Haftar’s Forces Deployed En Masse Around Tripoli

On March 15th, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) began to mobilize its forces towards Tripoli, reportedly for a heavy, and potentially final, offensive on Tripoli.

Videos and photographs of quite a bit of military vehicles were shared on social media.

It is not announced what specifically the operation would ensue, just that troops are being mobilized.

Meanwhile, the LNA air force carried out heavy air strikes and shelling on Government of National Accord (GNA) forces, as well as the Syrian militants deployed by Turkey in the area of Misrata.

The LNA spokesman, Brigadier General Ahmed al-Mismari, on March 15th, held a press conference.

Mesmari asserted that the Libyan Armed Forces agreed to the truce but would never accept threats by militias. The LNA spokesperson stated that Misrata militias attempts to attack the forces in Al Jufra and Sirte using advanced ammunition and drones supplied by Turkey.

The LNA spokesperson also disclosed an attempt by militias to target Al Jufra Airbase by a Turkish-made drone that was downed by the LNA southern Libya.

Mesmari stated that the Turkish spheres of influence in Libya are Misrata, Tripoli, and Zuwara saying that the LNA has spotted all the locations of Turkish troops in Libya.

The LNA spokesperson accused Turkey of transporting 300-400 mercenaries to Libya weekly by civilian aircrafts and ships that are protected by international laws. A number of those ships carry the flags of certain countries. For instance, a ship carrying mercenaries was raising the flag of Lebanon.

Mesmari declared that the number of Turkish officers on Libyan soil has reached 1,000 while that of mercenaries has recorded 7,500. Mesmari stated that the LNA struck Turkish targets in Mitiga International Airport.

Mesmari revealed that the LNA has 85,000 soldiers, and that 7,000 were martyred since the launching operation to capture Tripoli from the enemy was launched in April 2019. That is in addition to thousands of injuries.

On the side of the GNA, there appears to be infighting as a video purportedly showed factions within the GNA forces attack each other.

https://southfront.org/haftars-forces-deployed-en-masse-around-tripoli/

Coronavirus: Government considering full closure - Health Ministry

Some 277 Israelis have contracted the novel coronavirus.

The government is debating whether to order all Israelis to remain in their homes and only to leave out of necessary, Deputy Director General of the Health Ministry Prof. Itamar Grotto said on Monday.

“The government is considering a quarantine for all citizens, and if that happens then all age groups will be asked to stay in their homes until told otherwise,” Grotto said in a phone call with Hebrew-language outlets.

"We are talking about between a few days and a week, so we can make additional assessments to understand whether the instructions implemented on Saturday are helping reduce the number of infections, or whether we need to tighten the measures to a complete closure."

Speaking to Army Radio, Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman said authorities were already considering quarantining one town with a significant number of cases. Hebrew media reported that the location under discussion is the ultra-Orthodox town of Kiryat Ye'arim, also known as Telz-Stone, where eight cases have been confirmed to date and a quarter of the population (1,500 residents) are in isolation.

The discussions came as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Israel jumped to 277 - a spike of 77 people from the day before. Earlier, the Health Ministry accidentally announced an increase to 344 patients, but soon corrected itself. “There was a malfunction in the reporting system," the ministry said, promising it would update the numbers soon.

Of the 277 people with the virus, 21 are medical staff. As of Monday evening, there were more than 50,000 people in isolation. Among them, 2,600 medical personnel, including 862 doctors.

Three cases of medical personnel contracting COVID-19 have been confirmed in the past 24 hours. On Sunday night, a senior doctor at Ichilov Hospital was reported by Ynet to have contracted the virus. All of the patients in her unit - many of them senior citizens - had to be tested and transferred to another unit, and her staff was sent home to self-isolate. The next morning, an intern in the hospital’s urology department also tested positive for coronavirus.

https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Intern-at-Ichilov-contracts-coronavirus-as-Israeli-cases-spike-to-250-621142

Militants In Idlib Are Not Complying With The Ceasefire: Russian Foreign Ministry

Large armed groups of terrorists in Idlib, Syria, refuse to recognize the Russian-Turkish agreement, and were able to rearm with external support and take counter-offensive actions, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department said.

