Syrian Analyst: US, Israel Have to Consider Consequences of Attacking Syrian Army and Its Allies

FARSNEWS2018/5/20
Syrian Analyst: US, Israel Have to Consider Consequences of Attacking Syrian Army and Its Allies
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian political analyst Steven Sahiounie believes Israeli strikes on Syria are aimed at weakening the Syrian army to ensure Tel Aviv would never be forced to give back occupied Syrian land in Golan Heights.

In an exclusive interview with FNA, the analyst said that Washington and Tel Aviv “have to make their own calculations about the repercussions of an attack on the allies of Syria; they would have to calculate their own losses after such action.”

Mr. Sahiounie also said that Saudi Arabia, as the main financier of terrorists in Syria, “faces a future of diminished power in the region” unless there is a change of policies in Riyadh.

Steven Sahiounie is an independent Syrian journalist and political analyst. He has been covering the Syrian crisis since it’s onset in 2011 and has published several articles in numerous media outlets, including Mint Press and Fort Russ News. He has also been interviewed by international news outlets such as Press TV.

FNA has conducted an interview with Steven Sahiounie about the ongoing crisis in Syria and the recent developments surrounding the issue namely the US’ plan for an independent Kurdish state on Syrian soil and the Turkish military intervention into the country.

Below you will find the full text of the interview.

Q: Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, Saudi Arabia has been actively supporting terrorists in the country. These terrorists are now losing ground every day. What do you think would be the implications of such failure for the Saudi foreign policy?

A: Saudi Arabia has failed in their goal of overthrowing the legitimate government in Syria. I believe that the plan, structure and goals of the project were not Saudi in origin. Saudi Arabia was used by USA as the paymaster of their project to overthrow the Syrian government. Saudi Arabia played their role, because if they were to refuse to follow the direct orders of Washington, DC., their own government could be changed in 24 hours. The right to be a King in Saudi Arabia is not a natural thing: it depends entirely on the US government. Who sits on the throne in Riyadh is not up to the Saudi Royal family, and certainly not up to the Saudi citizens, who have no say, and no voice in the government. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy: you are either the King, or related to him, or you are no one. Some inside sources have said that the Saudi officials have given up hope on their cause in Syria, because they have seen the events on the ground, as the Syrian government has consistently been recovering areas in Syria that had been under the occupation of radical Islamic terrorists. Radical Islam is a political ideology, and is not a religion or a sect.

I don’t see the Syrian crisis as a Saudi foreign policy, but as a US foreign policy, in which Saudi Arabia was forced to play their role. The terrorists and their weapons and salaries were not enough to achieve the success that US had planned for. I wouldn’t lay the blame for the failed attempt at the feet of the King of Saudi Arabia, because he played his role well, and fulfilled his obligations to Washington, DC. The failure of the project will always sit with the American government: they failed to take into account the resistance and steadfastness of the Syrian people, and their allies, in the face of international attack and occupation. I don’t think this failure in Syria will affect Saudi foreign policy: they will stay a client state of the USA, and they have no intent on restoring a relationship with Syria, or some of their Persian Gulf neighbors. The King of Saudi Arabia faces a future of diminished power in the region, and subservience to American whims and schemes, unless he could take a new path by making friends with his neighbors, and sharing peace and prosperity with his subjects and neighbors.

Q: We have seen the Israeli regime and the so-called US-led coalition targeting the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allied forces many times. What do you think is the reason for such moves?

A: The Israeli goal in Syria is to make sure there is destruction and chaos across Syria. Israel wants to ensure they never have to give back occupied land in Syria. Israel wants to keep the Syrian military weak, or their ultimate goal would be the complete destruction of the Syrian military, which is also the US goal. By destroying the Syrian military, the US and Israel could have achieved the overthrow of the legitimate government in Syria. The Syrian government has remained strong, united and effective during 7 years of war because of the unity and loyalty of the Syrian Arab Army, and the resistance of the Syrian people, who have sent their sons, brothers, husbands and fathers to serve in the military. The US and Israel may continue to attack the Syrian Arab Army and their allies on the ground in Syria, but we expect the eventual victory in Syria. The US and Israel have to make their own calculations about the repercussions of an attack on the allies of Syria: they would have to calculate their own losses after such action.

Q: The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have received tremendous amount of arms and support from the United States, initially with the stated aim to fight Daesh (ISIL or ISIS). But apparently, the US is now preparing the ground to establish an independent Kurdish state in Syria. What do you think the US is seeking to achieve by disintegrating Syria?

A: The US has a long history of dividing nations for the purpose of subjugation. For example: the US-NATO attack on the former Yugoslavia; the US-NATO attack on Libya; the US attack on Iraq. From the outset of the attack on Syria, which began in March 2011, experts knew that the end-goal of the USA was a divided Syria, and in fact the various maps of the proposed ‘states’ within a future Syria have been on the media for years. They have paraded these proposed maps in front of our eyes so many times; there are people who are probably convinced that Syria is already divided. The old military scheme of “Divide and Conquer” is still in use today. Cut things up: making them smaller and easier to control, subjugate and confiscate the valuable resources available. The American government found their perfect partner in the Syrian Kurds. There is a part of that community who are willing to be a traitor to their own country and citizenship, and willing to maim and kill their own neighbors for the promise of their own ‘homeland’ and substantial paychecks to achieve the goal. However, not all of the Syrian Kurdish community is part of the plan, or in support of it. By using this small community of traitors and criminals, the US military found a willing partner in their plans to cut up Syria, thus preventing a united Syria, with its original borders. This plan also dovetails into the Israeli position: to show the world that ancient people are deserving of their own homeland, newly established, from the existing lands of the Middle East. This new Kurdish homeland would legitimize the 1948 establishment of Israel, as a homeland for the Jews, who are also an ancient people. If the ‘international community’ will support this new Kurdish homeland, from original Syrian soil, this would reinforce the Israeli position that their homeland is also a legitimate claim. As we know, the goals of the USA and Israel are most times interwoven and sometimes indistinguishable.

Q: The US announcement of its plans to recognize a Kurdish state in Syria has seemingly provoked Turkish invasion on Kurdish areas. What are Turkey’s objectives in its military intervention and how do you think this recent development would affect the process of reaching peace in Syria?

A: The Turkish military has invaded Syria at Afrin. However, this is not the first time Turkey’s military has been used officially to kill and destroy in Syria. We must not forget the role of the Turkish military in the attack, invasion and occupation which resulted in the destruction of Kessab, Syria on the North West border in 2014. In fact, Kessab has still not recovered from that devastation. Turkey has suffered at the hands of Kurdish terrorists who have killed and maimed thousands in Turkey for decades. However, Turkey knows full well that Afrin is Syrian, and the Syrian military with their allies are capable of stabilizing Afrin and preventing any Kurdish terrorists attacking either Turkish citizens, or Syrian citizens. Thus, this Turkish invasion of Afrin is a subterfuge for the real intent: to cut up Syria, not in favor of the Kurdish homeland plan, but for the new Turkish district of Afrin, which the Turks have long argued would be a ‘safe-zone’ for Syrian refugees, who could then be relocated there. Also, this could be the “No-Fly-Zone” which Turkey has long campaigned for. Conceivably, the Kurds living in Afrin would then be displaced, and their homes and farms occupied by Syrian refugees who are loyal to Turkey. The Syrian refugees in Turkey, who are loyal to Turkey, are all directly connected to various terrorist groups, such as Free Syrian Army and other Al Qaeda aligned groups. Turkish history tells us of the genocide of Armenians and other Christians in 1916, and the survivors were displaced, with their homes and farms given to Turcoman settlers, originally from Central Asia. I hope that history will not repeat itself.

シリアに関してMSMがいろいろなデマを流しているようだ

FARSNEWS2018/5/20
Sources Reject Reports on Putin's Demand for Iran's Withdrawal from Syria
TEHRAN (FNA)- Sources in Syria's presidential office dismissed media claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Iran to withdraw its military advisors from Syria.

Quoting the Russian officials, the sources told the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen newspaper on Sunday that Putin's remarks did not include the Russian forces and Iranian advisors who are in Syria at the demand of the legal government and they will leave the country whenever Damascus demands.

Putin and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad held a meeting in Syria in Sochi earlier this week during which Putin said that the foreign forces will leave Syria after the Syrian army's victory against the terrorist groups and the start of political process in the country.

In relevant remarks in December, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani reiterated his country's firm decision to continue its military advisory role in Syria until all terrorist groups are uprooted.

"We will continue presence and providing advisory services in Syria until annihilation of all terrorist groups in the country at the demand of the legal Syrian government," Shamkhani said, addressing a forum in the Western province of Kurdistan.

He underlined that allegations against Iran by Israel or other countries would never tilt the country's calculations and decisions in pursuit of its national interests and establishment of regional security.

シリアの復興に際して国が市民の不動産を没収するとのデマも流れています。

FARSNEWS2018/5/19
The Lies They Say About Post-War Reconstruction in Syria
TEHRAN (FNA)- First things first: The Syrian government which liberated so many cities and towns from foreign-backed terrorist groups of ISIL and Al-Qaeda – with a helping hand from Iran, Russia and Hezbollah – has no plans whatsoever to confiscate homes and lands of those who fled the once terror-held areas. There is no ‘New Land Law' for it either.

