By Leith Fadel
Source: Al-Masdar News
It has been nearly 10 months since the government forces have had a presence inside of Palmyra (Tadmur); however, this changed on Friday, as several units from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) broke-through the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) defenses and reentered this ancient desert city in the Homs Governorate.

[Amid great sacrifices the SAA and the Axis of Resistance are advancing and ridding Syria of terrorists].

According to an Al-Masdar field correspondent, the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces – backed by the Desert Hawks, Hezbollah, and the Syrian Marines – entered Palmyra through its southern gates after seizing much of the Palmyra Orchards from the ISIS terrorists.

The source added that the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies have now reached the Palmyra Prison that is located in the southeastern sector of the city; it was one of the first sites captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham on May 21st, 2015.

Fierce clashes are still ongoing inside and outside the city, as the Syrian Armed Forces continue their large-scale offensive to liberate Palmyra.

By Leith Fadel
Source: Al-Masdar News
At approximately 11:45 P.M. (Damascus Time) on Tuesday night, the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” – backed by Hezbollah, the Desert Hawks Brigade, Liwaa Imam ‘Ali (Iraqi paramilitary), and the Syrian Marines – imposed full control over the Palmyra (Tadmur) Triangle after advancing east from Jabal Hiyyal. According to a battlefield correspondent embedded in the Palmyra countryside, the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies liberated this strategic area after a fierce battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham tonight. The source added that the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies suffered minimal casualties, while the ISIS terrorists lost an estimated 20-30 combatants before their positions were overran by the government forces.

With the Palmyra Triangle under their control, the Syrian Armed Forces are now within striking distance of Palmyra; this is also the closest that the government forces have been to this city since their complete withdrawal on May 21st, 2015. Meanwhile, north of the Palmyra Triangle, the Tiger Forces and Desert Hawks are pressing ISIS’ defenses at Jabal Al-Tar; they are reportedly close to capturing this important mountaintop in western Palmyra.

By Finian Cunningham
Source: Strategic Culture
Now we know how France secured a $3 billion arms deal from Saudi Arabia – by bestowing a senior Saudi prince with the Legion of Honor. For many French citizens the Legion of Honor symbolizes France’s national soul. And now the French government has put a grubby price tag on it.

The move by Paris to grasp the chance of selling weapons to Saudi Arabia also comes a week after the European Union parliament voted for an embargo on weapons supply to the kingdom over mounting human rights concerns.

Again, the French authorities – despite lofty proclamations about human rights and international law – don’t seem to have any scruples when it comes to clinching a $3 billion arms contract.

That contract was reportedly in the balance last week because of a diplomatic spat between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, where the French weapons, paid for by the Saudis, were destined for.

Then, to the relief of the French government, the Saudis announced that they were going ahead with the arms purchase. In the new arrangement, the Saudis said that they would be taking consignment of the weapons supply from France – for their own use, thus cutting out the Lebanese national army, which had been originally designated as the beneficiary of the defense upgrade.

A day later, on Friday, Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef is received in Paris at the French presidential Élysée Palace and duly awarded the Legion of Honor.

To ascribe coincidence to these developments would be impossibly naive. The quiet, almost secretive, way in which the heir to the Saudi throne was awarded the honor shows that the Paris authorities knew that granting of the medal could prove to be embarrassing.

News of the accolade only came out through reports that were carried in the Saudi official media outlet, whose House of Saud rulers were of course delighted with the grand French «honor».

France’s presidential office was obliged to confirm the award two days later – on Sunday – after the news had been broken by the Saudi media. Why the coy official French manner? No doubt, Paris was all too aware that it would appear that the gong was bestowed because it was a tawdry pay-off to the Saudis for their arms purchase going through.

The awarding of the prestigious French medal – considered to be the nation’s highest honor – has sparked public furor in France and around the world because of Saudi Arabia’s horrendous human rights record. «Disgraceful», «Shame», «Worthless», are just a few of the words of condemnation to have erupted across news and social media.

On the same weekend that the Saudi minister – a nephew of King Salman – received his French honor, the absolute, unelected rulers executed the 70th person so far this year from among the country’s burgeoning prison population. Most executions in the oil-rich kingdom are carried out by beheading with a sword. Often the decapitated corpse is subsequently hung by crucifixion in public view as a macabre warning to would-be offenders.

