We must never forgive or forget the Satanic evil done by the US regime in the Middle East
It would be a sin to forget or forgive the US regime for the horrors suffered by thousands of innocent people in the Middle East. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. Isaiah 5:20
Our thanks to our friend Joelle for this article tip:
Translation from French with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
https://www.legrandsoir.info/syrie-avec-les-alaouites-de-lattaquie.html
August 3, 2025
Syria: With the Alawites of Latakia.
Report (+ photos) on the Syrian coast with the Alawite community, targeted by the Islamists in power.
Every morning, she places thyme and olive oil on the table. A few thin flatbreads (lavash) on which a hard-boiled egg is crushed before hummus is spread. Then she lights her cigarette, the first of the day (and the first of many). For five days now, Hala [1] has welcomed me into her home, here in the Al Thawrah neighborhood of the city of Latakia, on the Syrian coast. "Above all, don't say you're a journalist. I'll introduce you as a family friend," she wrote to me on WhatsApp a few days before my arrival. Later, of course, she added: "You'll delete all messages."
Hala is an Alawite. Retired, she lives with her two 26-year-old twin nephews (a boy and a girl). She's so cautious because, like the rest of the country, her daily life has been turned upside down by the fall of the Syrian Arab Republic and the sudden departure of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024. Power is now in the hands of the Islamists of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC) [translation: Levant liberation organization] organization, which brings together several small jihadist groups. Among the big losers are all the non-Sunni communities: Christians, Kurds, Shiites, Druze, and, of course, Alawites. “Before, we had no problems among ourselves. I have friends from all communities,” Hala explains. "For us, what matters is the person, not their religion, but today we Alawites are accused of all the crimes of the former government. I had Sunni friends who now no longer speak to me." [President Assad undertook to unite all Muslim and Christian groups, unlike US/Israel-backed groups, which were focused on the goal of “divide and conquer.” In a nutshell, the West is focused on stirring up turmoil while states opposed to the US seek harmony. The BRICS is a perfect example of this. Assad, for his part, was in the habit of visiting mosques of the different Muslim confessions on Fridays and churches of different confessions, both Catholic and Protestant, on Sundays. The result was remarkable harmony among the religious groups. The US and Israel spoiled all that by supporting former Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Al Julani – birth name Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in his coup to oust Assad and replace him with a sectarian terror regime – which was, unsurprisingly, recognized and supported by the US and Israel, both of which denied the existence of the terror, which killed thousands and is ongoing – just as the US-Israel mafia denies the genocide in Gaza.]
Alawites are usually associated with Shiism. Although they are Muslims and refer to the Quran, they practice their religion differently from Sunnis. They have no dress code, and they do not go to Mecca or the mosque. For radical Islamists, they are heretics who must be killed. Added to this is the persistent rumor of a community that benefited from the largesse of the former regime—Bashar al-Assad being an Alawite—which is contradicted by serious analyses of the religious composition of the Baath Party and the former Syrian administration [2].
Mustafa [3] is a neighbor of Hala. He too is Alawite (like almost all the neighborhood's residents). A former philosophy professor, the man introduces himself as a former communist activist. “Not a believer,” he adds. He has a debonair air and a gentle gaze. Married to a Sunni woman, Mustafa recalls the difficulties this entailed for their respective families at the time. “It was never accepted by anyone.” For him, these stories of religious clashes are madness. "Before, under Assad, you couldn't speak ill of the president without risking trouble, but at least you knew what to do to avoid it. Today, they can come and kill me just because I'm an Alawite; it's absurd." [The US regime has never had any problem dealing with immoral “allies” like this.]
