Drink The Kool Aid: US DoD Inspector General Investigates Pentagon’s UFO Program
South Front, May 11 2021
The US Dept of Defense’s Inspector General is investigating the newest money-laundering scheme, known by the name of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF). The Inspector General has an oversight and investigatory role over the Pentagon and said that it is performing an “evaluation of the DoD’s Actions Regarding the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” UAPs are the term that defense groups and those who make it their mission to discover flying saucers use to describe UFOs. The inspection notice states that it will be investigating the Pentagon’s Offices of the Sec Def, Military Services, Combatant Commands, Combat Support Agencies, Defense Agencies, and the Military Criminal Investigative Organizations. It is still not exactly clear what the organisation specifically does. This has been a recent issue, as the existence of the program became public knowledge in 2017, alongside some questionable videos. This happened due to whistleblower Lue Elizondo, who ran the program, spoke about it to The NYT. Back then, videos were released to the NYT and former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge’s UFO research organization To The Stars Academy. They subsequently spread the footage to the wide public. In 2020, more videos were released, and a fleshed-out task force was formed. The UAPTF’s official purpose is to improve its understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAPs. The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to US national security. The original program was funded in secret by the Senate and was championed by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. For years, US military personnel (in particular Navy pilots) have reported odd, publicly unexplained phenomena in the skies, such as videos recorded by fighter pilots showing unknown objects supposedly maneuvering in ways outside the bounds of known engineering limits. And, it’s not just the Navy that has been interested. In 2019, an Army combat vehicle program signed a contract with To The Stars Academy of Arts and Science to study exotic technologies based on “meta materials” it reportedly acquired from a UFO researcher involving at least $750k in military spending. There’s been no information ever since. It’s not immediately clear why the Inspector General might be interested in the Pentagon’s UFO-tracking activity, but one might speculate that it could be related to whether the office believes DoD funds were properly disbursed in the course of all these doings. Highly likely, the covert program was essentially a scheme to funnel funds out of the Pentagon budget, then, it became a non-covert way of funneling cash, as it was revealed to the wide public. Now, the time to pay the piper has come and this needs to be investigated
Turn The Other Cheek? Israel’s Savage Response To Gaza’s Rockets
SouthFront, May 11 2021
Chaos is returning to the West Bank, as rockets are raining down on both sides of the Gaza fence. On the afternoon of May 10th, after days of violent protests in Jerusalem’s Mount Temple, Hamas’ military wing gave Israeli authorities a deadline to withdraw the police and release the detained Palestinians. As it was expected, Tel Aviv did not respect the ultimatum. As soon as it passed, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group reportedly launched about 30 rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. An ATGM also targeted a vehicle, injuring one civilian. The Palestinians called their operation the “Al Quds Sword,”. while the Israeli response is titled “Guardian of the Walls.” The mighty Iron Dome intercepted most of missiles launched from Gaza towards Israeli Ashkelon and other areas, but its coverage is strained. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have recently deployed several more batteries in the south and bolstered it with more radars and launchers. There is ample footage showing rockets targeting civilian, and not open, areas. In a swift response, an Israeli UAV was launched towards Gaza. The strike reportedly resulted in the death of at least 9 civilians, 3 of which were children. This was not the “crushing blow” Tel Aviv expected it to be, as rockets continued raining down from Gaza towards Israeli territory. During this night only, over 200 rockets have been reportedly launched from Gaza. In response, the IDF claim they have killed 15 Hamas members and have struck 130 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets. The IDF reportedly destroyed several rocket launchers, at least 2 military posts, 2 tunnels, a Hamas military intel facility and alleged weapon manufacturing and storage sites. The IDF did not mention that the strikes have resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians. The numbers of casualties, as well as material damage caused by the hostilities from both sides, are not comparable. The rocket exchange has already been marked as the biggest escalation in the West Bank in recent years. It comes down to speculation how likely a further deterioration into chaos is. Tel Aviv appears to be dead set on indiscriminately targeting alleged Hamas targets, regardless of civilian collateral damage. The Palestinian groups in Gaza could potentially hope that the “international community” will not sit idly by and watch as Israel’s incredibly severe response takes place, and so far it appears they are hoping in vain.
