The „Committee for the Evaluation of the Defense Establishment Budget and the Balance of Power“ is led by former National Security Council head Yaakov Nagel, and is often referred to in Hebrew media as the Nagel Commission or Nagel Committee.
The commission was established in 2023 before the outbreak of the war, to create recommendations for the defense ministry regarding the possible areas of conflict facing Israel in the years ahead.
The Nagel Committee issued a report on Monday detailing the defence budget and security strategy, where they raised concerns over Turkey’s aspirations and possible future tensions with Israel, according to Israeli media.
The committee said these tensions could escalate into conflict and highlighted the risk of Syrian factions aligning with Turkey and creating further threats to Israel‘s „security“.
(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.
(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.
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.
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.
Auch eine Verbindung zur Explosion eines Tesla Cybertrucks vor einem Trump-Hotel in Las Vegas sei zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt nicht erkennbar. Der Vorfall, bei dem der Fahrer des Wagens in Las Vegas getötet wurde, ereignete sich nur wenige Stunden nach der Attacke in New Orleans. Ein Zusammenhang erschien zunächst naheliegend, weil sowohl der aktive US-Soldat der Eliteeinheit der Green Berets als auch der mutmaßliche New-Orleans-Täter, Shamsud-Din J., einige Zeit auf dem Stützpunkt Fort Liberty (ehemals: Fort Bragg) gedient hatten. Man sehe bislang aber keine Überschneidung der Dienstzeiten der beiden Männer in Fort Bragg, teilte das FBI mit.
The officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. Livelsberger, 37, has several addresses associated with him and was on leave from Germany, where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group.
The Colorado Springs resident suspected of detonating a Tesla Cybertruck in front of a Las Vegas hotel and the Texas man accused of driving a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans served at the same military base, sources told Scripps News Denver.
Livelsberger was a member of the Army’s elite Green Berets, a special forces unit and guerrilla warfare experts, according to an Army statement reported by the Associated Press. He has served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks, and was on approved leave when he died, the statement said. The Green Berets work to counter terrorists abroad using unconventional techniques.
Livelsberger spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command.
On Dec. 6, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center issued a joint intel bulletin warning law enforcement about the ongoing serious threat posed by lone offenders during the winter holiday season.
(,,,)
„Lone offenders have historically used simple tactics, such as edged weapons, firearms, or vehicle ramming, due to their ease of access, ability to inflict mass casualties, and lack of required training,“ the bulletin stated.
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.
France has belonged to the Inherent Resolve international coalition against IS since 2014, for Iraq, and 2015 for Syria. French troops involved in the operations are based in the region, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“On Sunday, French Air Force forces carried out targeted strikes against Islamic State positions on Syrian territory,” Lecorni wrote on the social media platform X.
The French airstrikes followed a similar US military strike in Syria, which the US said claimed the lives of two Islamic State members.
Wenn am nächsten Sonntag Bundestagswahl wäre …
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“.
„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.
(June 28, 2008)
Durch das aggressiv-expansionistische Ausdehnen der Westblöcke EU und NATO bis an die eigenen Grenzen hat man offenbar gelernt in den Denkfabriken um den neuen Präsidenten Russlands. Man sieht die „globale Situation diktiert von rigiden Regeln“ und rechnet offenbar mit drei strategischen Entwicklungsmodellen:
1. Die Schaffung eines Eurasien Orwell´schen Ausmasses, in der Vision dreier totalitärer Blöcke aus „1984“ (siehe Grafik oben)
2. Einen Deal mit NATO und EU, vielleicht sogar mit dem gesamten Shanghai-Pakt, zur Schaffung eines Superimperiums auf der Nordhälfte des Planeten. Dies käme praktisch einer Weltregierung gleich.
3. Eine Konfrontation zwischen Shanghai-Pakt einerseits und USA, NATO und EU andererseits.
Die Völker, die Demokratien, die Republiken, die Öffentlichkeit, die Verfassungen, sie spielen auf diesem planetaren Schachbrett nicht die geringste Rolle, für keine der imperialen Plutokratien und Apparate, weder in Russland, noch in der EU und schon gar nicht in der NATO.
