citing attempts to plant listening devices at DIA headquarters and in a Secret Service vehicle, and spyware found on US defense personnel phones in Israel. It wasn’t clear if a specific incident prompted the upgraded threat level, or if it was a culmination of all of the above. The warnings arrive with US-Israeli military cooperation at unprecedented levels, given the extensive intelligence-sharing and joint war planning against Iran. For the record, the Pentagon declined comment, a White House official called the account false, and Israel’s embassy denied spying on US officials.

It is not bad enough that Israel owns our election process  now they are engaged in massive spying on their ‘ally’ (I use the word loosely for the US is a tool not an ally).

Things are pretty normal in the Middle East….normal for a Donny government that is…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Section 224

Section 224?

Buried in the House’s version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released on Tuesday, is section 224, entitled “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” The provision would arguably do more to intertwine the U.S. military with the Israeli military than the more than $200 billion (inflation adjusted) in military assistance Israel has received from the U.S. since its founding in 1948.

Section 224 lays the groundwork for bilateral research and development, co-production of weapons, joint ventures, licensing agreements, and seemingly every manner of U.S.-Israeli military-industrial complex cooperation. The U.S. and Israel already work together heavily on missile defense, but this provision would greatly expand coordination to seemingly every area of defense tech, including AI, quantum, autonomous systems, directed energy, cyber, biotech, and many more. It also proposes “network integration” and “data fusion.” In other words, the U.S. military’s data could soon be the Israeli military’s data.

Is this a good idea?

I know the US is at the mercy of Israeli ash but to give them this much sway over our military is unheard of and unprecedented.

Section 224 would be a different beast entirely. It would fuse the U.S. and Israeli defense sectors in multiple areas vital to the battlefields of the future, like autonomous systems and cyber. It would also bring extraordinary Israeli influence to the U.S. beyond what it already has through the Israel lobby and its robust network of social media influencers. It would give the Israeli government the opportunity to greatly expand one of the most powerful levers of influence in U.S. politics: jobs in the U.S. By expanding or starting new co-production facilities like it already has in Mississippi and Arkansas, the Israeli government could boast of providing jobs on U.S. soil, thereby securing allies among members of Congress who represent the districts where those jobs lie.

The result could well be a U.S. political system even more susceptible to the whims of an Israeli government that seemingly has no qualms about drawing the U.S. into military conflicts in the Middle East.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-us-military/

Israel has way too much power over Congress and the WH…it is time to break this stranglehold and put Israel in its place…..as the problem that keeps the Middle East in flames and allows it to get away with genocide and massive destruction in the name of security.

These twats are expanding their little piece of sand into a mini empire which I am sure we can find in one of their books of myths.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Donny Has A Plan For The Middle East

AS you can imagine it is a plan that will not bring peace in the Middle East but it will give Israel more power than it deserves.

President Trump has made a new pivot in Iran peace talks: He’s now pitching a sweeping reset of Middle East relations that would widen a regional pact from his first term called the Abraham Accords. Trump wants more Muslim-majority countries to formally recognize or deepen ties with Israel, and he specifically called out Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan as targets for inclusion. He added that Iran itself could join once it signs a peace deal, asserting that the widened pact would be “the most important Deal” those countries would ever sign. Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates are the current signees, notes the Washington Post.

A Wall Street Journal analysis points out that the idea could give Trump an out with hawkish Republicans who have blasted the emerging Iran framework as too soft and too similar to the Obama-era nuclear deal Trump scrapped in his first term. Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and ex–national security adviser John Bolton all have warned the proposal could bolster Tehran. Graham, however, quickly pivoted to cheer Trump’s Abraham Accords expansion plan as “simply brilliant” and potentially transformative for the region. A New York Times analysis similarly notes that if “more countries sign up to the accords, it could placate some Iran hawks who have criticized Mr. Trump for pursuing a peace deal.”

