Radical cleric who led Asia Bibi protests has been arrested

Police in Pakistan have arrested the radical Islamic cleric who led the nationwide protests, which became riots and a house-to-house bloodlust hunt, against Christian Asia Bibi, who was on death row over inflated charges of blasphemy against Mohammad and then acquitted and released earlier this month.

Earlier this week, the so-called protests became a mob hunting for her, house-to-house, while her family has begged for her asylum in the West.

On Friday, the extreme Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik confirmed that leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi was arrested in Lahore, along with dozens of supporters. A spokesman for the Punjab province, where the arrest took place, said he was detained in an effort to prevent additional upcoming protests over public safety concerns.

Rizvi led three days of protests, which turned violent, after the aquittal came down. Once Pakisan agreed to review the decision, he called a halt to the organized protest, but across the country the fervor remained.

In comments to The Guardian this week, Aid to the Church in Need UK (ACN) John Pontifex, who said the family told him the extremists were “in their neighbourhood going from house to house showing photos of family members on their phones, trying to hunt them down.”

“The family have had to move from place to place to avoid detection. Sometimes they can only operate after sundown. They have had to cover their faces when they go out in public,” he told the Guardian. “They have had to remove the rosary that hangs from their car rear-view mirror for fear of attack.”

Calls to grant her asylum have increased in Europe and the United States, and here particularly on the right. Editor-in-Chief of the Washington Free Beacon this week published a widely-read editorial urging the United States to grant it.

Pakistan has denied Rizvi being detained is related to the Asia Bibi protests.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/11/24/new-radical-cleric-who-led-asia-bibi-riots-has-been-arrested

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani calls Israel cancerous tumor, fake regime established by US

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday called Israel a cancerous tumor that is used by Western cultures to promote their interests in the Middle East, The Times of Israel reported.

Is this something new?

Although Israel-bashing is common among Iran’s leaders, Rouhani, who is more moderate, “rarely employs such rehetroci,” the news outlet reported.

Speaking at an annual Islamic Unity Conference, Rouhani said “one of the ominous results of World War II was the formation of a cancerous tumor in the region.”

He also called Israel a “fake regime” set up by Western countries.

Iran has long been identified by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “Israel’s greatest threat” due to its nuclear weapons and support of anti-Israel terrorist groups, the report states.

Terrorist groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas, which want to see Israel destroyed, are typically supported by Iran.

Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, regularly calls Israel a cancer of the region and says he believes it must be removed.

Rouhani also on Saturday accused the U.S. of forming close ties with “regional Muslim nations” to protect Israel. The comment was apparently a reference to Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s Sunni Arab allies.

Bowing to American pressure equals “treason,” he said.

Anything else?

Rouhani added that Iran will defend Saudi Arabia from “terrorism and superpowers,” the report states.

“We do consider you as a brother,” he said.

“We do consider the people of Mecca and Medina our brothers,” he added, referring to Islamic cities in Saudi Arabia.

Nearly three years ago, Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran, after Iranian protesters “stormed its diplomatic posts in Iran in response to the kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric,” according to the report. The two countries support opposite sides in the Syrian and Yemen wars.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/11/24/irans-president-hassan-rouhani-calls-israel-cancerous-tumor-fake-regime-established-by-us

>>4014360

Fuck off pushing this gatekeepers bullshit here

Pro-May MP Knighted, Brexiteers Suggest ‘Utter Cock Rampant and Big Chicken’ for Heraldic Crest

Theresa May’s decision to award long-time eurosceptic John Hayes MP a surprise knighthood after he defended her leadership has gone down poorly with Brexiteers.

Knighthoods are normally awarded in the regular Honours Lists for New Year and the Queen’s birthday, but Sir John insists the out-of-the-blue gong has nothing to do with with the fact he has allegedly been lobbying fellow Tories not to write letters calling for a vote of no confidence in her leadership behind the scenes, and has not committed to voting against her Brexit deal.

Parliamentary colleagues are far from convinced, however, with many suggesting the knighthood was used to buy his silence.

Labour’s Chris Matheson, for example, scorned the honour as a “spectacular act of desperation… Theresa May [is] giving away knighthoods in a bid to win votes for her botched Brexit deal.”