Israeli Fierce Response To Rockets Rain From Gaza
South Front, May 11 2021
According to the IOF, about 150 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israel since the beginning of the escalation. As a result one Israeli soldier was reportedly injured. In response, the IOF targeted military and civilian sites in Gaza. At least 65 people have been reportedly killed so far. According to the videos that appeared online, several Israeli UAVs targeted civilians in Gaza, killing dozens, including children. IOF also destroyed a number of Hamas’ military sites with rocket strikes.
Videos showing the IOF targeting the sites in Gaza, where the rockets towards Israel were launched from, were spread online. Most of them are located in civilian areas. The numbers of casualties, as well as material damage caused by the hostilities from the both sides, are not comparable.
IDF Deploys Artillery Batteries To Gaza Border, Signalling Fighting Ramps Up
South Front, May 11 2021
On the morning of May 11, the IOF sent additional artillery batteries to the Gaza border as fighting intensifies in the Strip. The deployment of these cannons and rocket launchers appear to indicate that the military is preparing for a potential wider conflict in the enclave. The IOF said it bombed a Hamas team preparing to fire an anti-tank guided missile at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Rocket launches continue from Gaza towards Israeli territory. Fresh rocket sirens sound as a barrage of incoming projectiles is fired toward Ashkelon and a number of communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. Sirens are heard in Ashkelon, Nahal Oz, Sderot, Karmia, Zikim, Kfar Silver and Yad Mordechai. At least 24 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids on the besieged Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Netanyahu warned of an open-ended operation against Hamas. In a speech, Netanyahu accused the group of crossing a “red line” with the latest rocket fire and promised a tough response. He said:
Whoever attacks us will pay a heavy price.
The Israeli army said a civilian in the country’s south suffered mild injuries when a vehicle was struck by an anti-tank missile from Gaza. Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’s military wing, said the attack on Jerusalem was a response to what he called Israeli “crimes and aggression” in the city. He said:
This is a message the enemy has to understand well.
He threatened more attacks if Israeli forces re-enter the Al Aqsa Mosque compound or carry out forced expulsions of Palestinian families from an East Jerusalem neighborhood. The US and EU have expressed deep concern over the unrest in East Jerusalem, urging Israel to calm the situation and not carry out the forced expulsions. Conditional Arab allies of Israel, along with Turkey, have also condemned Israel’s actions. Erdogan took to Twitter over the weekend to air his fury in Turkish, Arabic and Hebrew. He called Israel a “cruel terrorist state” and said Muslim nations needed to take effective steps to stop the violence. Those who remained silent were “a party to the cruelty there.” Erdogan spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to convey his support, while his foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, vowed that Turkey would continue to be the voice “of our Palestinian brothers and sisters and defend their rights.” Erdogan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, also commented on the developments:
To the Islamic world, we say: It’s time to stop Israel’s heinous and cruel attacks! To humanity we say: It’s time to put this apartheid state in its place.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and other Arab nations also denounced Israel’s actions, in very mild language.
Night Round Of Shelling On Israel Continues. Number Of Casualties In Gaza Grows
South Front, May 10 2021
The Iron Dome is intercepting more missiles launched from Gaza towards the area of Israeli Ashkelon. The IDF have recently deployed several more batteries in the south and bolstered it with more radars and launchers.
