SYRIA UPDATE

Law grants injured military personnel right to sign up for car exempted from taxes and fees

The law covers all military personnel who sustained injuries causing partial disability during the war or military operations or similar cases or at the hands of terrorist or enemy elements.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=153845

Map Update: Militants Continue To Violate Ceasefire Regime In Idlib De-Escalation Zone

https://southfront.org/map-update-militants-continue-to-violate-ceasefire-regime-in-idlib-de-escalation-zone/

Militants Continue To Shell Government Positions In Hama, Alepo, Latakia Provinces: Russian Military

“During the day, shelling attacks by militants were reported from the settlements of Darh Abu-Assad, Safsara, Ikko, Arafit, Sandran (twice) and Jubb al-Zarur in the Latakia governorate, the settlements of Tell Maraq (thrice), Tell Bazam (rwice), Tell al-Maqtaa and Achan in the Hama governorate, and Aleppo’s Suqqari, Sakibiya, Zakhabiya, Makanis al-Duwairy neighborhoods and the area around the research center,” Solomatin said, according to TASS.

“Efforts are continued to restore infrastructure facilities and create conditions for the return of refugees. As of December 15, 2018, as many as 30,859 dwelling houses, 712 educational and 118 medical establishments have been restored. A total of 938 kilometers of motorways have been repaid,” Solomatin said.

https://southfront.org/militants-continue-to-shell-government-positions-in-hama-alepo-latakia-provinces-russian-military/

Syrian War Report – Dec. 18, 2018: US ‘Local Partners’ Are About To Be Sold To Turkey

Turkey is ramping up its military preparations and propaganda campaign ahead of a possible attack on the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northeastern Syria.

On December 17, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) can start an “operation any moment now in Syrian territory at any place, especially along the 500-kilometer border, without harming U.S. soldiers”.

He recalled his demands that Kurdish armed groups must least the border region, first of all the area of Manbij. “If they don’t go, we will send them,” Erdogan said adding that US President Trump has gave a positive response to the expected TAF operation.

During a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said that “any offensive into northeast Syria by anyone is a bad idea”. However, at the same time, he described the US relations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which mostly consist of YPG members, as “tactical” and “transactional”.

On December 18, Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stressed that the TAF will not allow the Sinjar region to be turned into a stronghold of the PKK and called on the Iraqi government to assist in this.

Baghdad has repeatedly criticized Turkey for its cross-border operations in the region, but it does have no resources to force Ankara to stop its activity now.

In eastern Syria, the SDF captured the town of Hajin from ISIS, according to pro-Kurdish sources. The same sources claim that over 200 ISIS members were killed during the past few days there.

Despite this, ISIS is still in control of a number of positions near Hajin. Clashes are being reported in the area.

https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-dec-18-2018-us-local-partners-are-about-to-be-sold-to-turkey/

>>4363120

Russia Calls on the US to Reconsider Strategy in Syria

The situation in parts of eastern Syria, controlled by the US-supported Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), remains “deeply disturbing,” Shoigu wrote in a letter to Pentagon chief James Mattis earlier this week.

The minister also emphasized that the recovery of the war-torn nation are hampered by the smuggling of oil and oil products from the areas controlled by the SDF. At the same time, the US military presence at Al-Tanf air base makes it more difficult to deliver aid at a large refugee camp in Rukban, Jordan, home to more than 50,000 Syrians, Shoigu wrote. He also claimed that the air base and the “armed gangs” around prevented the refugees from returning home.

https://www.fort-russ.com/2018/12/russia-calls-on-the-us-to-reconsider-strategy-in-syria/

Putin says fight against terrorists in Syria will go on

"The situation in the country [Syria] has been gradually improving following the defeat of major militant groups," he said. "However, militants still try to fight back. I would like to point out an uncompromising fight against militants will go on, we will provide the Syrian people with the necessary support," the Russian leader added.

Putin also noted that Russian troops had been successfully accomplishing peacekeeping and humanitarian tasks and contributing to the restoration of Syria as a united and stable country.

http://tass.com/politics/1036572

Recon drone, weapons and shells left behind by terrorists found in Daraa==

SANA’s reporter in Daraa said while following up the process of securing the areas liberated from terrorism by the Syrian Arab Army, the authorities found a reconnaissance drone, in addition to an amount of weapons and ammunition, some of which are Western-made, in the farms surrounding Daraa al-Balad area.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=153823

Sen. Jeff Merkley Wants to Stop Congress Members From Insider Trading By Banning Them From Owning Stocks

Sen. James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican recently elevated to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee after the death of John McCain, was implicated recently in what looked to be an insider trading scandal. A few days after meeting with President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to successfully advocate for a military budget increase, Inhofe purchased between $50,000 and $100,000 of stock in defense contractor Raytheon, which stands to profit from additional defense spending.

Inhofe tried to manage the controversy by claiming that a third-party financial adviser handles his stocks and made the purchase without his knowledge. Minutes after being questioned about the trades, he wrote a letter to his adviser, asking him to no longer trade defense or aerospace stocks. Inhofe has even taken to carrying around a card with a stock reply to journalists about the matter.

