American citizen was executed along with his Druze family in Suwayda, Syria.
The Wider Middle East Thread
- Thread starter LaAguilaNegra
- Start date
The UK and Germany have greenlit the sale of 40 Eurofighter/Typhoon jets to Turkey. The Turkish Airforce has been reliant on their aging F16B/F16C fleet since forever, and the January 2024 US sale of 40 F16Vs did nothing to bring the Turkish Airforce on par with its regional competitors (Greece, Israel, Russia).
The Eurofighter/Typhoon is a Gen 4 fighter jet yet judging from the noise coming from especially Greece and Israel this sale is not received in proper standing. Both Israel and Greece have fears that this acquisition will hurt their air superiority ergo will result in an even more aggressive Turkish foreign policy.
The Eurofighter/Typhoon is a Gen 4 fighter jet yet judging from the noise coming from especially Greece and Israel this sale is not received in proper standing. Both Israel and Greece have fears that this acquisition will hurt their air superiority ergo will result in an even more aggressive Turkish foreign policy.
With some delay the political decision to disarm Hezbollah seems to have been made. There's been quite a lot of wiggling and talks behind the curtains yet the latest Saudi-US initiative seems to have set things in motion, ergo Hezbollah must be disarmed and turned into a political outfit, with political power centered solely with the Lebanese State.
The Hezbollah- Amal bloc led by Berri is so far not interested in the initative ergo a showdown is looming. Hezbollah allegedly is willing to talk about scaling down military arsenals to negotiate an end to Israeli attacks, yet full on disarming is no no. Hence Joseph Aoun really has only two options, either he enforces the November 2024 ceasefire stipulations (aka Resolution 1701), as supported by the Saudis and Americans, or he cucks after which the Israelis will almost certainly step in to finish the job citing ceasefire violations and a slacking UNIFIL/ Lebanese Army. The second option could potentially lead to the de facto break up of Lebanon and Israeli occupation of parts of Lebanon.
Below are the points outlined by General Joseph Aoun on Lebanon's Army Day, which are an extension of the Saudi-US initiative presented the other day.
- Immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities by air, land, and sea, including assassinations
- Israeli withdrawal behind internationally recognized borders and release of prisoners
- Disarmament of all armed forces, including Hezbollah, with weapons handed over to the army
- Securing one billion US dollars annually for 10 years from friendly countries to support the army and security forces and enhance their capabilities
- Holding an international donor conference to rebuild Lebanon in the fall
- Resolving the issue of Syrian refugees, combating smuggling and drugs, and supporting alternative agriculture and industries
He added: "These are the most important terms of the memorandum, for which we have defined parallel phases of implementation. No honest and responsible Lebanese can fail to adopt them to block Israel’s aggression."
President Aoun Unveils Core of Lebanon’s Response to the US Paper
President Joseph Aoun, during his speech at the Ministry of Defense on Army Day, revealed "the truth about the negotiations he initiated with the American side, in full agreement with Salam and in coordination with Berri, aiming to ensur...
Meanwhile Israel is striking Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure almost daily, the Israelis have gained total escalatory dominance over Hezbollah with the latter hitting back not even once.
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On July 19 the Trump Administration imposed yet another ceasefire, this time on the al Sharaa government after the latter was told to reign in the Bedouin tribals who were fighting in and around al Suwayda. The ceasefire has since held despite local clashes and the a Druze led government by al Hikjmi a couple of days ago proclaimed their own de facto territory in al Suwayda.
Since July 19 the Suwayda territory is besieged and the Israelis have airdropped munitions and supplies into al Suwayda several times. The Suwayda Military Council has lost most of Western and Northern Suwayda and the HTS/Bedouins are at approximately 5km from Suwayda City's Western entrance. The Druze territory is blockaded and low on many critical supplies, many of the city's waterwells are held by HTS and electricity is spotty. The border with Jordan is closed.
For the last 72 hours there has been a lot of Israel aerial and drone activity over Southern Syria, and there is some speculation that a Israeli-Druze operation is pending to create a Corridor through the Daraa territory. Technically this Corridor would be a necessity to make this Druze semi statehood sustainable. The other option is that the military defeat of HTS and current developments will be used as bargaining chip vs Damascus and Ankara with the Druze eventuality returning to nominal Syrian rule but on better conditions.
