With introduction by Vince Dhimos.
 
Our sincerest thanks to Southfront for the report below and please don’t underestimate the importance of this event in Iraq, which signals a long-smouldering discontent that is bubbling up not out of some political plot from a secretive imaginary Deep State but from the pent up resentment of the Middle Eastern populace at large. It’s not about Iraq. It’s not even regional. It’s about a powder keg of discontent at a tribe on the other side of the world that has long trampled on people just trying to get along and existing in an increasingly impossible situation.
 
Please check out the videos of the burning convoy and especially the one on General Qassem Soleimani, which shows what a hero he was to both the Iranians and the Iraqis as well as to many many people in the Middle East who have had their countries and leaders destroyed by the aerial bombs and economic sanctions of the Washington Empire over the last two decades. The killing of this great anti-terror fighter may have helped Trump garner a few votes from low-information voters who swallowed the lie of a “killer of Americans,” but it made the US presence in Iraq even more resented than it was before that crime and it was an important turning point that makes it almost impossible for the US forces to stay in Iraq. It was only after this murder that the Iraqi parliament finally voted to oust the American troops from Iraq, and when they refused to go, brought on an Iranian retaliatory ballistic missile attack on a military base hosting US troops in Iraq. Only a skeleton force of scared US troops remains in Iraq after this brazen and cowardly assassination by a government that ignores all the signals of discontent from the Middle East as it plods forward with its senseless policies devoid of any meaningful strategy or coherent plan for peace in the region. The US media are totally cowed by the political Establishment in Washington, and refuse to cover this and other all-important stories of the Iraqi resistance – or more accurately, the Middle Eastern resistance. Yes, it’s a thing. There are obvious parallels with the last days of the Soviet Union here, the only difference being that the Russian people at that time were keenly aware and sick to death of the lies and obfuscation in the Soviet press and were hungry for knowledge about the outside world, whereas the US public at this time in July 2020 is almost totally asleep and with its mesmerized indifference is setting itself up for a series of shocking surprises as the Fed continues to print trillion after trillion in a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable and the slumbering populace looks to inept politicians to save them from none other than themselves and their cultivated ignorance of a surrounding world as it closes in on them. Never has an election meant so little to so many. I write these words with a heavy heart.
 
https://southfront.org/iraqi-resistance-forces-blew-up-us-logistic-convoy-near-baghdad-videos/
 
IRAQI RESISTANCE FORCES BLEW UP US LOGISTIC CONVOY NEAR BAGHDAD (VIDEOS)
 
2020, 7-11
 
On July 11 evening, a US logistic convoy was blown up on the road between Samawah and Diwaniyah, south of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. At least 3 vehicles of the convoy were reportedly destroyed or damaged by gunmen that attacked the convoy.
 
There have been no reports about casualties following the attack. US logistical convoys in Iraq are often supported or even operated by private contractors. So, the Pentagon may try to ignore the incident pretending that nothing has happened.
 
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Nonetheless, Iraqi sources say that the attack was conducted by one of anti-US Iraqi resistance groups. Multiple such groups appeared following the US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in early January 2020. The drone strike killed the deputy commander of the Iraqi Armed Forces’ Popular Mobilization Forces and the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force.

MORE ON THE TOPIC

Turkey Has 37 ‘Military Points’ In Northern Iraq (Map Update)

Vince Dhimos posted at the forum:

Vince Dhimos 
​
"...the Pentagon may try to ignore the incident pretending that nothing has happened."
These words were prescient. I was unable to find any mention of this incident in any news site anywhere! It is unbelievable that ANYONE would bother reading any Western "news" sites. It is amazing the lengths to which the Washington-controlled msm will go to avoid saying anything that might affect the November elections. The fact that the Democrats also avoid mentioning this indicates that they are on board with Trump's policy and that these warlike policies will be continued no matter who gets elected. How can they dare speak of "democracy" in the US when so much depends on the almost complete ignorance of the public?

 Vince Dhimos answered a question at Quora.
 
https://www.quora.com/With-Turkeys-foreign-policy-increasingly-aligned-against-NATO-and-its-member-states-interests-should-Turkeys-NATO-membership-be-revoked/answer/Vince-Dhimos
 
With Turkey's foreign policy increasingly aligned against NATO and its member states' interests, should Turkey's NATO membership be revoked?
 
Vince Dhimos Editor-in-Chief at New Silk Strategies (2016–present)
 
It’s complicated. The US has two policies: the one it publicly proclaims (eg, “war on terror”), and it’s hidden agenda, which you can easily figure out if you watch its actions in the Middle East closely enough. The public policy and the hidden agenda are opposites. And please note: we are not talking about a so-called "Deep State" policy and a Trump policy here because Trump's policies are in line with the Deep State, though his acolytes haven't all figured that out yet. Yes, it is true that there is a certain anti-Trump segment in the Deep State -- which should just be called the Establishment -- but the elites behind the curtain are not really opposed to or by Trump at the deepest levels. If there was a meaningful difference between Trump and the Establishment elites, the US would no longer be in Syria or Afghanistan, the Fed would not be distributing freshly minted unbacked dollars to its cronies in Big Business, and there would be no sanctions on innocent civilians in Venezuela or Iran. US bullying is the old threadbare policy, nothing new and nothing great again.
 
Turkey is aligned with the US’s hidden agenda to create chaos in the Middle East (according to the Yinon Plan "Greater Israel": The Zionist Plan for the Middle East - Global Research) and to oppose Russia (because Russia consistently seeks stability, not chaos).
 
But it is further complicated by the fact that the US supports the Kurds while Turkey fights them and by the fact that Turkey is vehemently anti-Israel. Interestingly, both Turkey and Israel serve as vital US proxies, doing its dirty work. (US-Kurd relations explained here).
 
Turkey also supports the Serraj government (GNA) in Libya, which pretends to be secular but turns a blind eye to black slavery and allows Turkey to import ISIS militants to Libya. The US Establishment cabal has nothing against these evils but must placate the public by pretending to oppose them. (US Democrats support Turkey and terrorists by demanding Russia stop fighting the terrorist-backed GNA. Details here).
 
Serraj is opposed by France, UAE, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Russia. France has refused to participate in the latest NATO naval exercise because of an alleged attack on a French ship by Turkey.
 
If you are concerned about what mischief Erdoğan may perpetrate next, you may be encouraged to note that Turkey’s ex PM expects Erdoğan’s party to collapse as it is losing power among the Turkish elites, as reported here, and also among the Turkish grassroots.
 
WAR NEWS
 
Our translation from Russian of an article from avia.pro with a foreword and notes [in brackets] by Vince Dhimos.
https://avia.pro/news/izrail-rassmatrivaet-vozmozhnost-puska-raket-po-aviabaze-hmeymim
 
Israel considers launching missiles at Khmeimim airbase
 
Israel intends to attack the vicinity of the Khmeimim air base using drones.
 
Aware of their impunity and inaction of the S-400 Triumph systems, Israel may again try to strike at the outskirts of the Russian military base Khmeimim, using its unmanned aerial vehicles for this. The goal of the Israeli military will not be the Russian military, but the pro-Iranian forces, however, one of the key points could be a test of the Russian S-400 Triumph air defence systems, since a missile launched towards the air base will become a threat to which Russian air defence will have to respond 100%.
 
According to experts, so far the Russian air defence systems, to put it mildly, have not been able to establish themselves in Syria, due to the numerous unexpected attacks of the Israeli Air Force and the actual presence of Israeli fighters in Syrian airspace. Nevertheless, it is obvious that Israel wants to act in Syria much more aggressively; however, the declared characteristics of the Russian complexes could become a very serious obstacle, which was the reason for the assumption that Israeli drones could try to strike at Iran’s forces located near the air base "Hmeimim,” but on condition that the missiles launched will have to fly directly over the military airfield to force the Russian military to use the S-400 air defence systems.
 
However, analysts call this assumption ridiculous.
 
