Israeli Attacks Continues To Kill Syrians, Iranians
South Front, Nov 16 2022
Israel continues to launch attacks on Syria with the alleged goal of weakening the influence of Iran’s IRGC and its allies in the war-torn country. Late on Nov 8, a series of strikes targeted the al-Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq. The strikes hit a convoy of about 15 vehicles that had crossed from Iraq into the Syrian side of the crossing. At least ten people, including several Iranian nationals, were reportedly killed in the strikes. Initially, it was reported that the targeted vehicles were carrying a shipment of Iranian fuel meant for Hezbollah in Lebanon, where fuel prices have been on the rise. The Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV said that the deadly strikes were carried out by Israeli drones. On Nov 9, the WSJ confirmed in a report that Israel was behind the strikes. Nevertheless, the newspaper said that the strikes targeted vehicles suspected of smuggling Iranian weapons after it crossed the border from Iraq to the Syrian side in al-Qa’im. The governments of Syria and Iraq have not commented on the deadly strikes, so far. Iran is also yet to confirm or deny that Iranian nationals were among the casualties. Just five days after the attack on the Syrian-Iraqi border, on Nov 13 afternoon, a series of Israeli airstrikes hit Shayrat Air Base in the eastern Homs countryside in Syria’s central region.
Israeli Air Forces fighter jets launched the airstrikes from the direction of Tripoli and Hermel in Lebanon’s northern region. Several Israeli missiles were reportedly intercepted by Syrian air defense. However, a series of large explosions were reported within the key air base. A Syrian military official acknowledged in a statement to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency that two soldiers were killed and three others were wounded as a result of the Israeli aerial attack on Shayrat Air Base. He also confirmed that the air base sustained some material losses, without providing any details. Shayrat Air Base is not known to host any personnel of Hezbollah or any other group backed by the IRGC. Despite of this, Israeli and Arab media reported as usual that the target was an Iranian weapons shipment. Israel resumed its attacks on Syria in October after a short pause that lasted for around a month. Three attacks targeted the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, in the last third of October causing human and material losses. Officials in Tel Aviv claim that the recent attacks on Syria had destroyed about 90% of Iran’s military infrastructure in the country. However, the new uptake in Israeli attacks indicates that the IRGC is still as active in Syria as before.
Iran Blamed For Drone Attack On Israeli-Owned Oil Tanker Off Oman’s Coast
South Front, Nov 16 2022
An Israeli-owned oil tanker was reportedly attacked by a suspected Iranian suicide drone off the coast of Oman late on Nov 15. The tanker was identified as the Liberian-flagged Pacific Zircon which is operated by the Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, a company ultimately owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. In a statement released on Nov 16, Eastern Pacific Shipping said that the Pacific Zircon, carrying gas oil had been “hit by a projectile” some 240 km off the coast of Oman. The company said:
We are in communication with the vessel and there are no reports of injuries or pollution. All crew are safe and accounted for. There is some minor damage to the vessel’s hull but no spillage of cargo or water ingress.
Three maritime sources told Reuters that a drone was suspected to have attacked the Pacific Zircon. Meanwhile, an Israeli official who spoke to the AP said that it appeared Iran carried out the attack on the tanker with a Shahed-136 suicide drone. The unnamed official said:
It is an Iranian attack, there is a consensus on this in the Israeli intelligence and defense community.
The Shahed-136, which was developed by Iran’s Shahed Aviation Industries, has a top range of around 2,500 km and can carry a warhead weighting up to 40 kg. Iran’s semi-official Nournews agency blamed Israel for the attack and said the “Hebrew-Arab axis” aimed to create a “charged atmosphere” ahead of soccer’s World Cup that starts in Qatar on Nov 20. Some observers believe however that Iran attacked the Israeli-owned tanker in response to the Nov 8 strikes on the al-Qa’im border crossing between Syria and Iraq. At least ten people, including Iranian nationals, were killed in the strikes which reportedly targeted an Iranian fuel shipment destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon. A report by the WSJ said that Israel was behind the strikes. Israel and Iran have been locked up in covert war for a few years now. The attack on Pacific Zircon will likely lead to more tensions in the entire Middle East.
