2020-05-20: News Headlines

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-05-20). How Russia is Botching Its Relationship With Syria. counterpunch.org What complicates Russia's relationship with Syria, which has sometimes been referred to as a Russian client state, is that two strong-willed, highly self-opinionated leaders are also involved here—Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. Both enjoy unshakeable clan support and can hold their ground. Assad is by no means a Russian protege, and the interests of the two countries do not always overlap, either.

Andrew Korybko (2020-05-20). The US' "Medical Terrorism" Against Syria Threatens to Make World War C Much Deadlier. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Ambassador to Russia slammed the US' sanctions against his country as a form of medical terrorism that prevents it from importing much-needed "medicines, and medical goods, and other means to combat [COVID-19]", which strongly suggests that America wants …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-05-20). Failures in Syria and Libya Fuel Coup Speculations Against Erdogan. globalresearch.ca Turkish media has been full of speculation of a potential coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including from state-run

South Front (2020-05-20). Video: Caliphate in Miniature: Rift Between Turkey and Al-Qaeda in Idlib. globalresearch.ca In the second half of April and early May, the Syrian province of Idlib became the epicenter of a military political drama developing between Turkish forces and their al-Qaeda-linked allies. | The escalated tensions even led to a military incident on …

South Front (2020-05-20). Video: Turkey's 'Neo-Ottoman' Project Shifts Focus From Syria to Libya. globalresearch.ca This week, massive Turkish military support has finally allowed the Government of National Accord to achieve some breakthrough in the battle against the Libyan National Army (LNA). | On May 18, GNA forces and members of Turkish-backed militant groups from Syria …

Elijah J. Magnier (2020-05-20). Israel Strikes Syria to Keep the USA in the Levant 20 Years After the Unconditional Withdrawal From Lebanon — What Has Been Achieved? globalresearch.ca Following its

Steven Sahiounie (2020-05-20). The US Is Using Wheat as a Weapon of War in Syria. globalresearch.ca Apache helicopters of the

Philip Giraldi (2020-05-19). News Stories Avoid Naming Israel. thealtworld.com There are two stories that seem to have been under-reported in the past couple of weeks. The first involves Michael Flynn's dealings with the Russian United Nations Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. And the second describes yet another bit of espionage conducted by a foreign country directed against the United States. Both stories involve the State of Israel. | The bigger story is, of course, the dismissal by Attorney General William Barr of the criminal charges against former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn based on malfeasance by the FBI investigators. The curious aspect of the story as it is being rel…

South Front (2020-05-19). Video: ISIS Terrorists Attack Syrian Army Near Al-Sukhna. globalresearch.ca About 2 dozen Turkish-backed militants have been killed or wounded in a recent series of clashes in northern Syria. 14 of them were reportedly killed in a failed attack on positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Kubrlik overnight …

Michael Lynk (2020-05-19). Canada Missing in Action on Israel's Proposed Annexation of the West Bank. commondreams.org The UN Security Council meets on the situation in Syria at UN headquarters in October 2019. (Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mary Altaffer) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/file-20200518-83348-6ewy1l.jpg

news.un (2020-05-19). Syria: UN relief chief appeals for renewal of lifesaving cross-border aid operation. news.un.org The UN's top aid official has urged the Security Council to renew a mechanism that provides lifesaving assistance to millions of desperate people in northwest Syria, through cross-border deliveries from Turkey.

news.un (2020-05-18). Renewed trust and cooperation could finally 'unlock progress' toward peace in Syria — UN envoy. news.un.org Renewed trust, confidence, and cooperation between international players and Syrians could finally "unlock progress", putting the country on a political path towards lasting peace, the UN Special Envoy for Syria told the Security Council on Monday.

Denijal Jegiƒá (2020-05-13). In banning Hezbollah, Germany responds to far-right, U.S. and Israeli pressure — not any security threat. thegrayzone.com Hezbollah has never been charged with any crimes in Germany nor does it have an official presence in the country….

