Voices from Russia

Sunday, 21 May 2017

Jihadist Attempt to Advance into Western as-Suwayda Governorate Ends in Complete Failure

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On Saturday, jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) launched a surprise attack along the as-SuwaydaDara’a axis, targeting Syrian Arab Army (SAA) defences near the historical town of Busra al-Sham. The rebels attempted to advance into the southwestern countryside of as-Suwayda last night; however, the SAA 5 Armoured Division and pro-government National Defence Forces (NDF) overwhelmed them. According to a military source in as-Suwayda, the jihadist rebels suffered heavy casualties during their ill-fated assault; this would prompt them to abandon their offensive operations to avoid more losses. Probably, the jihadist rebels launched this attack to ease the pressure on their allies losing ground in the eastern part of the province.

21 May 2017

Leith Fadel

AMN al-Masdar News

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/jihadist-attempt-advance-western-sweida-ends-complete-failure/

Russian Forces Arrive in Southern Syria

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Last night, a military source told us Russian paratroopers and spetsnaz arrived in as-Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria this week, following a US attack on a pro-government convoy near an Iraqi border crossing. The Russian troops will advise Syrian government troops in southern Syria and deter any potential response from US and Jordanian forces illegally in as-Suwayda and Homs Governorates. According to media sources in southern Syria, the Russian forces plan to build a base on the border of as-Suwayda Governorate with Jordan; however, we couldn’t confirm this. Rumours also surfaced regarding the deployment of the Russian 31 Spetsnaz Brigade; allegedly, they intend to engage enemy forces and help government troops seize an Iraqi border crossing.

21 May 2017

Leith Fadel

AMN al-Masdar News

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/russian-forces-arrive-southern-syria/

Monday, 20 February 2017

Washington Wants Coalition of Sunni Régimes to Fight Iran

00 Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi. 06.12

Minister of Foreign Affairs S V Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in 2012

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The Saudis can’t even defeat the poorly-equipped Houthis in Yemen… good luck fighting a well-trained well-armed Moscow-backed military. We know it’s a badly abused cliché, but we really did laugh out loud after reading that Washington is “working to create a military alliance of Sunni Arab nations” to “counter” Iran. Close your eyes and imagine NATO. Are you seeing visions of an incompetent useless dinosaur that can’t tell the difference between a wedding party and a terrorist pow-wow? Now, clear your mind and imagine a NATO-like coalition with Egypt, Jordan, the KSA, and the UAE as members. Imagine that this coalition of medieval failures had one mission and one mission only… to provoke a war with Iran.

Typical. Washington finally realised that Americans have zero interest in starting a war with Iran, despite years of tireless propaganda portraying Tehran as an existential threat to humanity… or Israel, but what’s the difference, right? They’ve tried everything… even lobbing accusations that one can easily debunk with a simple Google search. Hey, wait a minute… maybe, our medieval Sunni allies would fight Iran for us? That’d be swell. Isn’t that what friends are for? This is true desperation seeping out of Washington’s adult diapers.

Iran isn’t Syria. It doesn’t have to worry about appeasing 1,000 different ethnic and religious groups. It’s a proud country with a long history of fighting off foreign parasites. A Sunni war against Iran would’ve likely been a disaster even ten years ago. Today? It’d be suicidal. Russia is Tehran’s dependable political and military ally, and the idea that Washington would somehow drive a wedge between Moscow and Tehran is ludicrous. Russia would do everything it could to help Iran fight off Sunni fanatics, for the same reason it intervened in Syria… if Washington’s “moderates” were to overrun the Middle East, Russia would be next.

Forget the fact that Iran already deploys Russian-made S-300 SAMs, or that Russia and Iran coördinated a miraculous military campaign to turn the tables in Syria in less than a year… an experience that’d be invaluable if there were a Sunni-led war against Iran. Just for a moment, consider that Russia has gone so far as to ask Washington to acknowledge Hizbullah as a crucial part of anti-ISIS efforts in Syria. Hizbullah! The very name sends shivers up the crooked spines of every Israel First blowhard with an American passport.

People worry that Moscow would abandon Tehran? For Russia, Iran is a holy grail of business opportunities and security coöperation. There’s one takeaway from Syria… Washington loves to stir up trouble in countries that can’t defend themselves. However, when a formidable force such as Russia steps into the ring, the Americans run for the hills (crying foul, of course). Even with full support from Washington and Israel (Israel would stay in the shadows, to keep up appearances), the KSA, Qatar, and the UAE would get a Russian-backed Persian beating that they’d never forget. The icing on the cake would be that this “anti-Iran” bloc includes some of the most autocratic states on earth… anti-women, anti-democratic, anti-everything… it’d be a true joy to watch Washington claim that the KSA and Qatar were fighting Iran to protect democracy in the Middle East.

Of course, we’re probably getting ahead of ourselves. Following NATO’s model, this coalition of medieval head-choppers would first surround Iran with defensive military bases. Then, the provocations and (more) sanctions would begin. It won’t work. Iran isn’t Iraq. It isn’t Libya. It isn’t Syria. It already has the full backing of Russia. If Washington were smart, it’d take note.

18 February 2017

Rudy Panko

Russian Insider

http://russia-insider.com/en/washington-wants-coalition-sunni-regimes-fight-iran-tehran-would-completely-crush-them/ri18978

Sunday, 28 December 2014

RT Presents… Catholics Around the World Celebrate Christmas

00 Catholic Christmas 01. Bethlehem. 28.12.14

Thousands of believers gathered in the biblical town of Bethlehem (Bethlehem Governorate. PALESTINE) in the West Bank to celebrate Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity.

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00 Catholic Christmas 02. Bethlehem. 28.12.14

Pilgrims prayed inside a grotto where Christians believe the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, under the Church of Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, during Christmas Eve Midnight Mass.

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00 Catholic Christmas 03. Bethlehem. 28.12.14

Catholic clergy waiting for the arrival of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal at the Church of the Nativity.

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00 Catholic Christmas 04. Vatican. Pope Francisco. 28.12.14         

Pope Francisco Bergoglio served a traditional Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at St Peter Basilica at the Vatican, urging the world to find courage, warmth, and tenderness.

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00 Catholic Christmas 05. Vatican. Pope Francisco. 28.12.14

Pope Francisco venerated a statue of the Baby Jesus as he arrived to serve Christmas Eve Mass at St Peter Basilica at the Vatican.

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00 Catholic Christmas 06. Baghdad. 28.12.14

Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at Sacred Heart parish in Baghdad (Baghdad Governorate) IRAQ.

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00 Catholic Christmas 07. Baghdad. 28.12.14

At Sacred Heart parish in Baghdad, they sang “Praise Jesus our Lord, O Praise Him”. Worshippers remembered the thousands of Christians displaced by Islamic State militants this year.

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00 Catholic Christmas 08. Jordan. 28.12.14

Refugee Iraqi Christians gather for Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in Amman (Amman Governorate) JORDAN.

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00 Catholic Christmas 09. Jordan. 28.12.14

Iraqi refugees at St George the all-Victorious Catholic Church in Amman JORDAN for Christmas Eve Midnight Mass.

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25 December 2014

RT

http://rt.com/in-vision/catholics-world-celebrate-christmas/

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