Prepare Now for the Coming Middle East War

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Report: U.S. carrier sent to Syrian coast as tensions flare

Published: 3:44 PM 11/23/2011 | Updated: 11:32 AM 11/24/2011


USS George H.W. Bush

The USS George H.W. Bush, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, has reportedly parked off the Syrian coast. The move comes as the U.S. embassy in Damascus urged Americans to “immediately” leave the country.

“The U.S. embassy continues to urge U.S. citizens in Syria to depart immediately while commercial transportation is available,” began a statement released Wednesday on the embassy website. “The number of airlines serving Syria has decreased significantly since the summer, while many of those airlines remaining have reduced their number of flights.”

In addition to urging citizens to leave the country, CBS News reports that Ambassador Robert Ford, who was recalled from Syria last month due to what the Obama administration called credible threats to his safety, will not return to the country later this month as planned.

Syria’s government has been strongly condemned by the international community following months of state-sponsored violence against political activists protesting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The violence is said to have left thousands dead in the country, which is a close ally of Iran and a sponsor of the Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah.

Adding to the sense of danger, Turkey, a NATO member and fierce critic of Assad’s government, recently warned its citizens to avoid traveling through the country after Syrian troops fired on at least two buses carrying Turkish Muslims returning from the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Some Arab publications have reported this week that a no-fly zone will soon be put in place over Syria — similar to the one implemented over Libya last spring. And while such reports in the Arab press are often met with skepticism by western observers, the financial news service ZeroHedge flagged down a report from the respected private intelligence company Stratfor stating that CVN 77, better known as the George H.W. Bush, had left the strategically vital Straits of Hormuz for the Syrian coast.

The idea of imposing a no-fly zone over Syria — an increasingly hot topic in Washington, D.C. — was discussed at Tuesday’s CNN Republican debate.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has said he would “absolutely” propose a no-fly zone for the country, but when asked if they would do the same, other Republican presidential candidates remained hesitant.

[American Patriot]

So... we have US and Russian BOTH near Syria now..... interesting.

[American Patriot]

this makes more sense...

Of course, Moscow will not go to war for Assad, and NATO is not shying away from intervention in Syria out of fear of Russian warships. However, for the Kremlin, Syria is another arena where it can voice its displeasure with the perception that the US and NATO can simply ignore Russia. In a sense, the process is comparable to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s threats yesterday to deploy “advanced offensive weapon systems” on the borders with Europe if missile defense talks with Washington result in failure.

There ARE no Russians... and they will neither confirm nor deny they are there or aren't... makes MUCH more sense to me now.

I've been highly concerned over this for the last week.

That article above says this originated in a Syrian "rag" and has never been verified!

[vector7]

Iran says 150,000 missiles pointed at Israel

By JPOST.COM STAFF
11/27/2011 23:39

"How many missiles have they prepared themselves for?" Iranian defense minister asks.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said that Iran has up to 150,000 missiles pointed at Israel, according to the semi-official Iranian FARS news agency.

According to the report, Vahidi questioned threats against the Islamic Republic from the Jewish State, asking "How many missiles have they prepared themselves for? 10,000? 20,000? 50,000? 100,000, 150,000 or more?"

RELATED:
Report: Iran adds 3 more submarines to fleet
US Treasury to brief UAE, Israel on Iran pressure

The Iranian defense minister also warned against an offensive by the United States, saying it would meet a hard defensive line were it to attack Iran.

"The US and its allies should know that Iran is so powerful that its battling will teach the US how to fight and what war and warrior mean," Vahidi told a crowd of 50,000 volunteer soldiers in Bushehr, a city where one of the country's nuclear power plants is located.

Iran claims the country's nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but an incriminating International Atomic Energy Agency report said that Tehran has continued to covertly develop nuclear-weapons technology.

Since the release of that report, Western nations have called for international pressure on the regime in Tehran to halt their nuclear program.

The United States, the United Kingdom and Canada cast stringent sanctions on Iran's energy and financial sectors, a move which pushed Iran to expel the British ambassador.

France and the Netherlands have called for similar action against the Islamic Republic.

On Saturday, Tehran made a rare threat against Turkey, saying it could target the recently installed NATO anti-missile shield in any future conflict.

"We are ready to attack NATO's missile shield in Turkey if we face a threat and then we will follow other aims," the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division, as saying.

