An Israeli cabinet meeting to approve a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas was delayed Thursday morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the militant group of “reneging” on parts of the agreement.
Archiv: Heuchler / Heuchelei / hypocrites / hypocricy
Israel gov‘t expected to vote on Gaza deal by Thursday, according to FM statement
Israel‘s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting his visit to Europe short on Wednesday so that he could take part in security cabinet and government votes on a Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal.
Officials tout a Gaza ceasefire deal and plan to free hostages. Israel says details still in flux
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said final details were being ironed out, saying in a statement that it hoped “details will be finalized tonight.”
The EU’s Coup Against Democracy: Thierry Breton Threatens to Invalidate German Elections (Video)
(January 12, 2025)
The backlash was swift and vocal. Critics across Europe condemned Breton’s remarks, seeing them as a dangerous precedent in the EU’s approach to member states’ sovereignty. Observers noted that Breton’s comments revealed an alarming willingness to override the will of voters if outcomes do not align with EU preferences.
Many linked these actions to the EU’s broader push to control narratives, highlighting efforts to censor platforms like X in Europe to prevent dissent and scrutiny. The underlying motive, critics argue, is to silence opposition and maintain control, but such efforts may ultimately backfire as the truth surfaces despite their attempts to suppress it.
What a second Trump administration may mean for the Saudi nuclear program
(January 6, 2ß25)
Riyadh has been very clear on the kind of nuclear partnership it expects, and it is no secret that its favored option is cooperation with South Korea, similar under a 123 agreement (a nuclear cooperation document that establishes the legal basis and prerequisites for nuclear deals with the United States) allowing it to enrich uranium domestically. The problem, however, lies in the last bit of the sentence. The United States currently insists on an agreement that requires the Saudis forgo enrichment and reprocessing capabilities—two pathways to building a bomb. The reelection of Trump might be the Saudis’ chance to tip the balance in their favor.
Sullivan calls Yoon‘s martial law bid ‚shocking,‘ ‚wrong,‘ says alliance still set for success despite turmoil
(January 10,2025)
North Korea has so far been largely silent on the domestic turmoil that took hold of South Korea after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law last year. However, the US is of the view that Pyongyang could exploit this internal chaos
South Korea’s political crisis and Uncle Sam’s silence
(January 7, 2025)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken — who was in Seoul this week for meetings as though nothing unusual had happened — released a readout that made no mention of South Korea’s political situation. His response to a direct question about the U.S. position on Yoon’s actions vaguely referenced private intergovernmental discussions before pivoting to boilerplate about democratic resilience. Despite a shocking breach of liberal democracy, Seoul has faced the bare minimum of consequences from its supposed “democratic values-based partner.” Why?
Doppelagent Putin
(15. April 2018)
Der nun erfolgte erneute Luftangriff gegen Syrien repräsentiert die Wiederholung einer Seifenoper aus dem letzten Jahr (11.04.2017, Wag the Russki). Drehbuch wie folgt:
– U.S. Präsident Donald Trump äußert in etwa “es hat nach Hunderttausenden von Toten keinen Sinn mehr die Invasion in Syrien mit terroristischen Proxy-Truppen und regulären eigenen Einheiten weiter fortzusetzen”,
– im Gebiet der terroristischen Proxies und Invasoren bei Ghouta ereignet sich ein fiktiver oder tatsächlicher Einsatz von Chemiewaffen,
– Trump dreht sich um 180 Grad und kündigt einen Militärschlag auf Syrien an,
– dieser erfolgt, mit Ankündigung und laut der französischen Verteidigungsministerin und einem anonymen Politiker über “Reuters” abermals mit Vorwarnung durch die Westmächte,
– die russische Flugabwehr tut nichts, gibt auch noch damit an und die syrische, die genau wie die russischen Militärs noch jedem Massaker gegen die eigenen und verbündeten Truppen aus Irak, Iran und Libanon zugesehen hat wie die Karnickel auf der Fahrbahn, behauptet dies und das.
Einer der wenigen Unterschiede zum letzten Jahr ist, dass sich neben Donald Trump mit Emmanuel Macron und Theresa May nun zwei weitere in ihrem Land hoch umstrittene Staatsleiter vor die Presse stellen und sagen können, sehet her, das haben sie nun davon, diese Russkis. Und Putin, der arme Putin, zitiert das Völkerrecht.