The major obstacle: the countries Trump is pressuring. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it won’t normalize relations with Israel without a credible path to Palestinian statehood—something even more remote after Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza and clashes with Iran. Pakistan’s defense minister already has rejected the idea of joining, notes the Times of India. Qatari officials likewise signaled they’re not on board and would only engage Israel on resolving the Palestinian issue. Trump’s vision is “a hope tethered to a galaxy far, far away,” Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, tells the Journal. Gulf leaders risk public backlash if they move closer to Israel under current conditions, he says.

This is just another attempt to give Israel the lead in the Middle East….a country that thinks genocide is a good option for settling grievances.

These Accords give Israel everything and peanuts to everyone else involved.

I say screw Israel….the sooner this parasite is put in its place the sooner peace can be achieved in the Middle East….Israel has never held up to any of its commitments to peace in the region ….why would this one be any different?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

This Is Who Controls The WH?

I for one do not think that Donny is smart enough to make his own decisions and stupid enough not to take advice from those in the know.

But a story I read tells me all I need to know about who tells Dumb Donny what to do in the Middle East….

NBC News reported on Wednesday that President Trump quickly ended the US military operation to “guide” commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz due to backlash from the US’s Gulf Arab allies.

The report said that the abrupt reversal came after Saudi Arabia was caught off guard by Trump’s announcement of what he dubbed “Project Freedom,” and Riyadh informed the US that it would not allow the US military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort.

Israel’s i24 reported on Thursday, citing Gulf sources, that Saudi Arabia would restrict US military access until the US “provides proper protection” from Iranian attacks. During the short-lived Project Freedom, the UAE came under missile and drone attacks, and the US downplayed the attacks and didn’t respond.

…

For its part, Iran’s military denied responsibility for the attacks in the UAE, which hit oil infrastructure, but sources told Iranian media that they were retaliation for the US launching the new military operation.

The NBC report said that a phone call between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue of Riyadh’s restrictions on US military access. It also said that the US spoke with Qatar and Oman only after Trump announced the military operation.

“The problem with that premise is that things are happening quickly in real time,” a Saudi source told NBC when asked if the announcement of Project Freedom took Riyadh by surprise. A White House official appeared to deny the report, insisting that “regional allies were notified in advance.”

(antiwar.com)

So the prince gets butt hurt and tells Donny to do what he is told…..and Donny bows and takes it.

This whole scenario in the Middle East these days is disgusting and non-essential to the security of the region.  The only problems are that of Saudi Arabia and Israel…..when those two problems are eliminated the safer the region will become.

We now know who makes Donny’s Middle East policies.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Board Of Peace?

Are you kidding me?

It should read “Bored of Peace”.

We all know what is going on in Gaza if you do not then you are a mindless freak and now that the fighting is over and the death and starvation continues our dear little Donny has a brilliant idea….a Board of Peace.

What is the purpose?

Chaired by Trump, the board was originally envisaged as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. The Trump administration’s ambitions have since expanded into a more sprawling concept, with Trump extending invitations to dozens of nations and hinting the board will soon broker global conflicts. Trump headed on Tuesday for the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where he’s expected to provide more details.  Hint:  He offered very little explanation as usual)

This organization will oversee the rebuilding of Gaza after the devastation by Israel….and members have been announced….

President Trump used the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to unveil a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza, bringing leaders from more than a dozen countries onstage Thursday, though many top American allies aren’t participating in the board. Speaking at a ceremony to sign the board’s charter, Trump said it could work with the United Nations to resolve wars not only in the Middle East, where the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza was the genesis of the concept, the AP reports.