Propelled to the presidency of Syria in December 2024, Ahmed Al-Sharaa has traded in his fatigues and turban from his days as an Al-Nusra fighter for the suit and tie of a contemporary statesman. A former terrorist wanted by the United States, he is now presented as a "moderate" and conciliatory leader. He was even invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to Paris for an official visit on May 7, 2025. The economic sanctions weighing on the former regime have been lifted to facilitate the recovery of this new ally. Domestically, despite statements intended to be reassuring, the new Syrian leader was unable (or unwilling) to curb the warlike dynamics of the Islamist groups still in arms. During the month of March 2025, for about ten days, several massacres affected the Alawite community. Under the pretext of a fight against armed groups affiliated with the former government, several HTC brigades swept down the coast and into the surrounding villages. “They killed people on our street too,” Hala recounts. "It started in the morning. We heard screams and gunshots. And there, in this building behind our house, they killed a man, our neighbor. They left his body on the street for several hours, for everyone to see."
In Hala's building, there is also Ali [4], a man in his sixties, also retired. Ali spends all day looking after his granddaughter and his vegetable garden on the roof of the building. In reality, Ali hardly ever leaves his house. He is a former officer in the Syrian navy. Since the fall of the government, he no longer receives his pension and obviously cannot claim it without risking being killed. I ask him to show me evidence of his past as a soldier, but he claims to have thrown everything away or burned it, just to be safe. He speaks broken English and smiles tenderly when he answers my questions, which contrasts with the harshness of his testimony. When I ask him his opinion on Assad's sudden fall, he says: "I don't know exactly what happened; I'd already been retired since 2020. But I was told that when the offensive began, from Idlib, the soldiers received an order. They were told to lay down their weapons and stay home, not to fight. Who gave that order? I don't know." This hypothesis, of a mysterious order interrupting a possible defense by the Syrian army, comes up several times during my stay. It's information that's impossible to verify.
One morning, Hala informs me that a family who was a victim of the March killings will be coming to the apartment to speak with me. "A friend has gone to pick them up by car; for security reasons, it's better this way than taking you there." After a few minutes, three people dressed all in black arrive at my host's house. They are an elderly couple and a young woman. They come from the village of Al-Mukhtaria, north of Latakia, where many people were killed during the anti-Alawite massacres that began on March 7. "Most of the Islamists who arrived came from Idlib, we recognized the accent," explains the old man. "They only killed men and forced families to pay them to bury the bodies." His son was killed that day, "in front of his mother," he says, pointing to the woman next to him. According to the testimony, all the killers were members of HTS. [HTS was led by new “president” al-Julani, and now that this group in massacring people the US regime has declared that they are no longer terrorists! After the US support for the Israeli genocide, no one should be surprised] A few days after the massacre, police officers came to the scene. "They are the same ones," he says, "they kill and then they investigate." Sara [5], 21, is the couple's daughter. Sitting on the sofa, she cannot hold back the tears as she recalls her brother's death. From her pocket, she takes a white handkerchief, opens it in front of me, and it contains the bullet casings recovered from the scene. A law student, she says she will not return to university. She no longer leaves her home, out of fear. At the end of our interview, Hala and the other members of the household respectfully embrace the bereaved family as if to wipe away their grief and accompany them to the apartment door.
It is June. Lulled by the Mediterranean breeze, Latakia has a more pleasant climate than the stifling Syrian capital, Damascus. During the day, the streets are lively. Buses fill up, motorcycles and cars pass by in a kind of choreographed chaos, through which a few pedestrians weave. The city seems to bear no visible scars of the long war the country has endured since 2011. The coastal area was often presented as a bastion of the former "regime." In reality, it was mainly that the educated urban classes and a large part of the region's communities (Christians and Alawites) were impervious to Islamist discourse.
[It is worth pointing out here that Latakia was until the coup the site of the Russian air base Khmeimim. Russia kept order as well as it could. But holding onto its base became impossible. After all, Turkey also backed al-Julani, as did Israel, which now is invading southern Syria]
"I may have respected Bashar al-Assad in the past, but abandoning us, leaving like that, like a coward! I won't forgive him for that!" exclaims Radia [6]. A full-of-energy Alawite mother of three young girls, this pharmacist by profession speaks with great determination. She invites me behind the counter of the place where she works and offers me a plate full of melon pieces that she has placed on a table. I observe the many products on the crowded shelves around us and ask where they come from. "It's produced here, come on! In Syria!" exclaims Radia proudly, showing me the packaging. "We have a pharmaceutical industry." She also shows me contraceptives, including condoms, produced in China but approved by the (former) Syrian Ministry of Health. I ask her if she thinks the Islamists' rise to power won't pose a problem for the distribution of these types of contraceptive products. With a mocking smile, she says, "These idiots can't ban them if they don't know what they are."
