Uncovered: Russian-syrian-iranian axis

[waltky]

Might be worth keeping in mind as to the real reason Russia vetoed the UN resolution pertaining to Syria and its solidarity with the Iranian nuclear program...

Russia-Syrian-Iranian common defense pact
24 July 2006 : Russia, Iran and Syria have entered a defense pact that is in the process of altering the balance of power in the entire Middle East. Russia’s part in the pact has been kept relatively secret for a long time. But the facts reveal a long steady Russian commitment to the Iranian nuclear program and arms supply to Syria.

A Mossad General shared with me in confidence that he had personally traced the hiring and importation to Iran 283 of the defunct Soviet Union’s top nuclear and missile scientists. This meeting took place in February of 1991. I shared this information with no one until nine months later when it was first made public (although strangely not followed up by the mainstream media). All Russian leaders continued and expanded this agreement to this day, especially our supposed friend, Vladimir Putin. Russia has helped the Iranian nuclear program from its inception. Hundreds of Russian scientists with their families live around the some twenty scattered nuclear related facilities. Russian ‘Spetznaz soldiers’ (special forces) guard all the key nuclear facilities. Iran has had some help on missile development from the North Koreans. But even their missiles are based upon Russian designs. The unmistakable culprit in China, North Korea and Iran’s nuclear development has been the Soviet Union and continued by Russia.

The Soviet Union’s motivation for helping China and North Korea was primarily ideological. Russia’s primary reason is hard cash, although now, it is taking on a strategic importance as well. So here are the disturbing hard facts about what is taking place in what can only be viewed as a dangerous anti-western strategy in the form of a Russian-Syrian-Iranian Axis. The first part of this strategy was, as I said above, Russia enabling Iran to produce deliverable nuclear warheads. The second part was the forming of the recent mutual defense pact between Iran and Syria. The foreign ministers of Iran and Syria, Mostafa Najjar and Hassan Turkmani, signed the pact in Tehran on June 15th, 2006. Debka’s intelligence sources unveiled a disturbing clause in the agreement that was reported to President Bush by US Intelligence. This report disclosed:

“The clause speaks of more than one battery of upgraded SHEHAB-3 surface-to-surface missiles to be deployed on the 13,000-foot Jabal Ash Shanin ridges towering over central Syria. “The latest Syrian-Iranian exchanges are reported by DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s intelligence sources as auguring the early dispatch from Tehran of a deputation of officers to take up position at al Qadnus, east of the Syrian port of Tartus, and along the road linking the port to Jabal Ash Shanin. "This team will act as the vanguard of the Iranian missile force to operate the missiles station, will check out the ground and fix its precise location. “Senior intelligence officials warned the US President that this deployment would not just throw the entire Middle East balance of strength out of kilter, but directly menace American bases as far as West and East Europe and the Central Asian republics, including those located on the shores of the oil-rich Caspian Sea.”

This puts virtually all of Europe within range of the soon-coming nuclear tipped Iranian missiles — and at the whim of Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Remember him? He is the one who believes Allah has chosen him to fulfill an “end time” Muslim prophecy by starting a world apocalypse in which the long-awaited ‘Mahdi’ (Muslim Messiah) will appear and subject all survivors to Allah. As if this isn’t bad enough news, there is something even more alarming developing within this new axis of evil. Russia is now making moves to protect Syria and its Shehab-3 missile base. This is what DEBKA-News-Weekly reported:

“Our sources have observed the Russians dredging the port of TARTUS, Syria’s second most important Mediterranean port, with a view to expanding their logistical supply point there to a fully-equipped naval base, possibly to serve the Black Sea Fleet warships when they are redeployed from the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol. It is designed to be built up into the permanent base for the fleet led by the RFS Moskva (TG Flag) missile cruiser and the RFS Azov landing ship within the next three years. “February 27, 2006, DEBKA file’s exclusive sources found the MOSKVA and AZOV heading into the Mediterranean on Feb. 5, escorted by a Russian military tug, to take part in the a NATO marine exercise Operation Active Endeavor, which was to practice counter-measures against nuclear and other WMD smugglers. NATO chiefs and American generals in particular, attached great importance to Russia’s participation in the exercise. NATO secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer had intended to make the gesture of being the North Atlantic Organization chief to visit a Russian flagship.

