Syria

US Sanctions Block Aid To Syria, After Earthquake Killed Thousands

February 10, 2023 Ben Norton, Geopolitical Economy Report. Educate! Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, Natural Disasters, Sanctions, Syria, US Imperialism

Illegal US and EU sanctions have prevented some humanitarian aid from being sent to Syria, after a devastating earthquake killed thousands of people. The death toll is increasing by the day, but at least 3000 Syrians had lost their lives due to the earthquake as of February 9. Thousands of buildings were also destroyed. This is especially damaging because Syria had already been destabilized by a decade of war, fueled with billions of dollars and foreign meddling by the US, Europe, and Israel. Syrian Arab Red Crescent director Khaled Hboubati told the Associated Press that unilateral Western sanctions have exacerbated the “difficult humanitarian situation”. “There is no fuel even to send (aid and rescue) convoys, and this is because of the blockade and sanctions”, Hboubati warned. Syria’s United Nations Ambassador Bassam al-Sabbagh explained that US and EU sanctions have prevented planes from landing in Syrian airports, “So even those countries who want to send humanitarian assistance, they cannot use the airplane cargo because of the sanctions”.

Sanctions Hamper Relief And Rescue Work In Earthquake-Devastated Syria

February 7, 2023 People's Dispatch. Educate! Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, Natural Disasters, Sanctions, Syria, Türkiye, US Imperialism

The head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Khaled Hboubati, demanded on Tuesday, February 7, that Western countries, specifically the US and its allies, lift their siege and sanctions on Syria so that rescue and relief work can proceed unimpeded, after the country was devastated by a powerful earthquake on Monday. “We need heavy equipment, ambulances and fire fighting vehicles to continue to rescue and remove the rubble, and this entails lifting sanctions on Syria as soon as possible,” Hboubati said at a press conference on Tuesday, as reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). A powerful earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.8 struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. Over 5,000 people have been reported dead so far. In Syria alone the death toll was 1,602 on Monday. These numbers are only expected to rise as a large number of people are suspected to be still buried under the debris of houses that collapsed in the earthquake and its aftershocks.

Earthquake Damage In Syria Must Lead To Sanction Relief

February 6, 2023 Moon of Alabama. Educate! Environment, Sanctions, Syria, Türkiye, US Imperialism

Earlier today two large earthquakes have caused widespread damage in south Turkey and north Syria. Some 10 million people live in the affected area. The current count of death is already above 2,500. Whole city blocks have 'pancaked' (vid) and were destroyed. Many dead will likely still be under the rubble. The area is prone to earthquakes. Just days ago an expert had warned that a big one was coming. International support for the areas has started. Turkey is generally earthquake prone and has a lot of rescue stuff. It will now get more. Unfortunately Syria, which is under devastating sanctions, will get little. This would be a good time to lift those sanctions if only for purely humanitarian reasons.

The Secret Reason The US Is Still In Syria

December 4, 2022 Lee Camp, Mintpress News. Resistance Report Oil and Gas, Syria, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

Syria has drifted from the headlines, but the U.S. is still stealing their oil, occupying large swaths of their land, and economically obliterating them. This month, UN special rapporteur Alena Douhan came back from Syria and demanded an end to all sanctions imposed by US and its allies. In her statement, Douhan said, “The economy is hostage to a protracted economic crisis with growing inflation and frequent devaluation of the national currency” – Basically, most Syrians can do nothing but hope to survive. These are not fighters, these are not terrorists hurling grenades at Americans. These are completely regular people who spend every day trying not to die from American sanctions.

US Base Comes Under Missile Attack In Northern Syria

November 27, 2022 The Cradle. Educate! Syria, US Foreign Bases, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

A US military patrol base in Al-Shaddadi, south of Syria’s northeastern Hasakah governorate, was targeted by two Katyusha missiles on 25 November, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a statement. This was the second attack on a US military base in Syria in just over a week, following the 17 November attack on Washington’s Green Village military base near the Al-Omar oilfield. “Two rockets targeted coalition forces at the US patrol base in Al-Shaddadi, Syria, today at approximately 10:31 p.m. local time in Syria (4:31 p.m. EST). The attack resulted in no injuries or damage to the base or coalition property. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) visited the rocket origin site and found a third unfired rocket,” the CENTCOM statement read.