According to the reports, number of injuries in Gaza have risen to 65, majority are civilians. 20 people are dead, including 9 children:
A String Of Fiery ‘Incidents’ In Syria And Iran
South Front, May 10 2021
While Russia’s military and civilians celebrated the May 9th Victory Day, Syrians faced a difficult day, especially when it comes to Damascus’ oil business. It all began with a fire breaking out at Homs oil refinery in central Syria. It was dubbed an accident. According to SANA, the fire broke out at the refinery’s Distillation Unit 100. The workers and local firefighters were able to contain and put down the fire within a short period of time. There were no casualties; however, two people did suffer burns. The Homs refinery is Syria’s main crude oil processing facility. It was targeted on a number of occasions over last ten years. It is not wild speculation to consider that this was, too, a case of sabotage. It could be militants, or it could be Israel, attempting to punish Damascus. After all, it received large amounts of Iranian crude oil in the weeks leading up to the attack. Idle accusations such as this could just be speculations, but there are other corroborative events. On the afternoon of May 9, two explosions rocked a tanker anchored off the coast of Syria’s Banias, where the country’s main oil terminal is located. The explosions were heard all over Banias. Locals shared footage showing two dark clouds of smoke rising from the tanker. No fire was seen, and the issue was blamed on an engine malfunction. The tanker was identified by observers as the Panama-flagged WISDOM, which has been anchored off the coast for a while now. Previously, on Apr 24, the WISDOM was rocked by another explosion. Initially, the incident was blamed on a drone attack. The official version was then reported as an accident, with three Syrian sailors losing their lives in it. It is possible that both the fire at the oil refinery, as well as the explosion rocking an oil tanker at Syria’s main oil terminal could all be accident. However, it is incredibly suspicious that they happened on the same day, just hours from each other. These incidents may both be related to Iran, as it is one of the premier oil suppliers to Damascus, while the US and others have occupied most of Syria’s oil fields. Indeed, on May 7, a massive fire broke out in the Iranian city of Bushehr. Iran’s only functioning nuclear power plant is located there. It is one of Iran’s’ main oil exporting ports. The city also houses sensitive facilities for the Iranian Navy. If incidents in Syria are mostly the result of militant attacks, incidents in Iran, and especially on key infrastructure, are almost always blamed on Israel. These incidents, however, appear quite similar in nature.
Israel Diversifies Its Aggression On Syria
South Front, May 7 2021
Israel is moving away from its typical conduct of simply carrying out airstrikes on various targets in Syria, and seems to be becoming more assertive. On May 6, Israeli combat helicopters attacked posts of the Syrian Arab Army in the northern countryside of al-Quneitra. According to reports, several military posts located in the vicinity of the town of Jubata al-Khashab were hit. The town is a very short distance from the Israeli posts at the separation line in occupied Golan Heights. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, three personnel who were manning the targeted posts were injured as a result of the Israeli strikes. Following the strike, the Israeli military warned Syrian service members in al-Quneitra against collaborating with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in leaflets dropped on the morning of May 6. In the leaflets, the Israeli military accused Brig-Gen Hussein Hammouch, commander of the 1st Corps’ 90th Brigade, of facilitating Hezbollah movements on the separation of forces line in coordination with a Lebanese commander named “Haj Hashim.” The Israeli military dropped similar leaflets with threats to several units and commanders of the SAA’s 1st Corps over the last few months.
Separately, in central Syria, at least 15 fighters of the Palestinian pro-government al-Quds Brigade were killed or injured as a result of an attack by ISIS cells on May 5. ISIS cells have been very active around the area of al-Sukhnah, as they are running out of options. A series of operations by the Syrian military and its allies forced the terrorists to leave other areas in the Hama-Aleppo-Raqqa triangle and western Deir ez-Zor. Meanwhile, Syria and Iraq are moving further towards improving their relations. On May 6, Assad received a message from Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi, conveyed by Faleh al-Fayyad, Head of the Popular Mobilization Units. According to the SANA news agency, the message touched on bilateral relations, issues of mutual concern, and recent developments on the political and security levels, especially the war on terrorism. This is quite important, as a resurgence of ISIS in both Syria and Iraq appears to be in the works, and cooperation will be vital to limiting it. Rumors of a large-scale operation in Syria’s central region against ISIS are circulating, and it could be that Iraq could partake in it, from the other side of the border. Baghdad needs to deal with the spreading ISIS influence, both in Kurdistan and in other regions, especially in the provinces near Syria.
Niqnaq 