There is also widespread public outrage over Saudi Arabia’s ongoing bombardment of neighboring Yemen where thousands of civilians have been killed in Saudi-led air strikes over the past year. The Saudi campaign – supported by the US, British and French governments – claims to be aimed at putting down an «Iranian-backed rebellion» led by Houthi fighters.

But those claims are dubious. Yemen looks to many observers like a case of illegal foreign aggression by the Saudis on the poorest country in the Arab region. In any case, as the United Nations has declared in several dire humanitarian warnings, most of Yemen’s 24 million population are suffering from a Saudi military blockade, with reports of children starving from lack of food, water and medicines.

Furthermore, while the French presidency claimed that the Legion of Honor was awarded to Mohammed bin Nayef, the country’s interior minister, for his role in the fight against terrorism, the official citation strains credibility and contempt.

There is abundant evidence to show that the Wahhabi Islamist Saudi rulers have been prominent financial and ideological sponsors of al-Qaeda-linked terror groups over many years. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted the Saudi terror connection back in 2009 in diplomatic cables leaked by whistleblower source Wikileaks. These same Saudi-backed terror groups are a central element in the Western-backed covert war for regime change in Syria since March 2011.

But getting back to the French-Saudi arms deal. Only last week that deal looked set to be cancelled after the Saudi rulers announced that they were not going ahead with a $4 billion aid grant to Lebanon’s government. That offer was reportedly made to Lebanon back in November 2014 by Saudi Arabia. Most of it – some $3 billion – was slated to be spent on French weapons and other military equipment in order to upgrade the Lebanese national army.

Last month, the Saudis backed away from the grant to Lebanon because they claimed that the Beirut-based Hezbollah Shia resistance movement was exerting too much influence over the Lebanese government, of which it is an elected coalition party.

The Saudis were irked, for instance, after the Lebanese government declined to support Riyadh in denouncing Iran over an attack by protesters on its embassy in Tehran. That incident followed the execution by Saudi Arabia of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in January this year, along with 46 other prisoners.

The real reason for Saudi petulance is that Hezbollah militia fighting in Syria have been a major military factor in why Syrian president Assad’s army has managed to turn the strategic tables on the anti-government insurgents there. Russian air power and Syrian army ground forces backed by Hezbollah and Iranian militia have salvaged Syria from a proxy war for regime change that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Western governments had fomented over the past five years.

Cancellation of the military grant to Lebanon by the Saudis was also accompanied by other diplomatic slights towards Beirut, including travel warnings and a fresh declaration by Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf cronies against Hezbollah as a «terrorist organization».

Thus there can be little question that the abrupt Saudi cut-off of military aid to Lebanon is part of its proxy war in Syria.

That cut-off, however, appeared to leave France out in the cold as the weapons supplier. Until, that is, Saudi Arabia subsequently announced that it was going ahead with the French arms purchase, with the equipment being shipped to Saudi Arabia instead of Lebanon.

With the French economy languishing under sluggish growth, sagging trade and budget deficits and record unemployment, the news of the Saudi $3 billion arms deal would have been met with intense relief in Paris.

And so the red carpet at the Élysée Palace was rolled out – «discreetly» mind you – for the Saudi dictator’s nephew.

The Legion of Honor is supposed to be France’s highest national accolade, awarded to outstanding citizens and foreign dignitaries. It was created in 1802 by emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

At the same time that Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef received his medal from French president Francois Hollande in Paris, the Legion of Honor was also awarded separately to British veterans of the Second World War for their courage during the D-Day landings in 1944.

No wonder then that the juxtaposition of the awards has sparked public anger in France and England, with protesters claiming that the accolade has been grossly devalued for those deserving recipients – men and women who gave their lives to save France and Europe from fascist despotism.

If the Legion of Honor is taken as a symbol of French national soul, then it is understandable that many are disgusted that France’s soul is flogged for an arms deal with the one of the world’s most despotic regimes.

It should not be surprising, too, that French president Hollande and his government are viewed with such increasing contempt, both nationally and internationally.

Hollande’s corroding credibility is a problem that is shared by other Western governments, Washington and London in particular, who are likewise seen to be corrupt. Because, like Paris, they are consorting with despotic regimes for the same sordid self-interests of selling weapons and trying to destabilize foreign states.

By Leith Fadel
Source: The Arab Source
It is hard to determine what has been the Syrian Arab Army’s most successful offensive since the genesis of Russian airstrikes inside the country; however, one could argue that the significant progress in southern Aleppo has given hope to the people of Aleppo City.