“In the de-escalation zone in Syrian Idlib, large armed groups of various Islamic groups are concentrated, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Khurras al-Din, which continue to use the ideological principles and terrorist methods of Al- Qaeda.” The mentioned organizations, incidentally, refused to recognize the latest Russian-Turkish agreements on the introduction of a ceasefire regime in this region,” the Russian foreign ministry told Interfax.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that “in the ranks of the jihadists grouped there, there are many ISIS members, including those who were evacuated at one time along the “security corridors” from other regions of Syria.”

“The militants of the terrorist groups took advantage of the respite, recovered, reequipped, including thanks to outside support, and are now taking counter-offensive actions,” the Foreign Ministry underlined.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Syrian Arab Army reported that there was infighting between the Jihadist groups in Majdalya in Idlib, over letting Turkey patrol the M4 highway along with Russia.

https://southfront.org/militants-in-idlib-are-not-complying-with-the-ceasefire-russian-foreign-ministry/

U.S. Forces Close Closing Some Bases In Iraq Following Rocket Attacks On Camp Taji

The US-led coalition has opted to leave some of its smaller bases in Iraq following the recent series of rocket attacks on its forces. According to the US military, troops will be redeployed to larger facilities, and this will not affect the military mission in the country.

The official explanation claims that the reason is the ‘success’ in the fight against ISIS, but recent casualties from two attacks on Camp Taji seem to be a more realistic version.

“As a result of the success of Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against ISIS, the Coalition is re-positioning troops from a few smaller bases. These bases remain under Iraqi control and we will continue our advising partnership for the permanent defeat of Daesh from other Iraqi military bases,” the US-led coalition said.

“The Coalition remains in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq to defeat ISIS; since 2014, together, we have liberated more than 55,000 square kilometers and freed millions of Iraqi people from ISIS murderous rule. Our troops are re-positioning in coordination with the Government of Iraq. Due to operational security, we will not announce a specific timetable for the troop movements.”

A new Iraqi armed group, Ausbat al-Thaayirin, already claimed responsibility for the March 11 rocket attack that killed three US-led coalition personnel. The group said that the attacks were delivered in response to the US assassination of Deputy-Commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Commander of the Iranian Quds Force Maj. Gen. Qassam Soleimani. It also vowed to continue military actions against US forces.

https://southfront.org/u-s-forces-close-closing-some-bases-in-iraq-following-rocket-attacks-on-camp-taji/

Tom Cotton Floats Universal Basic Income for Coronavirus Crisis

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is floating a plan to “get cash into the hands of affected workers and their families” due to national shutdowns of businesses in nearly every industry from the coronavirus outbreak.

In a series of posts online and in a Fox News Channel interview, Cotton said American workers who are being forced to stay home from their jobs due to shutdowns in the midst of the coronavirus crisis need immediate relief in the form of cash payments.

The monetary policy, known as Universal Basic Income (UBI), has made its way into the national spotlight over the last year thanks to businessman Andrew Yang. The policy could mean that American citizens affected by the coronavirus shutdowns would get $1,000 a month in cash.

Cotton suggested using existing social welfare agencies to put “cash in the hands of affected families.”

“We don’t want to see layoffs, we want to see people who are at home, if they have any reason to be at home, supported immediately,” Cotton said.

“This is an emergency measure that only needs to last for a few weeks if we all take the prudent steps necessary. That’s why I think we want to use systems like, say, Treasury [Department] refunds to anyone whose paid taxes in 2018 or unemployment systems or other social welfare agencies that are set up to quickly get cash into the hands of affected workers and their families,” Cotton said.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/16/tom-cotton-floats-universal-basic-income-for-coronavirus-crisis/

Schumer Proposes $750 Billion To 'Wage War' Against Coronavirus

Update (0230 ET): Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is set to propose a coronavirus response package of at least $750 billion to "wage war" against the coronavirus, according to Bloomberg.

Schumer's proposal will "get money directly into hands of America people AND include federal funding to:"

Address hospital and treatment capacity issues

Expand Unemployment Insurance and increase Medicaid funding

Ensure affordability of COVID-19 treatment

Provide immediate loan payment forbearance for all federal loans, as well as a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures

Deliver immediate help to small businesses

Fund emergency child care, especially for health care workers and first responders

Help schools with remote learning

Ensure sencior citizens receive medicine and food delivery

Provide assistance to keep public transportation running

Utilize Defense Department to provide personnel, equipment, supplies and critical response capabilities to support on the nationwide response

Address public health and economic needs in Indian Country

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/senate-may-amend-house-coronavirus-package

Coronavirus: Justin Trudeau Shutting Down Canadian Border to Foreign Travelers

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced that Canada is drastically restricting its borders as the country moves to prevent additional cases of the deadly coronavirus.