The Pentagon said on Monday that the US has more troops deployed in Iraq than it has been disclosing, an admission that comes after it revealed there are significantly more US troops in Syria than the US has said.
(January 16, 2018)
Im Falle eines Zusammenbruchs der „S.P.D.“ würde sich sofort eine sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands gründen.
Zur Zeit steht die im Kaiserreich gegründete und in den letzten sechzehn Jahren Krieg und Euro-Kapitalismus zwölf Jahre an der Regierung befindliche Partei „S.P.D.“ bei 18,5 Prozent. Mancher wird sich nun fragen, wie das ohne die „S.P.D.“ weitergehen soll. Genau das ist ja der Punkt: gar nicht. Das ist ein Grund zur Freude, nicht zur Sorge.
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.
(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.
(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.
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.”
Regional premier says suspect is doctor, 50, who lived in Germany since 2006, showed support for far-right AfD;
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.
20.12.2024, 10.30 Uhr
Der Präsident des Bundeskriminalamts warnt: Internationale Krisen und Konflikte verschärfen die Lage im Inland. Deutschland braucht eine Zeitenwende der inneren Sicherheit.
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.
After learning of the fluctuation in number of troops, Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin pressed Ryder about the correction to the number of troops and timing.
„This is more than double the number of troops that we’ve been told for quite some time. So, are we talking about this has been going on for months? For Years?“ Griffin asked. „Is this something that just happened this summer? We need a time frame.“
„Yeah, I think it would probably be fair to say at a minimum, months,“ Ryder said. „I’ll go back and look. But it’s…yeah, it’s been going on for a while.“
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.
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.
The website of America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is brimming with advice and useful information should you need help. There’s even a bright red button to press if you want to report a crime. I pressed it and reported the crime of perjury involving the complex case of US Prisoner Dr Aafia Siddiqui who is currently serving 86 years in a Texas prison for attempting to kill US soldiers. She didn’t do anything of the sort. Yes, there was a shooting incident in Ghazni Province’s National Police station in Afghanistan, but it was the soldiers who nearly killed her.
(…)
During the past 20 years, some very powerful senior figures in America, Pakistan and elsewhere have lied to and deceived the US authorities to ensure that the rather brilliant academic Dr Aafia Siddiqui remains behind bars. In 2023, her sister described her as looking like a “living corpse”.
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.
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.
„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.
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.
(September 23, 2022)
On 22 October 2017, SDF announced that its forces, with the support of the International Coalition Forces (ICF), had taken control of the al-Omar oil field, Syria’s largest, after the regime’s alliance had engaged in military operations against it for days.
As SDF installed its spheres of influence in the region as far as the Euphrates River from the eastern side, the al-Omar field is now known as the largest US military base in Syria.
The field in Deir Ezzor’s eastern countryside is the largest oil field in Syria, with a pre-Syrian revolution production of about 30,000 barrels per day.
Syria
Today, Dec. 10, Gen. Kurilla visited U.S. military commanders and servicemembers, as well as our Defeat-ISIS partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces, at several bases in Syria. He received a firsthand assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation. USCENTCOM remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS.
Iraq
After visiting Syria, Gen. Kurilla visited Baghdad where he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia‘ al Sudani, Chief of Staff Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, and Iraqi Joint Operations Deputy Commander Gen. Qais al-Muhammadawai. The leaders discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and regional security, the rapidly changing situation in Syria, as well as the defeat-ISIS operations in Iraq.
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.
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.
The United States army announced on Sunday that it carried out airstrikes against 75 Islamic State (ISIS) camps in Syria, to prevent the group from taking “advantage” of the recent kerfuffle in the country.
“The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS,” read a statement from the army’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US troops in the Middle East.
President Biden: „After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office, flee the country.“
(March 12, 2018)
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said on Monday about 511,000 people had been killed in the Syrian war since it began seven years ago.
(18.8.2011)
As Obama issued his statement, the leaders of France, Germany and Britain joined him in calling on Assad “to face the reality of the complete rejection of his regime by the Syrian people and to step aside.”
Obama had spoken to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron over the past two weeks to discuss calling for Assad’s resignation and to coordinate steps on sanctions.