“The visit was cancelled when it was discovered that the three Russian fleet vessels would be paying an official call at the Syrian port of Latakia. “The arrival of the Russian task force in TARTUS in March marked the opening of the Russian base. Our military experts note that the Missile Cruiser MOSKVA is armed with the weapons, radar and electronic gear of an [aircraft] carrier hunter. “The American intelligence briefing for the US President further disclosed that sophisticated Russian air defense systems are to be installed for the dual purpose of protecting the TARTUS NAVAL BASE and the SHEHAB-3 missile emplacements. DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military sources identify the system as the S-300PMU-2. It will be operated by Russian military crews and not put in Syrian hands. “This air defense system is comparable to the American Patriot, but is more effective. “The version to be deployed in Syria is geared to intercept ballistic missiles. It has the great advantage of being ready to fire five minutes after receiving orders …”

This explains why Iran has blatantly defied the world and continued developing nuclear warheads, which are closer to becoming operational than we dare believe. Second, it explains the reason why the Iranian and Syrian defense ministers signed a mutual defense pact last June 15th. Third, it gives the reason for Hezbollah launching a war with Israel when they did. It was to divert the G-8 leaders from seriously debating action about the Iranian nuclear threat. And Vladimir Putin played a masterful game of concealing what his forces are doing. Fourth, it explains why Syria and Iran are unafraid to openly support Hezbollah in their war with Israel and support terrorist that target US troops in Iraq. Russia is in the background guaranteeing their protection. Debka reports that they found data indicating that Russia helped persuade Syrian President Bashir Assad to accept the placement of Iranian missiles on their soil by hinting that “it is part of their own deepening strategic plans for Syria.

More http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/articles.asp?ArticleID=13165

 

[waltky]

Will be interesting to see if this comes true...

Gul: Iran, Russia will change toward Syria
March 3,`12 (UPI) -- Iran and Russia's only choice is to join the international opposition to President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria, Turkish President Abdullah Gul says.

In a statement Friday, Gul said he expected the leaders of both countries to change their views on Assad, given the rising violence in Syria, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Russia and China have used their vetoes on the U.N. Security Council to block a motion that would allow sanctions against Syria.

Unconfirmed reports from the Syrian Network for Human Rights said 44 army recruits were summarily executed early Saturday at Abu Athuhoor Military Airport in Idlib. The network said 50 soldiers planned to defect to the opposition but were tricked by a captain who pretended to be joining them and instead reported their plans to Brig. Gen. Bassam Abbas.

In its report Friday, the network listed 65 deaths, 26 of them in Homs. Many of the victims were civilians, including children.

Read more: World News - UPI.com

 

[Douger]

I refer to it as The Axis of Intelligence.

 

[rhodescholar]

I refer to it as The Axis of Intelligence.

As if you had any to make such an assessment.

 

[waltky]

Granny thinks we oughta nuke `em whilst we can...

How Powerful Is Russia?
March 6, 2012 - A day after Vladimir Putin reclaimed the Russian presidency, protesters took to the streets, questioning his victory amid claims by opposition leaders and European observers of widespread election fraud.

What does this election mean for Russia’s relations with the United States? Indeed, how powerful is Russia, beyond its vote on the United Nations Security Council? Should the U.S. worry less about Russia, and more about rising powers? After all, even the oil and gas “weapon” is limited since Russia is so dependent on the revenue.

Read the Discussion

 

[waltky]

Panetta reluctant to commit military to Syria...

Military resists calls to intervene in Syria
March 7th, 2012 - America is working to remove al-Assad's regime in Syria through diplomatic pressure, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Wednesday, but he warned against U.S. military intervention.