Still, that hasn’t stopped ‘fakestream’ media outlets in the West and the Arab world to claim otherwise. They claim that a new urban development law in Syria has put the onus on citizens, millions of whom are displaced, to prove ownership of their homes − or potentially risk losing them to postwar developments - and government supporters.

This is while the full implications of Law 10 of 2018 are yet to be seen. There are provisions allowing distant relatives to register properties for absentee landlords, allowing for flexibility. However, there is no conflict between government loyalists and opponents, nor should this be a cause for anxiety - especially among those forced to abandon their homes in areas where foreign-backed terrorist groups have now been crushed. Under the law and through legal channels, people are free to return to their homes as their rights will be protected as soon the nationwide reconstruction efforts begin.

Indeed, it is silly to argue that those who can prove ownership will still lose their homes because of their political affiliations or activities. No government entity is going to steal any private property and no civilians will ever get arrested just because they want to return to their homes. Syria has already proved otherwise in thousands of cases, where thousands of militants have applied for government amnesty and have return home along with the families across the country.

Into the argument, and according to the Syrian government officials and entities, those who have left the country, or those who have been internally displaced (over 6.6. million), can ask their families and relatives to register their properties using the necessary paperwork, and keep the hope of return alive. True, it will be a complicated process, but no one is going to scuttle this process deliberately, much less put such legal claims in jeopardy. Those who possess the proper paperwork can and should secure their home as per a new presidential decree, that’s according to the Syrian Interior Ministry.

The political interpretation is that the government seeks to rebuild the country and it will need all the help it can get from the international community and its own people. Besides, no one in the government has ever said that Damascus plans to alienate its own people, much less recoup the land of the displaced and redistribute it to those close to the government so they can rebuild new neighborhoods. Such baseless allegations are there to ensure further divisions inside Syria and deeper distrust among the general public.

Irrespective of media shenanigans in the West and the Arab world, the people of Syria should help their government to rebuild post-conflict Syria. Their efforts and investment in rebuilding Syria will bolster their domestic market and economy and heighten international competition over their own future. Such unity would also prevent the de-facto partition of Syria and any return to its pre-war unevenly- developed status.

The government and the people should take steps to prevent Syria from sliding backwards economically and prevent Syria from unbalanced development. They can seek help from their allies and the international community to leverage reconstruction assistance as a tool for jumpstarting reconciliation talks between the opposition parties and the government as well, and convene multi-track dialogues on development with various stakeholders to ensure reconstruction is consistent across the country.

People are the hope for rebuilding Syria and the government cannot do this alone. That’s a fact. They should never allow any chance of renewed violence and division, nor should they ever let national reconstruction efforts and plans pave the way for an open-ended American military occupation and dominance. Their unity and resolve could tip the scale toward the Syrian people and government.

サウジ皇太子MBSにやはり異変があったらしい

サウジのクラウンプリンスMBSが公の場に現れなくなったことから死亡説が浮上しましたが、いったんは4/21以降に子供向けアトラクション施設の開場式に出席した画像が流れ、死亡説は正しくないとの説が強まりました。

しかし、5/19に行われた軍事大学の卒業式に国防大臣でもあるMBSの姿が見えなかったことから、憶測が再燃しています。サウジ国内のみならず世界中が注目するMBSの消息ですが、サウジ国王は何も発言していません。

サウジ国王は、実子のMBSに王位を継がせるために王族内で話をつけたとされていますが、継承権をはく奪された皇太子とその親族の不満と反発は強いものがあるはずですし、MBSがクラウンプリンスになった後、汚職摘発と称して他の王族をホテルに閉じ込め拷問もしたとの話も流れています。

サウジの王位継承者は、米国が実質的に決めるとの説もあり、MBSはトランプに献金をしたりしています。イラク、シリアのテロリストの最大のスポンサーはサウジで、この費用やイエメン戦争の費用がかさんでサウジは国家財政の危機に陥っています。

MBSは対イラン強硬派であり、他方でイスラエルと急接近しています。

MBSが死んだとなれば、王位継承者の選定からやり直しになりますし、米国やイスラエルがサウジに対してこれまでのようなキャッシュディスペンサーの役回りを期待できるのか不透明な面も出てくるでしょう。イスラエルVSイランを軸とした現在の対立の構図が変わることもありえます。

サウジ国王は健康状態が良くないとされています。王位を継がせようと困難を押して王位継承権の地位につかせた皇太子が死ぬ、あるいは精神的に異常をきたすとなると、現国王にとってはこの上ない悲劇になります。

FARSNEWS2018/5/20
TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman who has not appeared in the public after the April 21 coup in his palace continues to be absent in public gatherings and was not seen among a host of Riyadh officials at the cadets graduation ceremony in King Abdolaziz military college on Saturday night either.

The Saudi defense ministry announced in a statement on Sunday that Riyadh ruler Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdolaziz has attended the ceremony instead of bin Salman.

The statement declined to comment on the reason of bin Salman's absence while naturally the defense minister should participate in such ceremonies.

Last Thursday, an Iranian daily reported that bin Salman is likely dead after an assassination attempt on his life last month, claiming intel from the security service of an Arab state.
（略）
Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has witnessed a series of radical political changes over the past year as Mohammed bin Salman ousted his cousin as crown prince and jailed well-known princes in an anti-corruption purge.

Moreover, bin Salman oversees social and economic reforms that have been censured by several powerful Wahhabi clerics.

Notably, bin Salman made no media appearance during the April 28 visit of the newly-appointed US State Secretary Mike Pompeo to Riyadh, his first foreign trip as the top US diplomat.

During his stay in Riyadh, Saudi media outlets published images of Pompeo’s meetings with King Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

This is while the state-run outlets used to publish images of meetings in Riyadh between bin Salman and former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

It is not clear if bin Salman’s disappearance is due to reasons such as him feeling threatened or being injured in the incident.

FARSNEWS2018/5/20
Saudi Concerns Growing over Fate of MBS as People Start Asking His Whereabout
TEHRAN (FNA)- Unofficial reports on the death of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman after the last month coup have gathered pace after his month-long absence from the public as Hashtag وفاة_ولی_العهد (#Death-of-Crown-Prince) has gone viral in the country suggesting that the prince has succumbed to his injuries sustained during the coup.

Bin Salman has not been seen in the public since April 21 attack on his palace in Riyadh which has raised speculations about his injury and death.

Yousef al-Hazeri, an Arab social media activist, wrote in his twitter account that "if bin Salman's death is true, it means that Trump has this time used up the milking cow just like a traveling shampoo and threw it into the sinkhole".

2018年05月18日
サウジの皇太子MBSは本当に死んだのか？

イランでキノコ中毒 190人入院、9人死亡

RT2018/5/20
9 dead, dozens critical & need liver transplant as 700+ get poisoned by wild mushrooms in Iran

At least 50 of the victims who were hospitalized across Iran’s eight provinces are in critical condition, with some requiring liver transplants to save their lives, the emergency services said.

READ MORE: Magic mushrooms are ‘safest drugs’ compared to LSD, ecstasy & cocaine – study

The country’s Ministry of Health attributed the incident to spring rain across the mountainous regions of the country, and issued a warning advising people to “avoid eating wild and unfamiliar mushrooms,” and refrain from even touching them because “skin toxicity is present in some species of fungi.”

Authorities advised the public not to buy mushrooms from street vendors. Those who experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or severe dizziness are advised to drink a lot of fluids and visit a health center immediately.

Saudi King Absent in OIC Meeting on Palestine, Amman Publicizes Differences with Riyadh

FARSNEWS2018/5/19
Saudi King Absent in OIC Meeting on Palestine, Amman Publicizes Differences with Riyadh
TEHRAN (FNA)- The extraordinary meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Palestine was held in Istanbul on Friday in the absence of Saudi King Salman, while Jordan's king looked undeterred to show narrowing differences with Qatar, Turkey and Iran and distancing his country from Saudi, UAE, Bahraini policy of rapprochement with Israel.

The declaration issued at the end of the OIC conference described the US decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem al-Quds as "unlawful" which could “trigger chaos in the region".

“We reaffirmed once again the vital importance of preserving the sanctity and historical status of Al-Quds and Haram Al-Sharif for the whole Muslim Ummah, emphasizing that the Muslim Ummah could strongly defend its causes globally only by acting in unity and solidarity,” the declaration signed by 48 countries said.

During the conference held in the absence of the Saudi King and PA president, Jordanian King Abdullah II sat beside Qatari Emir Tamim bin Ahmed al-Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Analysts believe that the move indicates Jordan's different stance with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain which are rapidly moving towards normalization of ties with Israel.

Meantime, the Jordanian media said that King Abdullah II and the Qatari king have had intimate talks during the conference.

Addressing the conference, the Jordanian king said that "the violence, aggression, and violations perpetrated by Israel against the brotherly Palestinian people in Gaza and elsewhere in the Palestinian Territories must stop. The international community must uphold its responsibilities before history; peoples of the world and all people of conscience must uphold their responsibilities in protecting the Palestinian people and enabling them to gain their rights and end occupation, injustice, and despair".