Then again, one might argue that the southern Aleppo offensive is mixed with Iraqi paramilitary units and Hezbollah, but the eastern Aleppo front is different, they are purely SAA and this same group lifted the 3 year long siege of the Kuweires Military Airport.

Regardless of preference, the most imperative offensive taking place in Syria is the northern Latakia offensive that is being conducted by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their allies from the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP).

Why is this the most important offensive?

It is rather simple: the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade of the Republican Guard and their allies are advancing along 3 different fronts in northern Latakia and they are doing so in a very rapid, but efficient manner.

In a matter of 2 and a half months, the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade and their allies have seized several kilometers of territory inside Jabal Al-Turkmen (Turkmen Mountains) and Jabal Al-Akrad (Kurdish Mountains), while the Turkish-backed Islamist rebels retreat along several axes.

Yesterday, the Syrian Armed Forces imposed full control over Jabal Al-Nuba (Nuba Mountains); this strategic site was almost untouchable just three months ago and now, it is under the control of the Syrian state government.

In addition to their advance towards the Turkish border, the Syrian Armed Forces are pushing east along the Latakia-Turkish border after capturing Jabal Al-Zahiyah and large parts of the Firlalaq Forests in Jabal Al-Turkmen.

And lastly, the Latakia Governorate is the key to the Syrian government’s maritime shipping industry and the gateway to both the Idlib and Aleppo Governorate’s.

Without sealing Latakia, the strategic city of Jisr Al-Shughour in Idlib would be impregnable and a lost cause for the Syrian Armed Forces; but with the Latakia Governorate sealed off, they will be in prime position to launch an attack.

The Russian airstrikes granted the Syrian troops a push in its military campaign to break the siege on Kwairis airbase. After a 25-day offensive, three years of merciless siege has ended. Over 300 terrorists were exterminated on the outskirsts of Kwairis airport. Unfortunately there has also been a heavy casualty, with over 80 Martyrs fallen.

Source: SANA
Aleppo, SANA – President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday phoned commander of Kwairis Airport, Major General Munzer Zammam and leader of the military force that broke the blockade on the airport, Colonel Suhail al-Hassan.

President al-Assad told the airport Commander that “You have fought, withstood and you were a good example for heroism, courage and a brilliant image in the history of the Army’s heroism.”

The President added “Your steadfastness, for years, was good evidence on your confidence in the Syrian Arab army and its heroic soldiers and your comrades, so you were confident in the victory and confident that the siege will end sooner or later.”

President al-Assad also told Colonel al-Hassan “Your strength, courage and the sacrifices of heroes who were with you were a good example on the faith of the Syrian Arab Army in defending the Homeland’s soil and an example in sacrifice.”

His Excellency saluted all soldiers and offered condolences on all martyrs, adding that the safety of the soldiers is the top priority of the Syrian leadership.

M.Nassr/Mazen

Source: SANA

Provinces, SANA – The army units repelled the terrorist organizations’ hideouts and hotbeds in many areas across the country, killing and injuring scores of terrorists.

Aleppo

Army reaches Kwairis Airport

Units of the army achieved new progress in the war against terrorism in Aleppo eastern countryside reaching Kwairis airport and contacting with the heroic soldiers who have thwarted hundreds of attempts by ISIS to attack the airport during the latest months.

During the operations carried out to lift the siege on the airport, the army killed hundreds of ISIS terrorists and destroyed their dens and cells with all weapons inside.

The army also established control on tens of villages and strategic hills in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, the latest of which was the village of Sheikh Ahmad near the airport.

Earlier, the army units targeted Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations’ hideouts and hotbeds in the neighborhoods of al-Shaar, al-Sheikh Said, al-Jaberiyeh, al-Sukkari, al-Ashrafiyeh, al-Khaldiyeh and al-Ansari in the city of Aleppo.

The terrorist’s hideouts with all weapons, ammunition and equipment inside were destroyed.

Another army unit destroyed 3 terrorist’s vehicles with all terrorists on board and equipment inside them in al-Castilo in the city, according to the source.

Two terrorist’s heavy machineguns- loaded vehicles in al-Tlailat area and a number of the so-called Ahrar al-Sham Islamic Movement’s hideouts in al-Kamari in al-Hader area in the southern countryside of Aleppo province were destroyed in the army continued operations against the Takfiri terrorist organizations.