In the late afternoon, as the sun begins to set, groups of friends and families go out for a walk along the corniche that runs alongside the port of Latakia. There are veiled women, but also ladies in dresses, their hair blowing in the wind. The men, most of them bearded, gather around a hookah or tea. Hala and her niece, Alya [7], invited me for a walk. My visit is an opportunity for them to reconnect with this type of outing, which has become almost non-existent since March. Above all, Alya explains to me that many people fear kidnappings. Reports of the disappearance of young Alawite girls are multiplying on social networks. It is said that they are then taken to Idlib and forced to marry men there [8]. “Before, I often went out dancing with my friends, but now I don’t dare anymore, it’s too dangerous,” the young girl laments. Hala also misses the not-so-distant past: “Just last summer, we used to get together with friends at Wadi Quandil beach to party” (a popular tourist spot for Syrians). She shows me old videos on her phone of her dancing with other people, friends and family members, children and adults. Then she laughs. I tell her that one day—I hope—she’ll be able to do it again. Hala looks up and replies simply: “Inshallah.”
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Sorry not sorry! I just can't resist making memes
By Jane Stillwater https://jpstillwater.blogspot.com/2025/08/sorry-not-sorry-i-just-cant-resist.html
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Translation from Arabic with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
https://alkhanadeq.com/post/8976/كمين-بيت-حانون-عندما-خر-الاحتلال-تحت-أقدام-المقاومة
Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 03:32 AM
Beit Hanoun Ambush: When the Occupation Fell Under the Feet of the Resistance
Beit Hanoun Ambush Inflicts Heavy Deaths and Losses on the Occupation
Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza in October 2023, the occupation has been attempting to consolidate the image of "complete control" over parts of the Strip, imposing facts on the ground that parallel what it has failed to achieve politically. However, the recent Beit Hanoun operation, carried out by the Palestinian resistance within a supposedly "safe" area under the control of the occupation army, has upended this image and exposed the fragility of the Israeli military system.
At a time when negotiations are being held in Doha to reach a ceasefire agreement, the field has had another say. The Palestinian resistance achieved a significant military achievement during a meticulous operation in which it planted four explosive devices, one of which was remotely detonated with high accuracy. This has left the field with the final say: the resistance is not in a position of defeat, and the enemy does not have complete control over any area of the Strip.
What happened during the ambush?
In the Beit Hanoun area north of Gaza, within the buffer zone under Israeli military control for nearly a year and a half, a group of resistance fighters infiltrated and planted four advanced explosive devices, one of which was detonated remotely with precision, targeting forces from the Netzah Yehuda Brigade, a religiously extremist brigade with a bloody record in the West Bank.
According to Hebrew media, the operation resulted in five deaths and several serious injuries, amidst secrecy and a clear attempt to downplay the achievement.
Planning
An analysis of what happened in Beit Hanoun shows that the ambush was the result of sophisticated surveillance, night-time monitoring, a study of the forces' routes, and professional execution. Even Israeli media, including Maariv and Army Radio, acknowledged that what happened indicated the use of night-vision equipment and skillful anticipation of the military unit's route. They also acknowledged that the fighters were able to infiltrate, plant explosives, and then withdraw from within the army's "safe zone" without their movements being detected. This is a qualitative development in battle management, to the credit of the resistance.
Improvised Explosive Devices: The New Weapon of Victory
The occupation itself admits that 70% of its casualties since March 2025 were caused by improvised explosive devices. These are not just explosive devices, but rather part of an integrated tactic of "guerrilla warfare," carried out in stages, beginning with a sudden barrage of gunfire, followed by a detonation, then targeting forces arriving for rescue or transport, in addition to using booby-trapped buildings as traps for occupation soldiers.