Addressing reporters in Ottawa, Trudeau said the country is shutting down its borders to non-citizens, with the exceptions of permanent residents, diplomats, aircrews, and U.S. citizens. The prime minister also said that airlines will prevent individuals from exhibiting coronavirus symptoms from entering an aircraft. “That means anyone who has symptoms will not be able to enter Canada,” he explained. Further, only four airports — Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, Montreal Trudeau Airport, and Calgary International Airport — will be allowed to receive international flights.

Trudeau also re-upped a federal recommendation that Canadians abroad return home. “If you are abroad it’s time to come back home,” the Canadian leader said. “If you have just arrived, you must self-isolate for 14 days.”

Trudeau was quarantined Thursday after his wife, Sophie Trudeau, tested positive for the coronavirus.

In an emailed statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Justin Trudeau, 48, was in good health and was exhibiting no symptoms of the disease but will be isolated for 14 days as a precaution.

“The prime minister will continue to fully assume his duties and will address Canadians tomorrow,” it said. “… All orders of government will continue to work tirelessly and in close collaboration. Canada has a well-equipped public health system to deal with the spread of COVID-19.”

According to his office, doctors advised that he not be tested as he is not exhibiting symptoms and for the same reason there is no risk of infection to those he’s been in contact with.

Sophie Trudeau, 44, was tested earlier Thursday for COVID-19 and was placed in isolation with her husband as they awaited her test results, which came back positive, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/03/16/coronavirus-justin-trudeau-shutting-down-canadian-border-to-foreign-travelers/

Liberal Hack Reporters Deliberately Use Half of President Trump’s Quote in Conference Call with Governors on Coronavirus in Order to Cause Panic

The fraudstream media is truly the enemy of the American people.

President Trump on Monday spoke to the nation’s governors as part of his ongoing efforts to assist states in combating the Wuhan Coronavirus.

Just had a very good tele-conference with Nation’s Governors. Went very well. Cuomo of New York has to “do more”.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 16, 2020

Like clockwork the lying liberal media hacks only used half of President Trump’s quote to governors in order to cause more panic and mass hysteria.

New York Times reporter Mara Gay is not only bad at math, she deliberately only used half of the President’s quote in order to make it sound like Trump told the governors they are on their own.

“Trump told governors this morning they are on their own: “Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves,” Mr. Trump told the governors during the conference call, a recording of which was shared with The New York Times,” Mara Gay said on Twitter.

Trump told governors this morning they are on their own:

“Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves,” Mr. Trump told the governors during the conference call, a recording of which was shared with The New York Times. https://t.co/K0sont7MBc

— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) March 16, 2020

Julie Bosman, another New York Times hack reporter did the same thing as Mara Gay and only used half of Trump’s quote.

Wow.

“Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment — try getting it yourselves,” Mr. Trump told the governors during the conference call. via @jmartNYT https://t.co/RKZusLK5oY

— Julie Bosman (@juliebosman) March 16, 2020

This was irresponsible and misleading.

The full quote from President Trump is as follows: “We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves. Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself.”

Any reporter using half of a quote and refusing to use appropriate context is doing so maliciously.

Here's the rest of @realDonaldTrump's quote : "We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves. Point of sales, much better, much more direct if you can get it yourself.” https://t.co/qdeWKTVaxE

— Erin Perrine (@ErinMPerrine) March 16, 2020

Mark Meadows Comms Director blasted Mara Gay for her “appalling” misrepresentation of Trump’s quote.

Appalling misrepresentation of a quote. The full quote was "We will be backing you, but try getting it yourselves first"–basically saying pricing could be more efficient on the front end. Good Lord. https://t.co/J3I9QNFcmi

— Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) March 16, 2020

Trump’s 2020 Director of Communications blasted Mara Gay.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/liberal-hack-reporters-deliberately-use-half-of-president-trumps-quote-in-conference-call-with-governors-on-coronavirus-in-order-to-cause-panic/