29 aug 2019
Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed
Iraq has lashed out at Bahrain for backing recent Israeli attacks on Arab countries, defending sacrifices made by a pro-government military force to counter terrorists.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it “rejects and condemns” Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah’s Tweet about the Zionist enemy’s targeting of Arab territories and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi, an effective force in the Baghdad government’s anti-Daesh fight.
It also stressed that the PMU has stood by Iraqi armed forces “to defend our holy land and made great sacrifices to liberate the cities of Iraq, and to defeat Daesh terrorist gangs.”
The Israeli regime is widely known to be behind a wave of air raids on positions of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi in recent weeks. Reports say those air raids had the support of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.
In the latest such attack on the weekend, Israeli drones struck a PMU convoy near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border, killing a commander and severely wounding a fighter.
This came a day after Israel carried out strikes near the Syrian capital, Damascus, claiming that the air raids were “able to thwart an Iranian attempt ... to conduct an attack on Israeli targets ... using killer drones.”
Syria, however, said that its air defenses had managed to detect hostile targets approaching from the occupied Golan Heights towards Damascus and destroyed most of the Israeli rockets before they could reach their destinations.
Just hours later in early Sunday, two explosives-laden Israeli drones violated Lebanese airspace on a bombing mission and crashed in the stronghold the Hezbollah resistance movement in the south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. One of the drones blew up near the ground, causing some damage to Hezbollah’s media office.
The top Bahraini diplomat took to Twitter on Monday to express his support for the Israeli attacks, labeling them an act of “self-defense.”
“Iran is the one who has declared a war on us, with its [Islamic] Revolution Guards Corps, its Lebanese party, its Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, its Houthi arm in Yemen and others,” Khalifah claimed. “So one who strikes and destroys the piles of their ammunition is not to blame. That is self-defense.”
The controversial comments were the latest public show of support for Tel Aviv from Manama, which has been trying to normalize ties with the oppressive regime, in what has been viewed by Palestine and its supporters as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause against Israel’s occupation.
Back in June, Khalifah took the lid off Bahrain’s longtime secret dealings with Israel by openly saying that Manama wants “peace” and “better” relations with the occupying entity.
Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to Syria, strengthening the hand of its national army on the battlefield against the terrorists, who have the support of the US, Israel and their allies, including Persian Gulf Arab regimes.
The Syrian military has also the support of Russia and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in its counter-terrorism operations.
Tehran offered similar assistance to Iraq and set the stage for the neighboring nation to win its three-year-long campaign against Daesh, the world’s most notorious terror outfit, in late 2017.
Bahrain — a vassal state of Saudi Arabia — is party to a Riyadh-led coalition waging a bloody military campaign against Yemen with the aim of reinstalling a Saudi-friendly puppet regime.
Manama and its allies claim Iran provides arms to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which both runs Yemen and defends its nation, a claim Tehran has repeatedly rejected.
Iraq has lashed out at Bahrain for backing recent Israeli attacks on Arab countries, defending sacrifices made by a pro-government military force to counter terrorists.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it “rejects and condemns” Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifah’s Tweet about the Zionist enemy’s targeting of Arab territories and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi, an effective force in the Baghdad government’s anti-Daesh fight.
It also stressed that the PMU has stood by Iraqi armed forces “to defend our holy land and made great sacrifices to liberate the cities of Iraq, and to defeat Daesh terrorist gangs.”
The Israeli regime is widely known to be behind a wave of air raids on positions of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi in recent weeks. Reports say those air raids had the support of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in the northern parts of neighboring Syria.
In the latest such attack on the weekend, Israeli drones struck a PMU convoy near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border, killing a commander and severely wounding a fighter.
This came a day after Israel carried out strikes near the Syrian capital, Damascus, claiming that the air raids were “able to thwart an Iranian attempt ... to conduct an attack on Israeli targets ... using killer drones.”
Syria, however, said that its air defenses had managed to detect hostile targets approaching from the occupied Golan Heights towards Damascus and destroyed most of the Israeli rockets before they could reach their destinations.