UN Expert Calls For Lifting Unilateral Sanctions ‘Suffocating’ Syrian People

November 11, 2022 OHCHR. Educate! International Law, Sanctions, Syria, United Nations

UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights Alena Douhan today urged sanctioning States to lift unilateral sanctions against Syria, warning that they were perpetuating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by the Syrian people since 2011. “I am struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria and the total economic and financial isolation of a country whose people are struggling to rebuild a life with dignity, following the decade-long war,” Douhan said. In a statement following her 12-day visit to Syria, the Special Rapporteur presented detailed information about the catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in the country.

Exclusive: Tracking The Flow Of Stolen Syrian Oil Into Iraq

September 29, 2022 The Cradle. Educate! Iraq, Oil, Syria, US Imperialism

Although the porous Iraqi-Syrian border stretches for over 600 kilometers, about half of it – in practice – is not subject to the authority of either state. Over the years, this lack of comprehensive border control has given rise to a number of security threats to both nations, not least the persistent presence of ISIS elements in border regions. From the Iraqi side, there has been a pro-active approach in countering this low-level terrorism with the establishment of two defensive lines by the Joint Operations Command, in addition to concrete barriers and watchtowers. Smuggling from Syria into Iraqi border towns is another salient feature of current border activities, and one which presents both a threat and an opportunity for the US-led international coalition whose forces operate on both sides of the border.

How The White Helmets Compromised OPCW Investigations In Syria

September 11, 2022 Aaron Maté, The Grayzone. Educate! Corruption, OPCW, Syria, Wars and Militarism, White Helmets

Before it mired the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in an international cover-up scandal, the April 2018 probe of an alleged gas attack in the Syrian town of Douma achieved a milestone. After numerous claims of chemical weapons use in Syria, Douma marked the first time that an OPCW fact-finding mission (FFM) deployed on-site to conduct its own investigation. Douma was not the OPCW’s first try. Four years earlier, in May 2014, the chemical watchdog sent a team to the town of Kafr Zita. As in Douma, the organization was mandated to scrutinize insurgent-generated claims of a toxic bombing by the Syrian army.

US Sets Up New Military Base In Syria

September 5, 2022 The Cradle. Educate! Food Security, Oil and Gas, Syria, US Imperialism

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), US forces established a third military base in Syria on 3 September. The new US military base was set up in Naqara village, just three kilometers from Qamishli in the northeastern province of Hasakah. The US has two more bases, one of them located in Himo village and another one in the Tel Fares area near the Qamishli airport. Armed groups have recently stepped up against US occupational forces and their regional allies due to the illegal exploitation of fossil fuels. The Syrian government has accused the United States of stealing the country’s natural resources, a staggering $107 billion since the war began in 2011.

US Carries Out Airstrikes In Syria’s Deir ez Zor Province

August 26, 2022 People's Dispatch. Educate! Iran, Syria, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

The US armed forces carried out air raids in Syria’s Deir ez Zor province on Tuesday, August 23, allegedly targeting forces allied with Iran and the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, as per a statement issued by the US Central Command. The exact location of the airstrikes and number of casualties, if any, are yet not confirmed. The statement claimed that “precision strikes” inside Syria were carried to “defend and protect U.S. forces from attacks like the ones on August 15.” It said that the strike targeted “Iran backed groups” and were carried out under the direction of US President Joe Biden. On August 15, at least three drones targeting the US’ al-Tanf base in Syria’s Homs province were intercepted and destroyed, as per claims by the US forces.