Tory Brexiteers from Sir John’s own party were, if anything, even more scathing, with Mark Francois — who has been particularly forthright in his criticism of the Prime Minister — suggesting an “utter cock rampant and big chicken” for his heraldic crest.

“It is encouraging to note that, even now, after all these years in Parliament, you have not succumbed to the cynicism which sometimes affects colleagues and that, to this day, you still maintain an irreducible core of passionate political principles, which I understand you now keep jotted down on the back of an old postage stamp, as an ideological aide memoire,” wrote Mr Francois in a sarcastic letter to Sir John, seen by LBC’s Iain Dale.

“I should mention in passing, and just between us, that some colleagues are unkindly suggesting that this award is a sign, for those who understand these things, of absolute desperation by a Government which has effectively abandoned Brexit and now clearly lost the support of the [Democratic Unionist Party] and many of its own backbenchers, to the extent that it is now reduced to handing out knighthoods to malleable colleagues, in a doomed attempt to stave off an almost certain defeat on the meaningful vote prior to Christmas,” he continued.

“However, do not be alarmed John, your colleagues have known you for many years and we know you are made of sterner stuff than that! All that quoting Plato, Socrates and Cicero in the Chamber down the years was for a higher purpose after all,” he added wryly.

“As you have spent your entire career as a staunch Eurosceptic, I cannot adequately put into words, really I can’t John, how much I think of what you have done for your country – and I am sure that many of your colleagues now feel absolutely the same. Strong and Stable!”

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/11/24/pro-may-mp-knighted-brexiteers-suggest-utter-cock-rampant-and-big-chicken-for-heraldic-crest/

>>4014377

FUCK OFF SHILL

Whistleblower Who Reported Migrant Transport NGO Smuggler Links Lives in Fear After Death Threats

A former member of security staff for a migrant transport NGO in Italy has received death threats after blowing the whistle on allegations that the NGO had been cooperating with people traffickers.

Pietro Gallo received the death threat in the mail earlier this week saying that he was worried for his family now that far-left extremist open borders supporters clearly knew where he lived, Il Giornale reports.

While working security aboard the migrant transport vessel Vos Hestia operated by NGO Save the Children, Gallo alerted Italian authorities of potential links to people traffickers which led to an investigation by the prosecutor of Trapani.

Gallo said the letter held him responsible for the 1,800 or so deaths of migrants that had occurred at sea so far this year.

“Merde, merde, merde [French for ‘shit, shit, shit’] 2018 = 1,800 dead. Salvini, Matteo – dead. ML – dead. SS – dead. Gallo Pietro – dead,” the letter said, making clear death threats towards populist interior minister Matteo Salvini and two other individuals Gallo did not want to name publicly.

The testimony of Gallo to the authorities led to the seizure of the Iuventa vessel, operated by Jugend Rettet, in August of last year while it was docked at the port of Lampedusa.

Since his testimony, far-left pro-open borders activists have labelled him and other security workers as “spies” and right-wing sympathisers but Gallo rejected the labels saying, “If we had not been there, nobody would have said anything.”

“Yet there was the Coast Guard, the Guardia di Finanza… everyone knew everything, but nobody spoke. Because it was inconvenient to do it,” he said.

“Migrants claimed to be 17 years old when it was clear to everyone they had at least 25. Yet they were recorded as unaccompanied minors,” he added.

He also described having to “fight” with people smugglers who wanted to reuse dinghies they had used to bring migrants and noted the NGOs “filmed and knew everything. They didn’t want any information to come out of the ship without their approval.”

The investigation has also taken its toll on Gallo personally.

“We regretted having denounced what we saw in the Mediterranean, we have been cast aside. For a year and a half, they took away my phones, as well as those of my children. They searched my house, my information was on all the parts of the investigation and it ended up in the papers. I can’t even work on ships anymore. If I had shut up it would have been better,” he said.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/11/23/whistleblower-who-denounced-migrant-transport-ngo-activity-receive-death-threats/

Fire on the Champs Elysees: French Police Clash With “Yellow Vest” Protesters Demanding Macron Resignation

French police pushed back “yellow vest” protesters with tear gas and water cannons as the Champs Elysees burned Saturday morning.

Thousands of protesters marched to protest a gas tax hike on Saturday morning and demanded French President Emmanuel Macron resign.