  • Trump offered few details about its mandate and how the panel will work or might pursue efforts to end global conflicts, but he hailed the board as “something very, very unique for the world.”
  • “I think we can spread out to other things as as we succeed with Gaza, we’re going to be very successful in Gaza,” Trump said. “We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do.”
  • Trump did not provide specifics about how the board would cooperate with the UN. A number of countries, many of them close US allies, have expressed concerns Trump might want the board to supplant or rival the UN and have either refused to sign on or remained noncommittal. Vladimir Putin says he’ll join the board if the US unfreezes Russian assets. Joining requires paying a $1 billion “bond of peace.”
  • The Guardian notes the the Board of Peace logo resembles the UN logo, “except reworked in Trump fashion: all in gold, and focused squarely on the US.”
  • Some of the leaders at the Board of Peace ceremony had little connection to the Middle East, the Telegraph reports. Argentina, Mongolia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Paraguay were represented. Viktor Orban of Hungary was the only European leader present.

Now I ask you does it make sense to put Israel, US and possibly Russia on a Board of Peace?

This smells like just another way to wrestle Gaza out of the hands of Palestinians to the benefit of the world’s biggest warmongers.

As usual with most of Donny’s plans….there is little information on how it will work.

This is just another scam from the world’s biggest con man.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Did Hell Freeze Over?

I am not a fan of any GOPer that has stupidity and is proud of that…..but on occasion I have heard one of these dullards say something that makes sense, at least to me…..

As ignorant as I believe MTG is she recently called for something that I could agree with and of necessary support….

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has said she will be introducing an amendment to remove $500 million in military aid for “nuclear-armed Israel” from the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), marking a rare acknowledgement of Israel’s nuclear weapons from a member of Congress.

The US has a policy of ambiguity toward Israel’s nuclear weapons program and does not acknowledge its existence or pressure Israel to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It’s estimated that Israel has somewhere between 90 and 300 nuclear weapons.

“I’m entering amendments to strike $500 million more for nuclear-armed Israel. And it’s important to say nuclear-armed Israel, because they do have nuclear weapons,” Greene told Steve Bannon on his “War Room” podcast.

“And we already give them $3.4 billion every single year in the state, from the State Department. $3.4 billion every single year. They don’t need another $500 million in our defense budget. That’s for the American people’s defense,” Greene added.

The US provides Israel with $3.8 billion in military aid each year under a memorandum of understanding signed between Israel and the Obama administration. Of that amount, $3.3 billion is provided through the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing program, and $500 billion goes toward missile defense through the Pentagon.

The US has also provided billions of dollars in additional military aid after October 7, 2023. According to Israeli media, the US has financed roughly 70% of Israel’s war-related military spending since then.

Greene went on to stress the importance of acknowledging Israel’s nuclear weapons. “And Israel, you can—nuclear-armed Israel, I think it’s really important to phrase it that way. Nuclear-armed Israel doesn’t need $500 million more from the American people. Our government just bombed Iran on their behalf and destroyed their nuclear,” she said.

(antiwar.com)

I agree…..stop enabling these thugs of the Middle East….for without the US they are nothing….and without the control they have on the media then the whole damn world would know just how brutal and barbarous they truly are…the media is their best tool in their struggle to prevent their atrocities coming to light.

I wish MTG gets signers for her amendment and maybe then the Israelis will be brought into the light and held responsible for the evil ways.

We can only hope.

Then another Right winger has made a statement that I have previously stated…..for those that hold dual citizenship and join the IDF without ever serving the US military should lose their citizenship….once they serve they have shown that Israel is their primary concern and not the US……and a person that I seldom agree with has made a similar statement….

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host and a leader in the Republican Party’s isolationist wing, said that Americans who previously served in the Israeli Defense Forces should have their U.S. citizenship revoked over concerns of dual loyalty. At the same time, he also criticized the Trump administration for trying to deport pro-Palestinian students who engaged in anti-Israel activity on campus.

“There are a lot of Americans who’ve served in the IDF — they should lose their citizenship,” Carlson said in a 45-minute speech on Saturday at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida. “You can’t fight for another country and remain an American, period.”