S. Arabia Starts New Wave of Arrests over Ties with Israel

FARSNEWS2018/5/19
S. Arabia Starts New Wave of Arrests over Ties with Israel
TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi authorities have arrested several activists for denouncing the industrious efforts made by Riyadh, particularly those of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper quoted social media activists as saying that the Saudi authorities have last Thursday detained two male activists named Dr. Mohammad al-Rabi'eh and Dr. Ibrahim al-Madimiq and four female activists, including Lajin al-Hazloul, Azizeh al-Yousef, Iman al-Nafjan and Noureh Faqih, who are all against Riyadh's attempts to normalize relations with Israel.

Also, Abdollah al-Qamedi, a Saudi activist living in Britain, said that the Saudi authorities have imprisoned his mother and brother for over 50 years with permission to visit family members.

In a relevant report in February, Qatar’s Arabic-language al-Arab newspaper, reported that Saudi forces detained Noha al-Balawi, a female activist, over a post she published on her Twitter page, criticizing normalization of ties with Israel.

Balawi, wearing a niqab in the video, stated that Israeli-Saudi relations would only serve the interests of the Tel Aviv regime, and would be to the detriment of Arab nations.

Speaking in an interview with France 24 television news network on December 13, 2017, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the kingdom had a “roadmap” to establish full diplomatic ties with the Tel Aviv regime.

In mid-November last year, a Lebanese paper published a secret document that showed that the Saudis were willing to normalize relations with Israel as part of a US-led Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and unite Saudi-allied countries against Iran.

The document, published by al-Akhbar daily, was a letter from the Saudi foreign minister to bin Salman, explaining why it was in the kingdom’s interest to normalize relations with Israel. The letter said a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel has risks for the kingdom due to the strength of the Palestinian cause among Muslims.

The Saudis' willingness to boost ties with Israel has offended several Arab countries, including Jordan.

As for the Palestinian refugee issue, the letter says the Saudis would be willing to help the estimated five million Palestinian refugees worldwide settle in the host countries rather than being brought back to the occupied Palestinian territories.

US to Support Kurds in Manbij against Turkey

FARSNEWS2018/5/19
US to Support Kurds in Manbij against Turkey
TEHRAN (FNA)- Kurdish sources reported on Saturday that the US forces have underlined in their meetings with the Kurdish officials that they will remain in Manbij as differences have widened between the American and Turkish militaries over the presence of Kurdish forces in the town.

The Kurdish-language Hawar news quoted the military command council of Manbij as saying that a meeting was held between an official delegation of the US-led coalition forces' command center and a number of Kurdish commanders in Manbij.

The meeting on the political and security situation of Manbij was held in the presence of William Urback, a representative of the US state department, Commander of the US-led coalition General Jimmy Gerrard, Commander of the Kurdish forces in Manbij Mohammad Mostafa, Spokesman for Manbij's military council affiliated to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Sharfan Darwish and Deputy Commander of Manbij military council Ibrahim Banawi.

It added that the US forces have underlined their continued presence in cooperation with the Manbij military council until they prevail control over the entire region.

Meantime, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has several times threatened that he will send his forces to Manbij after driving out the Kurds from Afrin.

Darwish had announced earlier this month that the US forces have set up a new military base in Manbij in Northern Syria at the borders with Turkey.

He said that the French forces have been stationed in the military base with the aim of monitoring and protecting the borders, adding that the base has been established immediately after the Turkish army and its allies' attacks on the Kurdish forces in Afrin and Ankara's repeated threats to enter Manbij.

Experts say military assessments show that establishment of a new military base in Manbij that comes in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's pullout pledge will exacerbate tensions between Washington and Ankara.

EC President: EU to Devise Mechanisms to Circumvent US Sanctions on Iran

FARSNEWS2018/5/18
EC President: EU to Devise Mechanisms to Circumvent US Sanctions on Iran
TEHRAN (FNA)- President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker underlined that the EU countries are looking for ways to avoid US sanction on Iran.

"We are preparing legislation in order not to recognize US secondary sanctions imposed against European companies for cooperating with Iran," Juncker said.

The EC president underlined that for this purpose the European Union will enact a law to ban its companies from US sanctions imposed on Iran.

"Given the above issue, the legislation will not recognize any court order to impose a fine that the White House may impose on the European companies to do business in the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said, adding, "As the European Commission, we are duty bound to protect our companies in the face of sanctions imposed by US on Iran."

Juncker said that the European Commission has decided to allow European Investment Bank to facilitate investment of European companies in Iran.

EC will maintain its cooperation with Iran while the US Treasury Department has recently announced to European companies that they have been given a six-month deadline to end their investment in Iran.

FARSNEWS2018/5/18
Minister: Over 120 German Companies Operating in Iran
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian underlined that the US exit from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has not influenced foreign companies' presence in Iran, and said that tens of German firms are active in Iran.

"With the coordination made in this regard, 120 German firms will continue their activities in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Ardakanian said after meeting senior German officials in Berlin.

He pointed to the activity of Germany’s Siemens Company in Iran and said, “As a prestigious company based in Germany, Siemens will comply with its contractual commitments with Iran wholeheartedly."

The visiting Iranian minister of energy has traveled to Germany at the official invitation of German Minister of Environment, Economy and Energy.

The two sides have exchanged their views on broadening relations in different fields.

ネタニヤフがイランは父祖の地だと主張

theonion2018/5/10
Netanyahu Begins Calling For Israeli Return To Ancient Homeland Of Iran
JERUSALEM−Declaring that it was long past time for his people to live once again on their ancestral soil, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly began calling Thursday for the Israeli return to their ancient homeland of Iran. “The land of Iran has long been part of our heritage, and we implore the international community to work with us to ensure its return to the independent Jewish state,” said Netanyahu, adding that Israel was willing to use military force if necessary to reoccupy all 636,400 square miles of present-day Iran that were historically included in the promised land bestowed upon the Jewish people by biblical mandate. “The so-called Islamic cities of Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, and dozens of others were founded on what were once ancient Jewish kingdoms, not to mention how many of our most sacred sites Iran currently occupies, including the Imam Reza Holy Shrine, the Jamkaran Mosque, and the Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Chak-Chak. In fact, Iran is home to the highest concentration of Judaic ancient holy sites anywhere in the world outside of Mecca, Lumbini, and Vatican City. We demand that the Jewish people be permitted to return to ruling our ancestral Persian homelands.” At press time, Netanyahu had approved plans to begin construction on a large Israeli settlement in downtown Tehran.

サウジの皇太子MBSは本当に死んだのか？

サウジアラビアの王位継承予定の皇太子MBSが暗殺されたのではないかとの観測が出ています。

この情報を最初に伝えたメディアは、イランの新聞 Keyhanのペルシャ語版です。国際ニュースは英語版もありますが、そこには載っていません。

「ある匿名のアラブの国の上級職員に送られた秘密機関の報告書が明らかにした」とあります。イランがアラブの国と言えるのか疑問ですが、一応含めておきます。
「MBSは、彼の宮殿に対する4/21の攻撃で2発の弾丸を受けた」と具体的で「MBSはそれ以来公衆の前に現れていないので死んだかもしれない」としています。

「2018/4/21、宮殿の周りで激しい銃撃音が聞かれた。その際サルマン国王は市内の空軍基地にある米国のバンカー（避難壕）に連れていかれた」

Reports said the king and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were evacuated　
「国王だけでなくMBSも避難した」と報告書は述べています。

4/21の銃撃戦直後の報道では、おもちゃのドローンが宮殿に近づきすぎたため警護隊が銃を発射したとされていました。しかし、今回の記事の記述では、クーデターが起き、宮殿を攻撃した兵士は宮殿の上を飛ぶドローンから得られた記録映像と諜報情報に導かれていたとあります。

Saudi opposition members claimed that "a senior ground force officer has led a raid on the palace to kill the king and the crown prince".

MBSは自分についてのメディアの報道が好意的になるよう、良い印象を流すよう西側メディアに大金を払っているとされています。そして、外国の要人が訪問した時には、進んでカメラの前に立っています。ところが4月末にポンペオがリヤドを訪問したときにはメディアへの露出はありませんでした。

Notably, bin Salman made no media appearance during the April 28 visit of the newly-appointed US State Secretary Mike Pompeo to Riyadh, his first foreign trip as the top US diplomat.

この間、国営メディアは、ティラーソンとの会談画像を使っていたようです。
This is while the state-run outlets used to publish images of meetings in Riyadh between bin Salman and former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

A few days after the April 21 incident, Saudi media published footage and images of bin Salman meeting several Saudi and foreign officials. But the date of the meetings could not be verified, so the release of the videos could be aimed at dispelling rumors about bin Salman’s conditions.

It is not clear if bin Salman’s disappearance is due to reasons such as him feeling threatened or being injured in the incident.