The resistance is adopting this model with professionalism, and its repetition confirms the resistance's readiness and ability to adapt to various circumstances, even under a tight air and ground siege. This each time deals a blow to the occupation, proving that all claims about the end of resistance in the Gaza Strip are a complete lie. This has prompted Israeli media and analysts to say that the army is facing a strategic crisis and that it must reconsider its continued presence in Gaza.
The Political and Military Impact of the Ambush
The ambush caused a crisis within the Israeli leadership:
This prompted Netanyahu to cut short his meeting with US envoy Witkoff in Washington following the ambush to receive an urgent briefing. Defense Minister Katz also reprimanded Chief of Staff Zamir, who threatened to resign. The exposure of the ambush in the Israeli media also sparked anger and skepticism among settlers regarding the official narrative, especially in light of the occupation's repeated failures and inability to recover its prisoners from the Gaza Strip after a period of depletion that will soon reach its second year.
All of this coincided with sensitive political moves related to ceasefire negotiations, making the operation a complex political and military strike.
The Resistance Adapts to Reality
Under the pressure, siege, and constant targeting, the resistance excels with its local tools, exploiting circumstances to its advantage. For example, preparing for this ambush requires extensive security efforts to determine when the vehicle will pass, which route it will follow, and how many soldiers it will deploy. This requires continuous monitoring to determine all these details to ensure any operation will succeed.
Then comes the execution phase, a sensitive stage in which the resistance fighter acts as a martyr, as he or she does not know whether or not they will return. This is especially true in Gaza, given the constant presence of Israeli drones monitoring and filming, as well as the presence of Israeli soldiers in the Strip, which could limit the movement of the resistance fighters. However, this did not happen, and the resistance proved that it:
- is capable of repositioning and concealing itself.
- possesses effective field intelligence.
- has superior initiative despite the enormous disparity in capabilities.
While Netanyahu is pushing to impose his conditions through Washington and seeking a "victory" image, the resistance is succeeding in spoiling the picture, imposing a new equation: entering Gaza is not the same as exiting it. Eliminating Hamas and the resistance factions is an unachievable goal, a goal Netanyahu has experienced throughout the past period.
Writer: Editorial Room
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Israelis are the victims of the people that they oppress ⁉️
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yelabuga_drone_factory
The Yelabuga drone factory is an unmanned aerial vehicle and loitering munition factory in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, near Yelabuga, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, operated by the Russian company Albatross. It develops drones for military use in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and is largely staffed by college students, including minors.
The manufacturing plant develops Shahed-style loitering munitions[2] and "Albatross" reconnaissance drones.[3] It is located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, near Yelabuga, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia,
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Translation with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
The enemy is randomly striking Russia with its entire arsenal: "The greatest economic damage." Zelensky gave the order - we are in for serious trials
Zelensky is furious about the upcoming negotiations between the leaders of Russia and the United States, which may ultimately decide the fate of the Ukrainian conflict - this is what both the Kyiv leaders and their European masters are afraid of. Sources associated with the Office of the President (in Kiev) revealed the plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the next 4 days, or rather their lack thereof. The enemy is randomly striking Russia with its entire arsenal, barely managing to collect the drones and unmanned boats arriving from the West: "The greatest economic damage." We are in for serious trials.
On August 10, the enemy again struck the oblasts of Russia - according to war correspondents, the main blow fell on the oil refinery in the Saratov oblast. This is the second attack on the oil refinery after February 11. Also, UAV debris fell into the courtyards of residential buildings, damaging the facades and knocking out the windows in the apartments. Cars burned in the yard, residents of three multi-story buildings were evacuated. A temporary accommodation center was set up for them. One person died, several more were injured, one of them was hospitalized.
The Ukrainian GUR [Intel service] again sent unmanned boats to the Crimean coast. The Tigers are in place and ready to crush. Thus, Zelensky, and most likely Budanov*, are fulfilling the will of their MI-6 curators to disrupt the positive agenda in Alaska, writes a Wagner veteran, author of the Condottiero channel.
