Daily Archives: September 22, 2020

2020-09-22: News Headlines

Philip Giraldi (2020-09-22). A Peace Deal Like No Other. globalresearch.ca It is odd that the White House is gloating over its claimed peace agreement in the Middle East at the same time as one of the signatories is bombing Syria, Lebanon and Gaza. It all suggests that peace in the …

The Alternative World (2020-09-22). Apologise to Palestine: Bahrainis Express Endless Embarrassment Upon the Shameful Treacherous Accord. thealtworld.com Sondoss Al Assad- Palestine, as far as the Bahrainis are considered, is not only an Arab humanitarian issue but rather a domestic indisputable concern, whose responsibility is held by each and every one of them, from different ages, affiliation and ideologies. The steadfast and vigilant Palestinians are their brethren and their cause is their first honorable cause. | For this reason, and amid the ongoing ban on the freedom of assembly and the imposed restrictions on the freedom of expression, tens of thousands of Bahrainis have protested on Twitter against what they call "Accord of Shame," "Accord of Betrayal." T…

MEE staff (2020-09-22). Large blast hits suspected Hezbollah site in south Lebanon. middleeasteye.net Large blast hits suspected Hezbollah site in south Lebanon | A number of people were injured in the blast in Ain Qana, local residents told Lebanese media | Tue, 09/22/2020 – 13: 49 | Screengrab shows smoke rising from village in south Lebanon (Twitter) | A large explosion rocked a village in south Lebanon on Tuesday, with local media reporting that it had occured in a house belonging to Hezbollah. | A securit…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-22). Ghasemi urges France to support Iranians against US pressure. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 22 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Paris Bahram Ghasemi urged the French parliamentary members to support Iranians against US sanctions.

yenisafak (2020-09-22). US pleased with YPG/PKK-ENKS talks in Syria: KRG. yenisafak.com President of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Nechirvan Barzani, held a meeting with US special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey during which the latter stated that his country was pleased with the talks for rapprochement, the KRG said.The meeting held in KRG's capital Erbil tackled the situation of foreign forces in Syria and security developments.The two sides also discussed developments regarding the coronavirus outbreak in Syria and Iraq as well as relations between Erbil and Baghdad and the Kurdish problem in Syria, the statement said.According to the statement, Jeffrey thanked Barzani and the KRG for their…

yenisafak (2020-09-22). Powerful blast rocks southern Lebanon. yenisafak.com A big explosion rocked Lebanon's southern province of Nabatieh on Tuesday, according to the official National News Agency (NNA). | A fire broke out after the blast that occurred in the town of Ain Qana while the cause of the explosion remains unclear. | Firefighters and security forces were dispatched to the scene. | According to the Lebanese MTV channel, the explosion took place at a Hezbollah's arms depot in the area.

yenisafak (2020-09-22). Archaeologists unearth stunning mosaics in ancient church in Turkey. yenisafak.com Archeologists in southeastern Turkey initiated an excavation to unearth mosaics belonging to a 1600-year-old church.Built in 396 A.D. in Mardin's Goktas village, the church was discovered on Sept. 18, 2019 and the area was declared as an archeological site.Abdulgani Tarkan, head of the excavation and the director of Mardin Museum, told Anadolu Agency that the church is structured on a basilica plan with a mosaic base.The base was decorated with a nine-line inscription written in Estrangelo, or Ancient Syriac alphabet, Tarkan said."The mosaics are also decorated with animal depictions, geometric ornaments and huma…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-21). Russian jets strike rebel-held bastion in northwestern Syria. middleeasteye.net Russian jets strike rebel-held bastion in northwestern Syria | Witnesses say Sunday's bombings in Idlib were the most extensive since a ceasefire was agreed in March by Russia and Turkey | Mon, 09/21/2020 – 10: 39 | Smoke billows following a reported Russian air strike on the western countryside of the mostly rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib, on 20 September 2020 (AFP) | Syrian oppositi…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-21). Lebanese president warns of 'hell' if new government is not formed. middleeasteye.net Lebanese president warns of 'hell' if new government is not formed | President Michel Aoun proposed annulling sectarian quotas in main ministries in bid to form cabinet | Mon, 09/21/2020 – 18: 56 | Lebanese President Michel Aoun gives televised address a week after a deadline to name a cabinet passed (AFP) | Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Monday that the country was going "to hell"

Staff (2020-09-21). US sanctions in Syria are killing people, even if Trump never killed Assad. therealnews.com U.S. sanctions are "stopping any rebuilding of Syria" and "promoting civil wars," says Joshua Landis, a University of Oklahoma Middle East scholar. He says rather than hurting Assad, sanctions have hurt Syrian civilians.