Macron’s popularity has plummeted as of late. A recent opinion poll shows only 26% of French people have a favorable opinion of Macron due to the new gas tax hikes.

According to Reuters about 30,000 people are expected to protest in the French capital alone.

Protesters march against Macron’s new fuel tax:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/fire-on-the-champs-elysees-french-police-clash-with-yellow-vest-protesters-demanding-macron-resignation/

Islamic State acting as US 'ally' for regime change in Syria - Lavrov

The main objective for Washington now is again regime change rather than defeating IS, Russia’s top diplomat stressed

LISBON, November 24. /TASS/. The Islamic State terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia) is allied with Washington, in carrying out the objective of regime change in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested after talks with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva on Saturday.

"The US State Department said the other day that IS had not been beaten yet and in order to defeat IS, the main prerequisite is regime change in Syria," Russia’s top diplomat pointed out.

"My guess is being confirmed that the Americans view IS as a justification for their military presence in Syria and almost as an ally in the struggle against the Syrian authorities," Lavrov said.

"That is, the main objective [for Washington] now is again regime change rather than defeating IS," Russia’s top diplomat said, adding that the US apparently has "a covert agenda in Syria."

The Islamic State has been routed on the territory controlled by the Syrian government but some pockets of resistance still remain, Lavrov said.

"The basic IS stronghold is located on the territory controlled by the United States," Russia’s foreign minister stressed.

"In the area of the township of Al-Tanf where the United States is maintaining an absolutely illegitimate presence, there has been a zone created, which they control and inside it the infamous Rukban refugee camp is located. Within this 55km zone, there are several thousand militants who are viewed by the United States for some reason as a group of persons with inviolable status, allowing the Americans to provide justification for their further presence on Syrian soil," Lavrov said.

http://tass.com/politics/1032364

Tijuana Mayor Declares Humanitarian Crisis — Slams Mexican Federal Response

The mayor of the Mexican border city of Tijuana declared a humanitarian crisis on Thursday and slammed his federal government’s response. The mayor said the government failed to provide adequate aid for the migrant caravan that flooded into the beleaguered city as reported. by local media.

Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum Buenrostro declared a humanitarian crisis in response to the more than 5,000 migrants who arrived in the city as part of the caravan attempting to seek asylum in the United States, according to local media reports. Additional migrants are expected to arrive daily.

“I am not going to compromise Tijuana’s public services,” said Mayor Gastélum Buenrostro. The mayor vowed not to bankrupt his city to care for the thousands of migrants. The mayor called on international groups like the United Nations to assist with the migrant crisis in the absence of a response from the federal government of Mexico.

The declaration of a humanitarian crisis by the mayor came on the same day that a group of approximately 150-200 migrants broke free from the larger group and began to march to El Chaparral vehicle border crossing. The group intended on requesting asylum upon reaching the U.S. border as reported by local media. This group, which had been primarily housed at the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez sports complex, was stopped by federal police on the bridge approximately 500 feet from the U.S. border. Officials converted the sports complex to a temporary shelter. The group then peacefully voiced their complaints and returned back to the makeshift shelter which is now at full capacity.

Tijuana mayor Gastélum Buenrostro has been sharply criticized by the local media and, at the same time, praised by citizens of Tijuana on social media for his hardline approach in handling the migrant crisis. According to local media reports, the mayor was observed wearing a red hat that read, “Make Tijuana Great Again” — a reference to President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign slogan.

Meanwhile, government authorities in nearby Mexicali announced that 15 buses escorted by federal police arrived between late Wednesday and early Thursday morning. The convoy arrived with a total of 750 migrants of primarily from Honduras as reported by local media. On early Friday morning, an additional 400 migrants arrived in Mexicali. Media reports indicate that 300 migrants decided to leave Mexicali on foot and head towards Tijuana which is approximately 113 miles to the west.

Breitbart News reported on the movement of the caravan through Mexico into Tijuana and the arrival of additional caravans. Approximately one week ago, Breitbart Texas reported on Mexican protesters who took to the streets to protest the growing influx of Central American migrants who arrived in the border city of Tijuana.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2018/11/24/tijuana-mayor-declares-humanitarian-crisis-slams-mexican-federal-response/

Everyone Not Exporting Arms To Saudi Arabia Is Halting Arms Exports To Saudi Arabia

Only after Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered did the major networks like CNN finally discover Saudi atrocities in Yemen and a horrid human rights record and history of crackdown on dissent at home.