“The S-400 is not designed to fight drones and small missiles. If Israel really decides to take such a step, then, obviously, we will be using short-range air defence systems, such as a Tor or Buk. It is also important to understand that any threat to the Russian military may be punishable for Israel and therefore Tel Aviv should be very careful,” said an Avia.pro specialist.
 
https://www.intellinews.com/nato-nerves-on-edge-as-france-pulls-out-of-sea-operation-in-major-row-with-turkey-over-libya-186727/?source=russia
 
Nato nerves on edge as France pulls out of sea operation in major row with Turkey over Libya
 
By bne IntelIiNews July 2, 2020
France has temporarily pulled out of a Nato security operation amid its major row with Turkey over Ankara’s alleged violation of an arms embargo against Libya.
The French defence ministry on July 2 said France had suspended its participation in Operation Sea Guardian. The move also comes after Turkish ships allegedly targeted a French warship in the Mediterranean. Turkey has strongly refuted the claim and a Nato investigation into it was inconclusive. France, meanwhile, has been calling on EU countries to hold urgent talks on the bloc’s future relations with Turkey.
It is clear that Paris is unhappy at the foothold Turkey has gained in Libya by militarily supporting the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of General Khalifa Haftar in the Libyan Civil War. As bne IntelliNews has reported, there are fears that the outcome of the conflict could leave both Turkish and Russian military bases in Libya staring across the Mediterranean at France, Italy and other European states. Turkey has recruited militia fighters in the Syrian Civil War whom it has transported to Libya to fight on the side of the GNA, causing French President Emmanuel Macron this week to accuse Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan of massively importing jihadists into the country in a “criminal” intervention by “a country that claims to be a Nato member”.
Migrant transit point
Oil-rich nation Libya is a key transit point for migrants heading to Europe from Africa. France and other EU nations are already deeply unhappy at how Turkey has in recent months encouraged Syrian migrants it is hosting to attempt to enter the bloc by crossing its border with Greece.
French relations with Turkey are also strained over Turkey's drilling in the eastern Mediterranean, some of which is said to infringe the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus.
Tensions between Paris and Ankara reared up on June 10 when French frigate Courbet moved to inspect a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship, the Cirkin, off the coast of Libya, to check if it was smuggling arms in contravention of a UN ban.
The French ship was participating in Nato's Operation Sea Guardian, the objectives of which include maintaining freedom of navigation and conducting a "maritime counter-terrorism" role.
French defence forces claimed that in response Turkish ships escorting the Cirkin, which Turkey said was carrying medical supplies, acted aggressively, even targeted the Courbet with their weapons systems three times. Turkey denies the French allegation, saying the interaction was friendly.
Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on July 1 asked France to apologise for its allegations about the Courbet. Ankara has accused France of supporting the LNA in the Syria conflict. The LNA is also backed by Russian mercenaries and Russia appears to have flown fighter planes, stripped of their markings, to one of its desert air bases in response to GNA gains assisted by Turkish drones. Cavusoglu said France has been "destructive" in the North African nation. He also accused it of trying "to increase Russia's presence in Libya".
“Doesn’t make sense”
After France suspended its role in Operation Sea Guardian, a French official told Reuters: "It doesn't make sense to keep our assets... with allies who do not respect the embargo."
Turkey has also upset Nato allies with its actions in Syria and purchase of Russian S-400 air defence missile systems viewed as a threat by the US and the military alliance to the performance data of the US F-35 fighter. The US has refused to deliver F-35s to Turkey as a result.
There is also the danger that tensions between Turkey and neighbouring Greece could reach fever pitch over migrants, drilling rights and longstanding issues over territorial claims.
Turkey will not give up on its role in Libya easily. Its economy remains fragile and short of revenues. Erdogan, under political pressure at home and wont to whip up nationalist support with military adventurism, would clearly like to use his Libya leverage to secure some hydrocarbon rights—Turkey is almost entirely reliant on energy imports—while there is also the prospect of earning tens of billions of dollars from post-war reconstruction in the country and recovering big sums Turkey claims Libya still owes from previous contracting work carried out prior to the nation becoming embroiled in its conflict.
On July 1, it was reported that a Turkish business delegation was set to visit Libya within two weeks to assess how Turkey’s companies and banks can help rebuild the war-torn country and secure its energy needs.
 
Turkey wants to control northern Syria
https://southfront.org/turkish-proxies-create-chaos/
 
Egypt to challenge Turkey, Israel with strongest navy in the region
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/egypt-intends-to-challenge-turkey-israel-as-strongest-navy-in-mediterranean-with-new-missile-system-expert/
 
Venezuela shoots down US pane invading its airspace
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/venezuelan-warplanes-shoot-down-unknown-aircraft-with-us-registration-umber/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=push%notificationss&utm_content=varies
 
Russian military helps return water to 1 million people after Turkish-backed forces shut it off
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-military-helps-return-water-to-1-million-people-after-turkish-backed-forces-shut-it-off/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=push%notificationss&utm_content=varies

The following 3 reports are our translations from avia.pro (links are given below) with comments and notes [in brackets]. These reports (containing information essentially unavailable in US msm) provide a bit of relief for those Westerners who understand the precariousness of the US position in view of the reckless prattle of Biden and Trump this campaign season. The bottom line is that, while Biden is talking like a tough guy, he has nothing to back him up, although the average voter is blissfully unaware of the US’s vulnerability against China and Russia. So the gullible public on both sides of the aisle will, as usual, cheer for their party in the full confidence that the good ole USA can beat any comer with its hands tied behind its back, provided their man is sitting in the White House.
 
https://avia.pro/news/rossiyskie-bastiony-v-livii-otrezali-put-amerikanskim-avianoscam-v-chyornoe-more
 
The Russian mobile coastal defence system "Bastion" has cut off American aircraft carriers from access to the Black Sea
 
The appearance on Libyan territory of the Russian mobile coastal Bastion missile systems is why American aircraft carriers are unlikely to appear in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea with any provocative actions against Russia. One such complex allows us to control a sea area of 100 thousand square kilometres, and considering media reports on the transfer of three such complexes to Libya, Russia will be able to control a sea area of ​​several hundred thousand square kilometres, and in addition, the “Bastions” Can also be placed on the coast of Syria.
 
“Military representatives of Egypt and Russia said that Cairo asked Moscow to expedite the supply of coastal defence systems, in particular the Bastion, to the Libyan National Army [the LNA is the army opposing the UN-recognized “government” of Faez Serraj, who is turning a blind eye to black slavery and is allowing Turkey to import ISIS militants from Syria to Libya. US Democrats are supporting Serraj despite his tolerance of black slavery and despite the fact that the Democrats pay lip service to the BLM cause in the US]. Sources said that the Bastion system is capable of protecting the coast along a range of more than 600 km from potential landing of the enemy, since the complex can be deployed at military facilities in just five minutes,” reports AMN [Al Masdar News].
 
In Washington a week earlier it was announced that if Russia creates its new stronghold in Libya, then the North Atlantic Alliance [NATO] may begin to face very serious problems, since most of the Mediterranean Sea, and, consequently, access to the Persian Gulf and access to the Black Sea, will be controlled by Russia.
 
The Russian side does not officially comment on the delivery of Bastion coastal missile systems to Libya, although it is obvious that amid regular shipments of cargo and military transport planes from Syria to this North African country, Russia is extremely interested in partnerships, including militarily relationship with LNA. [Yes, provided the partner in question does not support terrorism, in contrast to the US, which supports Turkey despite Ankara’s partnership with ISIS and Al Qaeda rebrandings in Syria and Libya]
 
Read more at: https://avia.pro/news/rossiyskie-bastiony-v-livii-otrezali-put-amerikanskim-avianoscam-v-chyornoe-more
 
Same URL as above:
 
Russian super radar detected strike by unknown aircraft in Iran
 
The Russian Container radar has detected unknown aircraft that attacked Iran from the airspace of Azerbaijan.
 