Dass die russische Staatsführung nie beabsichtigt hat Syrien gegen Luftangriffe zu verteidigen, sagte sie schon im letzten Jahr. Dass der russische Präsident jetzt von einer Verletzung der Souveränität Syriens redet, spricht Bände über dessen auch im Humor zum Ausdruck kommenden Grausamkeit. Der ganze Luftraum Syriens quillt über von irgendwelchen Kampfjets von Vancouver bis Wladivostok, seit Jahren. Noch einmal – hätte die Russische Föderation vor Beginn der Syrien-Invasion oder vor Beginn der Libyen-Invasion den dortigen Regimen eine Garantieerklärung gegeben, wie sie China letzten Sommer unter viel Gewimmer und Gebrumm endlich gegenüber Nordkorea abgab, wären Hunderttausende Menschen heute noch am Leben.
Peace with Israel Tops the Agenda for Syria’s New Leaders
(January 3. 2025)
Although the majority of high-ranking officials in the HTS-led administration refrain from making categorical claims about Israel, they constantly stress that Iran and Hezbollah, not Israel, are Syria’s main enemies.
(…)
Ayman Al-Asimi, a senior member of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and former spokesperson for the Syrian opposition delegations during the Astana talks, made headlines with his remarks to BBC Arabic. He stated unequivocally that Syria’s only opponent is Iran.
From ‘Terrorist’ to ‘Freedom Fighter’: How the West Rebranded Al-Qaeda’s Jolani as Syria’s ‘Woke’ New Leader
(December 12, 2024)
In 2003, he went to Iraq to fight against American forces. After three years of war, he was captured by the U.S. military and spent over five years in prison, including a stint at the notorious Abu Ghraib torture center.
While in Iraq, Jolani fought with ISIS and was even a deputy to its founder. Immediately upon release in 2011, ISIS sent him to Syria with a rumored $1 billion to found the Syrian wing of al-Qaeda and participate in the armed protest movement against Assad that arose out of the Arab Spring.
Controversy as Syria‘s de-facto ruler declines to shake hands with German FM Annalena Baerbock
Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot visited Syria in a sign of support for the transitional government, where they expressed willingness to help the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled last month, making them the first European officials to do so.
German, French foreign ministers meet with Syria‘s HTS Islamist group
Syria‘s new de facto ruler and leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) received an EU delegation led by German Foreign Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday.
Foreign Jihadists Appointed to Senior Positions in New Syrian Military
Syrian sources told Reuters that the foreign fighters appointed to the military include Uyghurs, a Jordanian, a Turk, and an Albanian. “This is a small token of recognition for the sacrifices Islamist jihadists gave to our struggle for freedom from Assad’s oppression,” an HTS source told the media outlet.
(…)
HTS is still designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization, but the Biden administration has celebrated its takeover of Syria. The US has also made clear it’s willing to work with the new government and its de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who has been going by his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Magdeburg-Anschlag: Der Innenausschuss auf Spurensuche
Auch Bundesinnenministerin Nancy Faeser stellte sich den Fragen des Gremiums. Sie sicherte Aufklärung und besseren Schutz der Bevölkerung zu: „Alle Hintergründe müssen gründlich ermittelt werden“, sagte die SPD-Politikerin. Es werde jeder Stein umgedreht. Der Täter habe „unfassbar grausam und brutal gehandelt“. Klar sei, „dass wir unsere Sicherheitsbehörden stärken müssen“.
Heusgen: Deutschland soll in Syrien rasch Präsenz zeigen
„Wir sollten so schnell wie möglich unsere Botschaft wieder eröffnen und versuchen, die Protagonisten – die ursprünglich aus dem syrischen Ableger des Terrornetzwerks Al-Kaida hervorgegangen sind – in einem moderaten Kurs zu unterstützen“, sagte Heusgen dem Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland mit Blick auf die Islamistengruppe Haiat Tahrir al-Scham (HTS). Diese hatte Syriens Machthaber Baschar al-Assad nach einer Blitzoffensive gestürzt und führt nun mit einer Übergangsregierung das Land.
Deutschland solle dabei darauf verzichten, mit „dem erhobenen Zeigefinger aufzutreten“, sagte Heusgen weiter.
Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 26, 2024
Putin responded on December 26 to a journalist‘s request to comment on the Trump team’s reported early November suggestion to delay Ukraine‘s membership in NATO for 10 to 20 years.[1] Putin stated that it does not matter if Ukraine joins NATO „today, tomorrow, or in 10 years.“ Putin‘s December 26 statement is part of a series of comments he has made recently reiterating his refusal to consider compromises on his late 2021 and early 2022 demands.[2] These demands include forcing Ukraine to become a permanently neutral state that will never join NATO, imposing severe limitations on the size of the Ukrainian military, and removing the Ukrainian government.
Putin rejects Trump team‘s peace plan proposal — ISW
His demands continue to include Ukraine’s permanent neutral status, renouncement of NATO ambitions, restrictions on its military size, and regime change in Kyiv.
Turkey will do ‘whatever it takes’ if Syria government cannot address Kurd militia issue
(December 22, 2024)
Assad‘s fall has left the Kurdish factions on the back foot as they seek to retain political gains made in the last 13 years.
In an interview with France 24, Fidan said Ankara‘s preferred option was for the new administration in Damascus to address the problem in line with Syria‘s territorial unity, sovereignty, and integrity, adding that the YPG should be disbanded immediately.
Änderung des Grundgesetzes: So wollen Ampel und Union das BVerfG stärker schützen
(September 23, 2024)
Dazu ist auch bereits ein entsprechender Entwurf für ein solches Bundesgesetz vorbereitet worden, der die Details regelt. In § 7a BVerfGG soll ein neuer Abs. 5 eingefügt werden:
„Hat das zuständige Wahlorgan innerhalb von drei Monaten, nachdem ihm das Bundesverfassungsgericht einen Wahlvorschlag gemacht hat, keinen Nachfolger gewählt, kann sein Wahlrecht auch vom anderen Wahlorgan ausgeübt werden.“ Das bedeutet: Wäre der Bundestag von einer Partei mit mehr als einem Drittel der Stimmen blockiert, so könnte der Bundesrat einspringen.
Nach dem Anschlag in Magdeburg: Faeser fordert schnellen Beschluss von Sicherheitsgesetzen
Konkret sprach sie über ein neues Bundespolizeigesetz und die Einführung der biometrischen Überwachung. „All diese Gesetzentwürfe von uns könnten sofort beschlossen werden, wenn Union und FDP sich dem nicht verweigern“, kritisierte sie. Konkret sprach sie über ein neues Bundespolizeigesetz und die Einführung der biometrischen Überwachung. „All diese Gesetzentwürfe von uns könnten sofort beschlossen werden, wenn Union und FDP sich dem nicht verweigern“, kritisierte sie.
Report: US Had Foreknowledge of HTS Offensive To Topple Assad and Prepared Other Rebel Group To Join
(December 19, 2024)
“They did not tell us how it would happen,” Bashar al-Mashadani, an RCA commander, told The Telegraph. “We were just told: ‘Everything is about to change. This is your moment. Either Assad will fall, or you will fall.’ But they did not say when or where, they just told us to be ready.”
In October, the US brought several other Sunni Muslim militias under the command of the RCA, swelling the force from 800 fighters to about 3,000. All of the fighters are armed by the US, and the US pays their salaries of $400 per month.
US ‘prepared Syrian rebel group to help topple Bashar al-Assad’
(December 18, 2024)
RCA fighters who captured the Russian-controlled Syrian air base on the outskirts of the town last week said they had been told to prepare for Assad’s possible fall in early November, nearly three weeks before the offensive began.
Until one month earlier, Capt Mashadani had been second-in-command of the Abu Khatab brigade. This small unit of 150 men was created by US Special Forces and trained by their British counterparts in Jordan until 2016, to hunt down Isis fighters near Deir ez-Zor, a city in eastern Syria.
US Official Has ‘Good, Productive’ Meeting with al-Qaeda-Linked Julani in Damascus
Julani fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq against American soldiers during the Iraq War. He then founded al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the al-Nusra Front. In recent years, he has attempted to soften his image by giving friendly interviews to Western journalists, often appearing in a suit and with a trimmed beard to obscure his jihadist ideology.
Leaf said of Julani after the meeting, who is also going by Ahmad al-Sharaa, “I heard him on his priorities, which are very much rooted in getting Syria on the road to economic recovery.”