While perhaps we might say better late than never, it's interesting to now see pieces being written about "the latest countries to suspend new arms deals with Saudi Arabia" given that some of these countries' arms exports to Saudi Arabia were so minuscule to begin with that it hardly warrants congratulatory celebration.

CNN reports:

Denmark and Finland on Thursday became the latest countries to suspend new arms deals with Saudi Arabia. Denmark's Foreign Ministry said it was freezing new deals over both Khashoggi and Yemen, while the Finnish Foreign Ministry mentioned only Yemen. Finland also banned new arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, which is part of the Saudi-led coalition in the conflict.

Their announcements came just two days after Germany said it was stopping all arms transfers to the kingdom.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-23/everyone-not-exporting-weapons-saudi-arabia-halting-arms-exports-saudi-arabia

YEMEN

Brief Look At Military Situation In Yemen On November 24, 2018 (Map Update)

A brief look at the current military situation in Yemen. It appears that recent declarations of the Saudi-UAE-led coalition about a ceasefire regime and a push towards a peaceful solution of the situation, at least in the area of al-Hudaydah were just a propaganda. Clashes between Ansar Allah and forces loyal to the coalition are ongoing across entire western Yemen.

https://southfront.org/brief-look-at-military-situation-in-yemen-on-november-24-2018/

Houthis Kill Saudi-Backed Fighters And Destroy Vehicles In New Attack On Western Yemeni Coast

Official documents seized by the Houthis in the course of the attack revealed that a high number of Saudi-led coalition troops had run away from the ongoing battles on the western Yemeni coast. The documents also contained the names of many other fighters who were injured in action.

Ten days ago, the Saudi-led coalition announced a humanitarian ceasefire around the Houthi-held city of al-Hudaydah. However, the coalition continued to carry out attacks, which forced the Houthis to respond with limited counter-offensive operations.

More

https://southfront.org/houthis-kill-saudi-backed-fighters-and-destroy-vehicles-in-new-attack-on-western-yemeni-coast-18-video/

Suicide Blast at Afghanistan Mosque Kills at Least 26 Gathered to Pray

KABUL—A suicide blast at a mosque in an army base in eastern Afghanistan on Nov. 23, killed at least 26 people and wounded 50, security officials in the area said, although there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

One security official said the victims had gathered for Friday prayers at the mosque in the Ismail Khel district of Khost province.

All those killed in the suicide attack were working for the Afghan security forces, said Captain Abdullah, a military spokesman in Khost, who goes by only one name.

The Taliban, who are waging a war to oust the Western-backed Afghan government and expel foreign forces from Afghanistan, have launched a series of high-profile attacks against Afghan security forces in recent weeks.

Hundreds of Afghan security guards have been killed, their checkpoints destroyed and weapons seized by the hardline Islamist terrorists.

Friday’s attack came three days after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a gathering of religious scholars in Kabul, the capital.

Officials said 55 scholars marking the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad were killed and more than 90 injured in the blast in a banquet hall.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/suicide-blast-at-afghanistan-mosque-kills-at-least-26-gathered-to-pray_2723020.html

‘I hope they check it for sanity’: Russian FM reacts to UK general’s ‘Moscow worse than ISIS’ remark

Russia’s foreign minister fired back at the UK chief of the General Staff who claimed that Russia is a bigger threat than ISIS, saying he hopes Whitehall is in the habit of thinking twice before promoting anyone to the top post.

“We can’t ban anyone from showing off [their] intellect and political abilities,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in response to the words of Gen. Mark Carleton-Smith, who claimed Russia poses a greater threat to the UK and its allies than Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) or Al-Qaeda.

“We can’t influence the British government’s decisions as to who to place in charge of their armed forces. But I hope they verify these decisions for sanity,” Lavrov said, answering a question during a media conference with his Portuguese counterpart.

Gen. Carleton-Smith is not the only high-profile figure to fan the “Russia scare,” the foreign minister said, noting that it was under former US President Barack Obama that these comparisons arose.

ISIS, Ebola, and Russia topped Obama’s list of international threats in 2015.