Just hours later in early Sunday, two explosives-laden Israeli drones violated Lebanese airspace on a bombing mission and crashed in the stronghold the Hezbollah resistance movement in the south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. One of the drones blew up near the ground, causing some damage to Hezbollah’s media office.
The top Bahraini diplomat took to Twitter on Monday to express his support for the Israeli attacks, labeling them an act of “self-defense.”
“Iran is the one who has declared a war on us, with its [Islamic] Revolution Guards Corps, its Lebanese party, its Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, its Houthi arm in Yemen and others,” Khalifah claimed. “So one who strikes and destroys the piles of their ammunition is not to blame. That is self-defense.”
The controversial comments were the latest public show of support for Tel Aviv from Manama, which has been trying to normalize ties with the oppressive regime, in what has been viewed by Palestine and its supporters as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause against Israel’s occupation.
Back in June, Khalifah took the lid off Bahrain’s longtime secret dealings with Israel by openly saying that Manama wants “peace” and “better” relations with the occupying entity.
Iran has been providing military advisory assistance to Syria, strengthening the hand of its national army on the battlefield against the terrorists, who have the support of the US, Israel and their allies, including Persian Gulf Arab regimes.
The Syrian military has also the support of Russia and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in its counter-terrorism operations.
Tehran offered similar assistance to Iraq and set the stage for the neighboring nation to win its three-year-long campaign against Daesh, the world’s most notorious terror outfit, in late 2017.
Bahrain — a vassal state of Saudi Arabia — is party to a Riyadh-led coalition waging a bloody military campaign against Yemen with the aim of reinstalling a Saudi-friendly puppet regime.
Manama and its allies claim Iran provides arms to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which both runs Yemen and defends its nation, a claim Tehran has repeatedly rejected.
28 aug 2019
Members of the pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi carry the coffin of their comrade Kazem Mohsen, known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali al-Dabi, during his funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, August 26, 2019
A senior Iraqi official says the recent Israeli drone attacks targeting a pro-government military force in the Arab country had the backing of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in neighboring Syria.
The official, who has knowledge of the latest intelligence briefing from Baghdad’s security services, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Tuesday that the attacks were conducted from bases belonging to the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed anti-Damascus alliance of mainly Kurdish militants.
“The drone attacks were launched from SDF areas with the financing and backing of the Saudis,” said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
The latest such drone attacks struck Sunday a convoy of Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border.
It killed Kazem Mohsen, 45th PMU Brigade logistical support chief who was also known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali al-Dabi, and severely wounded another fighter.
The PMU said the United States was providing air support to Israel for the strikes.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iraqi source said the plan to target the PMU was hatched during a visit by Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan to the SDF-held Syrian area in June.
Sabhan, he added, offered funds to the SDF in return for their base being used as a launchpad for the strikes.
The Iraqi official also stressed that northern Syria was used to launch the attacks as Israeli drones do not have the range needed to hit targets in Iraq from the occupied territories.
“Israeli personnel were operating the drones from SDF-controlled bases,” he said.
He further noted that the Iraqis were initially skeptical of Tel Aviv's role in the attacks because of doubts about the capability of Israeli drones to reach Iraq.
The Israeli attacks began on July 19 when a drone dropped explosives onto a PMU base near the town of Amerli, in Salahuddin Province, killing at least one resistance fighter and injuring four others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Thursday at possible Israeli strikes in Iraq.
A senior Iraqi official says the recent Israeli drone attacks targeting a pro-government military force in the Arab country had the backing of the Saudi regime and were launched from the areas controlled by US-backed Kurdish militants in neighboring Syria.
The official, who has knowledge of the latest intelligence briefing from Baghdad’s security services, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Tuesday that the attacks were conducted from bases belonging to the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed anti-Damascus alliance of mainly Kurdish militants.
“The drone attacks were launched from SDF areas with the financing and backing of the Saudis,” said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.
The latest such drone attacks struck Sunday a convoy of Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) or Hashd al-Sha’abi near the Iraqi town of al-Qa’im close to the Syrian border.
It killed Kazem Mohsen, 45th PMU Brigade logistical support chief who was also known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali al-Dabi, and severely wounded another fighter.