RT (2020-09-21). US playing 'very reckless' games with Kurdish separatists in Syria, risks exploding entire Middle Eastern region — Russian FM. rt.com Washington must think beyond the upcoming US presidential vote and keep the future of the Middle East in mind when its encourages separatism in Syria's Kurdish population, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned. | After almost a decade-long bloody civil war, peace has been restored on almost all Syrian territory, Lavrov said in a lengthy and exclusive interview with the Dubai-based broadcaster Al Arabiya. "The military confrontation between the government and the opposition is over," he pointed out, adding that "only two hotbeds" now remain in the country. | The first one was northwestern Idlib pro…

Elijah Magnier (2020-09-21). Deux obstacles au succès de la France au Liban : l'Arabie saoudite et les USA. thealtworld.com Un responsable américain de la lutte antiterroriste a affirmé que le Hezbollah ´ entrepose du nitrate d'ammonium en France, en Italie, en Grèce, en Espagne et en Suisse ª. Le ministère des Affaires étrangères de la France a répondu que ces allégations étaient fausses, portant ainsi un coup direct à l'administration américaine, qui travaille de connivence avec Bruxelles pour mettre les ailes militaires et politiques du Hezbollah sur la liste des organisations terroristes de l'UE. La France possède une influence suffisante dans les couloirs de l'Union européenne et du Parlement européen pour faire obstac…

Elijah Magnier (2020-09-21). Obstacles to French success in Lebanon: Saudi Arabia and the US. thealtworld.com A US counterterrorism official has claimed that Hezbollah "is stocking ammonium nitrate in France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Switzerland". The French Foreign Ministry responded that these allegations were untrue. Consequently, it dealt a direct blow to the American administration, which is working in Brussels to place Hezbollah with its military and political wings on the EU's terrorist list. France enjoys enough influence within the corridors of the European Union and the European Parliament to stand as an impediment to the American plans. For France, it is not a matter of love or support for Hezbollah, but rathe…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-21). Iranian envoy bids farewell to Qatar officials. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 21 (MNA) — The outgoing Iranian Ambassador to Doha bid farewell to the Qatari Emir and PM on Monday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-21). The World to choose independence-based multilateralism. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 22 (MNA) — Iranian ambassador to France said that the world will choose independence-based multilateralism over unilateralism by force and coercion.

yenisafak (2020-09-21). Turkey supports rural development projects in Lebanon. yenisafak.com Turkey's state-run aid agency is continuing to support projects in Lebanon to end unemployment and poverty caused by economic crisis. | Orhan Aydin, the coordinator of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Lebanon, on Monday said they were providing training and necessary materials such as chickens, feedstuff and medicine for poultry farming to Lebanese housewives. | He said the aid was meant to improve rural development, agriculture and husbandry in the Middle Eastern country. | Aydin said local people have had an opportunity to produce and trade chickens and eggs. | At least 50 people receiv…