“At the very least, Ebola was defeated – by the way, partially because of our contribution – but Islamic State is still there,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov said the US is using Islamic State terrorists to undermine President Bashar Assad’s government in Syria, as Washington’s first goal is regime change rather than fighting terrorists. Their major stronghold is now located outside Al-Tanf, a piece of land on the east bank of the Euphrates River, controlled by US forces, he added.

https://www.rt.com/news/444792-lavrov-uk-general-russia-threat/

Assange’s lawyers blocked from entering Ecuadorian embassy

Julian Assange’s lawyers have been refused entry to the Ecuadorian embassy, WikiLeaks said in a tweet. The news comes amid fears he may soon be kicked out of the embassy.

WikiLeaks said the Ecuadorian government had refused to give lawyers Aitor Martinez and Jen Robinson access to Assange this weekend. The longtime WikiLeaks editor faces a US court hearing Tuesday and needs to meet with his legal team to prepare, the whistleblowing organization said.

“The hearing is on Tuesday in the national security court complex at Alexandria, Virginia,” WikiLeaks tweeted, adding it is to “remove the secrecy order on the US charges against him.”

A US court document leaked in November finally revealed the US has already placed secret charges on Assange.

Assange has recently been allowed access to visitors again after seven months of being cut off from both the outside world and the internet as a result of his political tweets.

Ecuador announced it was restoring Assange’s communications in October, but this came with conditions restricting his communications and placing visitors under greater scrutiny.

https://www.rt.com/news/444795-assange-lawyers-refused-entry-embassy/

Deal Reached with Mexico Will Make Asylum Seekers Wait Outside of US Border

The Trump administration has reached a deal with Mexico which will make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases are processed.

No formal deal has been signed which is making US officials anxious the deal could fall apart.

This move by the Trump administration is the latest to end Obama’s dangerous ‘catch and release’ that allowed illegal aliens to wait in the US while lawyers worked on their immigration cases.

Under Obama’s ‘catch and release’ policy, illegal aliens would often just disappear into the US population and ignore orders to appear in court regarding their immigration status.

The Chicago Tribune reported:

The Trump administration has won the support of Mexico’s incoming government for a plan to remake U.S. border policy by requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims move through U.S. courts, according to Mexican officials and senior members of president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s transition team.

The agreement would break with long-standing asylum rules and place a formidable new barrier in the path of Central American migrants attempting to reach the United States and escape poverty and violence. By reaching the accord, the Trump administration has also overcome Mexico’s historic reticence to deepen cooperation with the United States on an issue widely seen here as America’s problem.

According to outlines of the plan, known as Remain in Mexico, asylum applicants at the border will have to stay in Mexico while their cases are processed, potentially ending the system Trump decries as “catch and release” that has until now generally allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil.

“For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico,” said Olga Sánchez Cordero, Mexico’s incoming interior minister, the top domestic policy official for López Obrador, who takes office Dec. 1. In an interview with The Washington Post, she called it a “short-term solution.”

President Trump has vowed to keep out the migrant caravan full of mostly military-aged males, many of which have criminal histories.

But the President is battling globalist Obama judges in the ninth circuit court.

On Tuesday, President Trump lashed out at the liberal activist ‘Obama judge’ in San Francisco who put his asylum policy on hold.

There are now 5,000 to 6,000 illegal caravan migrants in Tijuana, Mexico waiting to seek asylum into the United States.

According to estimates 500 of those migrants are criminals.

The Mayor of Tijuana declared a humanitarian crisis and asked international aid on Thursday.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/deal-reached-with-mexico-will-make-asylum-seekers-wait-outside-of-us-border/

Senior Saudi Prince Says CIA's Khashoggi Findings "Cannot Be Trusted"

If anybody had any doubts about the Washington's determination to give Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman a pass over allegations that he was involved with the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump put them to rest earlier this week when he released a statement praising Saudi Arabia, openly questioning the CIA and stressing the importance of the US-Saudi relationship (while also portraying Khashoggi as a suspicious and untrustworthy figure with ties to terror groups).

And while rumors about a possible intra-family coup in Riyadh have been simmering since Khashoggi disappeared inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 (with the latest reports surfacing earlier this week), the notion that MbS's spurned relatives might rise up and exact their revenge for last year's brutal "corruption crackdown" at the Riyadh Ritz Carlton is looking increasingly improbable. In other words, as long as the international response to the Khashoggi incident is limited to countries that don't sell weapons to Saudi Arabia ending arms sales to the kingdom, then MbS will almost certainly survive.