[Toad]

"150,000" Bullshit. They need about a 1000km range to hit Israel. They have approximately 300 Shabab-3 missiles that have the range to strike Israel with a sizeable warhead.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/missile/

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iran/missile/

3 years out of date but you can see Iran's long range missile capacity is far far less than 150,000. They'll be lucky to scrounge up 800 with enough range. Even if they're assuming Lebanon and Syria will fire some off too, you're looking at less than 1% of that 150,000 boast.

They're pulling a N. Korea. Crazy claims with little support.

[vector7]

Iran threatens to hit Turkey if US, Israel attack

27 November 2011, Sunday / AP, TEHRAN 16

A demonstrator holds a placard reading 'We don't want missile shield in Kürecik' during a protest against the planned deployment of an anti-missile radar in the eastern Turkish town on Oct. 2, 2011. (Photo: AA)

Iran will target NATO's missile defense installations in Turkey if the US or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic, a senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards' aerospace division, said the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what he described as an increase tensions have been rising between Iran and the West since the release of a report earlier this month by the International Atomic Energy Agency that said for the first time that Tehran was suspected of conducting secret experiments whose sole purpose was the development of nuclear arms. The US and its Western allies suspect Iran of trying to produce atomic weapons, and Israel, which views Tehran as an existential threat, has warned of a possible strike on Iran's nuclear program. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes. "Should we be threatened, we will target NATO's missile defense shield in Turkey and then hit the next targets," the semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying. Tehran says NATO's early warning radar station in Turkey is meant to protect Israel against Iranian missile attacks if a war breaks out with the Jewish state. Ankara agreed to host the radar in September as part of NATO's missile defense system aimed at countering ballistic missile threats from neighboring Iran. A military installation in the eastern town of Kürecik, some 435 miles (700 kilometers) west of the Iranian border, has been designated as the radar site, according to Turkish government officials. Hajizadeh said the United States also plans to install similar stations in Arab states, which has spurred Iran to alter its military defense strategy. "Based on orders from the exalted commander in chief, we will respond to threats with threats," he was quoted as saying. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, is also commander in chief of Iran's armed forces. Another senior Guard commander, Yadollah Javani, threatened that Tehran will target Israel's nuclear facilities should the Jewish state attack Iran. "If Israel fires a missile at our nuclear facilities or vital installations, it should know that Israel's nuclear centers will be the target of our missiles," the semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted him as saying. Also Saturday, the chief of Iran's elite Quds Force said he doesn't fear assassination and is ready for "martyrdom." The comments by Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Ghassem Soleimani were published in several Iranian newspapers. The Quds Force is the special foreign operations unit of the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard, and Soleimani is a key figure in Iran's military establishment but rarely speaks in public. Tensions have increased in recent weeks between Iran and the US, with several American neoconservatives urging the Obama administration to use covert action against Iran and kill some of its top officials, including Soleimani. The force has been accused by the Americans of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Two men, including an alleged member of Iran's Quds Force, have been charged in New York federal court in the case.

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Cold War chill returns with Russia's threat to destroy U.S. missile shield

By Andrew Osborn, The Daily Telegraph November 23, 2011



Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev makes a statement in Moscow November 23, 2011. Russia will equip long-range missiles with warheads capable of foiling a U.S. anti-missile shield in Europe and may deploy additional arms in its western and southern regions.

Photograph by: Ria Novosti, Reuters

Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, embraced the fiery rhetoric of the Cold War Wednesday as he threatened to target and if necessary destroy

America's European missile defence shield once it is built.
In what may be the most serious blow to U.S.-Russia relations since President Barack Obama came to power, Mr Medvedev raised the prospect of Russia launching missile attacks on European Union member states such as Poland, Romania and Spain as well as Turkey, a Nato member.

"I have given the armed forces the task of drawing up plans to destroy the information and command and control systems of the [U.S./Nato] anti-missile shield," Mr Medvedev said.

"Our Nato partners are not for now showing any readiness to take our concerns about the architecture of the European missile shield into account, something which convinces us that their plans are aimed at Russia."

Upping the ante further, he said Russia's anxiety was so great that it would reserve the right to tear up existing nuclear arms control treaties and halt talks about new ones.