“We’ve been hearing this for some time, some very pragmatic and moderate statements on various issues, from women’s rights to protection to equal rights for all communities,” she added. “It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words.”
Holger Münch: BKA-Chef bestätigt „unspezifischen“ Hinweis aus Saudi-Arabien
Holger Münch, Präsident des Bundeskriminalamts (BKA), besichtigt vor Beginn der Herbsttagung des BKA mit dem Schwerpunkt künstliche Intelligenz den Veranstaltungssaal. (…)
Der Chef des Bundeskriminalamts (BKA), Holger Münch, hat bestätigt, dass das BKA im November 2023 einen Hinweis aus Saudi-Arabien zu dem mutmaßlichen Attentäter des Magdeburger Weihnachtsmarktes bekommen habe. Im heute-journal des ZDF sagte er, „hier ist auch ein Verfahren eingeleitet worden.
Gaza-Deal zwischen Saudis und Netanjahu?
„Als Gegenleistung für ihre Unterstützung und ihr Geld, so sagte mir der Israeli, würden die Vereinigten Staaten der saudischen Führung ein erweitertes Verteidigungsabkommen anbieten, das Saudi-Arabien in ihren nuklearen Schutzschirm einbeziehen würde – für den Fall, dass der Iran, Israels letzter verbliebener Feind, in den Besitz einer Atombombe gelangen sollte. “
(…)
„Der Israeli sagte mir, dass das saudische Paket einen zusätzlichen Anreiz enthält: Die Saudis würden wegschauen, wenn die Israelis Bombenangriffe durchführen, einschließlich der Bombardierung militärischer Ziele im zerrissenen Syrien, und würden Israel Zugang zu einem Flugplatz innerhalb der saudischen Grenzen gewähren. Auf diese Weise könnten israelische Bomben, die zumeist von den Vereinigten Staaten geliefert werden, innerhalb von Minuten, nicht Stunden, auf wichtige iranische Ziele abgefeuert werden.“
Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.
(December 16, 2023)
Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.
Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.
THE NEW CEASEFIRE EQUATION: Saudi Arabia’s entry into talks between Israel and Hamas may change Gaza’s future
In return for its support and money, the Israeli told me, the Saudi leadership would be offered an expanded defense treaty by the United States that would include Saudi Arabia in its nuclear umbrella—its zone of protection—in case Iran, Israel’s last standing enemy, were to acquire a nuclear bomb.
(…)
There is an added inducement in the Saudi package, the Israeli told me: the Saudis would look the other way as the Israelis conduct bombing raids, including bombing of military targets inside fractured Syria, and would give Israel access to an airfield within Saudi borders. This would bring Israeli bombs, most supplied by the United States, within minutes, and not hours, of key Iranian targets.
Israel, Saudi Arabia closer to normalisation deal: Report
(December 18, 2024)
Israel and Saudi Arabia have reached a breakthrough in talks around normalising relations, Haaretz reported on Tuesday, adding that the normalisation could be related to an elusive ceasefire deal that would bring about an end to Israel‘s war on Gaza.
Sources familiar with the negotiations told Haaretz that rather than Israel agreeing to Saudi Arabia‘s demand for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the two sides agreed that Israel would give a vague commitment on a „path towards Palestinian statehood“.
Senior U.S. Diplomats Arrive in Syria to Meet With Governing Militias
The State Department said early Friday that three senior American diplomats had arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to meet with leaders of the militias that have seized control of the country, and to look for signs of the journalist Austin Tice and other missing U.S. citizens.
US Launches More Airstrikes in Syria, Claims 12 ISIS Fighters Killed
Since Assad’s downfall, the US, Turkey, and Israel have all been bombing Syria. On December 8, the day Assad fled, the US launched heavy airstrikes in Syria, saying it hit 75 ISIS-related targets.
US officials justify the strikes by saying they don’t want ISIS to reconstitute itself following the regime change. But on the other hand, the US has supported the HTS takeover even though the group is designated by the US as a terrorist organization and has a similar ideology to ISIS.
The US has also made clear it has no intention of withdrawing the approximately 900 troops that it has occupying eastern Syria.
Scandal deepens around CNN’s Clarissa Ward staging Syria prison scene
After countless social media users shredded CNN’s story, a fact-checking organization with ties to the US government has exposed the prisoner seemingly liberated in Ward’s theatrical performance turns out to have been a low level Syrian intelligence official jailed for corruption and abuse charges.