yenisafak (2020-09-21). 77% conflict-hit people lost income amid virus: Study. yenisafak.com The Norwegian Refugee Council's report — titled Downward Spiral: the economic impact of Covid-19 on refugees and displaced people — said a survey was conducted in Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Uganda and Venezuela and additional research in Somalia, DR Congo, Lebanon, Jordan, Burkina Faso and Yemen."The devastating economic impact is tipping many into a hunger, homelessness and education crisis," it said.According to the findings from the 1,413 people surveyed, 77% of people had lost a job or income from work since March, 70% of people had to cut the number of meals for their househ…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-20). Coronavirus: Lebanon reports record 1,006 cases in 24 hours. middleeasteye.net Coronavirus: Lebanon reports record 1,006 cases in 24 hours | Eleven deaths from Covid-19 also announced in crisis-hit country as minister calls for new two-week lockdown | Sun, 09/20/2020 – 22: 22 | A nurse tends to a patient suffering from Covid-19 in an intensive care unit at the Rafik Hariri public hospital in the Lebanese capital Beirut on 7 April 2020 (AFP) | Lebanon on Sunday said i…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-20). Maronite Christian patriarch takes swipe at Lebanon's Shia leaders over cabinet delay. middleeasteye.net Maronite Christian patriarch takes swipe at Lebanon's Shia leaders over cabinet delay | Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai blamed 'a sect' for the 'political paralysis' in forming a new government | Sun, 09/20/2020 – 12: 51 | Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda (Reuters) | The head o…

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-20). US policies against JCPOA completely failed. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 20 (MNA) — Iran's Ambassador to the UK Hamid Baeidinejad said that the US is facing unprecedented isolation and its policies against the JCPOA have completely failed.

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-20). Three new ambassadors submit credentials to Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 20 (MNA) — The new ambassadors of Iraq, Denmark, and Norway submitted copies of their credentials to the Iranian Foreign Minister on Sunday.

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-09-19). Extrajudicial Executions Portrayed as "An Instrument of Peace". Trump Wanted to "Take Out" Syria's President Assad… globalresearch.ca President Donald Trump wants to take out president Bashar Al Assad. Controversy over his statements. | "I would've rather taken him out. I had him all set"… Mattis didn't want to do it" | . | Déjà Vu: The history of extrajudicial assassinations…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-19). US army announces new deployments in Syria. middleeasteye.net US army announces new deployments in Syria | The move follows a collision between Russian and American vehicles which left seven American soldiers injured | Sat, 09/19/2020 – 10: 36 | Armoured vehicles have been sent as part of the reinforcements (AFP) | The US Army announced Friday it was stepping up its military deployment in northeastern Syria despite a push to limit its presence there,…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-19). Damascus berates Dutch legal action on human rights record. middleeasteye.net Damascus berates Dutch legal action on human rights record | The Netherlands has launched a bid through international bodies to hold the Syrian government to account for abuses | Sat, 09/19/2020 – 13: 36 | The Syrian government stands accused of committing widespread human rights abuses (AFP) | The Syrian government berated the Netherlands on Saturday for launching a new bid through intern…

Nauman Sadiq (2020-09-19). Trump Had Contemplated Ordering the Assassination of Bashar al-Assad. globalresearch.ca Donald Trump

Mehr News Agency (2020-09-19). Vienna to host 64th IAEA General Conference. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Sep. 19 (MNA) — Iran's Ambassador to Vienna-Based International Organizations said that the 64th Annual Regular Session of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference will be held in tAustrian capital Vienna on Mon. Sept. 21.

yenisafak (2020-09-19). Attack foiled as explosives-laden car found in NW Syria. yenisafak.com A potential terrorist attack was thwarted as authorities seized a vehicle rigged with explosives in northwestern Syria on Saturday.A car found in Syria's Afrin region was fitted with 75 kilograms (165 pounds) of explosives connected to mobile phones for remote detonation, according to a statement by the governor's office of Turkey's southern Hatay province.Police in Afrin received intelligence reports that a bomb-laden vehicle prepared in the Tal Rifat region, under the control of the PYD/YPG/PKK terrorist organization, was sent to the Operation Olive Branch area in Afrin for an attack on security forces or civil…

yenisafak (2020-09-19). At least nine still missing after Beirut port blast: Lebanon army. yenisafak.com The Lebanese army said on Saturday that nine people were still missing after last month's explosion at the Beirut port.A military statement said that two Syrian nationals were among those still missing after the port blast."This file will not be closed as long as investigations continue," the statement said.On Aug. 4, a huge explosion in the port of Beirut rocked the city, killing 192 people and injuring over 6,000 people.The blast caused damage estimated at $15 billion, according to official figures.The explosion occurred as Lebanon was experiencing its worst economic crisis, including a dramatic drop in the val…