Aaron Maté (2020-05-06). Exclusive: OPCW chief made false claims to denigrate Douma whistleblower, documents reveal. thegrayzone.com The Grayzone has obtained documents exposing numerous falsehoods and misleading claims by OPCW Director General Fernando Arias to degrade the…

Ryan Cristián (2020-04-29). Israel Attacks Syria, US OKs Annexation, OPCW Caught Again & Impending (Already Here) Bio False Flag. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (4/28/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Jason Ditz (2020-02-20). Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive. theantimedia.com Russia called the situation a "worst case scenario."

Middle East Eye (2020-02-07). Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes. theantimedia.com Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."

Middle East Eye (2020-02-06). Turkey Gives Assad Deadline to Pull Back or Face Military Action. theantimedia.com Turkey has given the Syrian government until the end of this month to withdraw from recently seized territory in Idlib province.

Zero Hedge (2020-05-17). Chinese Ambassador To Israel Found Dead, Sparking Avalanche Of Rumors Amid Tensions. iranian.com China's Ambassador to Israel has been found dead inside his home near Tel Aviv Sunday morning, Israel's Foreign Ministry has confirmed. 57-year old ambassador Du Wei had only assumed his post in February 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, due to which he entered a two week mandatory self-quarantine upon his arrival. He'd previously been China's envoy to …

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-05-15). Russia makes a botch of its Syrian alliance. iranian.com Russia's relationships with its client states have never been easy. Of course, managing client states is always a complicated exercise. The Kremlin's cupboard is full of skeletons — Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), Cuba (1962), Afghanistan (1980), Ukraine (2014) and so on. What complicates Russia's relationship with Syria is that two strong-willed, highly self-opinionated leaders are also …

Zero Hedge (2020-05-14). "My Job Is To Make Syria A Quagmire For The Russians": CIA Doctrine Made Official Policy. iranian.com Like with the disastrous Iraq quagmire years before the US war machine came to Syria under Obama, Washington's rationale and justification for occupying the Syrian Arab Republic has shifted and changed drastically multiple times over. When ultimately what started as US covert regime change efforts targeting Assad failed (based ostensibly in "protecting civilians"), the official mission then …

RT (2020-05-20). Russia plans to open consulate general in China's Wuhan — ambassador. rt.com Russia's Foreign Ministry plans to open a consulate general in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, Ambassador to Beijing Andrey Denisov said on Wednesday. "The city of Wuhan has been well-known to us for a long time. Before Wuhan, there was the city of Hankou. Our country was present in Hankou in the late 19th century, there was a consulate general," the envoy told an online briefing. | "Now the Russian Foreign Ministry has decided to reopen the consulate general in Wuhan. We hope that when the budget allows, we will restore our presence in Wuhan," TASS quoted Denisov as saying. "I am very pleased to…

RT (2020-05-19). COMEY urged probe into Flynn by misrepresenting Russian contacts, declassified memo shows. rt.com Ex-FBI director James Comey pushed to investigate Trump's incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn despite lacking any evidence Flynn had shared classified info with Russian officials, a newly-declassified memo reveals. | It was Comey who told President Barack Obama and other administration officials that "incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador Kislyak" in a meeting documented in the January 2017 memo by National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the unredacted first page of which was obtained by CBS on Tuesday. | The FBI director admits he "has no indication thus far that Flynn h…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-20). Zionists aware of Hezbollah's readiness to respond aggression: Naim Qassem. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 20 (MNA) — Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's deputy secretary-general, says the Zionist regime is fully aware of Hezbollah's ability for responding any probable aggression.

sputniknews (2020-05-20). Syrian Justice Ministry Refutes Reports of Arresting Accounts of Assad's Cousin Makhlouf. sputniknews.com CAIRO (Sputnik) – The Syrian Justice Ministry on Wednesday refuted media reports about arrested accounts of businessman Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of President Bashar Assad.