Al Sharaa on the ceasefire
Current areas of control
Druze in Suwayda asking for Israeli intervention
SMC declaring it's autonomy and separate military structures
Since July 19 the Suwayda territory is besieged and the Israelis have airdropped munitions and supplies into al Suwayda several times. The Suwayda Military Council has lost most of Western and Northern Suwayda and the HTS/Bedouins are at approximately 5km from Suwayda City's Western entrance. The Druze territory is blockaded and low on many critical supplies, many of the city's waterwells are held by HTS and electricity is spotty. The border with Jordan is closed.
For the last 72 hours there has been a lot of Israel aerial and drone activity over Southern Syria, and there is some speculation that a Israeli-Druze operation is pending to create a Corridor through the Daraa territory. Technically this Corridor would be a necessity to make this Druze semi statehood sustainable. The other option is that the military defeat of HTS and current developments will be used as bargaining chip vs Damascus and Ankara with the Druze eventuality returning to nominal Syrian rule but on better conditions.
Al Sharaa on the ceasefire
Current areas of control
Druze in Suwayda asking for Israeli intervention
SMC declaring it's autonomy and separate military structures
The pragmatic approach of the al Sharaa government is starting to bear results. Below is a quick rundown of foreign initiatives and proposals.
- A US supported joint Turkey- Qatari proposal to import Azerbaijani gas through Turkish gas infrastructure will be up and running in early August already.
This endeavour is encouraged by the US' Turkey Ambassador Tom Barrack, whom many pro Israelis have a lot of doubts about due to his at times vocal support for al Sharaa and Erdogan.
- On July 24 al Sharaa traveled to Riyaad to attend a joint Saudi- Syrian Declaration on Saudi investment in Syria. The Saudis promised over 6.4 billion USD in investments, ranging from agricultural projects to infrastructure, to the telecom industry to the energy and water sectors etc.
- The UAE signed a significant deal in or near the former Russian base in Tartus. This 800 million USD deal encompasses the Emiratis modernizing the port infrastructure in change for a lease contract
- The EU has pledged 5.8 billion USD in aid back in March and a further 2.5 billion in investments
- Qatar announced a 7 billion USD energy deal in Syria.
- The Chinese are investing billions of USD in Syrian port assets and resources, often through shell companies.
- Today Syria's FM Shabaani traveled to Moscow on his first official visit to the country, and was received by Lavrov. The goal of said visit is not completely clear but its probably the Syrians traveled to Russia to gain access to Russia's oil and grain resources, and whilst both have already been shipped to Syria under the table, Damascus and Moscow are likely looking for official agreements and a Syrian payoff for said access.
https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/1950977516702695928
Syrian and Russian Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Shabaani
- A US supported joint Turkey- Qatari proposal to import Azerbaijani gas through Turkish gas infrastructure will be up and running in early August already.
This endeavour is encouraged by the US' Turkey Ambassador Tom Barrack, whom many pro Israelis have a lot of doubts about due to his at times vocal support for al Sharaa and Erdogan.
- On July 24 al Sharaa traveled to Riyaad to attend a joint Saudi- Syrian Declaration on Saudi investment in Syria. The Saudis promised over 6.4 billion USD in investments, ranging from agricultural projects to infrastructure, to the telecom industry to the energy and water sectors etc.
- The UAE signed a significant deal in or near the former Russian base in Tartus. This 800 million USD deal encompasses the Emiratis modernizing the port infrastructure in change for a lease contract
- The EU has pledged 5.8 billion USD in aid back in March and a further 2.5 billion in investments
- Qatar announced a 7 billion USD energy deal in Syria.
- The Chinese are investing billions of USD in Syrian port assets and resources, often through shell companies.
- Today Syria's FM Shabaani traveled to Moscow on his first official visit to the country, and was received by Lavrov. The goal of said visit is not completely clear but its probably the Syrians traveled to Russia to gain access to Russia's oil and grain resources, and whilst both have already been shipped to Syria under the table, Damascus and Moscow are likely looking for official agreements and a Syrian payoff for said access.
https://x.com/mfa_russia/status/1950977516702695928
Syrian and Russian Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Shabaani
The Turks have begun building up Syria's military. This is a new development, whereas before the Turks would only supply the SNA which directly answers to Ankara now the Turks are immediately handing over military gear to the HTS led government in Damascus. Below is one of the few recent arms transfers caught on tape. And whilst the APC/IFVs below do not pose a risk to Israel, they can and will be used to deter and destroy Israel's Syrian proxies. Furthermore it is a precedent that will be followed by more high tech arm supplies. The Israel demand on a DMZ south of Damascus, an Israeli push for a federalized Syria, the Turkish-Qatari attempt at rebuilding Syria's military facilities and the current unfinished Suwayda business will become the four main areas of contention in the coming Turkey vs Israel showdown.