But the Raytheon trades represent only a fraction of his trading activity. The same day that Inhofe revealed the Raytheon purchase, he also disclosed the sale of between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock from Celgene, a biotech firm, along with a similarly sized sale of stock in Aptiv, the auto parts maker formerly known as Delphi. A month earlier, Inhofe revealed trades in General Electric, Salesforce.com, American International Group, XPO Logistics, Albemarle, Intuitive Surgical, and Intellia Therapeutics.

There’s no way to test Inhofe’s claim that a third party manages his stock portfolio, absent a monitor tracking Inhofe 24/7: He could make a phone call or send a message to direct a trade at anytime. But it’s clear that Inhofe is trading millions of dollars worth of stock a year, while voting on legislation that affects public companies.

https://theintercept.com/2018/12/17/jeff-merkley-james-inhofe-ban-stock-trading/

EU’s ‘toothless’ response to creation of Kosovo army risks worsening the crisis – Moscow

Russia’s ambassador to the UN said that the EU could have and should have done more to stop the breakaway region from creating its own army.

The creation of Kosovo’s own 5,000-strong army is a threat to peace and security in a turbulent region and may lead to a new escalation, Russia’s UN envoy has warned, calling the EU’s lackluster response irresponsible.

Speaking at the UN Security Council emergency meeting on Kosovo, Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzya said that the EU could have and should have done more to stop the breakaway region from creating its own army to replace its lightly armed emergency response force.

“The EU reaction to the decision by Pristina cannot be described as other than toothless. This irresponsible policy has crossed the line,” Nebenzya said, after the UNSC meeting on Monday.

The diplomat said the lack of decisive action on the part of the 28-member bloc was a “great disappointment,” adding that the EU seems to “have turned a blind eye on the illegal creation of Kosovo’s ‘army.’”

The law, approved by Kosovo lawmakers on Friday, paves the way for doubling the size of the current Kosovo Security Force and for turning it into a de facto army, with 5,000 soldiers and 3,000 reservists.

The move did not go down well even with Kosovo’s usual backers, with both NATO and the EU voicing their indignation. NATO’s General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg called the decision “ill-timed” and lamented that Kosovo’s authorities had ignored “the concerns expressed by NATO.”

The EU’s top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, has echoed those concerns, saying in a statement that the mandate of Kosovo’s forces “should only be changed through an inclusive and gradual process” in accordance with the state’s constitution.

The only nation to openly applaud the controversial move was the US, with its ambassador to Kosovo, Phillip Kosnett, saying that Washington “reaffirms its support” for the upgrade as it is “only natural for Kosovo as a sovereign, independent country” to have a full-fledged army.

http://theduran.com/eus-toothless-response-to-creation-of-kosovo-army-risks-worsening-the-crisis-moscow/

Department of Justice Announces Bump-Stock-Type Devices Final Rule

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-announces-bump-stock-type-devices-final-rule

US Airstrikes Kill 62 People in Coastal Somali Town

Over the weekend, US warplanes carried out at least six airstrikes against the coastal town of Gandarsh, Somalia. US African Command (Africom) says 62 people were killed in the strikes, and all were “terrorists” from al-Shabaab.

34 people were killed on Saturday, and 28 more on Sunday. The identities of the slain are not clear, and there is no way to verify Africom’s claims. This is, however, standard operating procedure for them, to both label all slain as militants, and to say they don’t think any civilians were killed or wounded.

This often doesn’t remain the case, however. When the US is striking a large number of people inside a populated area, it’s very unusual not to have some civilians killed along the way. Yet in remote places like Somalia, it often takes days to find that out.

In the meantime, the Pentagon has virtually total control over the narrative, and sticks to formulaic releases meant to spin the strikes as legal, claiming they preempted a plot, without providing any evidence of such a plot.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/69829/us-airstrikes-kill-62-people-in-coastal-somali.html

Saudi official sacked over Khashoggi murder 'made secret visits to Israel'

Ahmed al-Assiri, sacked over journalist's killing, was involved in buying spyware from Israeli firms, Wall Street Journal says

A senior Saudi intelligence official who was sacked over his suspected involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi made secret trips to Israel on behalf of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the visits.

According to the newspaper's sources, Major General Ahmed al-Assiri, the former deputy chief of Saudi intelligence who was sacked by Riyadh in October, visited Israel to discuss how Saudi Arabia could benefit from Israeli surveillance technology.

The WSJ said that another of bin Salman's closest aides, Saud al-Qahtani, who was also sacked over the Khashoggi killing, was also involved in covert efforts to improve Saudi-Israeli ties.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-official-sacked-over-khashoggi-murder-made-secret-visits-israel-2101959076

Leaked report based on 20 years of monitoring: Israel regularly violates international law

An international group created 20 years ago to monitor the situation in the West Bank city of Hebron has issued a confidential report based on over 40,000 incident reports that shows a consistent pattern of the Israeli forces violating human rights and international law. See two reports below and videos of Hebron:

IMEMC reports:

The international observational organization, Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), has compiled the situation of Hebron city, over the last 20 years, into a single, significant and damning report.

