2020-06-19: News Headlines

ahtribune (2020-06-19). Do Not Belittle Protesters in U.S. By Calling Their Struggle A "Color Revolution"! ahtribune.com For almost a decade, I have been covering "Color Revolutions" in virtually all parts of the world. While making a film for TeleSur, I was facing Egyptian tanks, risking my life under sniper fire, getting roughed-up in the middle of clashes of the supporters of al-Sisi and Morsi. | Together with Syrian commanders, I was also facing the terrorists in Idlib; challenged the Ukrainian fascists; encountering Bolivian indigenous elders high in the Altiplano, after the revolution of Evo Morales and MAS was crashed by the U.S.-sponsored coup in 2019. I regularly worked in Venezuela, Lebanon, and Iraq. And of course, ag…

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Eight SNA soldiers martyred in YPG/PKK attack in N Syria. yenisafak.com At least eight soldiers of the Syrian National Army (SNA) were martyred in an attack carried out by the YPG/PKK terrorist group in Afrin, northwestern Syria.From Tal Rifat district, terrorists attempted to infiltrate front lines in Bassouta region in the south of Afrin province.The terrorist group continued to target Syrian National Army and civilian settlements in Afrin and Azaz provinces from Tal Rifat despite a Turkey-Russia deal that foresees their withdrawal from the region.On Oct. 9, 2019, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-19). Lebanon's people are demanding structural change. peoplesdispatch.org Bachir Nakhal of the Lebanese Communist Party analyses the recent protests in Lebanon in the aftermath of the relaxation of COVID-19-related restrictions. He explains the key demands raised by the protesters and how the left has been organizing during the COVID-19 crisis.

ahtribune (2020-06-19). Caesar Tries to Suffocate 17 Million Syrians. ahtribune.com Since 2011, the US and allies have promoted, trained and supplied militants trying to bring about The new law is fraudulen…

Eva Bartlett (2020-06-19). The Caesar Act: The Latest Western Attack on Syria Didn't Drop From a Plane. mintpressnews.com As Syria struggles to recover from over a decade of US-imposed conflict, it faces a new deadly threat in the form of sweeping sanctions under the Caesar Act.

_____ (2020-06-19). Barbaric U.S. Sanctions on Syria Are Futile Extension of Failed Regime-Change War. strategic-culture.org A total blockade of war-torn Syria is the desired effect of sweeping new sanctions imposed this week by the United States. The purpose is to prevent the Arab nation from achieving reconstruction and international normalization after suffering nearly a decade of war. | Washington's objective is to make regime change in Damascus inevitable by making social conditions in the country as unbearable for the population as it possibly can. | With cruel Orwellian irony, the American sanctions implemented this week bear the words "Syria Civilian Protection Act". | The U.S. legislation was passed by both parties in the Cong…

South Front (2020-06-19). Video: Idlib Al-Qaeda Promotes Its 'Successes' in Fight Against Syrian Army. globalresearch.ca The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces are amassing their troops and equipment near the town of Ayn Issa in northern Raqqah. This town, located near the crossroad of the M4 highway and the Sanliurfa-Raqqah road, has been the …

Elijah J. Magnier (2020-06-19). The US "Caesar's Law" Sanctions Regime against Syria. How It Will Affect Lebanon: Israel Will be Targeted. globalresearch.ca The enactment of "

Tony Cartalucci (2020-06-19). Why Is the US Still Sanctioning Syria? Beijing Pressures Washington. globalresearch.ca Chinese media highlighted a recent plea by Beijing to the US to lift sanctions against Syria. | China's CGTN in an article titled, " A Chinese envoy on …

IRNA (2020-06-19). Iran-Pakistan agree to further strengthen economic ties despite coronavirus. iranian.com Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment welcoming the resumption of trade activities at the common border stressed the need to further enhance bilateral economic ties between the two states despite coronavirus pandemic. Ambassador Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini met with Abdul Razak Dawood on Thursday to discuss …

yenisafak (2020-06-19). Two wanted Daesh terrorists caught in SE Turkey. yenisafak.com Two women, both Russian citizens, who were wanted by Interpol for being members of the Daesh terrorist group, were arrested in Turkey's southeast in a joint operation by Turkish security and intelligence units on Friday.After being tipped off that a group of terrorists from Syria's war zones were entering Turkey illegally, an operation was conducted in coordination with the prosecutor's office in Kilis province.In the joint operation by police and the National Intelligence Organization, two women were apprehended in the central district of Kilis.The suspects were identified by the initials S.K (29) and R.E. (33),…