In a Q&A session after his remarks, Carlson also appeared to agree with an audience member that the Trump administration’s crackdown and deportation of pro-Palestinian students who engaged in anti-Israel activity is “totally outrageous.”

(forward.com)

These two ideas ought to get the naysayers up on their high horse.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The War That Israel Has Wanted

As the sun awaits it’s trip over the horizon word has come out that Israel has started a war that it has been brooding over for 50 years…major attacks on Iranian soil.

Explosions rang out across Iran’s capital early Friday local time as Israel said it was attacking the country. People in Tehran awoke to the sound of the blasts. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a “special situation” in Israel over the attack on Iran and declared a nationwide special state of emergency, saying schools would be closed in the country on Friday. He described it as a “pre-emptive strike” and said a missile and drone counterattack “is expected in the immediate time frame,” the New York Times reports.

The White House did not have an immediate comment Thursday night. As the explosions in Tehran started, President Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress, the AP reports. It was unclear if he had been informed, but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes. The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

And as predicted Tehran has retaliated….

Following the launch of Israel’s major attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Islamic Republic retaliated with more than 100 drones, the Israeli military said on Friday.

Over the past few hours, more than 100 drones have been sent towards Israel, according to Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin. The army and military defence systems are working to shoot them down, Defrin said.

Israel attacked more than 100 targets in Iran overnight with approximately 200 fighter jets, including Iranian nuclear facilities, Defrin said. A total of 330 different types of munitions were used, the spokesman added.

Israel must expect “harsh punishment,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared a state of emergency for the country and urged citizens to take precautions.

In a statement released by the White House shortly after the first reports of the attacks surfaced, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was not involved in the attacks.

“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” according to the statement. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”

Us has allowed this stupidity to happen….for Israel is allowed to do as they want regardless of the consequences.

Could this be the war that Israel has been planning for 50 years?

Eventually the us will be in this situation ass deep for Israel has paid good money to allow their adventurism.

This is not a good thing that is happening and we should make it stop before it escalates.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Coming Syrian Civil War

One of Donny’s clueless sycophants, Rubio made a bold statement the other day….predicting there would soon be a Syrian civil war.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday that the US assesses the new al-Qaeda-linked Syrian government could collapse within weeks and that the country could descend into “full-scale civil war.”

Rubio made the comments at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, where he explained the administration’s rationale for engaging with Syria’s new de facto leaders, who the US helped put in power, despite their al-Qaeda roots.

…

“The bad news is that the transitional authority figures, they didn’t pass their background check with the FBI. They’ve got a tough history and one that we understand,” Rubio said.

“If we engage them, it may work out, it may not work out. If we did not engage them, it was guaranteed that it would not work out,” he added. “In fact, it was our assessment that, frankly, the transitional authority, given the challenges they’re facing, are maybe weeks, not many months, away from potential collapse.”

Rubio said that a collapse would lead to “a full-scale civil war of epic proportions. Basically, the country splitting up.”

(antiwar.com)

Two points….first there has been a civil war going on in Syria since about 2011….p0resent day is just a momentary lull in the fighting….second….the country has been split up for years with the Assad government holding the Coast  and the extremists holding most of the east and central parts of the country.

To illustrate my point….just very recently….

While the cooperation between the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government in Syria and the Kurdish SDF originally made it seem like the violence in northern Syria was on the decline, a new round of fighting between those groups has led to increased tensions and concern that the situation is about to blow up all over again.

Syrian media accused the SDF of trying to infiltrate a pair of army bases in Tal Syriatel, close to the Tishreen Dam. This led to what is being called a “limited” military confrontation between the two sides, though the HTS followed by increasing the number of troops deployed in the area around Tishreen Dam in the name of maintaining security.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time for the two sides, as they are conducting joint operations in neighboring Raqqa Governorate, which is mostly under SDF control. The raids are said to be targeting remnants of the Assad government and “drug dealers,” though locals are bristling at the summary detentions of people on accusations of disloyalty.