And in the latest indication that the royal family - not to mention nearly all of the Saudis' regional allies - remains firmly behind the Crown Prince, even as the return of his uncle from exile has set tongues wagging about MbS' impending ouster, one senior prince recently told Reuters that the CIA's findings are "not to be trusted."

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-24/senior-saudi-prince-says-cias-khashoggi-findings-cannot-be-trusted

SYRIA UPDATE

400 displaced Syrians return via Nassib border crossing

More Syrians who had been displaced due to terrorist acts returned on Saturday via Nassib border crossing to the areas that the Syrian army liberated from terrorism in the southern region, head of the Immigration and Passports Center at Nassib crossing Mazen Ghandour told SANA.

The fresh returnees bring the total number of displaced Syrians who have returned to the homeland since the opening of Nassib crossing six weeks ago to 3000 who previously fled to neighboring countries to escape terrorist acts.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=151889

The Final Push for Idlib Will Come Soon

Russian and Syrian efforts have been moving in two very specific directions over the last few weeks. While Moscow supplies Damascus with new equipment in preparation for the future advance on Idlib, Putin and his entourage continue diplomatic efforts to draw more of Syria’s enemies closer to the Russia-Iran-Syria axis. The meeting that brought about the demilitarized zone included Macron and Merkel, the Europeans having evidently come to terms with the impossibility of overthrowing the legitimate government of Syria. Macron and Merkel were offered a way out of the Syrian conflict, decoupling themselves from the belligerent stance of the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. The intention is to usher Paris and Berlin towards the same direction Qatar, Turkey and Jordan have been progressively gravitating. Certainly, these are not countries to be considered friends of Damascus. Rather, they are parties with whom a constructive dialogue needs to be entered into in order to advance common diplomatic interests.

Moscow has often found it possible to reach an agreement or start unpublicized negotiations with each of these parties. Erdogan seems to have preferred an agreement with Putin rather than waiting for the liberation of Idlib by the SAA, thus being able to postpone the natural conclusion of the war that will find him sitting at the table defeated. At the same time, Erdogan wants to concentrate on the Kurds in order to secure the border between Syria and Turkey controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and to prevent any partition of Syrian territory that would favor other parties. Jordan has even reopened the border crossings with Syria, appearing to be the first country in opposition to Damascus that is now taking practical steps to mend fences. The case of the participation of the two European countries at the summit with Erdogan and Putin is more complex. The rift between Washington and the other European capitals is wide and well documented, even more so after the events in Paris commemorating the end of the First World War. Macron and Trump seem to be diverging further in terms of policy and ideology, while Trump and Merkel have always had their differences. Trump’s choices in the Middle East, in the wake of the destructive actions of Israel and Saudi Arabia, marked a profound point of difference and mistrust with the European allies. Macron and Merkel have a huge problem dealing with refugees flowing from areas in North Africa and the Middle East destroyed by US-led wars. The prospect of working with Erdogan, and indirectly with Damascus, to bring back hundreds of thousands of refugees currently in France and especially Germany, seems to have been Putin’s winning argument during the talks in Istanbul. This situation has helped to create a frozen conflict in the country. Together with the agreement of Idlib, this gives the SAA plenty of time to rest, regroup, and receive supplies needed for future campaigns.

The current truce is a strategic pause that has all the appearance of what has happened in the past in the provinces of Homs and Aleppo. The need to free Idlib from terrorists goes hand in hand with the promise of Assad and the government of Damascus to liberate every inch of Syria from terrorists. The diplomatic efforts of Moscow serve to prepare the ground for what will happen in the coming months, with the SAA set to advance on Idlib. In this sense, the deployment of advanced systems in Syria serves as a deterrent against possible responses from countries like Israel and the United States, anxious to defend their jihadists, but continuing to have minimal influence on the ground.