Mark Taliano (2020-06-18). Trump's Order to Withdraw US Troops from Syria Good-for-Nothing. globalresearch.ca Mark Taliano, author and activist, says the US troops' deployment to the oil fields areas in Eastern Syria is an act of reoccupation, indicating the futility of US President's order to withdraw its forces from the Arab country. | *** | Speaking …

RT (2020-06-18). Berlin's threats will 'not be left unanswered' Russian ambassador says, after Germany links Chechen ex-militant's murder to Moscow. rt.com The Russian envoy to Germany, Sergey Nechaev, has blasted Berlin for blaming the murder of a former Chechen insurgent leader on a Russian "state entity". Such accusations lack proof and only hurt bilateral relations, he said. | "We consider the accusations leveled against the Russian authorities to be baseless and unsupported by evidence," Nechaev said in a statement, commenting on the latest indictment issued by the German prosecutors in relation to a high-profile murder that took place in Berlin's Tiergarten Park last August. | A 40-year-old man, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, was shot by a suspect identified as a…

Sheren Khalel (2020-06-18). The Empire Declares a "Maximum Pressure" War of Economic Strangulation on Devastated Syria. anti-empire.com The United States has imposed a sweeping set of new sanctions against any country, individual or entity that provides support to the Syrian government – a campaign that experts warn may devastate the lives of ordinary Syrians trying to survive and rebuild after nine years of war. | The Caesar Act, passed in Congress

Aaron Maté (2020-06-18). Crippling new sanctions punish Syrian civilians for US defeat in proxy war. thegrayzone.com As Syria tries to recover from a nearly decade-long war, the US has imposed crippling new sanctions under the Caesar…

South Front (2020-06-18). Video: Idlib Militants Attack Turkish-Russian Patrols as Turkey Shifts Focus to Northern Iraq. globalresearch.ca On June 16, a joint convoy of the Turkish Army and the Russian Military Police became the target of a new IED attack during a patrol along the M4 highway in southern Idlib. The explosion damaged a BTR-82A armored personnel …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-06-18). US imposes new sanctions on Syria under Caesar Act. peoplesdispatch.org The US administration announced a new set of political and economic sanctions against Syria on June 17, Wednesday, under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection act. The act was enacted in the US in December 2019 and made part of the National Defence Authorisation act for the year 2020. | The Caesar act asks the government of Syria and its allies, Russia and Iran, to halt military operations aimed at retaking territories captured by armed militias and rebel forces supported by Turkey and the US in Syria. The Syrian government has rejected the act, saying that it cannot allow such a division of the country. | The exe…

Abdel Bari Atwan (2020-06-18). Starving Syria and Lebanon into submission. thealtworld.com Hezbollah and its allies won't wait for their countries to be crippled before retaliating for the 'Casear Act' | As the so-called 'Caesar Act' came into force on Wednesday, the US announced the imposition of individual sanctions on 39 prominent Syrians — including President Bashar al-Asad and his wife Asma al-Akhras — while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo served notice that additional, more punishing, sanctions are to follow. | It is futile to point out that this Act is illegal, or set out all the evidence that those who will be punished most by it are the ordinary people of Syria, the great majority o…

Dr. Bachar al-Jaafari (2020-06-18). "Main Victim of Caesar Act Is the Syrian Citizen." Ambassador Bashar Al-Ja'fari. globalresearch.ca The Caesar Act comes at a time when the whole world is suffering not only in the health arena (Covid-19) but also in the financial one. | Syria specifically is suffering from great duress. Coming out of a ten year long …

Michael Jansen (2020-06-18). Lebanon Is Victim of Its Deeply Entrenched Political Elite. globalresearch.ca Lebanon is the victim of its deeply entrenched political elite, which has refused to adopt and execute meaningful reforms since tens of thousands of Lebanese poured into the streets last October to demand an end to mismanagement, corruption and the …

en.mehrnews (2020-06-18). Iran sees no change in its policy towards Syria: VP Jahangiri. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 18 (MNA) — Iranian First Vice President Es'hagh Jahangiri said that Tehran's policy towards Damascus has not changed.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-18). Damascus to confront US sanctions as it does against terrorism: Syrian Foreign Ministry. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 18 (MNA) — Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday, strongly condemning the fresh round of US sanctions against the country.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-18). Tehran not to allow IAEA inspections based on enemies' allegations: envoy. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 18 (MNA) — Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency said that the country will not let IAEA inspect sites based on allegations made by enemies of the Islamic Republic, even if it is clear that inspections will debunk those allegations.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-18). Iran urges intl. community to not let US use intl. bodies as 'political instrument'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 18 (MNA) — Ambassador Kazem Gharibabadi condemned the US policy of using economic terrorism against other countries, warning that international organizations should not be used as 'political tool' at the hands of Washington.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-18). Iraq summons Turkey's ambassador for second time in week. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 18 (MNA) — Iraqi Foreign Ministry has summoned Turkish ambassador Fatih Yildiz over violation of Iraq's territory by Turkey's forces on June 17.