"For us to act unilaterally would be a mistake," Panetta said in his opening statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Syria. He noted there is no consensus among nations for intervention. Panetta said military options are being considered, but he asked the senators to “recognize the limitation of military force, especially U.S. boots on the ground."

Sen. John McCain, the highest-ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee continued his impassioned crusade to get the U.S. military to use force to help the opposition fighters trying to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. McCain said Wednesday that intervening and pushing out al-Assad would be "a geopolitical success of the first order."

"The United States has a clear national security interest in stopping the slaughter in Syria and forcing Assad to leave power. The end of the Assad regime could sever Hezbollah's lifeline to Iran, eliminate a longstanding threat to Israel, bolster Lebanon's sovereignty and independence, and remove a committed state sponsor of terrorism that has engaged in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," McCain said. "How many additional civilian lives would have to be lost in order to convince you that the military measures of this kind that we are proposing are necessary," McCain asked Panetta. "How many more have to die? Ten thousand more? Twenty thousand more? How many more?"

Panetta responded that the United States is working to build an international consensus for action. "What doesn't make sense it is to take unilateral action at this point," he said with equal emotion. "Before I recommend that we put our sons and daughters in uniform in harm's way, I have got to make very sure that we know what the mission is. I've got to make very sure we know whether we can achieve that mission, at what price and whether it will make matters better or worse."

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See also:

Effects of Instability Spill Over to Syria's Neighbors
March 7, 2012 — As the bloody conflict in Syria enters its second year, it is inflicting economic stresses and uncertainties on the country’s neighbors.

In Lebanon and Jordan, which have absorbed thousands of Syrian refugees and where the extent of the spillover from the crisis remains unclear, uneasiness about the future has taken a heavy toll on business confidence. “If you want to put together the economic and political, definitely Lebanon is the country most affected,” said Nassib Ghobril, head of economic research and analysis at the Lebanon-based Byblos Bank. “Definitely there is an impact on investor sentiment. We are not seeing new big projects being announced in Lebanon.”

There are also fears that the crisis next door could reignite armed conflict in Lebanon, where ties to Syria run deep. Despite calls for restraint by many politicians, there are regular demonstrations for and against the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. These fears, with the compounded effect of the collapse of the Lebanese government in January 2011, a subsequent five-month government vacuum and continuing internal instability and tension, have contributed to a deterioration of the economy over the past year.

After an average gross domestic product growth rate of about 8 percent from 2007 to 2010, last year the figure plunged to 1.5 percent. The outlook for this year does not look any better. In Lebanon, the most visible economic impact of the crisis in Syria has been the lack of tourists. In 2009, Beirut was named the top destination in the world to visit by The New York Times and tourist arrivals hit an all-time high, only to be surpassed in 2010. But in 2011, tourist arrivals dropped by more than 24 percent, according to preliminary numbers from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Such a drop represents a significant loss for an industry that, according to the country’s tourism minister and analysts, indirectly accounted for more than 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Jordan, already struggling with rising unemployment rates and a large national deficit, is also wrestling with a decline in tourist numbers since unrest began in the Arab world last year. The country has also witnessed its own protests, primarily demanding political and economic changes. Other nations are feeling the effects of the Syrian conflict, all the more that Syria occupies a strategic trade location in the region.

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[editec]

Russia supported Syria because Syria was a customer for Russian munitions.

 

[waltky]

Iraq helpin' Iran help Assad...

Iraq lets Iran fly arms to Syria despite U.S. protests
Thursday, March 15, 2012 - The U.S. has made several requests to Iraq to stop it

The Iraqi government has refused U.S. requests to stop Iranian cargo flights to Syria, despite being aware of credible intelligence that the planes are transporting up to 30 tons of weapons, according to a U.S. official. The U.S. has made several requests in recent months to the Iraqi government, including directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to either stop allowing Iran to use its airspace or allow the planes to be inspected in compliance with international law. Iraq has refused, saying the planes are carrying only humanitarian aid.