The White House immediately rebuffed Mr Medvedev. "We will not in any way limit or change our deployment plans in Europe," said Tommy Vietor, a National Security Council spokesman.

"In multiple channels, we have explained to Russian officials that the missile defence systems planned for deployment in Europe do not and cannot threaten Russia's strategic deterrent."

The shield is designed to shoot down missiles from rogue states such as Iran but is years away from being operational. Turkey, Poland, Romania and Spain have all agreed to join what is a diluted version of a controversial plan first proposed by George W Bush, the former president.

The Kremlin has dismissed U.S. assurances as meaningless and initially demanded - and was refused - the right to be an equal partner in the project.

In practice, that would have meant granting Moscow so-called "red button" rights, giving the Russian military an operational say in when and if a rogue missile was shot down.

Giving America's former Cold War foe a big say in such a sensitive military system was regarded as politically unacceptable in Washington which has tried to repair Russian pride by offering to share detailed information about the system.

But Russia has rejected those overtures and is demanding legally binding guarantees from Washington that the system will never be used against it.
Mr Medvedev, who is due to step down from the presidency next May in favour of Vladimir Putin, detailed a long list of concrete military steps his country would now take.

He threatened a series of political counter-measures that, if implemented, would take Russia's relations with the West back to the Cold War. These included extending the targeting range of Russia's strategic nuclear missile forces, installing a missile early warning system in the Kaliningrad exclave, and re-equipping the country's nuclear arsenal with new warheads that would allegedly be capable of piercing the nascent defence shield.

"The [missile] shield is causing us concern," he said. "The fact is that it foresees the deployment of missiles and other anti-missile systems close to the Russian border and in areas close by."

If necessary, he said, Russia would deploy Iskander missiles, which are believed to have a range of 310 miles, in the Kaliningrad exclave that borders Poland and Lithuania, both EU members. The same missiles could also be deployed in southern Russia close to Georgia and Turkey, he added.

Accusing the U.S. of ignoring Russian concerns and presenting it with a fait accompli, he said the Kremlin could not sit idly by and watch Washington build a missile system that would alter the balance of nuclear weapons in America's favour. "We will not agree to take part in a program that in a relatively short period of time - in five, six or perhaps eight years' time - is capable of weakening our [nuclear] deterrent potential.

"[And] this is precisely what the European missile defence shield has started to turn into reality."

Russian opposition politicians claimed Mr Medvedev's unusually hawkish declaration was an attempt to drum up nationalist votes ahead of a parliamentary election next month by trying to exploit the idea of an external enemy.

"They just forgot that the arms race led to the collapse of the Soviet Union," said Boris Nemtsov, the opposition leader.

Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister turned Kremlin critic, said Mr Medvedev was artificially creating tensions that Mr Putin could later defuse.
"Medvedev is continuing to play his role," he said.

[vector7]

Russia’s NATO envoy to visit China, Iran over missile defense

Topic: U.S. missile shield in Europe

Dmitry Rogozin
© RIA Novosti. Mikhail Fomichev

18:12 28/11/2011
MOSCOW, November 28 (RIA Novosti)

Tags: Missile Defense, NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, Dmitry Medvedev, Iran, United States, China, Russia
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Multimedia

• Medvedev outlines Russia’s response to U.S.-backed European missile shield plans
• Russia's view of European missile shield
• U.S. missile defense system in Europe: A new program

Russian envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin will visit China and Iran in mid-January to discuss a U.S.-backed global missile defense network.

“We are planning to visit both Beijing and Tehran soon under the Russian president’s directive, to discuss the planned deployment of a global missile defense network,” Rogozin said during a roundtable meeting at the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Rogozin said he would meet with Foreign Ministry and General Staff officials in China, and hold talks with the head of the Supreme National Security Council and diplomats in Iran.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev outlined on Wednesday a series of possible "appropriate measures" if missile defense talks between Moscow and Washington result in failure, including the deployment of "advanced offensive weapon systems" targeting the European component of the missile defense network.

Russia and NATO tentatively agreed to cooperate on the European missile defense network at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010 but differences in approaches toward the project led to a deadlock in negotiations.

The Kremlin says the U.S. expanding anti-missile system in Europe is a potential threat to the Russian nuclear arsenal, while Washington is trying to convince Moscow that the system poses no threat to Russia, that it is needed to protect against attack from "rogue states" such as Iran.