ahtribune (2020-06-17). After the West Bank When (How Soon) Will the East Follow? ahtribune.com Whatever percentage of the West Bank Israel begins to annex in July, it will eventually annex the rest. Will it then turn to the east bank of the Jordan river? | Since the 19th century, the Zionist project was based on the seizure of all Palestine, including territory east of the Jordan. The map of 'Israel' presented to the Paris peace conference in 1919 extended northwards into what is now Lebanon and included the city of Sidon; in the northeast, all the Golan Heights and Syria almost as far as Damascus; in the southeast the entire Jordan River valley, with the territory it desired extending almost to the tow…

Marwa Osman (2020-06-17). Lebanon in Economic Free Fall—MES EP.58. thealtworld.com 1st segment | Lebanon's worst economic crisis in decades has already cost thousands of jobs, with unrest stirring again as protesters lashed out at the government's response. The depreciation in the Lebanese Lira is driving up prices, hitting disposable incomes and forcing many Lebanese to rein in the free-spending lifestyles they'd become accustomed to. To discuss this issue with us from Beirut is Dr. Hussein Gharbieh academic and political commentator. | 2nd segment | Libya's conflict has taken a new twist after an attempt by eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar to seize the capital, Tripoli, crumbled rapidly…

yenisafak (2020-06-17). UN sends 49 truckloads of aid to Syria's Idlib. yenisafak.com The UN on Wednesday sent 49 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Idlib, northwestern Syria, where millions of people are in need of assistance due to internal conflict in the country.Truckloads of supplies entered Idlib through the Cilvegozu border crossing of Turkey's southern Hatay province.The aid will be distributed among residents of Idlib and nearby rural areas.Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.Idlib falls within a…

Andrew Korybko (2020-06-17). The US' Planned Imposition of Draconian "Secondary Sanctions" on Syria. Targets Any Entity Doing Business with Syria. globalresearch.ca The US hopes that making Syrians even more desperate than they already are could catalyze another Color Revolution at one of the country's most critical moments in its history, which could then be exploited for regime change purposes. | Reuters reported …

Stephen Lendman (2020-06-17). US Congress Calls it "Civilian Protection": Washington Wants 17 Million Syrians Starved Into Submission. globalresearch.ca Implementation of the so-called Caesar Syria Civilian Protection legislation (Caesar Act) is the latest shoe to drop in Washington's long war of aggression on the country, its legitimate leadership, and 17 million people. | Signed into law by Trump last December, …

South Front (2020-06-17). Video: Russian Surface-to-Air Missile Systems in Syria Shoot Down Militants' Drones. globalresearch.ca Tor short-range surface-to-air missile systems have downed more than 45 unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Syrian militants, according to the chief of the Russian Air Defense Forces Lieutenant General Alexander Leonov. | "Since the start of combat duty, the calculations …

en.mehrnews (2020-06-17). Beijing, Moscow deplore US sanctions on Syria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 17 (MNA) — In a statement during a Security Council's session and in comments on imposing so-called "Caesar Act" by the US, representatives of Russia and China to the UN asserted that the US sanctions against Syria target the Syrian people.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-17). Pompeo announces new round of US sanctions against Syria's Assad, his wife. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 17 (MNA) — To further weaken the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the United States on Wednesday imposed fresh round of penalties on 39 Syrian individuals and companies including Assad and his wife Asma personally, Mike Pompeo announced.

en.mehrnews (2020-06-17). Tehran, Tunis confer on expansion of parliamentary ties. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jun. 17 (MNA) — In a meeting between Iran's ambassador to Tunis Mohammad-Reza Raouf-Sheybani and Tunisia's speaker of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People Rachid al-Ghannouchi the two sides discussed enhancement of relations between the parliaments of the two countries and activation of friendship committee of Iran and Tunisia.

Tim Anderson (2020-06-16). Trump's 'Caesar' Style Siege on Syria, A Sign of Impending Regional Failure. iranian.com Would be emperor Donald Trump has announced the 'Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act', to tighten the genocidal siege on the Syrian people. Without a hint of irony, this new edict imposes even more serious obstacles to the Syrian people getting access to energy, food and medicines, while claiming its purpose is to 'protect' those same …