The transfer by the Iranian military of the modernized Soviet S-75 air defence systems to the border with Azerbaijan, as well as the recent mysterious explosion at an Iranian military facility, led experts to conclude that these two events are related. The reason for this was the fact that it was from the airspace of Azerbaijan that attacks were earlier carried out on the Iranian military, and in the winter of this year a drone was launched from the territory of Azerbaijan, which took part in the murder of commander Qassem Soleimani. According to experts, assistance in identification was provided by the Russian container radar, which has an effective range that can detect air targets at distances of several thousand kilometres.
 
Iran has not officially confirmed that the explosion at a military nuclear facility occurred due to an attack by external forces. Nevertheless, taking into account the arguments of experts and the transfer of air defence systems to the least protected area, experts expressed the view that Azerbaijan could be responsible for that operation of, presumably, American or Israeli forces. At the moment, the timing of the deployment of anti-aircraft missile systems remains unknown, however. Analysts believe that Iran’s opponents may try to arrange a new provocation from the airspace of Azerbaijan, and this time Iran is ready to make a powerful response.
 
**
 
This next article from avia.pro was of particular interest in light of Joe Biden’s campaign statements about how much tougher he would be on Russia and China. It is obvious that Joe’s speech writers never checked up on the size and capabilities of these two de facto allies’ military arsenals. After reading the three articles presented here in translation I have to guess they haven’t a clue. If Biden actually does what he brags he will do, Americans had better regularly check out their windows for the sight of a mushroom cloud on the horizon in 2021!  The new Russian frigate mentioned in the following article could take out 16 cities, including one on the Potomac. And that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the damage that could be wrought on the rest of US assets by aircraft-borne nuclear capable missiles like the hypersonic Kinzhal.  If the Russians are attacked on their own turf, they have a hard-and-fast policy whereby they would then automatically launch a nuclear attack on their adversary. Given the size of their missile arsenal, it would make sense for them to simultaneously target every US base in the world plus every US aircraft carrier. It would also make sense to cut off the head of the snake by bombing the White House, Congress and the Pentagon. After that, the government would probably not convene again for a few days or weeks, with only the few surviving congress people who fell through the cracks meeting by Zoom – although the power plants and communications towers would no doubt be targeted as well, so the internet would be down almost everywhere. Yes, the US, what’s left of it, would also retaliate, but Russia has hosts of air defences like the new S-500 that can take out incoming missiles and aircraft from outer space, and a whole host of other systems scattered around Moscow and other cities and regions.
 
The good news is that the Pentagon ignores political rhetoric, has already boned up on all this and will almost certainly refuse any lame brained White House orders to strike Russian or Chinese targets in the first place, so it doesn’t matter how tough Biden may pretend to be, he won’t get past the generals. The truth of the matter is that Trump is not to blame for backing down to Iran, Venezuela and other targets during the last term. Russia backed down the US, as it will also do if tough guy Biden wins the next election.
 
https://avia.pro/news/rossiyskiy-flot-poluchit-moshchnyy-fregat-osnashchyonnyy-16-giperzvukovymi-raketami-cirkon-uzhe
 
The Russian navy will receive a powerful frigate equipped with 16 Zircon hypersonic missiles in a few days
 
The newest Russian frigate, armed with Zircon missiles, will take up combat duty in a few days.
 
Russia continues to increase the strength of its military fleet, and the appearance of the frigate Admiral Kasatonov armed with 16 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, which no other country in the world can boast, is the most brilliant confirmation of this.
 
“At present, the second frigate of this project, Admiral Kasatonov, is completing the tests. It is planned that this July he will be accepted into the Navy. I want to point out that the ships of this project confirm the tactical and technical characteristics incorporated in them by the designer and manufacturer. And as having a large modernization reserve, project 22350 will certainly receive further development, which will affect ship systems and weapons. There is no doubt that these frigates will strengthen the grouping of surface ships of the Navy in the far sea zone due to their tactical and technical characteristics,” the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defense reports referring to an interview with Admiral Nikolai Evmenov.
 
The Russian warship will indeed be equipped with all kinds of weapons, which are promising and will remain so for the next 10-15 years.
 
Read more at: https://avia.pro/news/rossiyskiy-flot-poluchit-moshchnyy-fregat-osnashchyonnyy-16-giperzvukovymi-raketami-cirkon-uzhe
​

WHEN NATO MEETS THE UN IT’S A MARRIAGE MADE IN HELL
 
Vince Dhimos answered a question at Quora.
 
COULD THE UN “BUY” OR “MERGE” WITH NATO?
 
Vince Dhimos Editor-in-Chief at New Silk Strategies (2016–present)
 
https://www.quora.com/Could-the-UN-buy-or-merge-with-NATO/answer/Vince-Dhimos
 
The UN’s stated raison d'être is the opposite of NATO’s.
 
The UN was originally founded to keep peace in the world. It could be doing a reasonably good job if it were not for the US throwing its wrench in the spokes, but at least that is its assigned mission.
 
NATO, however, was founded for the purpose of containing the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it became clear to keen observers that containing the Soviets was not really the role at all because NATO grew and came closer to the Russian borders, even though the US had promised Russia during the difficult breakup period that it would not expand NATO any further. It broke that promise almost right from the start, suggesting that the US and its allies were the REAL aggressors, and not Russia. But for years, the US and its NATO Doberman pincher managed to deceive a delightfully gullible Europe into believing that Russia was the aggressor. As I showed here https://www.quora.com/How-does-a-country-like-Russia-which-GDP-based-on-totally-natural-reserves-low-technology-screw-up-population-meddle-in-the-affair-of-other-countries-Moldova-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Syria-or-say-other-Shouldnt-Western/answer/Vince-Dhimos, Russia was never the real aggressor. The REAL aggressor was always the US.
 
But your question raises an important point:
 
There have been several occasions when the ostensibly peace making UN played the warmongering role of NATO. That is, the roles of these two bodies overlapped, disgracefully, and each time under extreme pressure from the US.
 
The first such example was the Kosovo War, where the UN initially refused to approve the bombing of Serbia but failed to approve a draft resolution tabled by Russia, India and Belorus to end the bombing of Serbia. Thus the UN failed its mission and 4000 mostly civilians were slaughtered in aerial bombing in Serbia on the flimsy pretext that their leader had supposedly abused the Albanian Kosovars, whom Serbia prooflessly accused of terrorism. According to the German-language site German Foreign Policy https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/8317/ the current PM of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, has recently been charged with war crimes including drug and arms trafficking, contract murder and possibly organ trafficking (while the US news outlets are replete with unproven allegations of Chinese organ trafficking, this news from Kosovo goes unreported!). The UN could have nipped this in the bud by allowing Serbia to clamp down on these crimes, but the US stood in the way, pretending that the Serbs, who were trying to keep law and order, were the terrorists and the Kosovars their innocent victims. Now, years later, we know that the Serbian law enforcement people were dealing with terror and atrocities, not innocent victims.
 
Another instance of interference with justice was when the UN imposed a no-fly zone over Libya in 2011 (U.N. council approves no-fly zone over Libya). Without this no-fly zone, Libya today would still be a sovereign and stable state, the most prosperous state in Africa, as it was before Ghaddafi, who had tried to keep a lid on terror, was brutally murdered with the aid of the monstrous NATO forces. Libya is now a failed state overrun by terrorists and host to black slavery! This is another example of what happens when a so-called peace making organization teams up with a murderous warmonger.
 
The Iraq War is another similar example of how the UN got involved in ways that led to unintended consequences and contributed to a bellicose situation. The US was again the perpetrator, insisting at the UN that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and even presenting contrived evidence. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found, as we now know. The UN also imposed harsh sanctions on the Iraqi people starting after the first Iraq war, which only served to infuriate the Iraqis and cause resentment that steeled their resolve to fight the US rather than give in. Incredibly, the sanctions were not lifted until 7 years after Saddam’s fall, a particularly inhumane and senseless action on the part of the UN. In their aggregate, the UN’s actions were unnecessarily cruel, fostered resentment among the Iraqis and contributed to radicalization that led to the creation of ISIS.
 