MBSが公衆の面前に姿を現さない原因は、三通り考えられます。
�@　死んだ
�A　負傷が大きく、療養・リハビリ中
�B　暗殺を恐れて人前に出れない精神状態　MBSはかねて暗殺を極度に恐れているとの説がありました。

このニュースにある情報のソースは、中東のある国のインテリジェンス機関の報告書だとされています。カタール、エジプト、ヨルダン、クウェートなどサウジの周辺国の可能性もありますが、よその国のインテリジェンス機関の報告書をイランの新聞社がそうやすやすとは入手できません。しかもこのレポートの内容からしてそんなレポートを出していてしかもイランのメディアにも渡していたことがサウジにばれたら大変な騒ぎになります。

この報告書を書いたインテリジェンス機関は、イランの機関ではないでしょうか。IRGCの可能性が強いと管理人は思います。

IRGCは、前にMBSは王である父親を倒してでも早く王位につきたいとの願望があるとの情報を流しています。4/21の「クーデター」についても当然情報を集めています。

MBSがいとこなどに当たるであろう他の皇太子をホテルに軟禁して財産提供を求めたときに、皇太子の一人がイランに亡命しています。

このMBS死亡観測報道は、すぐにサウジの知るところとなりますから、事実であろうとそうでなかろうとサウジは抗議、攻撃のアクションを起こすでしょう。それを見込んだ嫌がらせなのか、それとも情報収集力を見せつけるためのものなのか。

イラン政府は、おれは知らん、新聞社が勝手に情報を得て勝手に書いたことと言い逃れるのでしょうが、それで済むか。ここ数日のサウジの反応に注目です。

スプートニクが続報を流しました。2018/4/28のQiddiya opening seremony にMBSが国王とともに現れ、その画像が出回っています。



これで4/21の戦闘で死んだという説は否定されますが、それから約3週間。公の前に姿を現さないのはなぜかということになります。

・・・・・

Neo Tv Network - Official　2018/05/17 に公開
BREAKING: Saudi Crown Prince Likely Killed in Coup? | 17 May 2018
Neo Newsはパキスタンのメディアです。

Star 2 Sun　2018/05/17 に公開　のキャプチャー








https://english.almanar.com.lb/507483
The Saudi government claims that the heavy gunfire was only an operation to shoot down a recreational drone. “It was a small remote-controlled toy airplane that came into restricted airspace and was immediately shot down,” a Saudi official had announced after the incident.

Meanwhile, Saudi activists in the social media say the shooting had nothing to do with a drone, but it was an attack from vehicles carrying heavy machine guns and shooting randomly.

Some sources affiliated with Saudi opposition groups also suggest that the April shooting has frightened bin Salman, forcing him to ban the royal family members and top officials from leaving the country for fear that his cousin and former crown prince, Muhammad bin Nayef, would try to topple him.

The official Saudi websites have not released any new photo of bin Salman for the past three weeks. The latest stories covering news of MBS’s meetings and visits dates back to April 24.

GGの顔はこういう形成過程を経ている

管理人の選んだ好感が持てるGGの顔NO1

米国国防総省元職員の肩書きでメディアのインタビューに登場するMichael Maloof氏


もう少し若い時はこんな感じ

眉と額のしわが変わりません。頭髪がなくても大丈夫！　

とても表情が豊か。そのまま顔文字に使えます。


ラブロフをNO2とするわけにはいきません。同じくNO1。
セルゲイ・ラブロフ

プーチンの新内閣で続投だそうです。プーチンが、世界の外交界が休ませてはくれないでしょう。世界は彼の双肩にかかっています。

米国人医学者　ジョン・W・ゴフマン氏
低線量であろうと外部被曝が蓄積していくとガンや白血病を発症する人が増えるという研究を発表し、大学教授の職を追われた。少しいたずらっぽいような笑みがなんとも言えない。この人もやはり上位に持ってきたい。


2017/6、英国の総選挙でコービン率いる労働党が躍進。昨年の労働党内の追い落とし策謀を乗り越えて大きな成果を上げました。
コービンはしたたかで柔軟。うれしそうです。


新たなノミネート

2018/5/17アサドとプーチンが会談

http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/57488
17 мая 2018 года21:35
Сочи
Заявления по итогам российско-сирийских переговоров
В.Путин: Сегодня в ходе беседы мы согласовали наши совместные действия с Президентом Сирии по борьбе с терроризмом и с террористическими образованиями в Сирийской Арабской Республике, отметили большие результаты, которых добилась сирийская армия на этом пути, и пришли к выводу, что на сегодняшний день сложилась благоприятная ситуация для активизации политического процесса.

В этой связи Президент Сирии принял решение направить свою часть делегации для формирования Конституционного комитета, который должен работать над Основным законом Сирии. Россия приветствует это решение Президента Сирии и всячески будет его поддерживать, имея в виду и договорённости, которые были достигнуты в ходе Конгресса сирийского народа, прошедшего несколько месяцев назад в Сочи.

Наряду с активизацией политического процесса считаем очень важным предпринять необходимые шаги для восстановления экономики Сирии, а также давно назревших, сложных, но необходимых для решения гуманитарных вопросов.

Рассчитываем на поддержку Организации Объединённых Наций и всех стран, которые заинтересованы в решении сирийского кризиса.

Б.Асад (как переведено): Я очень высоко оценил результаты сегодняшней встречи, которая была очень плодотворной в полном смысле этого слова.

В первую очередь мы оценили ситуацию в Сирии с военной точки зрения. Она развивается очень позитивно благодаря тем шагам, которые были сделаны на треке борьбы с терроризмом. Соответственно, благодаря военным успехам нам удаётся нормализовать ситуацию в стране, что открывает путь для возвращения наших многочисленных граждан в свои дома.

Хотел бы поблагодарить Президента России Владимира Путина и российское правительство за то, что на всех этапах сирийского кризиса Россия всегда предоставляла гуманитарную помощь сирийским гражданам, бежавшим из своих домов в результате действий террористов.

Что касается экономического сотрудничества, то мы отметили рост российских инвестиций в последнее время, инвестиций российских компаний в различные сферы экономики Сирии, а также обсудили возможные шаги по дальнейшему поощрению интереса российских компаний к инвестициям в нашу страну и участию в процессе восстановления страны.

Мы провели оценку развития политического процесса в последние месяцы, имею в виду итоги Конгресса сирийского национального диалога, а также раундов Астаны, обсудили шаги, которые требуется предпринять для того, чтобы и далее добиваться прогресса на этом направлении.

Основное внимание мы сфокусировали на вопросе Конституционного комитета, который должен быть создан по итогам работы Конгресса сирийского диалога. Мы рассчитываем начать соответствующую работу с ООН. Сегодня я подтвердил Президенту Путину, что Сирия направит список своих делегатов в Конституционный комитет для обсуждения поправок в действующую Конституцию. Это будет сделано как можно скорее.

В.Путин: Исходим из того, что в связи со значительными победами и успехом сирийской армии в борьбе с терроризмом, с началом более активной части, с началом политического процесса в его более активной фазе иностранные вооружённые силы будут выводиться с территории Сирийской Арабской Республики.

英語への機械翻訳
Statements after the Russian-Syrian talks
V.Putin: Today, during the conversation, we agreed our joint actions with the Syrian President on combating terrorism and with terrorist entities in the Syrian Arab Republic, noted the great results that the Syrian army achieved on this path, and concluded that today there was a favorable situation for the activation of the political process.

In this regard, the Syrian President decided to send his part of the delegation to form the Constitutional Committee, which should work on the Basic Law of Syria. Russia welcomes this decision of the Syrian President and will support it in every possible way, bearing in mind the agreements that were reached during the Congress of the Syrian people, held several months ago in Sochi.

Along with the activation of the political process, we consider it very important to take the necessary steps to restore the economy of Syria, as well as long overdue, complex, but necessary for solving humanitarian issues.

We count on the support of the United Nations and all countries that are interested in solving the Syrian crisis.

B. Assad (as translated): I very much appreciated the results of today's meeting, which was very fruitful in the full sense of the word.

First of all, we assessed the situation in Syria from a military point of view. It is developing very positively thanks to the steps that were taken on the track against terrorism. Accordingly, thanks to military successes, we are able to normalize the situation in the country, which opens the way for the return of our numerous citizens to their homes.

I would like to thank President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the Russian government for the fact that at all stages of the Syrian crisis, Russia has always provided humanitarian assistance to Syrian citizens who fled their homes as a result of terrorist actions.

As for economic cooperation, we noted the growth of Russian investments in recent years, investments by Russian companies in various spheres of the economy of Syria, and also discussed possible steps to further encourage Russian companies' interest in investing in our country and participating in the reconstruction of the country.

We assessed the development of the political process in recent months, I am referring to the results of the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue, as well as the Astana rounds, and discussed the steps that need to be taken to continue to make progress in this direction.

We focused on the issue of the Constitutional Committee, which should be created following the results of the work of the Congress of the Syrian dialogue. We expect to start working with the UN accordingly. Today I confirmed to President Putin that Syria will send its list of delegates to the Constitutional Committee to discuss amendments to the current Constitution. This will be done as soon as possible.