(antiwar.com)

Just one incident of the on-going war for dominance in Syria.

Rubio broad statement was clueless and not very accurate….but that is what I expect from someone serving on a cabinet of the least qualified.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A Dash Through The Middle East

Our Clueless Leader is on a state visit to the Middle East, well not the whole region just the to the ones with the most cash to spread around, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar, I believe his first trip on his first admin was to Saudi as well and I remember the creepy photo of him and the Saudi king holding a shimmering orb.

So what’s up with this visit?

Follow the cash.

The Saudis will be getting a sweetheart weapons deal from the US and do not forget that there is the promise of another Trump Tower in the capital.

And then on to Qatar where he will schmooze the emir and of course take ownership of that luxury Air Force One that will be donated to him (and he has said when (and if) he retires it will be part of a presidential library)

As a reminder, it’s actually unconstitutional for presidents to profit from or receive compensation from foreign governments—but that hasn’t stopped Trump one bit. The Trump family’s Middle East real estate plans include a Trump-branded golf course in Qatar (as part of a $5.5 billion development project), a $1 billion Trump hotel and residence in Dubai, and a $2 billion cryptocurrency investment by an Abu Dhabi firm into one of Trump’s cryptocurrency projects, the World Liberty Financial coin.

The family also revealed in December that it would be expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia, announcing Trump Tower Jeddah. The price tag for the building has not been made public, but one of the developers on the project, Dar Global, compared it to another $530 million Trump Tower in the city, reported Reuters.

https://newrepublic.com/post/195205/donald-trump-syria-sanctions-business-deal

The Trump Organization has similarly partnered with Dar Global on a Trump Tower set to be built in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and an upcoming Trump International Hotel and luxury golf development in neighboring Oman.

During the crypto conference, a state-backed investment company in Abu Dhabi announced it had chosen USD, World Liberty Financial’s stablecoin, to back a $2 billion investment in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Critics say that allows Trump family-aligned interests to essentially take a cut of each dollar invested.

While visiting these countries that are stroking his ego Donny met with the Syrians and announced the dropping of sanctions on that nation.

Trump told reporters that he wanted to give Syria a “fresh start” by lifting sanctions.

Proponents of more US engagement with Syria hoped that getting Trump into a room with Sharaa, who remains a US-designated terrorist over his al-Qaeda past, could help soften the Republican administration’s thinking on Damascus and cool an increasingly tense relationship between Syria and Israel.

“Sharaa wants a business deal for the future of his country,” Bass said earlier, noting it could cover energy exploitation, cooperation against Iran and engagement with Israel.

“He told me he wants a Trump Tower in Damascus. He wants peace with his neighbours. What he told me is good for the region, good for Israel.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-tower-syria-sanctions-meeting-b2750667.html

There it is….a Trump Tower in Damascus that was probably the best selling point for Donny’s decision.

Let’s not forget the UAE…..

Eric Trump announced plans for an 80-story Trump Tower in Dubai, the UAE’s largest city. He also attended a recent cryptocurrency conference there with Zach Witkoff, a founder of the Trump family crypto company, World Liberty Financial, and son of Trump’s do-everything envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff.

“We are proud to expand our presence in the region,” Eric Trump said last month in announcing that Trump Tower Dubai was set to start construction this fall.

The presidential visit to the region, as his children work the same part of the world for the family’s moneymaking opportunities, puts a spotlight on Trump’s willingness to embrace foreign dealmaking while in the White House, even in the face of growing concerns that doing so could tempt him to shape U.S. foreign policy in ways that benefit his family’s bottom line.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-business-interests-family-middle-east-cryptocurrency-cbb7d2354304ce0308800819944cf3f8

And I bet you thought I was being a dick when I said follow the cash.

This visit is to promote Donny and his profitable enterprises not what is best for this country and its people.