According to an anonymous source who has read the report, speaking to Haaretz newspaper, the report revealed that Israel has been in severe and regular breach of a number of international and internal laws that they once vowed to uphold.

For a long time, Hebron has been a contentious place, having being divided in two under the 1997 Hebron Protocol. The Palestinian Authority controls 80% of Hebron city, with its 175,000 Palestinian inhabitants, known as H1. Israeli Forces control H2, which some 40,000 Palestinians live along with up to 800 Israeli settlers.

TIPH has been observing and monitoring the daily situation in Hebron with a goal of assisting and reporting on the maintenance of ‘normal life’. However, looking back on the last few years, the 100 page document shows that life in Hebron is anything but normal.

As an occupying nation, Israel is obligated by international rule to protect civilians that are being occupied, with a particular requirement of upholding the right to non-discrimination.

According to the PNN, explicit counts of favoritism to Israeli settlers and the oppression of Palestinians observed by TIPH’s 64 international mission members disprove any illusion of two peoples living side by side in equality.

https://israelpalestinenews.org/watch-leaked-report-based-on-20-years-of-monitoring-israel-regularly-violates-international-law/

Michael Flynn Is Owed an Apology

One year after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, there is still no evidence that he is a traitor.

Remember when Michael Flynn was a traitor? It was early 2017. Democrats were still stinging from their defeat at the hands of Donald Trump. Every day, it seemed, brought news of another contact between Trumpworld and Russia.

Flynn, a retired three-star general, was forced to resign after serving less than a month as Trump’s national security adviser. He was said to have colluded with Russians during the presidential transition. For this he was defamed as a Russian agent and mocked as a bumbling Benedict Arnold. Former officials of Barack Obama’s administration hinted that Flynn had been compromised.

As it turns out, none of this was true. On Tuesday Flynn will receive a sentence for the one count to which he has pleaded guilty, lying to the FBI. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has recommended no jail time. Flynn will have a chance to get on with his life.

So how did Washington get sucked into believing that Michael Flynn had betrayed his country? Part of it, surely, is guilt by association; the proposition that Trump wants to appease Russia — even if he has not acted on his wishes — is not far-fetched. Trump has denied that the Russians hacked Democrats and released their emails, openly contradicting the U.S. intelligence community (and, for that matter, Flynn). During his campaign Trump flattered Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has continued to do so during his presidency.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-12-18/michael-flynn-sentencing-washington-owes-him-an-apology

M.E.G.A

MAKE EARTH GREAT AGAIN

WW

WWG1WGA

Godspeed!

>>4363567

indeed

>>4363677

United states of Israel

Chinese Shipbuilding Exec Accused of Leaking Secrets Might Face Death Penalty

A senior manager at China’s state-owned shipbuilding organization who has been convicted of bribery may be sentenced to death, the South China Morning Post reports.

set an example and send a warning to others, according to a South China Morning Post report from December 18.

On Monday, China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement that Sun had been found guilty of using his position of power for financial benefits and taking bribes, the report states.

"As a senior cadre and responsible leader of a state-owned enterprise, Sun Bo has abused his authority and was disloyal to the Communist Party," the disciplinary body said. The commission's investigation concluded that Sun had to be expelled from the party, and the party's leadership approved the recommendation. Sun was detained by Chinese authorities in June on allegations of corruption.

The graft-busting commission also said Sun had participated in "feudalistic superstitious activities" and turned down the opportunity to cooperate with the investigation. The statement did not mention Sun's involvement with the Liaoning or Type 001A aircraft carrier projects.

Sun was previously accused of giving the Central Intelligence Agency information about China's Liaoning carrier, a ship built by the Soviet Union that China spent more than a decade refurbishing and retrofitting starting in 2002. In his post at CSIC, Sun allegedly sold information to the CIA on the Liaoning's design and specifications in addition to drawings related to China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Type 001A, Sputnik reported.

The exact nature and extent of Sun's previous activities may never become public. The South China Morning Post quotes an unnamed source as saying, "His case is so complicated and involves a lot of state secrets that can't be disclosed, so the authorities would only say he is being held on ‘corruption charges.'"

The publication quotes a source close to CSIC stating that company staff have received instructions to remain tight-lipped. "All the staff at CSIC have been told not to say anything about Sun, so you can imagine how sensitive his case is," the source said.

As the second-highest ranking official at China's largest and most important shipbuilder, Sun had overseen every completed company project over the past two decades, according to Joseph Fitsanakis, professor of politics at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina. The company built a slew of new Chinese frigates and destroyers, as well as several other ships during that time. Sun was last publicly seen June 11 during a CSIC event.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201812181070802180-Chinese-shipbuilding-exec-accused-secrets/