V.Putin: We proceed from the premise that, in connection with the significant victories and success of the Syrian army in the fight against terrorism, with the onset of a more active part, with the onset of the political process in its more active phase, foreign armed forces will be withdrawn from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

サウジの王位継承予定の皇太子暗殺か

2018年04月23日
サウジ宮殿近くで銃撃戦　土曜夜のクーデター

FARSNEWS2018/5/17
Daily: Arab Intel Says Saudi Crown Prince Likely Killed in Coup
TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is likely dead after an assassination attempt on his life last month, a Persian-language daily reported claiming intel from the security service of an Arab state.

According to the Persian-language newspaper, Keyhan, a secret service report sent to the senior officials of an unnamed Arab state disclosed that bin Salman has been hit by two bullets during the April 21 attack on his palace, adding that he might well be dead as he has never appeared in the public eversince.

Heavy gunfire was heard near the Saudi King's palace in Riyadh Saudi Arabia on April 21, while King Salman was taken to a US bunker at an airbase in the city.

A growing number of videos surfaced the media at the time displaying that a heavy gunfire erupted around King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's palace in the capital, Riyadh.

Reports said the king and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were evacuated to a bunker at an airbase in the city that is under the protection of the US troops.

While Saudi officials and media were quiet over the incident, there were contradicting reports over the incident. Witnesses and residents of the neighborhoods near the palace said a coup was underway, adding that the soldiers attacking the palace were guided by footage and intel they were receiving from a drone flying over the palace.

Saudi opposition members claimed that "a senior ground force officer has led a raid on the palace to kill the king and the crown prince".

Videos also showed that a growing number of armored vehicles were deployed around the palace. 'Bin Salman's special guard' then took charge of security in the capital. Riyadh's sky was then closed to all civil and military flights as military helicopters from 'Bin Salman's special guard' were flying over the palace.

Bin Salman was a man who almost often appeared before the media but his 27-day absence since the gunfire in Riyadh has raised questions about his health.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, has witnessed a series of radical political changes over the past year as Mohammed bin Salman ousted his cousin as crown prince and jailed well-known princes in an anti-corruption purge.

Moreover, bin Salman oversees social and economic reforms that have been censured by several powerful Wahhabi clerics.

Saudi Arabia is also embroiled in a long running conflict in its Southern neighbor Yemen, dubbed by the United Nations as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Notably, bin Salman made no media appearance during the April 28 visit of the newly-appointed US State Secretary Mike Pompeo to Riyadh, his first foreign trip as the top US diplomat.

During his stay in Riyadh, Saudi media outlets published images of Pompeo’s meetings with King Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

This is while the state-run outlets used to publish images of meetings in Riyadh between bin Salman and former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

A few days after the April 21 incident, Saudi media published footage and images of bin Salman meeting several Saudi and foreign officials. But the date of the meetings could not be verified, so the release of the videos could be aimed at dispelling rumors about bin Salman’s conditions.

It is not clear if bin Salman’s disappearance is due to reasons such as him feeling threatened or being injured in the incident.

sputniknews.2018/5/17
Where's Mohammed? Media Speculates About Possible Death of Saudi Crown Prince
The apparent disappearance of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from the public eye has led several Iranian media outlets to wonder if one of the most powerful men in the kingdom might’ve been killed during an attempted coup last month.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was allegedly hit by two bullets during the April 21 attack on the royal palace in Riyadh and may actually be dead as he has not appeared in public since the incident, Kayhan newspaper reports citing "a secret service report sent to the senior officials of an unnamed Arab state."

As Press TV points out, no new photo or video of bin Salman has been released by Saudi authorities since that day, and the prince "was not even seen on camera when new US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his maiden visit to Riyadh in late April."

"Bin Salman was a man who almost often appeared before the media but his 27-day absence since the gunfire in Riyadh has raised questions about his health," the Fars news agency remarks.

The Saudi authorities however are yet to comment on this matter.

On April 21 several media agencies reported heavy gunfire emanating from the Saudi royal palace in Riyadh, prompting speculations about a possible coup attempt taking place.

The Saudi authorities however claimed that the incident merely involved palace security guards firing upon a drone which allegedly was flying too close to the premises.

A number of local media outlets however reported that King Salman himself was evacuated to a nearby military installation during the shooting, with Saudi analyst Ali al-Ahmed naming the King Khaled base as the monarch’s destination.

米国に抱いていた幻想は捨て去るときだ

2018/5/16はちょっと驚きのニュースが流れています。

�@　まず、米国がイラン核合意から離脱し、欧州の対応いかんでイランも脱退しウラン濃縮を再開すると脅す事態になっていましたが、欧州とイランとの間で合意成立の見込みが立ったようです。
the EU and Iran agreed on a 9-point economic plan to protect the nuclear agreement on Wednesday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif underlined that he had held constructive meetings with his European Union counterparts to save the nuclear agreement after the US pullout.
The Iranian foreign minister made the remarks following a meeting with his French, British and German counterparts as well as EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels on Tuesday.



イランと欧州の間の交渉に関連してロシアが欧州に圧力をかけていました。

�A　ドイツのメルケルが、シリアの「巨大紛争」はロシアやイラン、トルコなどの国なしでは解決できないと述べています。ロシアの貢献を評価しています。

�B　EU欧州理事会議長ドナルド・トゥスクが2018/5/16、ブルガリアのソフィアで開催された西バルカンサミットでトランプの変幻極まりない政策を批判し、「EUは米国についての幻想を捨てた」と述べました。

欧州は、米国が在イスラエル大使館をエルサレムに移したことに伴って生じたガザの虐殺の停止を求めています。
The EU reiterated its “clear, consolidated” position on Israel-Palestine on Monday, which calls for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with “Jerusalem as capital of both [states].”

�C　一方北朝鮮問題については、米国と韓国が空軍の演習を開始したことでハイレベルの南北会談をキャンセルするとともに、米国が対話でなく降伏を模索するのであれば北朝鮮は米朝首脳会談を再考することがあると表明しました。

�D　ガザの虐殺に関しては世界中で激しい非難の声が上がっています。すでに死者63人に上ったとされますし、イスラエル軍は非人道的な弾薬を使っており、糾弾の声が高まっています。


�E　この虐殺を審議した国連安保理事会の緊急会合では、国際的な調査を求める決議に米国国連大使が拒否権を発動しています。




�F　米国国防総省元職員の肩書きでメディアのインタビューに登場するMichael Maloof氏は、2017/10/14のRTのインタビュー記事で次のように述べています。

It’s also going to have an effect of ostracizing us from the other allies. And it could pivot more of the – in this case – Russia as being the adult in the room when it comes to dealing with Iran and other international issues – especially in the Middle East.

イラン核合意問題での米国の対応によっては、同盟国が米国を貝殻追放する効果を持つこととなり、イラン問題や他の国際問題、特に中東の国際問題を扱う場合にロシアが「唯一の大人」として中心に位置することになる、というものです。

2017年10月16日
米国に背を向ける国が増えいずれ貝殻追放されるだろう

彼の予測通りの展開になっています。

2018/5/17も大ニュースが飛び込んできています。
�G　サウジアラビアの王位継承予定の皇太子が暗殺されたのではないかとの観測が出ています。
サウジアラビアの王位継承予定の皇太子　Mohammed bin Salman はMBSと略称で呼ばれています。皇太子が多く名前が覚えにくいからです。

2018/4/21にMBSの宮殿近くで大きな発砲事件があり、リヤドの空港が閉鎖されました。クーデターだとのホィッスルブロワの情報もありました。今回の情報元はイランのようです。

ポンペオのサウジ訪問時に会見写真がないなど27日間公の場に姿を現していないことなどが理由とされています。MBSは、米国とイスラエルに密接にアプローチしていました。一つはいざという場合に自らの身、力を守るためであったと見られますが、あっさり暗殺されてしまうとなると、これは大きな誤算です。米国とイスラエルにとって大きな打撃になります。

�H　ザハロバ報道官が米国とその主導軍がシリア国内に拘留している数千人のテロリストの扱いに関して沈黙を続けていると批判しています。追放か司法手続きかという原則を外れて刑罰適用なしで解放することを狙っているのではないかとの疑いを示しているのです。

米国とその同盟がテロリストを使ってシリアを攻めていることは周知の事実であり、ロシアは具体的な証拠を十二分につかんでいます。米国とその同盟は、テロリストを温存し、次の場面で使うことを計画しています。傭兵ですから彼らはどこの国にでも行きます。相当数がアフガンに送り込まれているようですが、今はシリア北部などの方が管理がしやすいということでしょう。

**ロシアのザハロバが米国のテロリスト温存策を厳しく糾弾**

FARSNEWS2018/5/17
Russian Diplomat: US Hiding Thousands of Terrorists in Syria from Justice
TEHRAN (FNA)- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday the United States has remained mum about several thousand militants detained in Syria whom Washington would like to let off scot-free.

"We have taken note of the fact the US administration is keeping quiet about the several thousand foreign terrorists, who have been detained by the US-led coalition and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces in Transeuphratia," she said, TASS reported.

"The explanation that it is allegedly impossible to agree on extradition procedures and parameters of legal assistance with the countries of origin are totally far-fetched," she added.

"Apparently this legal vacuum is being created deliberately with the aim to conceal the real aim: to let the militants dodge responsibility. It is noteworthy that in defiance of complicity in terrorism no charges are put forward or investigative measures taken," the diplomat stressed.

