(2021-04-18). How to Make a Gulf Monarchy All-American. tomdispatch.com Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S., was on the hot seat. In early March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, oil prices collapsed and a price war broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia, leaving American oil and gas companies feeling the pain. As oil prices plummeted, Republican senators from oil-producing states turned their ire directly on Saudi Arabia. Forget that civil war in Yemen — what about fossil-fuel profits here at home? To address their concerns, Ambassador Bandar Al-Saud agreed to speak with a group of them in a March 18th conference call [mda…
(2021-04-18). At UN, Aaron Maté debunks OPCW's Syria lies and confronts US, UK on cover-up. thegrayzone.com In remarks to the UN Security Council, Aaron Maté of The Grayzone debunks the OPCW's lies about its Syria cover-up scandal and challenges the US and UK on their role. Speaking to the United Nations Security Council, Aaron Maté of The Grayzone takes apart the OPCW's excuses for refusing to address the organization's Syria cover-up scandal. OPCW inspectors found no evidence to support allegations of a Syrian government chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma in April 2018. But …
(2021-04-18). Russian Warplanes Rain Hell On ISIS Terrorists In Central Syria. southfront.org 
FILE PHOTO: Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft before departing for its permanent base in Russia from Khmeimim Air Base in Syria. © Vadim Grishankin / Sputnik | On April 18, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carried out a series of airstrikes on ISIS cells in the central region of Syria. | According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 70 airstrikes hit the central region. The airstrikes targeted the following areas: | The eastern countryside of Hama; | The outskirts of the town of Re…
(2021-04-18). Leaked Documents Revealed 11,000 Syrian Mercenaries Are Still Roaming In Libya. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | More than 11,000 Turkish-backed Syrian militants are still present in Libya despite the recent political settlement in the country, according to leaked official documents released by the Sky News Arabia on April 17. | According to the documents, a total of 11,609 Syrian militants are now in Libya. The number is double that provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). | So far, Turkey has withdrawn only 1,226 out of 12,835 militants of the so-called Syrian National Army from Libya.
(2021-04-18). HTS Militants Entered Town In Turkish-occupied Afrin To Open Smuggling Route With SDF. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | On April 18, four units of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de-facto ruler of the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, entered the town of Bosoufane in the Turkish-occupied area of Afrin. | HTS units were on a mission to establish positions in the town, which is located on the frontline with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Kurdish forces in northern Aleppo. | The attempt to occupy the town was met w…
(2021-04-18). Lebanon's energy minister blames fuel shortages on smuggling to Syria. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon's energy minister blames fuel shortages on smuggling to Syria | Raymond Ghajar says smugglers are selling subsidised Lebanese fuel in Syria at triple the price | Sun, 04/18/2021 – 11: 01 | Many Syrians prefer to buy smuggled Lebanese fuel, at a mark-up of up to $25 per tank, instead of sometimes waiting for upwards of six hours for minimal fuel through official channels (AFP) | Soa…
(2021-04-18). Syria Kurds hand over 34 orphans of Islamic State families to Russia. middleeasteye.net 
Syria Kurds hand over 34 orphans of Islamic State families to Russia | The children to be repatriated, aged between three and 14, were handed over to a delegation headed by the Russian president's envoy for children's rights | Sun, 04/18/2021 – 17: 31 | A soldier from the Syrian Democratic Forces stands guard at the al-Hol camp, a Kurdish-run displacement camp for relatives of IS jihadists…
(2021-04-18). Syrian presidential elections slated for next month slammed as 'farce'. middleeasteye.net 
Syrian presidential elections slated for next month slammed as 'farce' | Western powers call for a boycott of the 26 May poll which comes amid a crushing economic crisis | Sun, 04/18/2021 – 13: 58 | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's opponents say the election will not be fair (AFP) | A presidential election announced by Syria on Sunday for next month has been dismissed as a "theatrical fa…
(2021-04-18). A Demonstrator's Guide To Understanding Riot Munitions. popularresistance.org This article offers an overview of less-lethal projectiles—both chemical weapons and impact munitions. The police themselves don't bother distinguishing the two. We'll cover chemical weapons like tear gas and pepper spray. We'll cover impact weapons like baton rounds, rubber bullets, and pepper-balls. We'll cover the systems police use to apply these weapons, including air guns, sprays, grenades, grenade launchers, and shotguns. We'll cover the ways that police mark people for arrest—and the ways they probably don't. Other articles in this series discuss batons and other police weaponry. One of the mo…