Finally, the UN has again caved to pressure from the US to recognize a terror-supporting regime in Libya, where Turkey is importing ISIS militias with the blessings of this UN-recognized government in Tripoli (as the Tripoli government admitted to the Washington Post). I gave details here: https://www.quora.com/Do-you-support-Black-Lives-Matter-1/answer/Vince-Dhimos.

Vince Dhimos
 
As you probably know by now, our mission is to fill in as many blanks as possible left by Western news sources, and today is particularly critical as the Western msm have failed spectacularly to report on important events in the Libyan conflict, notably the recent Russian victories over the Turkish-backed Islamists and GNA troops, and the more-recent entry of Egypt into the conflict. This deliberate lack of coverage is perhaps the most serious dereliction of duty ever perpetrated by the Western msm because the turning point of the Libyan war signals a tectonic plate shift from West to East in terms of global influence.
 
By way of background, the UN- and US-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) represents not so much the will of the Libyan people but rather the will of Western states in the US-led UN, which lent a false legitimacy to the GNA. For example, the GCA, ie, General National Congress, which exists at the pleasure of the GNA, is top-heavy with Islamists because all old Ghaddafi supporters are banned from the government. Since Ghaddafi was a moderate leader who had banned Islamists as terrorists, this left Libya in the hands of essentially radical elements who do not represent the will of Libyans as a whole. This is why Haftar and his Russian and Egyptian allies (as well as France, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and others) oppose the GNA. Yet it is not surprising that the West would sympathize with the terrorist-supporting GNA because it was the Obama regime that toppled Ghaddafi at the request of the radicals in 2011. (A thoroughly researched analysis from Nena exposes the whole sordid Western and Israeli involvement in Middle Eastern terrorism, and we see its continuation in Libya today).
 
I first found a report at the Russian-language site avia.pro that Egypt is flying missions in Libya in support of Haftar and the Russians. I then checked to see how many US news outlets were reporting on this. I found exactly NONE. That is unbelievable and inexcusable, but nonetheless understandable. After all, the purpose of US news outlets is to present mostly, or even exclusively, news that makes the US look powerful and “great again.” Any objective reporting from the Libyan front will expose the US Establishment – on both sides of the aisle – for the deceitful toothless and spineless blob that it is in reality. After all, the US has nose-dived economically following the rampant quantitative easing sprees (printing of unbacked trillions of dollars), unprecedented jobless numbers and the drowning stock market resulting from the COVID pandemic.
 
The following is an excerpt from the English-language site bulgarianmilitary.com:
 
“It should be clarified that if Egypt does intervene in hostilities on the territory of neighbouring Libya, then neither Turkey nor the Turkish jihadists will have a chance to hold out for at least a week...”
 
Well, since Egypt is now intervening, we need no longer speculate. Erdoğan’s gamble sure looks like it is failing. And since first Turkish blood has been drawn, his political chances are dimming. The Turks are already fed up with Turkey’s military involvement in Syria and Libya. If you wish, you can call this Putin’s “meddling” in Turkish elections.
 
With regard to the Western coverage of the Libyan conflict, as noted above, there is ZERO Western coverage these days, and the conflict has turned in favour of Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar’s opposition forces fighting the terror-supporting Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which repeatedly reminds the world that it is recognized by the UN and the US, although this reminder ignores the fact that the GNA is suspiciously tolerant of the black slavery that reared its head after the Obama regime/NATO invaded Libya in 2011. The UN paved the way for this senseless invasion by declaring a no-fly zone that precluded any protection for Ghaddafi, who was declared a mass murderer by the jihadists that the US/UN sided with, without, of course, asking for proof of such mass killings. If Russia had had then the air power and prestige it enjoys today just 9 years later, Ghaddafi would have survived and Libya would be the prosperous terror-free country it was then.
 
And yet, as we showed here, the US position has not changed an iota since then and still leans toward terror in Libya, and as we showed here, the Democrats who plunged Libya into chaos are upset with Russia for intervening, using the threadbare excuse that they are Russians (they always were) and are “America’s adversary,” again without a stitch of evidence that this is indeed so. And this is odd because in supporting the GNA these Democrats are in fact tacitly supporting black slavery – even as they shriek that black lives matter when these lives are American – African blacks don’t vote in the US.
 
The good news is that, whilst Erdoğan was having a gay old time gaining ground for Turkish troops and jihadists imported from Syria and for the GNA, at the expense of Haftar, a powerful series of Russian air attacks brought Erdoğan back to earth and prompted him to beg for talks with Haftar – which he had refused to do while he was winning. Our report and commentary are here.
 
Folks, what we are witnessing now throughout the Middle East is nothing short of a new Russian revolution, this time in geopolitics. At this point, given the Russian military clout, it seems as if Russia has no interest in who gets elected in the US November elections. (Perhaps that’s why the sneaky Democrat manipulators are shrieking about Chinese meddling now). Whilst many Americans believe it was Trump who kept the US out of war with Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and others, it was in fact a fear of Russian power that stayed the hand of the Pentagon, for example, when Russian Tupolevs landed in Venezuela or when Russia held joint drills with China and Iran in the Gulf. If a Democrat is elected president in November, he can be expected to push for a Libyan outcome favourable to the Washington warmongering cabal. But it won’t matter. Russia, together with its powerful ally Egypt, clearly has the upper hand. And as we see from the reports posted below, Egypt, with its crack air force, is now heavily involved. According to the latest reports, Egyptian F-16s are already flying missions against the Turkish-backed GNA troops and their terrorist allies (the Syrian Turkish-backed ISIS and Al-Qaeda militants that got whacked in the Syrian conflict. They never learn). And let me remind you that Egypt has ordered 20 new Su-35s from Russia in case the going gets rough next year. (The Su-35 outperforms the overpriced F-35 in all metrics).
 
If Erdoğan loses the wars, he will almost certainly lose the next election and make a lot of Turks very happy.

Perhaps some Western readers will be wondering: If the Turks are fed up with Erdoğan's wars, wouldn't the Russians also be sick of Putin's wars?

Good question, but here's the difference:

1--Russia wins its wars, fighting mostly from the air and staying a safe distance from the guns on the ground.
 
2--And because it wins, Russian weapons are extremely popular and selling like hot cakes, even despite the US sanctions, which serve to make them even more popular thanks to the hard-te-get factor. This helps the Russian economy.

3--Unlike Erdoğan's wars, Putin's wars make sense. The former are fought in defence of Islamists, but the Turks have been secularized for over a century thanks to the efforts of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who served as president of Turkey from 1923-1938 and turned his country into a Western-style democracy. Erdoğan looks anachronistic to many of them, especially to many in the big cities. They don't understand why their president wants to create Islamic republics throughout the Middle East, and most Arabs don't want this. By contrast, Putin's people have never been exposed to a pro-Islamist leader and even Russian Muslims don't want to support Islamism. The Russians generally understand that radicalism abroad can percolate into their country. They also know that the US and the US-led Western Establishment are anti-Russian and that the Western foreign policy generally supports Islamism, even terrorism. So they are pretty much behind Putin and want Russia to win the hearts and minds of the Middle East. Polls among young Arabs show that Russia is the non-Arab country that these people trust the most, while a majority see the US as an enemy. By defeating Islamism in the Middle East, Russia is also defeating the corrupted US influence.

The avia.pro source I cited above:

https://avia.pro/news/egipetskie-f-16-nachali-nanosit-udary-po-tureckim-voennym-v-livii
 
Turkish-backed Libyan forces consider Egypt's statement as a declaration of war (it won't matter)
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-backed-libyan-forces-consider-egypts-statement-as-declaration-of-war/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=push%notificationss&utm_content=varies
 
Today's story of the Egyptian F-16s hitting Turkish backed targets in Libya
https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2020/06/22/egyptian-f-16-fighter-jet-invaded-liyan-airspace-source/

Things are getting very interesting in Libya. First let’s recall what Caliph Erdoğan the Great was saying in February, according to Address Libya:
 
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he refuses negotiations with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, after meeting with Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Tripoli-based ‘National Accord’ government in Istanbul. Al-Sarraj earlier announced the suspension of GNA’s participation in the 5+5 military negotiations with LNA [the opposition forces of Khalifa Haftar in Libya] in Geneva.
 