The PMU said the United States was providing air support to Israel for the strikes.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iraqi source said the plan to target the PMU was hatched during a visit by Saudi Arabia’s Persian Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan to the SDF-held Syrian area in June.
Sabhan, he added, offered funds to the SDF in return for their base being used as a launchpad for the strikes.
The Iraqi official also stressed that northern Syria was used to launch the attacks as Israeli drones do not have the range needed to hit targets in Iraq from the occupied territories.
“Israeli personnel were operating the drones from SDF-controlled bases,” he said.
He further noted that the Iraqis were initially skeptical of Tel Aviv's role in the attacks because of doubts about the capability of Israeli drones to reach Iraq.
The Israeli attacks began on July 19 when a drone dropped explosives onto a PMU base near the town of Amerli, in Salahuddin Province, killing at least one resistance fighter and injuring four others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted on Thursday at possible Israeli strikes in Iraq.
11 aug 2019
In his annual Hajj message, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on Muslim nations to unite against the so-called “deal of the century”
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the "deal of the century" which is to be unveiled by the US is a crime against humanity, urging "everyone" to help defeat it.
"The ploy of the 'deal of the century' which is being plotted by the oppressive America and its treasonous cohorts is a crime against human society, and not just the Palestinian nation," the Leader said Saturday in his annual Hajj message.
"We are inviting everyone to actively participate in defeating the enemy's ploy and deception and believe that with the power and strength from God, this and all other ploys of the imperialist front is doomed to failure vis-a-vis the efforts and faith of the resistance front," he added.
The "deal of the century", a backchannel plan to allegedly reach a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, is reported to recognize Israeli occupation of Palestine in exchange for economic incentives. The plan has widely been rejected by the Palestinians.
Ayatollah Khamenei described Palestine as one of the most important issues of the Muslim world regardless of their sect, race, and language.
“The greatest injustice of the recent centuries has happened in Palestine. In this painful drama, all that a nation had—their land, homes, farms, belongings, dignity, and identity— has been confiscated," the Leader said.
“This nation, with God’s assistance, has not surrendered to defeat and has not given up and today, they are fighting evermore passionately and braver than yesterday, but the ultimate outcome requires assistance from all Muslims.”
Ayatollah Khamenei's message came as millions of Muslims poured onto the plain southeast of the holy city of Mecca to mark the Day of Arafat on the second day of the annual Hajj congregation.
The Leader said the pilgrimage presents an opportunity for oppressed Muslim nations to “spread awareness” and denounce oppression and the rule of “arrogant world powers”.
Every year, the Leader issues a message on the occasion, giving guidelines on the need to uphold the rite of Bara'ah or the "disavowal of the infidels" and unite Muslims around the key messages of Islam.
"The ritual of Bara’ah which means shunning all forms of cruelty, oppression, vulgarity and corruption of the tyrants of the time, and rising against bullying and extortion of the haughty of the eras, is one of the great advantages of Hajj, and an opportunity for the oppressed Muslim nations," the Leader said.
"Today, renouncing the front of shirk [polytheism] and kufr [disbelief] of the arrogant powers headed by America means rejecting the killing of the oppressed, and waging wars.
"It means condemning the centers of terrorism such as Daesh and the American Blackwater. It means the Islamic Ummah’s shouts at the infanticidal Zionist regime and its backers and sponsors," the Leader said.
The ritual of Bara'ah, Ayatollah Khamenei further said, is an opportunity to "condemn the warmongering of America and its associates in the sensitive West Asian and North African region where they have brought the pain and suffering of the nations to the breaking point and yet they bring grave tragedies on them each and every day".
"It means shunning racism, and discrimination based on geography, race, and color of skin. It means repudiating the arrogant and vicious behavior of aggressive and seditious powers vis-a-vis the dignified, noble and just behavior which Islam invites everyone to embrace."
Ayatollah Khamenei described the Hajj as a “model” demonstrating Islamic principles and uniting all Muslims together in worship of God.
Each and every able-bodied Muslim, male or female, is required to complete the religious trip to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they also have the sufficient financial capacity to do so.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the "deal of the century" which is to be unveiled by the US is a crime against humanity, urging "everyone" to help defeat it.