Zakharova stated that Russia knew well the number of militants and the conditions in which they were being kept.

"According to our sources, there are two or three thousand militants, mostly from Europe, Arab countries and the CIS," she said, adding that "the so-called restrictive measures are confined to limiting the freedom of movement. They enjoy three meals a day, medical assistance and the opportunities for exercise to stay in good physical shape".

Such actions by the United States and its allies in the region, Zakharova believes, are fraught with the re-emergence of the terrorist state in the region.

"In view of President Donald Trump’s announcement of the forthcoming US pullout from Syria there emerge high risks of a Caliphate’s re-emergence in Transeuphratia under the Iraqi type scenario we saw when after the successful withdrawal of the US contingent in 2011 entailed the emergence of the ISIL group, she added.

"By refraining from criminal prosecution of the mentioned militants the US administration in fact covers up their criminal activity," the Spokeswoman noted.

Moscow, Zakharova said, insists on inevitable punishment for the terrorists detained by the United States and the coalition it leads.

"In this context we would like to focus attention on the principle of inevitability of punishment of the detained terrorists for the committed crimes in accordance with the extradite-or-put-on-trial principle," Zakharova said, adding that "we believe it is utterly impermissible to manipulate with anti-terrorist tasks for using double standards to attain geopolitical aims".

イスラエルのガザ虐殺で世界が騒然 2

FARSNEWS2018/5/15
Turkey Accuses Israel of 'Genocide' over Nearly 60 Palestinians Death, Recalls Ambassadors from Tel Aviv, Washington
TEHRAN (FNA)- Ankara on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli violence against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in the day the US embassy relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, stressing that Washington decision to move its embassy has encouraged Tel Aviv to massacre Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed the violent crackdown in Gaza as a “genocide”, as Ankara has recalled its ambassadors from both Washington and Tel Aviv after the United States officially announced the opening of its new embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds on Monday amid deadly Israeli crackdown on peaceful rallies by Palestinians in the occupied territories which resulted in death of nearly 60 people in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel is wreaking state terror. Israel is a terror state,” Erdogan said, adding that “what Israel has done is a genocide. I condemn this humanitarian drama, the genocide, from whichever side it comes, Israel or America”.
“Turkey will react to this harshly,” Erdogan stated.
The Foreign Ministry has also said in a statement that "we strongly condemn the decision of the US Administration to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem violating international law and all relevant UN Resolutions. We reiterate that this action is legally null and void".



※　きむらとも @kimuratomo氏の2018/5/15のツイート
えーっと、官邸HP見ても安倍首相のツイッター見ても何も無いんだが、各国のリーダーが、今回のイスラエル軍によるパレスチナ人虐殺に対して声明や呼びかけを発している中、我が日本の首相は、何らか声明を発表したのかね？あ、そうか。米国に100%追従だから、日本の意見ってのは、無いのだね。@kantei

RT2018/5/15
‘Expel the Israeli ambassador’: Irish FM blasted for double standards over Gaza and Skripal case
Ireland's foreign minister is being accused of hypocrisy for failing to expel Israel’s ambassador over the IDF killing 60 Palestinians on Monday, despite sending a Russian diplomat home over the Skripal case without evidence.

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney expelled a Russian diplomat in March following Britain’s claim that Russia was behind the poisoning of double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England. The decision faced pushback from many in Ireland who claimed it was a hasty move, made before any evidence was presented.

Opposition politicians and activists are now questioning why the same robust response applied in the aftermath of the Skripal case has not been implemented in a situation where 60 people were killed and thousands more injured by Israeli forces.

Coveney issued a statement on Gaza, Monday, saying we all have “a political responsibility to try to reduce tensions and protect unarmed protesters.” He said he was “gravely concerned that the use of force seems disproportionate to the threat” and called for an independent investigation.

The minister also summoned Israeli Ambassador Ze’ev Boker to a meeting on Tuesday to express his “shock and dismay” at Monday’s events, TheJournal reports.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald says Coveney’s actions don’t go far enough, however, and called for the Israeli ambassador to Ireland to be expelled.

"I know that the Tánaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] has called in the Israeli ambassador - actually the Tánaiste should be sending the Israeli ambassador home. The Irish State now needs to recall our diplomatic mission from Israel," she said.

FARSNEWS2018/5/16
UN Calls for Independent Probe into Israeli Carnage in Gaza
TEHRAN (FNA)- The UN human rights body called for an independent investigation into the recent Israeli massacre of Palestinian protesters in Gaza Strip after the United States blocked the same bid at the Security Council.

“We call for independent, transparent investigations in all cases of death and injury since 30 March. Since 30 March, 112 Palestinians, including 14 children, have lost their lives at the fence and thousands have been injured,” Rupert Colville, the Spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, Middle East News reported.

“We stress, again, that lethal force may only be used as a measure of last – not first – resort, and only when there is an immediate threat to life or serious injury,” he noted.

FARSNEWS2018/5/17
IFJ Condemns Israeli Use of Lethal Force in Gaza Resulting in Killing, Injury of Journalists
TEHRAN (FNA)- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned on Wednesday Israel’s use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip that has caused death and injury including among journalists.

The IFJ said it joins the Federation of Arab Journalists (FAJ) and the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) “in strongly condemning the brutal and ongoing indiscriminate use of lethal force which has resulted in loss of life and serious injury to peaceful protesters and journalist covering protests”, WAFA reported.

It called in a statement on the United Nations, its agencies and the international humanitarian organizations to provide protections for Palestinian journalists. The PJS also called for “meaningful implementation of the Security Council’s resolution no. 2222” on the protection of journalists.

“We strongly condemn this inadmissible targeting of journalists in Gaza by Israeli forces which is a major hindrance to freedom of the press, a pillar of democracy. Any democracy worthy of the name should commit to protecting journalists, no matter where they come from,” IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said, adding that “we hold the Israeli army and its reckless shooting responsible for the killing and injury of Palestinian journalists for which it must be held accountable”.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Tuesday formally asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate what it regards as war crimes by Israeli armed forces against Palestinian journalists covering protests in Gaza since late March 2018.

Submitted to ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda a few hours before the UN Security Council meeting and based on article 15 of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, the request concerns the direct shots that Israeli army snipers have fired at some 20 Palestinian journalists during the “March of Return” protests in Gaza.

“The Israeli authorities could not have been unaware of the presence of journalists among the civilian demonstrators and therefore failed in the elementary duty of precaution and differentiation when targeting these protected persons with live rounds,” RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said.

“These deliberate and repeated violations of international humanitarian law constitute war crimes. While referring them to the International Criminal Court, RSF calls on the Israeli authorities to strictly respect international law,” he added.

Various sources have corroborated that the journalists were hit by shots while covering demonstrations East of Gaza City. In all, at least 20 other journalists have sustained gunshots injuries, of whom at least three were clearly identified as media personnel.

Two journalists have been killed by live rounds fired by Israeli soldiers since 30 March, the date of the start of the “March of Return” rallies by Palestinians along the Gaza border.

Yaser Murtaja, 30, a photographer for the independent Ain Media agency, and Ahmed Abu Hussein, 27, a reporter for Shaab and Bisann News were clearly identified as journalists, either by a vest or by a helmet bearing the word “Press”.

FARSNEWS2018/5/17
Russian FM Slams Statements about Kids Killed in Gaza Being Terrorists as Outrageous
TEHRAN (FNA)- Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Wednesday that statements claiming that people recently killed in Gaza, including children, were terrorists, are outrageous.

"I cannot agree with statements saying that dozens of civilians, including babies, who were killed during these incidents, were terrorists," he said, adding that "I believe these outrageous statements are aimed at avoiding an honest conversation", TASS reported.

The Russian top diplomat stated that Moscow was ready to fully facilitate dialogue between Palestine and Israel on the Jerusalem issue. According to him, it cannot be resolved unilaterally so there is the need for discussion.

"Direct dialogue between Palestinian and Israeli leaders needs to be established in order to find a solution," Lavrov stressed.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said on Wednesday that Moscow is highly concerned over the escalation of tensions in the Gaza Strip and denounces the use of military force against the civil population.

"Moscow is extremely concerned over the dangerous escalation in the Gaza Strip and in some areas on the West Bank," she said, adding that "we confirm the Palestinians’ rights to peaceful protests and denounce the use of military force against the civil population".

"We call again on the involved parties to show restraint and abandon moves that may provoke further escalation," the diplomat stressed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman offered condolences to the families and friends of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the protests.

The opening ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem sparked mass protests among Palestinians and caused clashes in the Gaza Strip, which killed at least 63 Palestinian demonstrators and left around 3,000 injured.

Skripal case 11 英国情報機関によって演じられた可能性が極めて高い

RT2018/4/19
Skripals poisoning ‘highly likely’ staged by British intelligence – Russian Foreign Ministry
The UK’s behavior after the Skripal incident suggests that the attack was organized by the British spy agencies or was at least beneficial for them, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

“It was highly likely that the false-flag incident with the poisoning of the Russian citizens in Salisbury was beneficial for, or perhaps organized by, the British intelligence services in order to mar Russia and its political leadership,” Zakharova told a news conference in Moscow on Thursday, markedly using the same phrase regarding probability as London officials and their allies.