Meanwhile, terrorist organizations acknowledged on their social media pages the killing of two military leaders of the terrorist organizations of Ahrar al-Sham Islamic Movement Ahmad Abu Khamis and Nawar al-Shahhoud, nicknamed Abu al-Walid in addition to terrorists Abu Salam al-Hamwi and Abu Omar al-Doshka.

Deir Ezzor

Army kills over 25 ISIS terrorists

Army units killed over 25 ISIS terrorists and injured dozens others after targeting their hideouts and concentrations near Deir Ezzor Airport and in al-Mari’yeh and al-Jafra.

Field sources told SANA that the army destroyed a number of the terrorists’ vehicles, including machinegun-equipped vehicles near al-Taim field.

Damascus Countryside

The army units continued advancing in the Eastern Ghouta in Damascus Countryside and established control over al-Mahalej area, located to the south of Marj al-Sulatn, and the farms surrounding it, a military source announced.

The source said the army inflicted heavy losses upon the terrorists and their weaponry in the process.

Meanwhile, other army units established control over areas near Marj al-Sulatn Airport and in a number of areas near Harasta highway, killing and injuring dozens of terrorists and destroying their weaponry and munitions.

Hama and Idleb

The army and armed forces units targeted terrorist organizations’ hideouts in the village of Qalat al-Madiq , 50 km northwest of Hama city, killing at least 4 terrorists.

The terrorists are Hisham Bakkour Taha, Walid al- Sheikh, Mohammad Abed al-Saleh and Haidar abdel-Razaq.

Field sources told SANA Tuesday that terrorist Ahmad Abdel-Karim al-Suh, nicknamed Ahmad al-Karmou, one of the self-claimed leader of the so-called “Gathering of al-Izza” Brigades was killed with all members of his group in an army operation in al-Latamineh town, 35 km northwest of Hama city.

The terrorists Ahmad Ali al-Safan, Khaled al-Mahdi and Ahmad al-Marae were killed, according to the sources, and 3 vehicles were destroyed in Ma’rkabeh village in addition to the destruction of a headquarters and 4 vehicles of the so-called Ahrar al-Sham Islamic Movement in the village of Atshan, where 9 terrorists were killed and others were injured in the army operations.

The army’s air force destroyed positions and fortified sites belonging to Jabhat al-Nusra and “Jund al-Aqsa” and “al-Ezza Battalions” terrorist groups in Lahaya village and Morek city in the northern countryside of Hama province.

Meanwhile, sources on the ground confirmed the death of many terrorists and the destruction of two pickups in an army operation near al-Abboud checkpoint to the south of Morek city.

A Turkish terrorist nicknamed “Prince Ahmad Awad al-Malla” was identified among the dead, in addition to Ahmad al-Khaled, Mohamed al-Omar and Bassam al-Ali.

On the border between Hama and Idleb, the army’s air force launched strikes against gatherings and hideouts of terrorists in Kafr Nabbouda and al-Hbeit towns.

The air strikes left a number of terrorists dead and vehicles equipped with machine guns destroyed.

Homs

The army’s air force launched airstrikes against ISIS positions in Mhein town in the eastern countryside of Homs, destroying dens and vehicles for ISIS terrorists there.

Later on the day, the army clashed with a group of ISIS terrorists who tried to infiltrate Jabourin and Maksar al-Hisan and killed 15 terrorists.

The army also targeted hideoust for ISIS and Jabhet al-Nusra in al-Shumaryeh, al-Hilalyeh, Mahras al-Deik, al-Zabadi, al-Amryeh and Ein Hussein and killed and injured scores of terrorists.

Daraa

Army units destroyed terrorists’ vehicles and positions in separate areas in Daraa al-Balad area in the southern Daraa city.

Two command centers for Jabhat al-Nusra were destroyed in al-Abassiyeh and al-Arbaeen neighborhoods in Daraa al-Balad, which is considered a main passage for the infiltration of terrorists and weapons across the Jordanian border.

Army units also targeted gatherings of terrorists in the area surrounding Qteifan Square and to the south of the Agricultural Bank in Daraa al-Balad.

At least two terrorists were killed in the operations, and those are Mahmoud al-Laki and Mohammad Rizk al-Qteifan.

Sweida

The National Defense Groups in Sweida Province thwarted terrorists’ attempt to attack one of their posts in the province’s eastern countryside, killing two of the terrorists and forcing the others to flee the area.