In press statements, Erdoğan said his country will continue to hold the meetings with al-Sarraj, and Turkey will also continue ‘supporting GNA’s armed groups in Tripoli.’”
 
Remember we wrote that the US wants terrorists to stay in Libya. After all, the US – notably the Obama regime – helped Libyan jihadis kill Ghaddafi, plunging the country into chaos and civil war and impoverishing the country that had once been the most prosperous in Africa. We also reported that the GNA admitted to WaPo to cooperating with ISIS militants imported by Turkey to Libya. It mirrored the consequences of Obama’s regime change coup in Kiev, which plunged that country into civil war and made Ukraine the poorest country in Europe according to IMF statistics. But it’s not just the Democrats. Trump’s sanctions and occupation forces in Syria are keeping that country poor. Likewise Iran and Venezuela are held in poverty by these sanctions and by the US ban on rebuilding Syria.
 
So what gives with Erdoğan, begging for talks with Haftar? He must have forgotten to consult with Czar Putin before making his grandiose statement in February.
 
He forgot that Russia is the czar of the skies, even in Libya. The destruction of large portions of the Libyan GNA and Turkish forces was reported a while back, when it was still unclear who had done all this damage from the air – since no aircraft were spotted in the vicinity of the attacks – and the article I saw then mentioned that the MiG-29 must have been the origin of the devastation because this unique fighter-bomber has the ability to launch missiles from great distances and pinpoint its targets with high precision. The US military also suspected the Russian aircraft was involved. Of course, the Russians know that, although they are defending Libya against terrorists and abuses such as black slavery, Democratic US lawmakers are eyeing sanctions against them not for this defensive role but for being Russian – they base their opposition on CAATSA, the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which specifies that Russia is an adversary, but without explaining why (they never explain this because the real motive for calling Russia an adversary is to prop up the decrepit NATO alliance that forces Washington’s will on Europe and foists overpriced US arms on European defence agencies).
 
Note that Russia was allowing Erdoğan to chalk up some major victories over Haftar’s forces over a period of weeks and it looked like Haftar might lose it all. But after all, it takes time to move air assets from Russia to Libya without attracting too much attention. Initially, Russia sent the MiGs to its Hmeimim base in Syria’s Latakia, pretending they were for the Syrian forces. But then some mysterious missiles started landing in Libya on the Turkish troops and their terrorist pals from Syria – where Russia and the Syrian Arab Army had defeated them initially, much to Erdoğan’s chagrin. Even then they had been acting as Turkish proxies but were no match for the missiles from “America’s adversaries.” Some people are slow learners, but Russia is a patient teacher.
 
Which brings us to our translation of a report from the Russian aviation site avia.pro, a frequently cited source of war news not available in the state-owned Western press. Notes [in brackets] and this foreword are by Vince Dhimos.
 
BEGIN TRANSLATION
 
Russian MiG-29s and Su-24s have been thrashing Turkish army for a week - Erdogan demands negotiations in Libya
 
6-20-2020
 
The incursion of MiG-29 fighters and Su-24 bombers in Libya resulted in the defeat of the Turkish army.
 
After a large number of mysterious MiG-29 fighters and Su-24 front-line bombers, which, according to the West, are Russian military aircraft, appeared at a Libyan military airbase, the Turkish army and militants began to suffer one large-scale defeat after another in this North African country. After several military convoys belonging to the forces of the [terrorist-friendly, slavery-tolerant] Government of National Accord, as well as Turkish forces consisting of terrorists who arrived from Syria, and the Turkish army, were destroyed, Erdoğan quite unexpectedly announced the need for negotiations with the Libyan National Army [Haftar’s opposition forces] or an immediate ceasefire.
 
According to sources, the MiG-29 fighters and Su-24 bombers were spotted delivering large-scale attacks throughout the territory, which is controlled by Turkish troops and militants, while at the moment the “Russian” affiliation of these aircraft is not officially confirmed [Can you blame the Russians if they don’t want more sanctions slapped on them for opposing the terror-supporting GNA?]. However, the use of the latter turned out to be so effective that Turkey suddenly considered holding negotiations, as became known two days earlier during the visit of Turkish representatives to Libya.
 
It should be clarified that earlier MiG-29 fighters were seen behind the rout of at least three large military convoys - because of the electronic warfare equipment used, the combat aircraft were not even noticed, showing the superiority of the LNA’s strength, at least in the air.
Read more at: https://avia.pro/news/rossiyskie-mig-29-i-su-24-razbili-tureckuyu-armiyu-za-nedelyu-erdogan-potreboval-peregovorov-v

In the following is our translation from the French-language geopolitical and military site opex360.com with commentary and notes [in brackets] by Vince Dhimos.
 
EXCERPT from my bracketed note:
 
It is clear from the lenience shown by the US regarding the purchase of Russian military hardware by Ankara that the US prefers to turn a blind eye to Turkey's mischief, considering its NATO membership more important than the need to enforce US policies – which are, after all, irrelevant to peace. This Turkish disregard for international law and agreements is just another example of US toothlessness, and it highlights the utter uselessness of NATO in protecting its partners from real enemies while doing senseless drills at the Russian borders, knowing full well that Russia is not by any means the real enemy. Meanwhile, the real enemy is one that the US has taken to its bosom and nurtured as an “ally,” while Russia may eventually materialize as its only salvation. NATO play acting for the sole purpose of extracting hefty membership dues from gullible European nations and support for a corrupt US arms industry, has come at a high cost. It looks almost as if the stage is being set for war, and now at this critical moment of the COVID pandemic, when the US can afford it least, it is blithely sleepwalking into a trap of its own making. And what is surprising is that the trap has not snapped shut years ago and is only distinguished now in hazy outlines like an iceberg lying dead ahead suddenly emerging into view through a thick fog.
 
BEGIN TRANSLATION

France denounces Turkey's "unacceptable" intervention in Libya and the abuse of its NATO membership
 
BY LAURENT LAGNEAU  JUNE 15, 2020
 
For several months, relations between France and Turkey have been strained. In October, the Turkish offensive in north-eastern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish militias, the main partners of the anti-jihadist coalition in the Levant, had already given rise to a round of criticism by Paris against Ankara. [But the criticism was misplaced. The US was the real culprit, lacking the spine to protect its Kurdish partners, fearing that it might lose Turkey as an “ally.” But what an ally!]
 
"It will be important […] to clarify the status of Turkey as a NATO ally", said Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, referring to the NATO summit to be held in London in December 2019.
 
Turkey’s targets for potential natural gas deposits in the Exclusive Economic Zone [EEZ] of the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, have also contributed to the tensions between Paris and Ankara. As is the case with migrants, the latter is being used by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president.
 
Gas extraction in the eastern Mediterranean is one of the reasons for the military support provided by Turkey to the Libyan Government of National Unity [GNA], with which it signed a memorandum of understanding on its maritime borders allowing it to extend its continental shelf and, thereby assert its territorial claims.
 
Hence the protests of Greece, the Republic of Cyprus and Egypt, the latter country being a supporter of the Libyan National Army [ANL] of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, and therefore of the government of Tobruk, which seeks to overthrow the GNA installed in Tripoli. [We showed here that the so-called “Government of National Accord” is in bed with terrorists imported by Turkey, and here that US Democrats have sided with this “government,” evoking Russia’s support for the Khalifa-Haftar-led opposition as a pretext to oppose Haftar. To his minimal credit, Trump originally sided with Haftar but then declared neutrality as he lost his nerve]
 
Despite the help provided to them, notably by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, Marshal Haftar's forces have recently suffered a series of setbacks due to the Turkish military intervention, which resulted in the shipment of weapons, advisers and mercenaries recruited from pro-Ankara Syrian rebel groups.
 