Such a false-flag operation would perfectly fit into the “general Russophobe course of the [UK] Conservative government to demonize our country,” the spokeswoman stated, adding that the UK has “frequently committed such acts in the past.”

The “National Defense Strategy of the UK and the banquet speech of PM Theresa May at the end of last year,” also contribute to such version of events, according to Zakharova. The document and May’s speech have clearly envisioned “countering Russia” as one of the main priorities for the UK.

London’s actions in the aftermath of the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4 in the town of Sailsbury have raised many questions in Moscow. Russia says the UK did everything possible to disrupt the investigation and conceal facts, while squarely pinning the blame on Moscow. Russia has vehemently denied the allegations and repeatedly urged the UK to show some proof, or at least make information on the incident publicly available.

“The firm refusal to cooperate with Russia on the Salisbury poisoning investigation, London’s violations of the consular convention, reluctance to cooperate with the OPCW and concealment of the basic data to conduct a transparent investigation are the shining proofs of that,” Zakharova concluded.

RT2018/4/23
Russia had no interest in Skripal, UK hiding spy & daughter to stop them talking – ex-CIA mole to RT
The UK security services are most likely hiding the Skripals as they do not want them to reveal any details about their case, former Czech spy Karel Koecher told RT’s Sophie Shevardnadze.

“[Former Russian double agent Sergei] Skripal most definitely wasn’t a victim of any kind of operation or attack from the Russian side,” said Koecher, who was a Soviet mole who successfully penetrated the CIA. He went on to say that “as far as Russia is concerned, and I honestly believe it, they had absolutely no interest in Skripal at all,” adding that the mere fact that Moscow had previously agreed to swap him for Russian agents was evidence of that.

Attacking the former agent after he was swapped would “totally destroy Russian credibility as far as [spy] exchanges are concerned,” said the former Czech spy. He then explained that a spy swap is almost the “only way” to get agents with no diplomatic cover back in the event that they are caught or arrested. The Russian authorities would never put this mechanism in any kind of danger “because they certainly have to get their people back if they get into trouble.”

The whole Salisbury incident in which Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were poisoned looks more like a false flag attack, Koecher told Shevardnadze. The Skripals might just have become a “good opportunity” for “some kind of scenario of anti-Russian operations,” he said. “Maybe, it was just made up to have some kind of reason to escalate the anti-Russian operations and sanctions in public,” he suggested.

The UK security services are apparently hiding the former Russian double agent and his daughter “as much as they can,” Koecher said, adding that they would probably never let the two meet with Russian officials because London apparently fears that they could disclose facts which it does not want to become available to the public.

“The whole thing is so suspicious, you know, you cannot know what he [Sergei Skripal] is going to say,” Koecher said. “So even if he agrees to say what they [the British intelligence] tell him to say, he might change his mind when he is speaking on camera,” the former spy added.

FARSNEWS2018/5/2
Skripal Attack: Still No Suspects, UK National Security Adviser Admits But Still Blames Russia
TEHRAN (FNA)- The UK's National Security Adviser admitted to a committee of MPs that British police still have no suspects in the former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal poisoning investigation, despite the government continuing to place blame squarely on Russia

Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury on March 4. They were both taken to hospital in a critical condition after apparently being poisoned by nerve agent A-234 ('Novichok'). Yulia has since left hospital, RT reported.

Sir Mark Sedwill, who co-ordinates the work of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, conceded to the Defence Select Committee that the UK is yet to identify the source of the agent used against the Skripals, or even a suspect in the case.

Britain publicly continues to directly blame Russia for the attack, but when asked whether anyone had been identified as being responsible for the poisoning, Sedwill stated that “Not yet”.

Among the reasons given for the failure to identify a suspect is a lack of CCTV footage from Salisbury, despite the police saying they had collected thousands of hours worth of footage, and Britain having a reputation as being one of the most surveilled nations on earth.

The Guardian reported that known Russian spies in Britain have also been ruled out after an investigation.

Sedwill explained that Russian defectors are also being monitored saying that “The police, who are responsible for protective security and the various agencies alongside them, are reviewing the security of all people who might be vulnerable”.

Britain has said only Russia could be responsible because the nerve agent used had been produced in the Soviet Union.

The international chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), however, has repeatedly claimed it cannot identify the source.

Skripal, 66, a former military colonel who betrayed dozens of agents to British intelligence agency MI6, had been sentenced in 2006 to 13 years in a Russian prison for spying. But he was openly living under his real name in the UK after he was released as part of a spy swap between the US and Russia in 2010.

Russia has consistently denied being responsible for the poisoning, accusing Britain of making allegations without evidence and denying access to the Skripals despite both being Russian citizens.

RT2018/5/3
Info that Novichok was produced by Czechs is ‘crushing blow’ to London’s theory – Russian Senator
The fact that the nerve agent the UK claims was used to poison a Russian ex-spy and his daughter was being produced in the Czech Republic is a “powerful blow” to the UK theory that Russia is to blame, a Russian Senator has said.

“Novichok was produced and stored in the Czech territory in some small quantities. This fact is a crushing blow to London’s theory that is already falling apart at the seams,” Russian Senator Aleksey Pushkov said in a Twitter post, commenting on the recent revelations made by the Czech President Milos Zeman. “London is confused: Its whole construct is crumbling,” the Russian politician added.

Earlier on Thursday, Zeman told the Czech Barrandov TV channel that his country “produced and tested Novichok, even though [it was produced] only in small quantities and then destroyed.” He made his statement following an inquiry conducted by the Czech security services into the issue.

RT2018/5/5
OPCW corrects its own chief’s bizarre claim that ‘50-100 grams of Novichok’ were used on Skripals
The world’s chemical weapons watchdog has been forced to amend a sensational allegation by its own director-general, that “a quarter cup to a half cup of Novichok” – enough to kill thousands – was released to poison the Skripals.

In an interview with the New York Times, published on Thursday, Ahmet Uzumcu, who has led the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) since 2009, said that 50-100 grams of the Soviet-developed nerve agent were used in the March 4 Salisbury incident involving the former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

The discussion of the exact quantity is not academic. According to the newspaper, the amount was “significantly larger than the amount that would be created in a laboratory for research purposes, meaning that it was almost certainly created for use as a weapon,” and tallied with UK “evidence” that Russia has been “stockpiling” Novichok.

Indeed, by Friday afternoon, the OPCW itself stepped in to put an end to the nonsensical speculation, with a denial that appeared to pretend that Uzumcu had never mentioned any quantities of Novichok, while also obliquely correcting him.

“The OPCW Spokesperson stated that the OPCW would not be able to estimate or determine the amount of the nerve agent that was used in Salisbury on 4 March 2018. The quantity should probably be characterised in milligrams,” wrote the agency.

In turn, the New York Times did not issue a correction, but instead deleted its original article wholesale, replacing it with a new text.

Even after its apparent resolution, the episode raises questions. Why did Uzumcu overestimate the quantity of Novichok by a factor of thousands? It did not appear that he merely misspoke, as the article also has him endorsing the theory that Western labs would have never produced it in such quantities. In fact, why did Uzumcu name any number at all, considering that his own agency says that they are unable to estimate the amount used, and he himself says he “does not know the precise amount.” Also unusual is the behavior of the New York Times, which neither stuck to the veracity of the original article, nor apologized for any supposed misquotes, but appears to have simply wished it away.

"It's easy to make a mistake in an interview, mistaking grams and milligrams, but there is more here than that," Charles Shoebridge, former UK intelligence officer, told RT. "The situation makes you wonder what the reason was the chief of the OPCW to say something that was - at least officially as we can see from the statement - untrue."

FARSNEWS2018/5/16
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Russian embassy in London believes that latest media reports about alleged Estonian and Czech contacts of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal are aimed at drawing as many US and UK allies as possible into the case, according to an embassy Spokesperson.

"Obviously, in the absence of any evidence of Russia’s involvement in Sergei and Yulia Skripal’s poisoning, UK special services are desperately trying to find a “motive” that could explain Moscow’s alleged guilt," the Spokesperson said, TASS reported.

"After all, for the lack of specific facts proving Russia’s involvement, the “motive” remains the only opportunity to link the Salisbury incident with a Russian trace, as all the previous arguments like 'Russia has a law which allows to kill traitors' have been completely debunked," he added.

"Indeed, the former military intelligence officer sharing best practices with Czech and Estonian colleagues along with constant contacts with his MI6 handler could appear for the public as more or less plausible motivation of 'Russian retribution for a traitor,'" the source continued, noting that "but the question arises why this information comes from the New York Times and not British officials, and not in the first days after the attack, but two months later?"

"And, as usual, the leak in question deals with secret services, and therefore cannot be verified by the public," he added.

"The mention of the Czech Republic and Estonia is meant to keep the policy going to draw the maximum number of the UK and US international partners into the Salisbury case. We don’t think this effort will be successful – after the mass expulsion of Russian diplomats, which turned out to be groundless, it’s unlikely that even Britain’s allies would take its statements for granted," the source said.

