(2021-10-18). Bellingcat Funded by US and UK Intelligence Contractors that Aided Extremists in Syria. orinocotribune.com 
By Kit Klarenberg — Oct 9, 2021 | Supposedly "independent" website Bellingcat raked in money from scandal-ridden Western intelligence firms that wreaked havoc — and reaped massive profits — in Syria. | Since its launch in July 2014, the self-styled open-source investigations website Bellingcat has cemented itself as a darling of mainstream Western media, with its dives into alleged Syrian government
(2021-10-18). Lebanon: Nasrallah says Hezbollah 'never been stronger'. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon: Nasrallah says Hezbollah 'never been stronger' | Hezbollah chief says group has 100,000 fighters and blames last week's killing of seven people on the Lebanese Forces party | Mon, 10/18/2021 – 21: 05 | Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah delivers a televised speech from an undisclosed location on 18 October 2021 (AFP) | Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday that the group has n…
(2021-10-18). Military Situation In Syria On October 18, 2021 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On October 17, clashes between YPG and Turkish-backed forces were reported south of Azaz | Five SDF members were killed by Turkey in the Operation Peace Spring area in northern Syria, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense | On October 17, SAA entered the towns of Al-Ghariya Al-Sharqiya, Al-Ghariya Al-Gharbiya and Khirbet Ghazalah in accordance to the reconciliation agreements with rebels | On October 17, US Army carried out a military patrol near Tal Tamar…
(2021-10-18). Syria war: UN-backed negotiations on Syrian constitution begin in Geneva. middleeasteye.net 
Syria war: UN-backed negotiations on Syrian constitution begin in Geneva | Representatives of the Syrian government, opposition and civil society begin talks to rewrite constitution | Mon, 10/18/2021 – 13: 01 | Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, attending the fifth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee session on 29 January 2021 at the UN offices in Geneva, Switzerland (…
(2021-10-18). Syrian Army Launched Combing Operation In Al-Karak, In Eastern Daraa (Photos). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | The Russian-sponsored reconciliation process is spreading in the eastern countryside of Syria's Daraa province. On October 18th, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has launched a combing operation in another village in the region. | In early hours, the SAA units started combing the village of al-Karak and its outskirts within the settlement agreement reached between the Syrian government and local rebels."The army units on Monday morning started the combing and search operations in al-Karak village and its environs in a step paving the way for the return of the service institutions to pract…
(2021-10-18). Ambassador: NATO heavyweights Turkey, U.S. need to coordinate management of Greater Eurasia. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Time for Turkish-US rapprochement, says envoy The transatlantic alliance is being tested with recent developments in the Middle East, North Africa, Black Sea basin, and Asia, and it is time for rapprochement between Turkey and U.S., according to Turkey's ambassador to Washington [Hasan Murat Mercan]. "…transitioning transatlantic security priorities to an era of great power …
(2021-10-17). Ambassador Alex Saab Kidnapping Consummated, Iván Duque Lectured by Delcy Rodríguez and Mexico Talks Suspended. orinocotribune.com 
Caracas, October 16, 2021 ( Alex Saab was taken away on board a US plane from Cape Verde's Sal Island to Florida, an action that was not notified to the diplomat's defense. According AP "journalist" Joshua Goodman, the Venezuelan diplomat was forced to board a small Gulfstream jet belongin…
(2021-10-17). An American Ploy to Pump Stolen Palestinian Gas Into Lebanese Homes? orinocotribune.com By Firas Al-Shoufi — Oct 13 2021 | The American offer to supply Lebanon's energy needs via an Arab Pipeline through Egypt, Jordan and Syria has one glaring downside. It will likely be Israeli gas lighting up Lebanon's grids. | Two questions need to be answered to understand America's paradoxical behavior towards Syria and Lebanon in recent weeks. Years of US-sponsored asymmetrical warfare have kept these nations in states of chaos and war, but now, quite inexplicably, Washington appears eager to secure vital energy resources for the two states — both still under crippling US sieges — by importing…
(2021-10-17). Lebanon: Army to investigate soldier who appeared in video shooting protesters. middleeasteye.net 
Lebanon: Army to investigate soldier who appeared in video shooting protesters | Three days after the clashes, it remains unclear who shot the first bullet in the violence that killed seven people and wounded dozens in the capital Beirut | Sun, 10/17/2021 – 13: 04 | Mourners attend the funeral of some of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement members who were killed during clashes in Beirut a day ea…
(2021-10-17). Cochairman Of Reconciliation Committee In Syria's Al-Quneitra Survives Assassination Attempt (Photos). southfront.org 
Abdullah al-Sharida standing next to his destroyed SUV after the failed assassination attempt. Via Facebook. | On October 17, Abdullah al-Sharida, cochairman of the Reconciliation Committee in the southern Syrian governorate of al-Quneitra, survived an assassination attempt in his hometown al-Kusajba. | Upon inspecting his SUV before leaving his house in the morning, al-Shariday found a magnetic improvised explosive device that was planted right under the driver seat. He quickly informed the authorities. | Exp…
(2021-10-17). Syrian Army Deploys Reinforcements In Northern Aleppo Amid Reports Of Near Turkish Attack (Photos). southfront.org 
File image. | The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has deployed reinforcements along the frontlines with Turkish forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo. | The army's reinforcements were reportedly deployed in several positions between the towns of Tell Rifaat and Manbij, which are both held by Kurdish forces. | In a report released on October 16,
(2021-10-17). Iranian-Backed Forces Are Setting Up Weapons Workshops In Syria's Raqqa — Report. southfront.org 
Illustrative image. | The Iranian-backed Iraqi group Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba is building a number of weapons workshops in the eastern countryside of Syria's Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on October 16. | According to the London-based monitoring group, the workshops are being built in several farms located around the town of Madan. | The workshops will reportedly manufacture mortar rounds, rocket launch rails and bullets of different calibers for Iranian-backed forces. | Harakat Hezbolla…
(2021-10-17). Russian Duma chairman calls for revoking Nobel Peace Prize for war criminals. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com The Duma chairman only blames Obama for the so-called Arab Spring (then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Arab Awakening) and neglects to mention his over-seven-month war against Libya, bombings and drone attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, and the coup and still ongoing war in Ukraine. For example…. ==== TASSOctober 17, 2021 …
(2021-10-17). Washington or Moscow: Decision-Time for Erdogan in Northern Syria. strategic-culture.org Continued US support for Kurdish militants is taking its toll on US-Turkish relations. Turkey's President Erdogan may finally have to choose between an American or Russian direction for his country. | By Tulin DALOGLU | In his 7 October statement renewing US national emergency powers in Syria, US President Joe Biden said: "The situation in and in relation to Syria, and in particular the actions by the Government of Turkey to conduct a military offensive into northeast Syria, undermines the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, endangers civilians, and further threatens to undermine the…
(2021-10-17). Nicaragua Calls on US Ambassador to Cease Covert Attacks. libya360.wordpress.com Kawsachun News The United States Ambassador to Nicaragua is being told to cease covert attacks and continued interference in Nicaragua with just weeks remaining before the country's general election. A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua, dated Monday, October 11, denounces "continuing interference in the affairs of our country, on the…