In May, the offensive it had launched a year earlier towards Tripoli proved unsuccessful, and [Haftar’s] Libyan National Army (LNA) received at least 14 combat aircraft [MiG-29s and Su-24s], supplied by Russia. At least, that's what the United States claims.
 
These arms deliveries for the benefit of both sides contravene United Nations resolutions. Already having difficult relations with Turkey [drilling in the Cypriot EEZ, blackmailing migrants], the European Union launched the naval operation EUNAVFOR Irini, whose mandate authorizes it to inspect any vessel on the high seas with a view to "ensure strict compliance' with the arms embargo imposed on Libya since 2011. [Let’s not forget that it was such an arms embargo plus a no-fly zone that led to the capture and murder of Muammar Ghaddafi, plunging Libya into chaos, civil war and anarchy, from which it has never recovered since. This is why many countries, including France, UAE, Egypt, Russia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Jordan, support Haftar. The US has waffled between support for Haftar and neutrality. It is clear from the lenience shown by the US regarding the purchase of Russian military hardware by Ankara that the US prefers to turn a blind eye to Turkey’s mischief, considering its NATO membership more important than the need to enforce US policies – which are, after all, irrelevant to peace. This Turkish disregard for international law and agreements is just another example of US toothlessness, and it highlights the utter uselessness of NATO in protecting its partners from real enemies while doing senseless drills at the Russian borders, knowing full well that Russia is not by any means the real enemy. The real enemy is one that the US has taken to its bosom and nurtured as an “ally.” Duplicitous NATO play acting for the sole purpose of extracting hefty membership dues from gullible European nations and support for a corrupt US arms industry, has exacted a high price. It looks almost as if the stage is being set for war, and now at this critical moment of the COVID pandemic, when the US can afford it least, it is blithely sleepwalking into a trap of its own making. And what is surprising is that the trap has not snapped shut years ago and is only distinguished now in hazy outlines like an iceberg lying dead ahead suddenly emerging through a fog].
 
Only last week, the Greek frigate HS Spetsai, involved in Operation Irini, had to give up inspecting the cargo of the Cirkin cargo ship, the latter being protected by the Turkish navy. And so it continued on its way to the port of Misrata, where, moreover, Ankara would consider establishing a permanent naval base. This episode led the EU to ask for help from NATO. On June 12, a senior European official told AFP that it is a matter of seeing "how we could find arrangements" with the operation "Sea Guardian" led by the Alliance [NATO] in the eastern Mediterranean. [Sea Guardian is a drill to be held off the coast of Syria, obviously to “counter Russian influence” there. The last time a US navy jet approached the Russian Hmeimim base on the Mediterranean, a Russian fighter jet intercepted it and escorted it away.]
 
However, this is not the first time that Turkey has done this. In January, President Macron denounced its "duplicity" when he received Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek Prime Minister, at the Elysee Palace to discuss a strategic security partnership between Paris and Athens.
 
"We have seen in recent days Turkish ships accompanying Syrian mercenaries arriving on Libyan soil, this is in explicit and very serious contravention of what President Erdoğan was committed to do at the Berlin conference, it is non-compliance with a promise,” Macron accused, citing a diplomatic initiative that brought together the belligerents of the Libyan conflict [with their "godfathers"] in the German capital.
 
On June 14, the French president delivered a new charge against Ankara, denouncing its “increasingly aggressive and assertive policy […], with seven Turkish ships positioned off the coast of Libya and a violation of the arms embargo.” And he added: “The Turks are behaving in an unacceptable manner by abusing their NATO membership, and France cannot let this happen."
                                                                                                                                         
In addition, the Elysee Palace said that "exchanges will take place in the coming weeks on this subject with NATO partners engaged on the spot."
 
In the meantime, Turkey’s role in the Mediterranean should be mentioned during the meeting of Mr. Le Drian with Nikos Dendias, his Greek counterpart, this June 15 in Paris.
 
In an interview with the daily Le Figaro, Dendias set the tone. "In its vast illegal attempt to extend its sovereignty and sovereign rights in the eastern Mediterranean, it [Turkey] is preparing, with illegal methods, to send exploration ships to the area of ​​the Greek continental shelf, while striving to challenge it and plunder our underwater resources. Our government will not let this pass.” And he added: “Greece particularly appreciates the consistent position of our ally and friend France. Paris understood from the start that Turkish provocations affect not only Greece and Cyprus, but all of Europe and the Mediterranean region."

Vince Dhimos
 
The death of George Floyd raised the important issue of police brutality and institutionalized racism, and Democrat politicians eager to highlight the contrast between themselves and the Republicans, especially Trump, in this campaign season, seized the opportunity to take up the BLM banner.
 
The Democrats had always positioned themselves as defenders of minorities. Minority rights is an important issue and politicians on both sides should be doing this, just as they should be defending the defenceless of all races. Some observers have already pointed out that the real issue here is the rich and powerful vs the poor and middle class, with the income gap growing wildly and with over half of Americans unable to get health care or insurance. I have shown here that  US "democracy," which denies people their basic needs, is completely dominated by a list of privileged people and if are a working stiff, you are not on the list.
 
Given the Democrats’ caring attitude toward minorities, I was shocked to read that Democrat politicians such as Senators Bob Menendez, Tim Kaine and Chris Murphy are demanding that the Trump administration enforce the CAATSA law to punish the Libyan opposition leader Khalifa Haftar for teaming up with Russia to fight the US-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), although that group is known to cooperate with militias that are not only terrorists but also slave traders!
 
Would these Democrats support a US leader who works with slave traders in their country? Of course not! But Libya is far away and no one (except readers of a blog like New Silk Strategies) has pointed out to US news consumers the glaring hypocrisy between the GNA’s cooperation with literal 21st Century slave traders and the Democrats’ insistence on punishing the Russians for helping to overcome this scourge by supporting Haftar. But the fact is, the Democrats are clearly only interested in “human rights” and “minority rights” when the affected groups are US voters. It’s absolutely disgusting. Of course, knowledgeable Americans – an unsung few – know that Russia has been fighting against terror in Syria since 2015 and has been beaten up in the media for supporting the supposedly “thuggish” Assad, even though the evidence against Assad is inconclusive at best but essentially non-existent and never explained by those who malign him. It is clear to thinking people that the US Establishment is firmly on the side of terror in the Middle East. In fact, we showed in minute detail that it was the US and its satellites in Europe who created ISIS in the first place.
 
An article in Time from 2019 shows that the Government of National Accord (GNA) is teaming up with Turkish-backed armed terrorist militias that empower it.
 
I had written an article showing that the US-recognized GNA has admitted to using ISIS and Al-Qaeda militias imported by Turkey from Syria to fight their opponent Khalifa Haftar. So why does the US recognize this inhumane government?
 
The Time article reports:
 
“When Joy, a 23-year-old Cameroonian university student, arrived in the coastal Libyan city of Sabratha in August 2017, she thought she was well on her way to France to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion model. But a government-backed militia, emboldened by the E.U. deal to crack down on migrant smuggling hubs, raided the compound where she was staying. She was picked up by a rival group and locked in a room with scores of other women for several months. The women were expected to work as prostitutes, and some were sold to buyers looking to staff their own brothels. Joy, several months pregnant at that time, was largely left alone, she says, but the conditions were “inhumane.”
 
“Joy, who speaks the polished French of an educated woman, says the E.U. directive to curb migrant arrivals not only emboldens corrupt Libyans but also amplifies their deep-seated prejudice against black Africans. ‘The Libyans understood that if the E.U. doesn’t want blacks to come, it means we are not valuable as humans,’ she tells TIME, cradling her newborn, in a shelter for trafficked women in Lagos, Nigeria. “The E.U. is essentially rewarding these militias for abusing us, for raping us, for killing us and for selling us.’ “
 
If you are outraged that the people who claim to care for US blacks have taken sides in Libya with a government that cooperates with slave traders, you can write to them via the Democrat web site:
 
https://democrats.org/contact-us/
 
Fill out the contact form and tell Democrat candidates to stop supporting the GNA in Libya, whose militias capture and enslave black immigrants.
 