"The ploy of the 'deal of the century' which is being plotted by the oppressive America and its treasonous cohorts is a crime against human society, and not just the Palestinian nation," the Leader said Saturday in his annual Hajj message.
"We are inviting everyone to actively participate in defeating the enemy's ploy and deception and believe that with the power and strength from God, this and all other ploys of the imperialist front is doomed to failure vis-a-vis the efforts and faith of the resistance front," he added.
The "deal of the century", a backchannel plan to allegedly reach a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, is reported to recognize Israeli occupation of Palestine in exchange for economic incentives. The plan has widely been rejected by the Palestinians.
Ayatollah Khamenei described Palestine as one of the most important issues of the Muslim world regardless of their sect, race, and language.
“The greatest injustice of the recent centuries has happened in Palestine. In this painful drama, all that a nation had—their land, homes, farms, belongings, dignity, and identity— has been confiscated," the Leader said.
“This nation, with God’s assistance, has not surrendered to defeat and has not given up and today, they are fighting evermore passionately and braver than yesterday, but the ultimate outcome requires assistance from all Muslims.”
Ayatollah Khamenei's message came as millions of Muslims poured onto the plain southeast of the holy city of Mecca to mark the Day of Arafat on the second day of the annual Hajj congregation.
The Leader said the pilgrimage presents an opportunity for oppressed Muslim nations to “spread awareness” and denounce oppression and the rule of “arrogant world powers”.
Every year, the Leader issues a message on the occasion, giving guidelines on the need to uphold the rite of Bara'ah or the "disavowal of the infidels" and unite Muslims around the key messages of Islam.
"The ritual of Bara’ah which means shunning all forms of cruelty, oppression, vulgarity and corruption of the tyrants of the time, and rising against bullying and extortion of the haughty of the eras, is one of the great advantages of Hajj, and an opportunity for the oppressed Muslim nations," the Leader said.
"Today, renouncing the front of shirk [polytheism] and kufr [disbelief] of the arrogant powers headed by America means rejecting the killing of the oppressed, and waging wars.
"It means condemning the centers of terrorism such as Daesh and the American Blackwater. It means the Islamic Ummah’s shouts at the infanticidal Zionist regime and its backers and sponsors," the Leader said.
The ritual of Bara'ah, Ayatollah Khamenei further said, is an opportunity to "condemn the warmongering of America and its associates in the sensitive West Asian and North African region where they have brought the pain and suffering of the nations to the breaking point and yet they bring grave tragedies on them each and every day".
"It means shunning racism, and discrimination based on geography, race, and color of skin. It means repudiating the arrogant and vicious behavior of aggressive and seditious powers vis-a-vis the dignified, noble and just behavior which Islam invites everyone to embrace."
Ayatollah Khamenei described the Hajj as a “model” demonstrating Islamic principles and uniting all Muslims together in worship of God.
Each and every able-bodied Muslim, male or female, is required to complete the religious trip to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they also have the sufficient financial capacity to do so.
10 aug 2019
The failure of the Saudi war on Yemen will have grave consequences for Israel as Tel Aviv fears that Washington’s bid to isolate Tehran is unwinding, according to a report published by Israel’s leading daily Haaretz.
“Oil sites in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have been attacked by drones and Saudi airports have been targeted by Scud missiles… The apparent outcome is that the Emirates has abandoned the war in Yemen, the Saudi effort has failed,” wrote Haaretz on Friday.
“Without military support from the Emirates, it seems that the Saudi ambition to defeat Houthi rebels will fail conclusively,” it said, adding that amid a Washington and Tel Aviv-led bid to isolate Tehran and its allies in the region, “this is not good news”.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies, namely the United Arab Emirates, launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of Saudi-allied former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
Resistance by Yemen’s armed forces, led by Ansarullah, has, however, pushed the Saudi war to a stalemate, with Yemeni forces deploying increasingly sophisticated retaliatory attacks against the Saudis.