Russia and Syria’s moves therefore seem to be in preparation for the battle for Idlib, to be the longest and most difficult yet. The liberation of the province is inevitable but requires all the necessary political, diplomatic and military preparation in order to ensure success and limit potential escalation. As is often the case, Moscow and her allies approach complex issues with simple and pragmatic solutions, even offering exit strategies to their (geo)political opponents, which contrasts with their demonstrated tendency to rush heedlessly towards war.

https://southfront.org/the-final-push-for-idlib-will-come-soon/

Baker 1/2

>>4014887

Baker 3 parts sorry lots to report 2/3

10 abductees held by terrorist groups in Aleppo countryside freed

SANA reporter said that the feed abductees are nine men and one woman whom terrorist organizations previously abducted from several areas in Aleppo countryside.

The Syrian state is exerting enormous efforts to free abductees held by terrorist organizations and bring them back to their families, managing in the last few months to free many, most recently Sweida abductees on Nov 9.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=151879

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Fails To Overrun Syrian Army Positions In Northern Hama

In a new violation of the Russian-Turkish deconfliction agreement, a unit of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) [the former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria] attempted to attack several positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the northern Hama countryside, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The unit of HTS advanced from the opposition-held town of al-Lataminah towards positions of the SAA in order to launch a hit and run attack. However, the SAA detected and targeted it.

“The army targeted the infiltrating terrorists with the suitable weapons, and heavy losses were inflicted upon the terrorist groups in the personnel and equipment,” the SANA’s reporter in Hama said.

According to Syrian and Lebanese sources, the SAA and its allies are preparing to launch a large-scale military operation against the remaining militants in northwestern Syria in response to the repeated violations of the deconfliction agreement. The supposed operation could be launched before the end of this year.

https://southfront.org/hayat-tahrir-al-sham-fails-to-overrun-syrian-army-positions-in-northern-hama/

20 martyred in new massacre by Int’l Coalition on Deir Ezzor Countryside

Local sources told SANA that warplanes of the US-led “International Coalition” carried out airstrikes on al-Souk (market) area in Hajin city in Deir Ezzor eastern countryside, claiming the lives of 20 civilians

https://sana.sy/en/?p=151872

Russian FM: Washington using ISIS terrorist organization to carry out its plans in Syria

Lavrov said the presence of the United States in Syria is illegitimate because the Syrian legitimate government had not requested it, adding that Washington is deploying troops illegally in al-Tanf area near al-Rukban Camp.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said over 6000 militants of the so-called Maghawir al-Thawra group controlled by the US are currently in the Rukban refugee camp, along with 50,000 refugees.

Lavrov pointed out that the statements of the US State Department few days ago that ISIS was not defeated yet and putting conditions for fighting the extremist organisation prove that the US views ISIS as a justification to remain in Syria and indicate that Washington is using it to carry out its plans in the country.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=151875

Brief Look At Military Situation In Syria On November 24, 2018

According to pro-government sources, members of militant groups operating in the province of Idlib continue to violate the demilitarized zone agreement. Over the past week, the Syrian Arab Army has repelled multiple attacks by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies. The most recent attack took place late on November 23.

Te US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are still clashing with ISIS members in the area of Hajin in the Euphrates Valley.

The SDF reports ISIS casualties there on a constant basis but makes no progress on the ground.

https://southfront.org/brief-look-at-military-situation-in-syria-on-november-24-2018/

>>4014953

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Ankara Slams US Plan To Establish Observation Posts Along Turkish-Syrian Border

On November 24, Turkey’s Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, criticized a U.S. plan to establish observation posts along the Syrian-Turkish border and said that such measure would further complicate the situation in northeastern Syria.

“I am of the opinion that these measures will only complicate further an already complicated situation,” Akar told the Turkish Anadolu Agency.

Akar also revealed that he conveyed Turkey’s “discomfort” to the U.S. plan during a meeting with Gen. Joseph Dunford, the U.S. joint chiefs of staff chairman, last week on the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada.

“We have stated that the observation points to be established by the U.S. troops on the Syrian border will have a very negative impact […] and in the course of our discussions we expressed that it could lead to a perception that ‘U.S. soldiers are somehow protecting terrorist [Kurdish People’s Protection Units] YPG members and shield them,” said Akar. U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis revealed earlier this week that U.S. forces will establish several observation posts in the SDF-held part of the Syrian-Turkish border. Mattis claimed that the posts will address Turkey’s “legitimate” concerns about “terror threats” in northeastern Syria.

https://southfront.org/ankara-slams-us-plan-to-establish-observation-posts-along-turkish-syrian-border/

U.S. Envoy: We Are Not Committed To Regime Change In Syria

U.S. special envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, claimed that that Washington is not working anymore to change the regime in Syria. However, the diplomat stressed the need for a political process in the war torn country.