This is not intended as an endorsement to Trump, who has not stood up against racism in the US in the wake of the Floyd George murder. But on the other hand, nor has he tried to intervene on behalf of the terrorists and slave traders in Libya.
 
Conclusion: Both political parties care about votes but neither one seems to genuinely care about human rights.

Vince Dhimos answered a question at Quora.
 
https://www.quora.com/Russia-entered-Syria-and-situations-gets-better-now-if-Russia-entering-Libya-Why-is-the-US-military-taking-it-as-a-threat-for-Europe/answer/Vince-Dhimos
 
RUSSIA ENTERED SYRIA AND THE SITUATION IS GETTING BETTER NOW. IF RUSSIA IS ENTERING LIBYA, WHY IS THE US MILITARY TAKING IT AS A THREAT TO EUROPE?
 
The first part of your question, which is a statement and not a question, is true. The situation will be better with Russian involvement because Russia, along with Egypt, UAE, France and — surprisingly — Saudi Arabia, supports Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar against the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is strangely tolerant of terrorists and has even allowed Turkey to import ISIS and Al-Qaeda militias from Syria to fight Haftar. This is not speculation. The Libyan GNA admitted this to WaPo (https://www.quora.com/Will-the-Libyan-GNA-be-able-to-capture-Sirte-and-the-rest-of-the-Tripolitania-region/answer/Vince-Dhimos). The situation is critical, with Haftar having ceded ground to Turkey, the imported terrorists and the GNA. If the bad guys win in Libya, that will be a huge victory for Islamist terror in this large oil-rich country.
 
The US allegation is a piece of propaganda aimed at Europe, which the US would like to scare into establishing a no-fly zone there. The US has concocted the story that this war could cause more waves of immigration to Europe, which is technically correct but after all, letting terrorists overrun Libya is not an option under any circumstance. Of course, the US’s position is not surprising. The raison d'être of NATO is the fable that Russia is the enemy against which Europe and the “free world” must be defended, as explained here: https://www.quora.com/Why-hasn-t-NATO-evaluated-its-peacekeeping-experience-to-identify-and-implement-best-practices-for-transitioning-failed-states-into-functional-democracy/answer/Vince-Dhimos. This is why the US can’t admit that Russian involvement in any conflict could possibly be beneficial. And yet, the last pertinent poll https://wamda-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/resource-url/665bf7c4c81c1dd.pdf taken among the Middle Eastern youth shows that this demographic overwhelmingly distrusts the US and trusts Russia most out of all non-Arab countries. This creates an untenable position for the US but yet, Washington makes no effort to change the situation by adopting a more peaceable and reasonable position, just keeps spinning and lying via its press and political class to keep up the tension. Significantly, the Syrians were left out of this poll. If we added them, the anti-US pro-Russia percentage would be significantly higher.

Worse, the US not only uses Russia as a scapegoat to beef up its military spending and war rhetoric, but in fact it was the US-led West that created ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the first place, as explained here: https://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-sources-for-American-involvement-in-the-Middle-East-since-9-11-It-s-for-a-paper/answer/Vince-Dhimos. And of course, the terrorists in Syria just kept gaining ground until the Russians joined the fight in September 2015.

With all of these facts militating against US power, it is clear that Washington has been standing on shaky ground, and now with COVID threatening the dominance of the US dollar, we can only imagine that a sea change is coming that will sweep away much of the overwhelming financial power that the US had been weaponising to starve millions of hapless civilians with economic sanctions, and will tip the scales against war, sanctions and world opinion against China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and all the nations gullible Westerners thought it was right and proper to hate and fear.

Note, however, that the Russian position in Libya is even more tenuous than in Syria because the main opponent there is Turkey, which is a sometimes-partner of Russia with which Russia has teamed up to perform certain tasks such as keeping highways open for travel in northern Syria and joining Iran and Russia in Astana to forge agreements regarding the Syrian settlement.

My suspicion is that Russian partner Egypt will possibly join the fight in Libya to oppose the Turks and the GNA, and I believe the Russians are counting heavily on Egypt to turn the tide of that war. Some reasons for this suspicion:

—It was current president Al-Sisi who staged a military coup that in 2013 ousted President Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who was friendly to terrorists and allowed persecution of the Coptic Christians. It was clear then that Sisi was not going to tolerate Islamist militias. He has already warned the Libyan GNA that he will not tolerate terrorists at Egypt’s border. This suggests that when the time is right, Egypt will fight the Libyan jihadists.

—Relations between Sisi and Putin are very close. I read at an Arabic language site a while back about a meeting in Cairo between Putin, Sisi and a few close confidants of Sisi. At that meeting, Putin mentioned that he had just visited with Bashar al-Assad in Damascus and promised Sisi to share details of that meeting with him later. This suggests that Sisi is in full agreement with the Russian involvement in Syria and friendly toward Assad.

—Russia is in the process of building a Russian industrial zone along the Suez canal and has signed an agreement with Egypt to build the first nuclear power plant in that country at El Dabaa. Every year, trade increases between the two countries.

—Most significantly of all, Egypt recently ordered 20 Su-35s from Russia. This stealth fighter has superior performance characteristics to the much-ballyhooed and overpriced US F-35, which flies considerably slower, has a shorter operational range and relies on its afterburner to reach top speed, making the plane visible to radar at that point. The Su-35 does not need an afterburner to reach its top speed and can retain low detectability at all speeds.

These Su-35s would give Egypt the edge over any plane that the Libyan GNA could field against it.

Meanwhile, Russia reportedly sent a batch of MiG-29s to Libya, and then sent another batch to Syria supposedly to be deployed in the fight against terrorists there, but the US military suspects these will be dispatched to Libya to support Haftar’s forces. Their suspicion is probably correct, although Russia has denied this but that is normal considering that the US is itching to slap sanctions on Russia for its cooperation with Haftar. Since the first batch went, Haftar has scored a few minor victories over the Turkish-GNA-terrorist forces.

The fact that the two well-heeled Gulf States Saudi and UAE are on the same side as Russia in the Libyan conflict stokes hopes that the terror-supporting side will not prevail, and it also reflects a sea change that happened a while back. Saudi’s stance may be explained by the rift between Turkey and Saudi when Turkey accused MBS of ordering the grisly murder of Jamal Kashoggi in 2018. The Saudis and Egypt would also share a common disdain for the Muslim Brotherhood. Kashoggi advocated for that group in his WaPo columns, infuriating Saudi. Sisi had ousted Morsi for his support of the group. Meanwhile, with its anti-Russian stance in the conflict, the US is odd man out again, leaning more toward the terror-friendly GNA but without the support of Saudi Arabia that it could once have counted on. After the revelation of the Kashoggi killing, the US Congress condemned MBS for his alleged role in it and at that point, Saudi began to rebel against US control.
​
And another US ally slips out of Washington’s grasp.

2Vince Dhimos answered a question at Quora.
 
https://www.quora.com/Can-the-US-Navy-win-against-China-and-Russia-with-only-F35s-in-its-fleet-1/answer/Vince-Dhimos
 
CAN THE US NAVY WIN AGAINST CHINA AND RUSSIA WITH ONLY F-35s IN ITS FLEET?
 
What we often forget is that the F-35 is only hard to detect when it is flying in the air at medium-high speeds. If it flies too fast, then it must use its afterburner and that makes is easy for the radar to detect. Worse, Russia has developed a radar system that can detect the F-35 at any speed. BTW, the Russian Su-35 flies faster and farther than the F-35, which is way overpriced.
 
When the F-35 is resting on the carrier deck, it — along with the carrier itself --  is a sitting duck.
 
The US has 20 aircraft carriers according to the site Global Firepower.
 