When will the American people awaken from this nioghtmare?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Man In Charge

Assad is gone and the rebels are in control of the capital and most of the country….and now the watch has begun to see how all this plays out for the Syrians and the rest of the world.

For now it appears the head of the rebel faction is in charge…..and who is that?

It remains unclear who will be the next leader of Syria now that Bashar al-Assad is gone, but one man is clearly positioning himself for the role: Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of the main military faction behind the push to oust Assad. However, in a move that speaks volumes about his desire to present a more moderate image, al-Golani has shed that military nom-de-guerre and is now going by his given name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, reports Reuters. Coverage:

  • “By far, he’s the most important player on the ground in Syria,” Jerome Drevon, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, tells the New York Times. The 42-year-old al-Sharaa runs Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a militant group once affiliated with al-Qaeda before a split several years ago.
  • His shift: When al-Sharaa gave his first interviews a decade ago, he did so in full military garb, notes the AP. Over the years, he has switched to a suit and tie and begun calling for tolerance of different religious beliefs. It’s a big departure from the days when he called for Syria to be ruled by sharia law. “He’s retooled, he’s refashioned, made new allies, and come with his own charm offensive,” another regional expert tells Reuters.
  • Bio, US view: Al-Sharaa was born in Saudi Arabia, but his parents were Syrian exiles, and the family returned there in the 1980s. He went across the border to Iraq in 2003 to fight with al-Qaeda against the US, reports Al Jazeera. He spent about five years in a US military prison before returning to Syria. The US still considers him a terrorist—and still has a $10 million bounty on his head. The US also considers HTS a terrorist organization.
  • The question: Analysts are watching to see if al-Sharaa will continue to espouse—and perhaps enact—more moderate policies amid Syria’s current leadership void. “In a way, this is his Zelensky moment,” says analyst Drevon, referring to the leader of Ukraine. “Zelensky was criticized before the war in Ukraine, and then he became a statesman. The question is can (al-Sharaa) make the same transformation.”

Like I have already said…..the road ahead is a tough one for the country and is full of chaos waiting to take hold and diminish the rewards for free the Syrian people from the vice grip of Assad.

So how does it look for Syria?

Syria’s prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt.” Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighboring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Assad’s brutal rule.

  • There were signs of the difficulties ahead for the rebel alliance now in control of much of the country, the AP reports. The alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaeda militant who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said Monday it would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement on social media.
  • Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services had shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the UN official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. “This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonized by the public media are now in charge in the nation’s capital,” UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula Abdelmoula told the AP. “I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.”
  • Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was long known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met for the first time with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali, who stayed in Syria when Assad fled. “You will see there are skills” among the rebels, al-Sharaa said in a video shared on a rebel messaging channel.
  • Israel said it carried out airstrikes on suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets to keep them from falling into the hands of extremists. Israel has also seized a buffer zone inside Syria after Syrian troops withdrew. “The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters Monday.
  • Jalali, the prime minister, has sought to project normalcy since Assad fled. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said Sunday that judges were ready to resume work quickly.
  • European countries including Germany and France said Monday that they plan to freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, Le Monde reports. Turkey, meanwhile, opened a border crossing to facilitate the return of refugees.

Then there is the fact that HST is considered a terrorist group….will that change?

The US is considering removing the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the list of US-designated terror organizations after the group led the offensive that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Washington Post reported that US officials are in contact with HTS and other groups involved in the offensive. One US official said the Biden administration was doing a “real-time assessment” on whether or not HTS should be removed from the list of foreign terrorist organizations.

POLITICO reported there is a “furious debate” among US officials about the issue. “There is a huge scramble to see if, and how, and when we can delist HTS,” one official said.

(antiwar.com)

Another thing to keep in mind….the US has approximately 900 troops in Syria….and their fate could be bad if things do not pan out as people want….keep in mind what happened in Libya and the consequences of deposing Qaddafi.

This situation will be more important as the swearing in day gets closer.

I will be watching and writing….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”