The New York Times has reported, citing a high-ranking EU representative familiar with the situation, that Sergei Skripal had visited Estonia in 2016 to meet with the country’s intelligence officers. On Sunday, the Respekt news portal in the Czech Republic said Skripal had secretly visited Prague in 2012.

"Despite the fact that it was a brief visit, this trip was useful for the local intelligence services. Representatives of Czech security services later met with the former Russian spy at least once in the United Kingdom," the paper noted.

On March 4, former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, 66, who had been earlier sentenced in Russia for spying for the UK, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench near the Maltings shopping center in Salisbury, UK, as police said they had been exposed to a nerve agent.

Later, London claimed that the toxin of Novichok-class had been allegedly developed in Russia. With that, the UK rushed to accuse Russia of being involved, while failing to produce any evidence. Moscow refuted the accusations that it had participated in the incident and points out that neither the Soviet Union nor Russia have ever done research into that toxic chemical.

By now, both of them have recovered from coma. According to the Salisbury hospital, Sergei Skripal continues to receive in-patient treatment. He is getting better, while his daughter was discharged from hospital and is undergoing rehabilitation at a place kept secret.

FARSNEWS2018/5/17
Report: Western Countries Have Known Novichok Formula for Decades
TEHRAN (FNA)- A sample of Novichok, the nerve agent allegedly used to poison the Skripals, was obtained by German intelligence back in the 1990s.

A Russian scientist provided German intelligence with information on the development of Novichok for some time following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the German NDR and WDR broadcasters, as well as Die Zeit and Suedeutsche Zeitung dailies, reported, citing unnamed sources within the BND.

At some point, the man offered to bring the Germans a sample of the chemical agent in exchange for asylum for him and his family.

Western countries, including the US and the UK, have long been aware of the chemical makeup of the nerve agent known as Novichok, a group of German media outlets reported following a joint investigation. The inquiry, based on anonymous sources, gives new insights into the issue of the nerve agent said to have been used in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, UK, in March.

Western governments were able to lay their hands on the formula of what is described as “one of the deadliest chemical weapons ever developed” after the German foreign intelligence service, the BND, obtained a sample of the nerve agent from a Russian defector in the early 1990s.

A sample was eventually smuggled by the wife of the scientist and sent by the Germans to a Swedish chemical lab, according to the reports.

Following the sample analysis, the Swedish experts established the formula of the substance, which they then handed over to Germany.

By the order of the then German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the BND then shared the formula with Berlin’s “closest allies,” including the intelligence services of the US and the UK. Later, the UK, the US and Germany reportedly created a special “working group” tasked with studying the substance, which also included representatives from France, Canada and the Netherlands.

“Some NATO countries were secretly producing the chemical agent in small quantities,” the four media outlets reported, adding that it was allegedly done to develop the necessary countermeasures. However, it remains unclear which particular states were involved in the Novichok production.

The sample of the nerve agent was particularly thoroughly studied by British specialists in the Porton Down laboratory. That is why they allegedly were so quick to determine the formula of the substance used to poison the former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia back in March, the report said.

At the same time, the German media admitted that “Novichok has long been not a secret anymore,” calling the claim of the British authorities concerning the origin of the substance used to poison the Skripals “precarious”.

The British government accuses Russia of poisoning the Skripals in Salisbury using the nerve agent A230, which has since become known as Novichok. Part of the argument put forward by Prime Minister Theresa May for Moscow’s complicity is that Russia is the only country able to produce it. That narrative has remained largely unquestioned within the Western mainstream media.

However, Czech President Milos Zeman has recently admitted that his country did synthesize and test a nerve agent of the so-called Novichok family. Earlier, Russian officials named the Czech Republic – along with Slovakia, Sweden, the US and the UK itself – among the countries which have enough technical capabilities to produce the nerve agent.

The international chemical weapons watchdog, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has repeatedly claimed it cannot identify the source of the agent that was allegedly used to poison the Skripals.

US President Says Some Illegal Immigrants Are ‘Animals’

FARSNEWS2018/5/17
US President Says Some Illegal Immigrants Are ‘Animals’
TEHRAN (FNA)- US President Donald Trump announced that some of the undocumented immigrants who have crossed the border into America are “animals” and need to be deported.

“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in − we’re stopping a lot of them,” Trump told a round-table discussion about California’s sanctuary laws on Wednesday, presstv reported.

“You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals, and we’re taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that’s never happened before,” he added.

Trump made the remarks when asked about his administration’s plans to keep out undesirable immigrants, including members of international criminal gangs like MS-13.

The Republican President, who has shown little tolerance for illegal immigration since taking office in January last year, used the meeting with state and local officials to criticize America’s immigration laws, calling them “the dumbest laws on immigration in the world”.

The Trump administration is taking legal action to invalidate sanctuary laws, which limit communication between local law enforcement and federal immigration officers.

Officials partaking in the meeting complained to the President that state laws were making it more difficult for their communities to find and deport criminals.

Trump blamed Republicans for passing “bad laws”. He also took a jab at Mexico, which is bordered to the north by the United States, for “doing nothing” to stop illegal immigration.

Trump’s remarks and his criticism of California prompted a fiery response from the state’s Democratic governor, Jerry Brown.

“Trump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of California,” Brown said in a statement, adding that “Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth-largest economy in the world, are not impressed.”

Trump has promised to build a wall on the border with Mexico to stop migrant flow into the US.

He has also warned so-called “sanctuary cities” to either do away with lax immigration laws or have their federal funding cut.

Japan Ready to Retaliate against US Import Tariffs

FARSNEWS2018/5/17
TEHRAN (FNA)- Tokyo is taking final steps to inform the World Trade Organization later this week that it is ready to retaliate against US import tariffs, according to a Japanese broadcaster.

The Japanese government considered $409 million in duties to offset tariffs imposed on it last March by the US President Donald Trump administration, sources told the NHK channel.

The list of goods was not publicized.

The US President has imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium, citing national security concerns. Japan failed to secure a waiver from these duties, but NHK sources added that it would continue talks.

Earlier, Japan and China reached several milestone agreements in financial cooperation during a visit of the Japanese PM to China. The two countries have agreed to resume talks on implementing a foreign currency swap agreement and announced a set of measures ensuring the strengthening of mutual trade and financial ties.

OPCW says chlorine 'likely' used in Syria based on open-source info & samples provided by jihadists

RT2018/5/16
OPCW says chlorine 'likely' used in Syria based on open-source info & samples provided by jihadists
The OPCW report claiming that chlorine was "likely used" in Saraqeb, Syria in February is "seriously misleading" because its narrative is based on evidence provided by jihadists, the former UK ambassador told RT.

A fact-finding mission (FFM) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Wednesday published a report which "determined that chlorine, released from cylinders through mechanical impact, was likely used as a chemical weapon on 4 February 2018 in the Al Talil neighborhood of Saraqib" in the Idlib province of Syria. Eleven people were treated after the attack for mild and moderate symptoms of toxic chemical exposure, the OPCW said in a report on its findings.

The FFM based their conclusions on a number of factors, namely the presence of two empty cylinders, which allegedly earlier contained chlorine as well as patients who were admitted to medical facilities after the reported incident. The report also states that the FFM never made it to the site of the alleged attack and relied solely on 'evidence' provided by three NGOs, two of which are based overseas. Despite the compelling narrative of the OPCW, the former British ambassador to Syria, Peter Ford, characterized the report as "seriously misleading" and "deeply disturbing."

"The mission was supposed to be fact finding, but when you actually read the 34 pages of the report, you discover that there are no facts in it at all – not one fact which is supported by independent observers," Ford told RT.

"You hear ridiculous claims such as, 'we heard barrel bombs being dropped from helicopters.' Well, I'm sorry that is a physical impossibility. And the report is full of idiotic statements like this that even a child could discard."

In fact, the entire OPCW account is based on witness testimonies and material evidence provided by selected NGOs as well as medical records offered by the same questionable sources, including Belgium-based Same Justice/Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria (CVDCS), the notorious Syrian Civil Defence (SCD) – better known as White Helmets – and the US-based Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS).

Ford noted that the White Helmets are a "well-known jihadi auxiliary who have assisted in beheadings and who are notorious for making propaganda," and that SAMS shares "a similar reputation."

Other relevant information for the international chemical watchdog was gathered from "open-source media" because "various constraints," mainly related to security, prevented "immediate access to sites by the FFM."

"Believe it or not the inspectors did not go to the… alleged scene of the crime. Why? Because it is in the hands of jihadists. That is why they did not go," Ford said. "These people are totally affiliated with the jihadists, yet the inspectors accepted at face value their samples which could have come from absolutely anywhere."

While the OPCW did not assign responsibility for the attack, the White Helmets and SAMS have previously pointed the finger at Damascus.

Nevertheless, the inconclusive OPCW findings in the Saraqeb incident will likely be used to further back the narrative of the US and its allies, who repeatedly used claims by the White Helmets, SAMS, and other questionable sources to unequivocally pin the blame on President Bashar Assad. Chemical 'incidents' were also used as a pretext to strike government facilities in Syria in April 2017, and again as recently as last month.

"There are signs in the report of partiality," Ford told RT. "I'm sure that attempts will be made to exploit this very inadequate report."