Here is what the US is up against in the way of offensive weaponry:
 
1--Hypersonic missiles in both the Russian and the Chinese arsenals; their numbers are not well known. Russia has the Zircon anti-ship missile with a top speed of 8-9 Mach and a range of 1,000 km, while China has the DF-21D, with a reported top speed of 10 Mach (though the US claims it could actually be as low as 5 Mach) and a range of 1,450 km. None of these can be intercepted by any known air defence system. If the missile is aimed at your aircraft carrier, it is all over.
 
2--Subs armed with torpedoes, and in the case of Russia, the super-cavitating Shkval, which comes in at 370 km/hr, leaving no time for evasion. The US has tried to duplicate this torpedo but to no avail. Russia had 50 subs at last count vs 66 for China, theoretically enough to knock out all 20 of the US carriers even without deploying the hypersonic missiles.
 
I won’t list fighter planes because neither the Russians nor the Chinese would be dumb enough to send in manned aircraft when a missile or torpedo will do the job better and no pilots will be at risk.
 
Each country has been assigned a global firepower index, where the lower the index, the higher the power.
 
The US is neck and neck with Russia and China, with 0.062 for the US, 0.064 for Russia and 0.067 for China, and since there are 2 of them and only one US, it is not a fight that the US will be itching for (regardless of what politicians may tell the voters).
 
And then, in the outside chance that the US is still standing after the battle, there are the nukes. Russia has its hypersonic Avangard ICBM with a reported speed of up to 27 Mach, while China has the hypersonic DF-ZF, which can both evade interception because of their speed and random evasive manoeuvers. The ranges are up to 12,000 km. All US cities are targets. Meanwhile the US is scrambling to catch up.
 
It is a matter of MAD, ie, Mutually Assured Destruction. Again, not a fight that a sane person on either side would intentionally start. 


WAR NEWS


​Enlightened people are looking to Egypt to oppose the terror-tolerating Government of National Accord in Libya, and also the terrorists themselves, imported by US-ally Turkey with the blessings of said government. Egypt has already said it will not tolerate terrorists at its borders and it has already signed a deal to buy a batch of Russian Su-35s, which will outperform anything the Libyan government has. Some US senators are already crying out desperately, apparently afraid that Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and Russia may succeed in defeating the terrorists!  They are claiming that Russia must be opposed as – if it were itself a terrorist. It should not surprise anyone that the US would be on the side of terror, after the many years of opposition to Russia and the Syrian Arab Army whose mission is simply to rid Syria of terrorists. The Western excuses are lame. They are still claiming that Assad is an evil enemy of freedom and democracy even though he was democratically elected and is very popular. Clearly, if you pull back the curtain, you will simply see the US working feverishly on the side of Al-Qaeda and its rebrandings, as well as ISIS – for the purpose of fomenting chaos in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) pursuant to the Yinon Plan.

 
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/egyptian-army-reveals-truth-about-moving-forces-to-libyan-border/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=push%notificationss&utm_content=varies
 
Egyptian Army reveals truth about moving forces to Libyan border
 
By News Desk
 
2020-06-08
 
BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:00 P.M.) – The Egyptian Army has been accused of moving its forces to the Libyan border to assist the Libyan National Army (LNA) against the Turkish-backed forces.
Citing Egyptian Army sources, RT Arabic revealed that the forces of the northern military zone of the Egyptian army stationed in Alexandria, moved towards the Egyptian-Libyan border to tighten security measures there.
The sources confirmed that the 3rd Army is not responsible for securing this area, as it is located in the Suez region and it is its responsibility to secure the borders there, as some of the forces of the northern region were sent to tighten the procedures there, especially after the Cairo initiative to reach a solution in the Libyan crisis.
 
The Northern Military Region is one of the four military regions of the Egyptian Armed Forces and its headquarters are located in Alexandria, where it has carried out a number of training activities with the navy and elements of the Special Forces within the framework of the massive “Qader 2020” maneuvers previously launched by Egypt.
 
On Sunday, social media in Egypt circulated videos said to be of the “3rd Army in Egypt as they were moving west towards the Libyan border.”
 
 
 
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-made-gas-filled-balloon-found-in-southern-syria-photo/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=push%notificationss&utm_content=varies
 
​
It is hard to fathom that the US continues to cause the kind of harm to the war-ravaged Syrian people and infrastructure described in the article blow. Do they think the world will not notice? Is this why they spread horror stories about China, to divert attention from their inhumane, merciless killing and starving of helpless innocent civilians? And from the theft of oil resources belonging to the Syrian people?

US-made gas-filled balloon found in southern Syria: photo
By News Desk
 
2020-06-01
 
BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:45 P.M.) – The U.S. allegedly attempted to set fire to the agricultural lands of Al-Sweida in southern Syria on Monday after it was revealed that an American-made gas balloon was seen entering this region.
 
According to the pro-government Sham FM channel, the balloon was found between the villages of Sahwa Balata and Rasas in rural Al-Sweida.
 
“A balloon was discovered within the agricultural lands between the villages of Sahwa Balata and Rasas in the southern countryside of Sweida, and it turned out to be American-made and contained gas used to ignite fires where it warned of exposure to sunlight or its approach to power lines,” Sham FM reported.
 
It is noteworthy to mention that a number of fires in the agricultural lands of Syria’s Al-Jazeera region have spread in the past few days, without any entity claiming responsibility.
 
The Syrian government has accused the U.S. military of burning farms in the Al-Hasakah Governorate.
 
The U.S. Coalition has not responded to this accusation from the Syrian government.
 
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/war-hawk-senator-calls-for-us-military-to-show-no-quarter-to-antifa-terrorists/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=push%notificationss&utm_content=varies
 
Calling in the troops is ONLY ok when the rioters are in the US. In Hong Kong, Washington’s view is that the Chinese central government has no business intervening even when the rioters are fire bombing and burning people to death.
 
**
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-prevents-lebanon-from-acquiring-air-defense-systems-so-israel-can-attack-syria-expert/?utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=push%notificationss&utm_content=varies
 
US prevents Lebanon from acquiring air defense systems so Israel can attack Syria: expert
 
By News Desk
 
2020-06-05
 
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:45 P.M.) – In an interview with Sputnik Radio (Arabic-language version), the military expert Dr. Amin Ahteit, stated that last night’s attack by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was not the first time that they have used Lebanese airspace to bomb Syria.
 
“Since Syria was able to restore its air defense platforms, Israel used Lebanese airspace to launch its aggression against Syria. It has taken four air routes from the south and north, and two in the center targeting the Damascus region and its surroundings, the Homs region and its surroundings, as well as Hama and its surroundings,” the military expert said.
 
“They (Israel) also targeted Aleppo, and this time there is a link in the series of successive Israeli aggressions against Syria, using Lebanon as a passageway for its aircraft,” he said, pointing out that the Lebanese Armed Forces do not have air defense systems to control its airspace.
 
According to Dr. Ahteit, the Lebanese Army is prevented from acquiring air defenses for two reasons: first, is due to financial capabilities and second, is due to the U.S.’ interference.
 
“The United States and its allies, especially Israel, prevent Lebanon from entering the world arms market, to purchase an air defense system, as well as American pressure on Lebanon, to prevent it from accepting Russian, Chinese and Iranian offers to provide it with an air defense system in order to keep the Lebanese airspace open to Israeli aggression,” he said.
 
Israel has repeatedly used Lebanese airspace to bomb Syria, but they have also shown their ability to travel undetected through the latter’s airspace by using their stealth fighters (i.e. F-35A) and drones.
 
While Syria has made significant improvements to its air defenses over the last few years, mostly due to assistance from Iran and Russian, they have been unable to match Israel’s technological advances in the aviation and military industries.
 
Some analysts believe, however, that if Lebanon possessed their own air defense systems, they would be able to limit the frequency of the Israeli attacks on the Syrian Arab Republic.
 
Another major factor that wasn’t mentioned by Dr. Ahteit is the U.S’ fear that supplying Lebanon with an air defense system result in Hezbollah having access to the equipment.
 
Hezbollah has shown in the past that they do possess air defense missiles; however, they are rarely used.