Rogozin called the U.S. proposals to jointly monitor missile threats over Europe and to allow Russian experts to take part in the first tests of the global missile shield next spring as “absurd” on Monday.



© RIA Novosti.
Russia's view of European missile shield

“It looks more like propaganda than a serious proposal…Our specialists might have been interested in monitoring the tests if they could use telemetric equipment but Washington will not allow that,” he said.

“They said our experts could look through binoculars from some sort of a barge from a long distance…We have a planetarium in Moscow and it is very exiting to watch the stars there, so they might well have invited us to visit this planetarium,” Rogozin quipped.

The United States and NATO plan to place elements of the proposed global missile shield in Poland, Romania and Turkey.

Moscow is seeking written, legally-binding guarantees that the shield will not be directed against it but Washington has refused to put its verbal assurances in writing.

[vector7]

Report: Russia Sent Syria Super-Advanced S-300 Missiles

A report Thursday said that Russia has supplied Syria with advanced S-300 missiles, and has sent advisers to help Syria run the system.

By David Lev First Publish: 11/24/2011, 1:15 PM



missile morgufile royalty free

Russian warships that have reached waters off Syria in recent days were carrying, among other things, Russian technical advisors who will help the Syrians set up an array of S-300 missiles Damascus has received in recent weeks, a report in the London-based Arabic language Al Quds-Al Arabi said Thursday. Citing sources in Syria and Russia, the paper said that Moscow sees a Western attack on Syria as a “red line” that it will not tolerate.

Despite the mounting opposition in the West and even in the Arab world against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad for his assaults on protesters seeking to unseat him as leader of the country, Russia maintains its support for Assad, the report said. Russian and Syria military officials are working together to maintain Assad's rule, and to deflect a possible attack by NATO or the U.S and EU.

Along with the missiles, the report says that Russia has installed advanced radar systems in all key Syrian military and industrial installations. The radar system also covers areas north and south of Syria, where it will be able to detect movement of troops or aircraft towards the Syrian border. The radar targets include much of Israel, as well as the Incirlik military base in Turkey, which is used by NATO.

The S-300 system is regarded as one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems available. The system's radar is able to simultaneously track up to 100 targets while engaging up to 12. Deployment time for the S-300 is five minutes, and they have a very long life span, with no maintenance needed.

Russia had attempted to sell the system to Iran, but that sale was cancelled due to pressure by the U.S. and Israel, with Russia returning Iran's deposit. According to the report, the Iranians paid for Syria's S-300 missile system. It is not known if some of the missiles have reached Iran as well.

[American Patriot]

Wow.. I'd say the glue is getting pretty tacky about now.....

[AGEUSAF]

Syria the dumb bastards don't realize that Russia is just setting up some tech there to see how it fairs when they get hit. Assad has no friends left.

[Chameleon]

"So right now I am reading a lot of random post on Facebook not unlike normal. But as I write this we sit on the verge of war. Since 2003 we have sat in the middle of two countries that absolutely hate each other, Iran and Israel. As we speak our troops are leaving Iraq thus removing the barrier they held. As our departure unfolds Iran uses nuclear threats against our ally. Could this possibly be coincidence? We of course with the rest of NATO stand by Israel but what of Iran? Who stands for them? Russia and quite possibly china. Russia is sending diplomats to these counties to discus a "missile shield". The united states of course has responded by sending 2,500 marines to be stationed in north Australia. Why would you send that many marines to North Australia? Well now we surround China with forces in Japan, South Korea, Afghanistan and Australia. But even then tensions heat. Iranian diplomats where thrown out of London. Israel is ready stating " We have our ability, which is essentially the ability in terms of air power and early intelligence-collection, to hit launch sites everywhere -- from a range of a few kilometers in Gaza and Lebanon to a range of hundreds of kilometers deep in Lebanon and Syria and beyond that, at far greater ranges, including if we find ourselves involved in the matter of Iran". Today Israel also purchased a nuclear capable submarine from Germany. Everything I have stated is true and if you would like to see my sources just ask. Also keep in mind these are the events of just 24 hours. (mostly) When history looks back at this time will they remember Tim Tebow or an international war/ cold war?"