In addition, enemy channels published footage of Ukrainian drone strikes on logistics terminals in the area of the village of Kzyl-Yul - about 30 km from Yelabuga.
The enemy is aiming for maximum terror against the civilian population. On the night of August 11, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck Arzamas in the Nizhny Novgorod oblast. As a result of the attack, one person was killed and two more were injured.
Late in the evening of August 10, the enemy also began trying to strike Moscow. According to the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, from 21:55 to 09:40 on August 11, 5 UAVs were destroyed.
Enemy channels associated with the Office of the President [Zelensky, the expired-term president] revealed the essence of the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recent days - serious tests await us. There is no plan. There is no strategy. The goal is "the greatest economic damage", and Zelensky wants to do it before August 15, when Putin and Trump are scheduled to hold talks in Alaska. Many are sure that the fate of the Ukrainian conflict will be decided there.
"Carelessness and relaxation, and then smoke to the sky": Russian regions are on fire. "Bayraktars" are hitting oil refineries, logistics, a chemical plant. Threat to the Caucasus
Another obvious goal of Zelensky is an attempt to solicit an asymmetric response with our UAVs and missiles at Kyiv, hoping to cause Trump another "disappointment" before the negotiations.
Our source reports that Bankova [street on which the president’s office is situated] is launching literally everything it has at Russia. All long-range drones coming from abroad [NATO and US] and currently being assembled in Ukraine are launched immediately. There is no longer any plan or strategy. The goal is to destabilize the situation and inflict as much economic damage as possible before a possible freezing of the conflict [There is a near-zero chance of a frozen conflict. That is a strictly WESTERN pipe dream]. The strikes are mainly on Russian oil refineries - this is specifically "ordered" and even paid for by someone. Many believe that this is infrastructure war 3.0, with the help of which Zelensky wants to destabilize the situation. It is not in the interests of the globalists and Zelensky to end the Ukrainian crisis, which means they will do anything to prolong the war. Be careful these days, writes the Ukrainian channel "Legitimny".
* Kirill Budanov - included in the list of terrorists and extremists by Rosfinmonitoring.
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Air strike update for 8-11, 2025
Translation with my notes in bold and in [brackets]
Drones, bombs and missiles: massive strikes hit several Ukrainian oblasts
© Russian Defense Ministry website / mil.ru
Author: Dmitry Lukashev, Editor
08/11/2025 11:32
Lebedev: Russian army launched massive strikes on Ukrainian rear areas
Sergey Lebedev, coordinator of the pro-Russian underground in Nikolaev, reported that Russian troops continued to launch massive strikes on Ukrainian rear areas on August 10 and on the night of August 11. The attacks affected military targets and infrastructure facilities.
The strikes were recorded in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernihiv and Poltava oblasts. The Russian Armed Forces used Geran and Molniya strike drones, guided aerial bombs (KAB), missile weapons, and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
"The use of both attack drones and guided aerial bombs and missiles indicates a joint strategy: reconnaissance, pinpoint strikes, massive attacks to disrupt air defense systems and maximum danger. The transfer of information and the results of strikes from the site is clearly visible," the underground activist indicated on his Telegram channel.
In the Kharkiv oblast, strikes hit Kharkiv, Chuguev and Velykyi Burluk. Warehouses and equipment were hit there. In the Sumy oblast, Russian troops attacked Sumy, Shostka and Khoten. Logistics facilities and strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were damaged there.
In Donbas, strikes were carried out on Slavyansk, Kramatorsk and Krasnoarmeysky (Pokrovsky) district, including headquarters and ammunition depots. In the Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts, fortifications and crossings were targeted, and in the Mykolaiv oblast, border military facilities. In the Chernigov and Poltava oblasts, the Russian Armed Forces attacked communications nodes and energy infrastructure.
The main objective of this massive attack, according to Lebedev, was to disrupt the supply system of Ukrainian troops, destroy warehouses, headquarters, and undermine the work of the rear.
Thanks for your great work Don!
We've shared the link on our daily report.
A Skeptic War Reports
https://askeptic.substack.com/