CNN finally addressed the deepening scandal on December 15, declaring that it would investigate the subject of Ward’s piece. However, the network continues to protect the correspondent responsible for the journalistic flim-flam, while rebroadcasting the staged report for its views day after day.
Updated: Did CNN Fabricate the Story of „Freeing a Syrian Detainee from a Secret Prison“?
On December 12, CNN published a video report on its website, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) titled, „CNN Reporter Documents a Shocking Moment of Finding a Prisoner Held in a Secret Syrian Jail, Unaware of Assad’s Overthrow.“ In the footage, CNN’s correspondent Clarissa Ward is seen accompanied by an armed individual as they open a cell in a Damascus prison. The report features a man named „Adel Gharbal“ from Homs, who claims he was arrested three months earlier for having his phone searched and was taken to Damascus, initially held in an unnamed prison before being transferred to the location shown in the video. According to the report, this transfer occurred three days after the fall of Assad‘s regime.
The man, hidden under a blanket despite the gunshots used to break his cell lock, claimed he had not seen sunlight for three months.
Germany joins US, UK in making diplomatic contact with Syria‘s HTS
Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the group after it led the overthrow of Syria‘s Bashar al-Assad.
AfD-Chef stellt Nato-Mitgliedschaft infrage
Einen Vorstoß aus den Reihen seiner Partei, die Europäische Union zu verlassen, nannte er eine Maximalforderung und verwies auf die Idee, die EU durch eine „Wirtschafts- und Interessengemeinschaft“ zu ersetzen. „Vor einem Austritt müsste die Neugründung klar vereinbart sein. Das Gleiche gilt übrigens auch für die Nato“, sagte Chrupalla.
After Assad‘s ouster in Syria, U.N. envoy calls for end to sanctions
The U.N. envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, told reporters in Damascus that setting Syria back on track after the past few tumultuous weeks will be helped by a speedy relief of sanctions.
„We can hopefully see a quick end to the sanctions so that we can see really a rallying around building of Syria,“ he said.
EU‘s Diplomatic Shift: Direct Talks with Syria
In a significant development, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced that the bloc‘s top diplomat for Syria will head to Damascus on Monday to initiate contact with the new Syrian government.
Lammy: UK had ‚diplomatic contact‘ with HTS
„Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.“
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has had direct contact with HTS.
Exclusive: Russia pulling back but not out of Syria, sources say
The bases in Syria are an integral part of Russia‘s global military presence: the Tartous naval base is Russia‘s only Mediterranean repair and resupply hub, with Hmeimim a major staging post for military and mercenary activity in Africa.
Russia also has eavesdropping posts in Syria which were run alongside Syrian signals stations, according to Syrian military and Western intelligence sources.
U.S. in Direct Contact With Rebels Who Took Over Syria
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the United States was communicating directly with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant rebel faction, despite its designation as a terrorist group.
Will Iran Become More Dangerous After Assad’s Ouster in Syria?
(December 8, 2024)
The Bashar al-Assad regime’s rapid collapse deals a heavy blow to Iran’s “axis of resistance” and its ability to project power in the region, and it raises fears Iran will focus more on developing its nuclear program.
Islamic State group fighters killed 54 people in Homs region: Syrian rights group
Islamic State (IS) group fighters on Tuesday killed at least 54 people in Syria‘s Homs region, all of whom are said to have been former members of the Bashar al-Assad government and tried to flee upon its collapse on Saturday.
The news comes from the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, and follows a declaration by Hay‘at Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) rebels who took over Damascus and said that all those who were conscripted into the Syrian military would receive amnesty.
Germany, France ready to cooperate with new Syrian leadership
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their willingness to engage with Syria‘s new leadership, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, under certain conditions, a statement from the German government revealed after a call between the two leaders.
U.S. would recognize a Syrian government that comes from inclusive process, Blinken says
The U.S. government would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from an inclusive and transparent transition process, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, outlining a first set of principles regarding the Biden administration’s hopes to influence discussions over Syria’s future after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria‘s Assad is in Moscow after deal on military bases: Russian state media
(December 9, 2024)
Syrian opposition leaders had agreed to guarantee the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions in Syria, the source told news agencies.