- My friend and future comrade Kenneth, another youth as myself who longs to become a SEAL (we are going to join up together) and protect his country. Pretty well said in my opinion, although I'm not sure of his sources and how true what he has said is, I still fundamentally agree with what he is saying.

[American Patriot]

Just for the record... technically we have no defense treaties with Israel thus, again, TECNICALLY they aren't our ally....

Just saying...

[Chameleon]

Just for the record... technically we have no defense treaties with Israel thus, again, TECNICALLY they aren't our ally....

Just saying...

I spotted that. And I remember seeing a thread on here discussing that very topic.

[vector7]

Former Mossad chief: Israeli strike on Iran will lead to regional war

Meir Dagan said in a television interview that a military strike will result in massive rocket attacks from Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

By Haaretz Tags: Iran Israel Mossad Ehud Barak Meir Dagan
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan said in a television interview on Tuesday that if Israel attacks Iran, it will be dragged into a regional war.

According to Dagan, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas will respond with massive rocket attacks on Israel. In that scenario, Syria may join in the fray, Dagan said on the television program “Uvda”.

Dagan also followed up on recent public comments that he made on the topic, after which he was criticized for speaking out on, saying that the Prime Minister, Defense Minister and Finance Minister cannot prevent him from speaking his mind. “We are not living in an undemocratic country; in democratic countries, even people like me have the right to express their opinions,” Dagan said.

Dagan added that such a war would take a heavy toll in terms of loss of life and would paralyze life in Israel. These comments were in response to a recent remark by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in which he claimed that if a war breaks out between Israel and Iran, it would result in no more than 500 dead Israelis.

"A war is no picnic, but in any scenario there won't be 50 thousand or 5,000 or even 500 dead,” Barak told Israel Radio in an interview three weeks ago, on November 8. Barak also attacked Dagan’s outspokenness on the Iran issue. “The way in which this discussion has taken place, by including those who previously held high positions, was sometimes despicable.”

Barak added, “When the head of the Mossad unprecedentedly brings journalists to Mossad headquarters and instructs them to oppose the prime minister… I think that is very serious behavior. I would have expected him to act intelligently, without manipulations."

It was announced earlier on Tuesday that Dagan will lead a group that will endeavor to immediately alter the system of government in Israel.
Maariv reported Tuesday that the group is operating without much publicity, backed by a group of leaders in the fields of business, culture and law that has already begun to raise funds.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, businessman Gad Zeevi and Herliya Interdisciplinary Center President Professor Uriel Reichman have already joined the new group.

[vector7]

Four scenarios for oil if Israel attacks Iran

John Shmuel Nov 29, 2011 – 1:14 PM ET | Last Updated: Nov 30, 2011 9:01 AM ET


REUTERS/Baz Ratner
Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jets fly in formation with a Boeing 707–320 aerial refueling tanker

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Fresh from PIMCO on Tuesday is a new report highlighting four oil price scenarios if Israel attacked Iran, from a spike of US$140 a barrel to a “Doomsday” situation where regional war causes prices to soar.

The report, from PIMCO portfolio manager Greg Sharenow, comes as the media has increasingly speculated whether Israel might engage in a pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.

“Whenever the global economy is in a fragile state, as it is today, geopolitical concerns such as the possibility of a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities become much more exaggerated,” Mr. Sharenow said.

Below, we provide a summary of the four scenarios Mr. Sharenow envisions for oil if Iran is attacked:

Related

• Attack on Iran: Funds, refiners ponder oil Armageddon

First scenario: This is the most optimistic. In this scenario, oil initially spikes to US$130-$140 per barrel after Israel attacks Iran, and then settles around US$120-US$125. This would occur if the International Energy Agency steps in and fills any shortfalls in the oil supply. Mr. Sharenow adds, however, that markets need to price in an attack before one occurs for this scenario to play out.

Second scenario: This one is slightly more grim. In it, Iranian exports are cut off for one month following an Israeli attack. This would result in prices reaching previous all-time highs of US$145 a barrel — and potentially even higher. In this scenario, the IEA and Saudi Arabia step in to fill help fill the gap, but uncertainty over capacity still drives oil prices higher. PIMCO eventually sees oil prices settling to US$130-135 a barrel after a few months.