Iranian cargo flights to Syria were reported as the bloody uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad enters its second year and as Iran flouts international sanctions over its secretive nuclear program. Meanwhile, Iraq is roiling with sectarian violence and political unrest in the aftermath of the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops in December. According to the U.S. official, intelligence about the Iranian cargo flights was obtained through the interception of air traffic control communications. Manifests of the planes’ cargo have listed “agricultural equipment” and “flowers.”

A high-level White House official recently spoke directly with Mr. al-Maliki about the issue, the official said. Mr. al-Maliki, a Shiite, has been accused of tilting his government toward its more powerful neighbor, Iran, which is governed under a Shiite theocracy. The day after the last U.S. troops left Iraq, Mr. al-Maliki issued an arrest warrant for the country’s highest-ranking Sunni official, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, accusing him of terrorism-related crimes.

Situated between Iran and Syria, Iraq is an ideal transit route between the two Middle Eastern countries. But allowing cargo flights of weapons to Syria could mean that Iraq is in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1929 and 1747, which ban arms exports from Iran. A spokesman for the Iraqi Embassy in Washington said he could not provide immediate comment and that he expects to receive a response from his government in coming days. In Syria, more than 8,000 people have been killed in the Assad regime’s year-old crackdown on dissent, according to a U.N. estimate. Syrian forces and opposition rebels, led by military defectors, increasingly are clashing in city streets in what many say is becoming a civil war.

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[waltky]

Uncle Ferd says its gonna be another Rwanda with the Arab League sittin' on their hands like the ANC did...

As Syrian Deaths Mount, No Unified Response From U.N. Security Council
May 30, 2012 – Kofi Annan, the U.N.’s special envoy to Syria, has described Friday’s massacre of more than 100 people as a “tipping point,” but another U.N. Security Council discussion of the crisis on Wednesday looks unlikely to produce any strong action while Russia continues to oppose a unified stance against Damascus.

The Assad regime and Syrian rebels are blaming each other for the deaths in the town of Houla. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous charged that the Assad regime was “undoubtedly” responsible for at least the murders attributed to heavy weaponry. Most of the victims, including dozens of children, were shot at close range, however, and responsibility for their deaths remains in dispute. Attention has focused on armed regime supporters known as the “shabiha” while the regime itself blames “armed terrorist groups” – its label for anti-Assad fighters. Russia, along with China, has twice vetoed resolutions in the Security Council condemning the Assad regime over the violence that has now raged for more than a year and cost more than 10,000 lives, according to U.N. estimates.

Russia and China did go along with a non-binding council statement on Sunday condemning the massacre “in the strongest possible terms.” The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) was dismissive of the council statement, which it said came even as dozens more civilians were being killed in ongoing government bombardment in Hama. “The release of a non-binding resolution [sic] by the U.N. Security Council while the regime was slaughtering children is indeed a meaningless waste of effort and is a failure of the council to fulfill its most basic duty of protecting civilians,” it said in a statement Monday. “We hold the international community and all countries that are supportive of the regime responsible for the grave consequences of the failure to act,” the SNC added.

The U.S. is looking to Wednesday’s briefing to the Security Council by Annan’s deputy, Jean-Marie Guehenno, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has already put a damper on hopes that the Houla killings may have prompted a significant shift by Moscow. “Some countries are trying to use the May 25 events as a pretext to take up military measures and put pressure on the U.N. Security Council,” the official RIA Novosti press agency quoted him as saying in Moscow. Lavrov said the massacre could benefit those who wanted to hinder the Annan “peace plan.”

Appointed in February as a joint U.N. and Arab League mediator, the former U.N. secretary-general cobbled together a six-point proposal whose main points were a ceasefire and “an inclusive Syrian-led political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people.” The U.N. also approved the deployment of several hundred unarmed observers, but the U.S. and European governments are among many parties skeptical that the plan can work, pointing especially to non-compliance by the regime.