Washington Steals Over 80 Percent Of Syria’s Oil Output Per Day

August 11, 2022 News Desk, The Cradle. Educate! Oil and Gas, Syria, US Imperialism, US military

The Syrian Oil Ministry released a statement on 9 August accusing US forces occupying Syria of being responsible for the theft of most of the country’s oil. “The amount of oil production during the first half of 2022 amounted to some 14.5 million barrels, with an average daily production of 80.3 thousand barrels, of which 14.2 thousand are delivered daily to refineries,” the oil ministry’s statement said. The statement went on to say that “US occupation forces and their mercenaries,” referring to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), “steal up to 66,000 barrels every single day from the fields occupied in the eastern region,” amounting to around 83 percent of Syria’s daily oil production. According to the ministry’s data, the Syrian oil sector has incurred losses nearing “about 105 billion dollars since the beginning of the war until the middle of this year” as a result of the US oil theft campaign.

NATO-Backed Network Of Syria Dirty War Propagandists Identified

August 2, 2022 Aaron Mate. Educate! Journalism, Media, NATO, Syria, The Guardian

On June 10th, The Guardian's Mark Townsend published an article headlined "Russia-backed network of Syria conspiracy theorists identified." ("Russia-backed" has since been removed). The article is based on what Townsend calls a "new analysis" that "reveals" a "network more than two dozen conspiracy theorists, frequently backed by a coordinated Russian campaign." This network, Townsend claims, is "focused on the denial or distortion of facts about the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons and on attacking the findings of the world’s foremost chemical weapons watchdog," the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). According to Townsend, I am named "as the most prolific spreader of disinformation" among the nefarious bunch.

Almost No One Trusts US Media, After Decades Of War Propaganda And Lies

July 31, 2022 Ben Norton, Multipolarista. Educate! Bolivia, CIA, Corporate Media, Jeff Bezos, Libya, Media, Nicaragua, Propaganda, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, US Imperialism, Washington Post

Very few people in the United States trust the mainstream corporate media. This is confirmed by a July survey from the major polling firm Gallup, which found that just 11% of North Americans trust television news, and a mere 16% have confidence in newspapers. It’s quite easy to understand why. The US media apparatus has repeatedly shown itself over decades to be completely unreliable and highly politicized. The corporate media’s treachery has been especially clear in the demonstrably false stories it disseminated to try to justify the US wars on Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. This disgraceful legacy continues today, in the proxy war that Washington is waging on Russia via Ukraine. Fake news echoed by the press has served as a powerful form of US information warfare.

Ready, Fire, Aim: US Interests In Afghanistan, Iraq, And Syria

July 26, 2022 Chas W. Freeman, Jr., Antiwar.com. Educate! Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, US Imperialism

I have been asked to join my fellow panelists in speaking about U.S. interests in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. For some reason, our government has never been able to articulate these interests, but, judging by the fiscal priority Americans have assigned to these three countries in this century, they must be immense – almost transcendent. Since we invaded Afghanistan in 2001, we have spent more than $5 trillion and incurred liabilities for veterans’ disabilities and medical expenses of at least another trillion dollars, for a total of something over $6 trillion for military efforts alone. This is money we didn’t spend on sustaining, still less improving, our own human and physical infrastructure or current and future well-being. We borrowed almost all of it. Estimates of the costs of servicing the resulting debt run to an additional $8 trillion over the next few decades.

Assad And Zelenskyy – A Contrast In Media Coverage

July 24, 2022 Gavin O'Reilly, Popular Resistance. Educate! Assad, Media, Syria, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky

In the early hours of Friday morning, Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus resulted in the deaths of three Syrian soldiers, only a month after Damascus International Airport was bombed under similar circumstances, with Tel Aviv alleging that it was being used by Iran to transport weapons into the Arab Republic, where Tehran is operating in an anti-terrorist capacity under official invite from the Syrian government. This air campaign, which began in 2013 following the Iranian intervention in the proxy war on Syria which had begun two years previously, has stepped up markedly in recent years, with Israel recently threatening to assassinate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an airstrike should the Islamic Republic continue to co-operate with its Arab counterpart.

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