Syria updates - US increase military in Middle East, Israel attacks Damascus countryside

I will try to bring you information you are not going to find on the BBC or CNN

Latest Israeli attack on Damascus countryside

At 2.20 am on the 7th August Israel carried out an air attack from the occupied Syrian Golan territories targeting the southern Damascus outskirts. The majority of the missiles were intercepted by the Syrian Air Defence but four soldiers were killed in the attack and two were injured. Material damage was also caused.

The names of three of the soldiers killed in the attack - Major Eng. Issa Taha Hammoud, Lieutenant Louay Bassam Muhammad, Lieutenant Ahmed Mare’e.

The timing of the Israeli attack, as always, coincides with increased Russian/Syrian attacks on the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (Al Qaeda offshoot) in Idlib (north-west) and the Syrian military build up in the northern region of Syria. Israel is effectively the U.S. attack dog in the region and Israel’s intention is to destroy the capability of Syria to defend itself by targeting air-defence systems and personnel.

Of course these attacks are a violaton of international law and of course these attacks will go unmentioned at the BBC or CNN unless justified by the “Israeli pre-emptive self defence” trope. For Israel this is the war-between-wars - the strategy to destroy Syrian defence and offensive weapons before any major escalation of conflict between the two countries and their allies.

Russian strikes on HTS headquarters in Idlib

Russian strikes on HTS positions in Idlib

On August 5th Nusra Front terrorists (Al Qaeda in Syria) bombed civilian homes and infrastructure in the village of Qalaat Mirza in Hama countryside injuring two women and causing extensive structural damage. Syrian Arab Army artillery intensively targeted the military positions and bases of Nusra Front in Jisr Al Shughour City and surrounding countryside in Idlib province.

On August 6th, the day before the Israeli attack on Damascus - Russian and Syrian jets destroyed the headquarters of HTS terrorist forces in the countryside of Idlib City. According to local sources, the buildings contained important facilities for the terrorist group.

Watch video of the strike:

Almost immediately the CIA/MI6 White Helmet construct sprang into action to condemn the Russian/Syrian offensive:

"Russian air strikes this morning" to the west of the city "left three people dead from the same family" and "six other people wounded", the organisation said. The Syrian Civil Defence organisation known as the White Helmets said the three dead were a man, his wife and their son.

The familiar images appeared on Twitter of HTS-linked operatives wearing pristine White Helmet uniforms clambering over rubble that could be anywhere. Even the EU-funded Syrian Observatory of Human Rights known for their anti-Syrian-government position admitted that the strike had hit an “opposition” facility.

Another claim was that the buildings were vacant but this was debunked by various analysts on Telegram with screenshots showing clearly the activity in the buildings immediately before the strike:

The Russian Ministry of Defence has also announced that terrorist organisations in Idlib and the northern countryside of Lattakia and Aleppo are preparing to carry out attacks against the positions of Syrian and Russian forces. The intention by Al Qaeda is to carry out suicide attacks against Syrian and Russian patrols - according to the deputy head of the Russian coordination centre in Hmemim, Rear Admiral Vadim Collett.

Russia targeting terrorist positions in south-east Syria - the US illegal military base of Al Tanf

At the same time as Russian and Syrian warplanes are pounding terrorist positions in the north-west, Russia is continuing a bombing campaign against terrorist positions in the proximity of the US illegal military base at Al Tanf in south-east Syria.

Watch a Russian air-strike on terrorist positions:

I reported in my last summary that the U.S. intention is to create a terrorist hub in Al Tanf on the border with Iraq and Jordan from which they can oversee attacks against Syrian Arab Army positions, convoys and threaten the security of Syrian civilians as they have been doing more regularly recently.

Syrian Russian joint night tactical military live fire exercises

On the 3rd August Syrian and Russian special forces carried out night live fire exercises designed to simulate liberating villages from terrorist occupation, targeting Idlib primarily.

Russian Su-24 tactical bombers, Su-35 jets and Ka-52 attack helicopters participated in these exercises which included a parachute and night airdrop by the Syrian Arab Army Special Forces using Mi-8 AMTSH helicopters.

While these exercises are not unusual the timing of this drill also has a connection to the current uptick in the campaign to rid Syria of the US-UK-led proxy terrorist alliance, including the UK US forces and contractors.

Watch:

Fierce clashes between Syrian Arab Army units and ISIS

On the 8th August ISIS tried to breach SAA defences on the Al Majbel - Qaws Maadan axis in the western desert of Deir Ezzor. This is not far from the recently re-established U.S. military base in central Syria. The U.S. is triggering ISIS cells more regularly in the last few weeks, again as part of the build-up of new military campaign to further destabilise Syria. The checkpoints and surrounding areas have since been secured by the SAA.

During the attack one Syrian soldier was killed and three others wounded according to security sources.

Night clashes between National Defence Forces and ISIS

Humanitarian aid announced in lock-step with increased terrorist military activity

When there is an increase in military activity from the various terrorist proxy forces controlled by Turkey, US, UK, Israel and allies there is often a coincidental announcement of an increase in so-called humanitarian aid to Idlib under some pretext or other.

This time it has been announced that British aid money has been diverted to Idlib via ActionAid (UK is primary funder) who is partnering the Violet organisation - an offshoot of the White Helmets with many of the same backers maintaining its presence in Idlib province dominated by Al Qaeda and affiliates. I have previously written about the Violet organisation for Unlimited Hangout.

U.S. sends more than 3000 sailors and marines to Middle East

According to Fox News:

The U.S. Navy announced the arrival Monday of more than 3,000 sailors and Marines to the Middle East following a call by the Department of Defense for additional troops after "recent attempts by Iran to seize commercial ships in the CENTCOM area of operations." 

According to Press TV:

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has over the past years foiled several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers in the strategic Persian Gulf region and other high seas.

The IRGC’s Navy confiscated more than 50 million liters of smuggled fuel, mainly diesel, in various missions last year. 

The US navy has several times seized Iranian-controlled tankers and shipments of oil en route to other countries, citing its own sanctions on Iran's oil exports. Iran says it views US military vessels lurking in the waters of the Persian Gulf as a threat to its security and a source of tension and instability in the region. 

What is certain is that none of these moves by the Pentagon and the Biden administration can be viewed in isolation. The strategy will be to cut Syria off even further from allied nations who have been assisting the beleaguered country where the U.S. is responsible for the theft and occupation of essential resources including oil in the north-east.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister in the Yemeni National Salvation coalition government in Sana’a Hussein Al Ezzi has announced via his Twitter (X) account:

In the interest of international peace and security, and to preserve the safety of navigation in the Red Sea, U.S. forces must move away from our territorial waters because any approach could mean the beginning of the longest and most costly battle in human history.

More updates next time. Thank you for reading.