Turkey Prepares For Military Operation Against Kurds After Istanbul Blast
Ahmed Adel, South Front, Nov 16 2022
The Turkish armed forces may launch an operation in northern Syria as the order for the recent terrorist attack in Istanbul was allegedly given from the Kurdish-majority city of Kobani. The Nov 13 explosion on the Istiklal pedestrian street in central Istanbul led to the death of six people and was quickly blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and their Syrian branch, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), who control Kobani. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said police arrested a woman believed to have left the bomb on Istiklal Street. According to him, it is suspected that the order came from Kobani, a Syrian town on the border with Turkey, and that the perpetrator entered Turkey via Afrin, a Kurdish-majority region in northern Syria controlled by Turkish-backed forces. Miliyyet newspaper quoted Turkish security expert Abdullah Agar as saying:
We will conduct an operation in Ain al-Arab (Kobani). Now this obligation is weighing heavily on our necks.
Earlier, Erdogan spox Ibrahim Kalin said that Ankara is ready for a new military operation in northern Syria which could start at any time. Damascus has repeatedly stated that it is illegal for Turkish forces to conduct operations against Kurdish forces there and has called on Ankara to withdraw its troops. Meanwhile, an unnamed senior official told Reuters on Nov 15:
Turkey plans to pursue targets in northern Syria after it completes a cross-border operation against the PKK in Iraq. Threats against Turkey posed by Kurdish militants or the Islamic State are unacceptable, and Ankara will clear threats along its southern border one way or another. Syria is a national security problem for Turkey. There is work being done on this already. There is an ongoing operation against the PKK in Iraq. There are certain targets in Syria after that is completed.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the Istanbul blast, and the PKK have denied any involvement, police say the suspected bomber is a Syrian woman named Ahlam Albashir. She was detained only a day after the blast at a house raid in Istanbul. This year alone, Turkey has conducted three incursions into northern Syria against the YPG. Confusingly, despite the PKK being recognised as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, the YPG are allies of Washington and the EU. Erdogan is facing a major challenge in next year’s election, with polls suggesting he could lose power after two decades. This was a similar scenario to what occurred before the 2015 general election, with a wave of bombings and other terrorist attacks gripping the country. They were mostly blamed on the PKK and IS. It could be suggested that Erdogan either orchestrated the Istanbul bombing, or is taking maximum advantage of the operation to gain more votes through ultra-nationalist rhetoric and the corresponding military operation against the Kurds, just like what happened in 2015. In fact, a September MetroPoll survey in Turkey found that more than half of Turkish citizens believe that their government is using tensions with Greece for an “election agenda,” an election agenda that can also be imposed against the Kurds too. It is also notable that it was reported by Al-Monitor on Nov 9:
Turkey is reorganising militant forces in northern Syria and is reportedly using threats and ultimatums to discipline the disorderly factions. Ankara is using Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as a stick in its efforts to push the factions to form a joint military command and a joint administrative structure. The factions were told by Turkish officials on Nov 2 to unite under a joint command and shut separate operation rooms, cede all urban checkpoints to a joint security apparatus, hand over control of crossings to a financial committee and create a joint fund, and close down the prisons they operate. A warning was issued that fresh internal conflicts could result in dissolving the groups involved.
Turkey’s restructuring of jihadi forces under its command and/or influence in northern Syria only days before blaming the PKK for the Istanbul blast, something the Kurdish militant group denies perpetrating, will raise questions on whether the terror attack was a false-flag operation to justify a new military operation and to boost Erdogan’s ratings in the lead up to next year’s elections.
UAV Struck Fuel Tank In Russian Oryol Region
South Front, Nov 16 2022
Ukrainian forces continue attacks on Russian infrastructure facilities. The targets for the Ukrainian strikes are mostly carried out in the border regions. However, on November 16, Ukrainian UAV reached the Russian Oryol region which has no border with Ukraine. An UAV attack targeted an oil depot in the village of Stalnoi Kon in the Oryol region. The attack took place at about 4 p.m. and resulted in some material damage. There were no casualties among the civilians. The governor of the region Andrey Klychkov commented on the incident:
At about 4 am today, an unmanned aerial vehicle allegedly detonated an oil depot in the village of Stalnoi Kon. There are no casualties.
According to some Russian media, the target was the terminal of the Druzhba oil pipeline. A drone dropped an explosive device on it. As a result of the explosion, the terminal was slightly damaged, there was no fire. Only the shell of the fuel tank was damaged. It is not yet clear whether the UAV reached the Russian region from Ukrainian territory or was launched by saboteurs in the area. The village of Stalnoi Kon is located more than 170 km from the border with Ukraine.