Third scenario: This envisions a serious shock to the Iranian oil supply. Exports are lost for half a year, causing global oil prices to spike to US$150 for six months, with notable spikes above that level. Once the Iranian supply comes back online, PIMCO expects oil to settle back to US$110 or lower, depending on global demand.

Fourth scenario: This is the “Doomsday” scenario. Oil prices soar as Iran responds to the attack militarily. Oil production is not only effected in Iran, but also throughout the region as the ability to move oil through the Straits of Hormuz is affected. PIMCO doesn’t forecast where oil prices will be in this scenario. “Forecasting prices in the prior scenarios is dangerous enough,” Mr. Sharenow said. “So, we won’t even begin to forecast a cap or target price in this final Doomsday scenario. Needless to say, even the modest Scenario 1 is enough to collapse global economic growth.”

Mr. Sharenow concludes:

“Although we cannot (and will not) predict whether an attack is imminent, or even likely, our experience and research tells us that any major disruption in the supply of oil from Iran could have either subtle or profound global repercussions,” he said. “Especially as excess capacity is virtually exhausted and we doubt that other OPEC nations would be able to compensate for a reduction in Iranian oil production.”

[vector7]

WW4 File: Retired Russian admiral admits Kremlin’s Mediterranean naval task force no match for US 6th Fleet, but makes veiled reference to nuclear war if Russian warships attacked; post-Qaddafi leader Jalil approves and Turkish government facilitates smuggling of 600 Libyan fighters into Syria

1 Comment Posted by periloustimes1 on November 29, 2011




Last Thursday, the Cypriot media reported that Russia’s sole aircraft carrier was in the vicinity of Malta and headed for the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where it would conduct joint drills with the Israeli Defense Forces, beginning November 28.

Later, the Admiral Kuznetsov and another ship of the Northern Fleet, the Admiral Chabanenko anti-submarine warfare ship, would join three destroyers already anchored in or patrolling Syrian territorial waters. Still later, the Russian battle group would be joined by the frigate Ladny of the Black Sea Fleet via the Bosphorus. (Still other reports indicate that the Admiral Kuznetsov will not arrive in Syria until the end of December.)

Pictured above: Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) departs Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, for its maiden deployment on May 11, 2011.

In summary, it appears that at least six Russian warships are presently operating in or close to Syrian territorial waters, or will be so in a matter of days. This is all taking place while President Bashar al-Assad uses every weapon at his disposal to cling to power in the face of a popular uprising and military rebellion organized by defected Colonel al-Asad. According to Russia Today, citing Izvestia, “Russian military officials insist that the move has no connection with the ongoing crisis in the region and was planned a year ago.” Sure, comrade, whatever you say.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is carrying some of Russia’s most advanced fighter aircraft, including eight Sukhoi Su-33 all-weather fighters, two Kamov Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters and several factory-new Mig-29K fighters, which are destined for the Indian Air Force but will be “tested” by Russian pilots. Unlike the US Navy’s “floating runways,” Russia’s sole aircraft carrier is also a heavily armed cruiser with 12 long-range anti-ship Granit cruise missiles, a Kinzhal six-gun short-range surface-to-air missile system, eight Kashtan close-in air defense gun-missile systems, and two UDAV-1 anti-submarine systems.

In addition to Syria, explained Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former Chief of the Russian Federation’s Naval Staff, to Izvestia, the aircraft carrier and its escort ships will make ports of call in Italy, Cyprus, and Lebanon. Forty years ago, the Soviet Navy required its own maintenance facility in the region, which prompted negotiations with Syria leading to the establishment of the Tartus base in 1971. At present, some 600 military and civilian personnel in the employ of the Russian Defense Ministry work at Tartus, where they mainly service vessels of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Since the Cold War, the Admiral Kuznetsov has twice visited the Syrian port, once in 1995 and again in 2007.

Lamenting Russia’s inability to prevent the deposing of Moscow ally Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi in October, Kravchenko added: “The presence of a military force other than NATO’s is very useful for this region, because it will prevent the outbreak of an armed conflict. The Soviet Union created a special naval squadron to deter Western military forces in the Mediterranean Sea.”

News of Russia’s naval deployment in Tartus came shortly after the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush anchored outside Syrian territorial waters on November 23, along with additional naval vessels. The US naval task force, remarks Russia Today, is reportedly conducting “maritime security operations and support missions” as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. The US 6th Fleet is also patrolling the area, states Russia Today, citing Interfax, another Kremlin-run news outlet.