“We are committed to a political process that is with and by the Syrian people. The Syrian people get to decide who will lead them and what kind of a government they will have. We are not committed to any kind of regime change. We are committed to a change in the behavior of that regime,” Jeffrey said during an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti and the Kommersant newspaper, according to the news outlet, Sputnik.

Jeffery also denied that the U.S. has any plan to divide Syria and claimed that Washington has always supported the territorial integrity of the country.

“The United States has supported the territorial integrity of Syria at every point in this conflict and before, and we will continue to do so. The presence of American forces carrying out anti-terrorist operations does not indicate any desire to break apart a country,” Jeffery said.

While the U.S. diplomat renewed his calls for an Iranian withdrawal from Syria, he openly admitted that Washington will not ease its sanctions on Tehran if it complies with this demand.

“The idea of a trade of Iranian withdrawal for American relief on sanctions on Iran to come up, that’s something that under no circumstances would we accept,” Jeffrey stressed.

https://southfront.org/u-s-envoy-we-are-not-committed-to-regime-change-in-syria/

Note: This Jeffrey guy is skitzo he said the exact opposite in his report a week earlier which can be found below

Briefing on Syria

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/11/287368.htm

Iraqi Lawmakers Demand US Withdrawal From Their Country – Report

The US promised to "gradually reduce" its presence in Iraq in February after Baghdad declared victory over Daesh (ISIS)* last December, but has declined to withdraw its contingent from the country. In August, the US-led coalition said the estimated 5,200 US troops in Iraq would stay in the country "as long as needed."

Iraqi lawmakers have urged Washington to end what they consider its illegal military presence in their country.

Speaking to Iran's Press TV on Friday, Council of Representatives MP Amer al-Shebli argued that continued US presence was "a violation of the Iraqi sovereignty."

"After ending terrorism, the previous parliament should have taken a serious action to force all foreign forces to leave Iraq," al-Shebli said.

"The presence of US forces in Iraq is illegal," fellow lawmaker Adnan al-Assadi added. "As a member of the parliament's Security Committee, we voice our concern over the presence of the US military and the constant increase in the number of the soldiers. They have thousands of soldiers here. Yet the government says they are advisors," he noted.

"Sovereignty is the most valuable asset in any nation," legislator Kadhim al-Sayadi said. "The sacrifices of the Iraqi people in their fight against Daesh show how important their country's sovereignty is for them. Today, no country will allow foreign military bases on its land."

Other lawmakers said that the US could maintain a military presence in Iraq, but only if it reached agreement with Iraq's parliament and government first.

"The presence of any foreign forces inside Iraq can only be done through agreements with the Iraqi government, and these agreement cannot be passed without the approval of the parliament," Kurdish Democratic Party lawmaker Diar Barawri said.

The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 on the pretext of finding and destroying the country's weapons of mass destruction. The weapons were never found, and the US withdrew from the country in 2011 following a costly occupation and insurgency which led to the deaths of over 4,800 coalition troops and up to a million Iraqis. After the US withdrawal, the pro-US government in Baghdad was overwhelmed by sectarian violence, leading to further casualties and the eventual rise of Daesh, which overran large tracts of western Iraq and eastern Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. Syrian and Iraqi forces and their allies launched operations to defeat the terrorist group and reclaim their territories. By 2018, Daesh's remnants were confined to a small area of Syria east of the Euphrates River.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201811241070100041-us-iraq-withdrawal-demands/

>>4014887, >>4014953, >>4014984 SYRIA UPDATE

Thanks Baker

>>4015050

BAKER IS IGNORING SYRIA UPDATE

>>4015050

>Thanks for posting anon, however I won't be add to notes. I'm preferring (as anons have requested), to keep news articles directly connected to Q posts, and favoring digs.

>>4015081

>>4015062

>>4015135

Cheers man I'm heading out for a bit but will be back later I'll repost after baker change.

So much detail in that report too apparently not Q related tho!

WWG1WGA