Russian Strikes Throughout Ukraine On Nov 15: Cities Plunged Into Darkness. Poland On High Alert
South Front, Nov 16 2022
On Nov 15, at about 3 pm local time, an air alert sounded throughout Ukraine. The explosions were reported in almost all regions and cities of the country. Immediately after the attacks, power outages and interruptions of public transport began. Emergency power outages continue in all regions of the country. Zelensky claimed that Russia fired 90 missiles at the territory of Ukraine, as a result of which the country’s energy system was hit. According to the deputy head of the office, Kirill Tymoshenko, more than 90 missiles were fired at Ukraine, while Ukrainian air defense allegedly shot down 70 of them. In total, 15 energy infrastructure facilities were damaged. More than 7 million consumers were left without electricity, this is about 20 million people, said Deputy head of the presidential office Kirill Tymoshenko said. Deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine Kirill Tymoshenko said that most of the strikes were recorded in the center and in the north of the country. He called the situation with Kiev’s energy supply very difficult.
A residential building was damaged in Kiev as a result of falling debris of a downed missile or another malfunction of a missile from an air defense system:
By the beginning of November, 40% of the energy infrastructure in Ukraine has already been damaged. The Minister of Energy of Ukraine, German Glushchenko, said that on Nov 15th, the country had experienced the largest blow to the energy system since the beginning of the Russian special operation. Glushchenko claimed:
This attack may affect not only the energy system of Ukraine, but also the energy systems of some of our neighbors. Strikes are taking place across the entire energy sector of Ukraine: both on generation facilities and on the electricity transmission system.
Electricity supplies were disrupted in several districts of Moldova, in particular, in Chisinau, and the Transnistrian region. The Moldovan authorities explained that the reason was the automatic shutdown of the transmission line through which the country receives energy from Romania (? – RB). Ukraine has suspended the pumping of oil through the Druzhba pipeline in the direction of Hungary due to a drop in voltage, the official representative of Transneft Igor Demin said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban convened the Security Council on the evening of Nov 15. Before the meeting of the Hungarian Security Council, Hungarian Defense Minister Krysztof Szalai-Bobrownicki held telephone talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
A meeting of the National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been urgently launched in Poland, after two missiles hit the territory of Poland amid the attacks in Ukraine. Earlier on Nov 15, Polish Radio ZET reported that two rockets fell in the village of Przevodow in the Lublin district, which is located 8 km from the border with Ukraine. The Polish Fire Service clarified that the explosions occurred at a grain dryer, resulting in the death of two people, stressing that the causes of the incident are still unknown. State Dept spox Vedant Patel said that the US is in close contact with the Polish authorities to establish all the details of the explosion that occurred near the borders with Ukraine. Poland will strengthen air space monitoring together with its allies, Morawiecki said. Poland has put all services, including special ones, on high alert, he added. According to the photos from the area, the territory of Poland was likely hit by Ukrainian S300 air defence missiles. However, Warsaw is likely to blame Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry called the Polish media reports about the fall of two Russian missiles on the territory of the country a “deliberate provocation.” The ministry added that they there were no strikes near the Ukrainian-Polish border, and the debris depicted in the photos in the Polish media is not related to Russian weapons.
Ukrainian Servicemen Busy Playing Role Of Happy Kherson Residents For Foreign Media
South Front, Nov 16 2022
AFP reports on the situation in the city of Kherson which was recently left by Russian forces. The media show crowds of people with Ukrainian flags on the streets. However, the parades of happiness turned out to be staged. On the video published by AFP an allegedly enthusiastic Kherson resident declares that there is no light, water, or communication in the city, but he is very happy that there are no more Russians. The forced happiness of the man drew attention to his personality. The man on the video was identified as Panin Evgeny Nikolaevich. He does not live in Kherson but came there from Kiev together with his unit. Evgeny Nikolaevich is the commander of a company of the National Guard in the military unit #3030. Units of Ukrainian National Guards are mainly responsible to secure the settlements that came under Kiev’s control, including to carry out repressions against civilians. It turns out the new task of the Ukrainian military is to play roles of happy residents and provide the MSM with the Fake content which is necessary for the Kiev regime.
Niqnaq 