Annan held talks with Assad on Tuesday, and told reporters afterwards that he had shared with the Syrian president “my assessment that the six-point plan is not being implemented as it must be.” “We are at a tipping point,” he said. “The Syrian people do not want the future to be one of bloodshed and division. Yet the killings continue and the abuses are still with us today.” “If the plan is not implemented, I would worry for the future of Syria,” Annan added.

‘Vile, despicable’

 

[RoccoR]

waltky; et al,

There have been many discussion on just how successful US intervention was in Iraq and what return on investment we might expect.

Iraq helpin' Iran help Assad...

Iraq lets Iran fly arms to Syria despite U.S. protests
Thursday, March 15, 2012 - The U.S. has made several requests to Iraq to stop it

The Iraqi government has refused U.S. requests to stop Iranian cargo flights to Syria, despite being aware of credible intelligence that the planes are transporting up to 30 tons of weapons, according to a U.S. official. The U.S. has made several requests in recent months to the Iraqi government, including directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to either stop allowing Iran to use its airspace or allow the planes to be inspected in compliance with international law. Iraq has refused, saying the planes are carrying only humanitarian aid.

(COMMENT)

When I was in Iraq, we had a national strategy, with a metric to determine our success.

Victory in Iraq is Defined in Stages

• Short term, Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces.
• Medium term, Iraq is in the lead defeating terrorists and providing its own security, with a fully constitutional government in place, and on its way to achieving its economic potential.
• Longer term, Iraq is peaceful, united, stable, and secure, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism.

I'm not sure that the NSC had in mind an Iraq that openly supported the Syrian Regime and the Iranians acting in direct support of the Assad Government.

But then, I always misinterpret US Foreign Policy on exactly what we achieved.

Most Respectfully,
R

 

[MuhammadDog]

Russia supported Syria because Syria was a customer for Russian munitions.

Russia continues to ship arms to Syria

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey in cahoots together...

Russia, Syria and Iran Set Up Military Coordination Cell in Baghdad
Sep 25, 2015 | Russian, Syrian and Iranian military commanders have set up a coordination cell in Baghdad in recent days to try to begin working with Iranian-backed Shia militias fighting the Islamic State, Fox News has learned.

Western intelligence sources say the coordination cell includes low-level Russian generals. U.S. officials say it is not clear whether the Iraqi government is involved at the moment. Describing the arrival of Russian military personnel in Baghdad, one senior U.S. official said, "They are popping up everywhere." The Russians already have been building up their military presence in Syria, a subject expected to factor prominently in a planned meeting between President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin in New York Monday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

While the U.S. also is fighting the Islamic State, the Obama administration has voiced concern that Russia's involvement, at least in Syria, could have a destabilizing effect. Moscow, though, has fostered ties with the governments in both Syria and Iraq. In May, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi flew to Moscow for an official visit to discuss potential Russian arms transfers and shared intelligence capability, as well as the enhancement of security and military capabilities, according to a statement by the Iraqi prime minister's office at the time.

Meanwhile, a U.S. official described to Fox News how, over the weekend, the Russians were able to move 24 attack jets into Syria undetected. The Russian military flew 12 Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" and a dozen Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" attack aircraft in "tight formations" under the "steady stream" of the large Russian An-124 cargo planes that have been ferrying supplies from bases in Russia through Iran before traveling on to Syria, the official said. The large cargo planes appeared as "a big blip" on radar, but flying beneath them were "tight formations" of the smaller Russian fighter jets that used jamming pods and switched off their IFF, which would identify the aircraft to radar.

The large Russian cargo planes have the capability to fly directly from Russia to Syria, but the smaller attack aircraft do not. "The Russian jets did not have the legs to make it directly from Russia to Syria, and needed a base to refuel," said the official, who spoke to Fox News under the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose sensitive information. According to the Aviationist, the Russian cargo planes and fighter jets landed at an airbase in Hamadan, Iran, roughly halfway between Baghdad and Tehran on Sept 18-19. Fox News also has learned from U.S. military sources that the Russians have begun flying some of the Sukhoi fighter and attack jets from Bassel al-Assad airport, in Latakia, now a Russian forward operating base along the Mediterranean.

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