The stepped-up Yemeni retaliatory strikes come as the UAE has announced the gradual withdrawal of its troops from the conflict, largely because Abu Dhabi believes the war appears to have become "unwinnable", according to US reports.
Saudi Arabia relied greatly on the Emirati forces in advancing its war in Yemen, with observers believing that a Saudi-led tribal alliance may eventually disintegrate with factional infighting due to a lack of Emirati oversight.
Clashes between Emirati-backed separatists and Saudi-backed militia were reported earlier this week.
‘Bad news for Israel’
According to Haaretz’s Friday article, the defeat of the Saudi war effort will enable Houthis, which have adamantly voiced their opposition against the Israeli occupation, to facilitate arms exports to Palestinian resistance groups and restrict Israeli presence in the strategic Bab al Mandeb Strait.
The article, however, pointed that the gravest outcome of a Yemeni victory would be the gradual unraveling of what was meant to be a firm regional anti-Iran alliance.
UAE's withdrawal from the Saudi war effort and recent negotiations with Iranian officials indicated that Persian Gulf states are open “to reconsider their policy with respect to Iran” as Tehran and its allies stand firm against Washington, it said.
“This is bad news for the anti-Iranian alliance and possibly indicates a trend that should concern the American president and his close friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," wrote Haaretz.
The paper added that doubt regarding the success of the US administration’s regional policy was growing, with pessimism "trickling into” Tel Aviv despite nothing being “said of it in public”.
The war on Yemen and an ensuing blockade has taken a heavy toll on the infrastructure on the impoverished Arab country, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories and killing more than an estimated 60,000 Yemenis.
On Friday, thousands of Yemenis converged outside Sana’a International Airport in the capital to protest the US-backed blockade.
“Oil sites in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have been attacked by drones and Saudi airports have been targeted by Scud missiles… The apparent outcome is that the Emirates has abandoned the war in Yemen, the Saudi effort has failed,” wrote Haaretz on Friday.
“Without military support from the Emirates, it seems that the Saudi ambition to defeat Houthi rebels will fail conclusively,” it said, adding that amid a Washington and Tel Aviv-led bid to isolate Tehran and its allies in the region, “this is not good news”.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies, namely the United Arab Emirates, launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of Saudi-allied former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
Resistance by Yemen’s armed forces, led by Ansarullah, has, however, pushed the Saudi war to a stalemate, with Yemeni forces deploying increasingly sophisticated retaliatory attacks against the Saudis.
The stepped-up Yemeni retaliatory strikes come as the UAE has announced the gradual withdrawal of its troops from the conflict, largely because Abu Dhabi believes the war appears to have become "unwinnable", according to US reports.
Saudi Arabia relied greatly on the Emirati forces in advancing its war in Yemen, with observers believing that a Saudi-led tribal alliance may eventually disintegrate with factional infighting due to a lack of Emirati oversight.
Clashes between Emirati-backed separatists and Saudi-backed militia were reported earlier this week.
‘Bad news for Israel’
According to Haaretz’s Friday article, the defeat of the Saudi war effort will enable Houthis, which have adamantly voiced their opposition against the Israeli occupation, to facilitate arms exports to Palestinian resistance groups and restrict Israeli presence in the strategic Bab al Mandeb Strait.
The article, however, pointed that the gravest outcome of a Yemeni victory would be the gradual unraveling of what was meant to be a firm regional anti-Iran alliance.
UAE's withdrawal from the Saudi war effort and recent negotiations with Iranian officials indicated that Persian Gulf states are open “to reconsider their policy with respect to Iran” as Tehran and its allies stand firm against Washington, it said.
“This is bad news for the anti-Iranian alliance and possibly indicates a trend that should concern the American president and his close friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," wrote Haaretz.
The paper added that doubt regarding the success of the US administration’s regional policy was growing, with pessimism "trickling into” Tel Aviv despite nothing being “said of it in public”.
The war on Yemen and an ensuing blockade has taken a heavy toll on the infrastructure on the impoverished Arab country, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories and killing more than an estimated 60,000 Yemenis.
On Friday, thousands of Yemenis converged outside Sana’a International Airport in the capital to protest the US-backed blockade.