In an indirect warning to Washington that appears to have gone unnoticed by the shopping mall regime, Admiral Kravchenko remarked to Izvestia: “Of course, the Russian naval forces in the Mediterranean will be incommensurate with those of the US 6th Fleet, which includes one or two aircraft carriers and several escort ships. But today, no one talks about possible military clashes, since an attack on any Russian ship would be regarded as a declaration of war with all the consequences.”

Kravchenko’s last statement is clearly a veiled reference to nuclear war, since Soviet/ Russian military doctrine has for decades held this to be a winnable option in any showdown with America. Moreover, since the USA has had no credible civil defense for nearly 20 years, it is very likely that should NATO forces challenge the Russian naval cordon protecting Syria’s embattled Ba’athist regime, Moscow could very well respond with a strategic missile barrage against North America.

No word has been yet published in open sources concerning the Admiral Kuznetsov’s arrival in Syrian territorial waters nor its scheduled work-out with the IDF.

Meanwhile, the covert support of Libya’s post-Qaddafi National Transitional Council (NTC) and Turkey’s Justice and Development government for the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) and its armed wing, the Syrian Free Army (SFA), has deeply complicated the Islamic world’s shifting alliances. For example, although Iran has reached out to Libya’s interim government, which supports the implementation of sharia law, Libya’s de facto leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil supports the overthrow of the Syrian Ba’athists, who are locked into a military defense pact with the Islamic fundamentalists in Tehran.

Last Friday, The Telegraph reported that representatives of the NTC and the SNC met that day in Istanbul, under the approving eye of Turkish officials, to discuss funding, arming, and supplying Colonel al-Asad’s FSA. In recent days, Turkey’s pro-Islamist government has raised the spectre of military intervention in Syria in order to topple the bloody Ba’athist dictatorship. “If the oppression continues, Turkey is ready for any scenario. We hope that a military intervention will never be necessary. The Syrian regime has to find a way of making peace with its own people,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a televised interview.

In confirmation, Russia Today, citing Egyptian news website Al-Ray Al-Arabi, contends that the Turkish government has already facilitated the smuggling of 600 Libyan fighters over the Syrian border to join the ranks of the Syrian Free Army. The Kremlin media notes: “Bashar Assad’s government has repeatedly accused foreign forces of smuggling armed groups and weapons into Syria and thus fueling the ongoing violence.” In mid-October, the Libyan interim government–followed by France, which administered Syria after the First World War–was the first in the world to recognize the SNC as “the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people.” The Kremlin media platform then posits an intelligent analysis for Libya’s involvement in the Arab Spring uprising in Syria:

Funneling armed, underemployed and eager-to-fight youngsters to another country could be a convenient move for the NTC. The Syrian government, however, is likely to see them as mercenaries, which NATO member Turkey allowed into their country as an alternative to a full-scale military campaign, which is impossible without the sanction of the United Nations Security Council.

[American Patriot]

Yup, pretty much as I suspected. The Russians can't handle the US fleet, but they WILL USE NUKES to equalized the situation.

Which will lead to nuclear war.

Which leads to the death of millions.

Pretty much precisely like I thought and expect.

[Ryan Ruck]

Germany Recalls Ambassador From Iran

November 30, 2011

Germany said on Wednesday it had recalled its ambassador to Iran for consultations because of an attack on the British diplomatic mission in Tehran the previous day.

Britain was forced to close its embassy and evacuate all staff after a crowd broke through gates, ransacked offices and burned flags in a protest over sanctions on Tuesday.

It was the most violent incident so far as relations between the two countries worsen due to a wider dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.

"In view of yesterday's events in Tehran, Foreign Minister (Guido) Westerwelle has decided to recall the German ambassador in Iran to Berlin for consultations," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The current ambassador to Iran is Bernd Ebel, according to the embassy's website.

The German Foreign Ministry said late on Tuesday it had summoned Iran's ambassador to discuss the attack and had urged Tehran to protect foreign facilities. A German school in Tehran remains closed and undamaged.

Britain shut down the Iranian embassy in London and expelled all its staff on Wednesday.

[Phil Fiord]

It is still a no win. If anyone fires nuclear, there is retaliatory nuclear fire and major effects therefrom.