(2021-04-18). Syria condemns U.S. and NATO military drive to Russia's border as threat to world peace. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Syrian Arab News AgencyApril 18, 2021 Syria condemns Washington and NATO step of dispatching troops towards Russian border as serious threat to international peace and securityEdited by RR Syria demands U.S. compensate it for seven years of war and plundering A decade later: U.S., Turkey renew, intensify war in Syria Damascus — Syria has condemned the U.S.'s …
(2021-04-18). The US Did Not Bring Peace, Democracy, or Freedom to Afghanistan. commondreams.org Twenty years of war and U.S. interference have brought no long-term, positive gains in Afghanistan. War is not the answer—not in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria. Peace must be our demand. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/troops_1.jpg …
(2021-04-18). Syrian Refugees In Germany Want Citizenship And Political Representation — Analysis. eurasiareview.com Even though Syrian refugees have been integrated relatively faster in Germany, social integration continues to be a challenge in the labour market.: | By Anchal Vohra* | Tareq Alaows, a Syrian who studied law and international affairs in Damascus, ended up as a refugee in Germany. Along with hundreds of thousands of others, Alaows protested against the Syrian government and called for an end to political repression, better education, and economic opportunities. But along with 5.5 million compatriots, he had to flee his home country. | Like the million-plus Syrian refugees in Europe, Alaows had hoped fo…
(2021-04-18). Iran, Russia, Syria set up operational room to help Damascus. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 18 (MNA) — An operation room has been set up between Iran, Russia and Syria to provide lasting security for Iranian and Russian ships in the Mediterranean to deliver oil and food to Syria.
(2021-04-18). Syria condemns US, NATO dispatching troops to Russian border. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 18 (MNA) — Syria condemned the US and NATO step of dispatching more military forces towards Russian borders which would pose a threat to international peace and security.
(2021-04-17). ISIS Claims Its Cells Foiled Aerial Landing, Killed Two Russian Soldiers In Central Syria. southfront.org 
Illustrative image | On April 17, ISIS claimed that its fighters had killed two Russian special forces operatives during clashes in Syria's central region. | In a statement released by the Amaq news agency, the group claimed that two operatives were killed during a failed air landing in the outskirts of the town of al-Sukhnah in the eastern countryside of Homs. | The operatives' unit landed from a helicopter and engaged in a heated battle with a group of ISIS terrorists who were at…
(2021-04-17). Russian Navy To Guard Iranian Oil Supplies To Syria Under Strategic Agreement — Report. southfront.org 
A Russian Navy assault team from the Russian Federation ship Severromorsk land by helicopter on the deck of the Italian Ship San Marco, the NATO flag ship to Operation Ocean Shield, during a NATO-Russia counter piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden. | Russia, Iran and Syria have established a joint operation room that would work to guarantee the security and stability of oil and wheat supplies to Syrian ports through the Mediterranean Sea, Sputnik reported on April 17. | According to the agency, a series of intensive meetings be…
(2021-04-17). Military Situation In Syria On April 17, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On April 16, Russia reported that Idlib militants violated the ceasefire regime in Greater Idlib 27 times: 5 — in Idlib province, 11 — in Latakia province, 9 — in Hama province, 2 in Aleppo province | On April 16, artillery of Turkish-backed forces shelled SDF positions near Ain Issa | On April 16, Russian warplanes targeted ISIS positions in the Bushri mountain more that 30 times | On April 16, 2 SAA members were killed by an IED blast in Um Batnah are…
(2021-04-17). In Video: Russian Forces Used Dozens of Lancet Drones Against Militants In Syria. southfront.org 
Lancet-3, screen grab from Russia-24 report. | Russian forces have used dozens of
(2021-04-17). West cited 'fake news' to justify bombing Syria, MEP tells RT after confronting 'compromised' OPCW chief over Douma report. rt.com 
MEP Mick Wallace has made no apologies for grilling OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias during a parliamentary session, telling RT that Arias seemed to be using the organization to back the West's interventionist agenda in Syria. | Arias addressed the European Parliament Subcommittee of Security and Defence on Thursday, an occasion that Wallace used to put some tough questions to the chief of the UN chemical weapons watchdog. | The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has repeatedly suggested that President Bashar Assad has deployed chemical weapons on his own people, allegations that have bee…