Al Mayadeen – November 30, 2024
Syrian Army issues statement, details situation in Aleppo, Idlib
The General Command of the Syrian Army reaffirms the commitment of the Syrian military to ensure the safety of civilians and to regain control of the neighborhoods from the terrorists.
The General Command of the Syrian Army issued a statement detailing the ongoing situation in Aleppo and Idlib amid intense terrorist attacks on both fronts. The statement highlighted the fierce confrontations between Syrian forces and militant groups affiliated with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (previously al-Nusra Front), supported by mercenaries, heavy artillery, and drones.
Despite facing a multi-front assault, Syrian forces have engaged in aggressive defense operations across a 100-kilometer front, resulting in casualties among both soldiers and militants, as per the statement.
The Army explained that, due to the scale of the attacks and the strategic importance of both regions, a tactical redeployment had been carried out to bolster defense lines and absorb the impact of the offensive, while also preparing for a counterattack.
The statement reaffirmed the commitment of the Syrian military to ensuring the safety of civilians and regaining control of the cities from the terrorists, emphasizing that the measures taken were temporary and part of a broader strategy to restore full government control over Aleppo and Idlib.
Syrian army intercepts ongoing terrorist offensive in Aleppo and Idlib
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Syria reported on Saturday that a cautious calm has settled over the frontlines of Aleppo, particularly following the incursion of armed groups into the city’s western neighborhoods.
Our correspondent reported that terrorist groups have seized control of roughly 60% of Aleppo, imposing a curfew on residents in these areas until further notice.
Moreover, it was confirmed that the Syrian army has redeployed toward Aleppo Airport to safeguard the city from further destruction. Syrian warplanes have also been actively targeting key militant positions and movement points west of the city.
In the northern Aleppo countryside, our correspondent noted that the residents of Nubbul and al-Zahraa towns have evacuated, as Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) entered the area.
Meanwhile, airstrikes continue targeting militant groups in Aleppo and its surrounding countryside.
In addition, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent highlighted ongoing intense clashes between the Syrian army and terrorist groups on the southeastern Idlib countryside axis.
Furthermore, Syrian warplanes have been targeting militant positions and their movements to the west of Aleppo.
Our correspondent also noted that clashes erupted around Maarat al-Numan as armed groups infiltrated into Saraqib, south of Idlib, and the Abu al-Duhur military airport.
Syrian forces target Takfiri terrorists amid fierce battle for Aleppo
The Syrian Army forces continue to repel attacks by foreign-backed terrorist groups in the country’s northwestern areas, especially second largest city of Aleppo.
Local media said on Saturday that the Syrian military, backed by Russian air power, launched retaliatory strikes against terrorist positions on the outskirts of Aleppo and the eastern countryside of Idlib.
Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network cited Syrian sources as saying that there was a “cautious calm” in the axes of Aleppo after Takfiri terrorists entered the western neighborhoods of the city, with the Syrian warplanes continuing to target them.
“Armed terrorist groups have spread across about 60% of the area of Aleppo,” the television network said. “They are imposing a curfew on residents in their areas of deployment until further notice. The Syrian army has redeployed towards Aleppo airport to protect the city from destruction.”
Al-Mayadeen said residents of Nubl and Zahraa in the northern countryside of Aleppo had evacuated the towns before the entry of the foreign-backed terrorists.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied terrorist factions advanced into sections of Aleppo on Friday, seizing areas including al-Hamdaniyah, al-Furqan, and al-Zahraa after two days of heavy clashes, according to local sources. However, Syrian forces quickly launched counter-operations to repel them.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitor, said Russian warplanes had launched raids on areas of Aleppo city for the first time since 2016 to stop terrorist advances.
State media reported that four civilians were killed when HTS shelled a student residence in Aleppo.
Last month, Russian and Syrian warplanes carried out raids on the HTS positions in the Idlib and Latakia countrysides in Syria, targeting the terrorists’ training sites and warehouses, in addition to an underground tunnel in the vicinity of the town of Benin in Jabal al-Zawiya.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, is considered a terrorist organization by Syria, Russia, and several other countries.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011, with Damascus saying the Western states and their regional allies are aiding terrorist groups to wreak havoc in the Arab country.
The onslaught on Aleppo marking the resurgence of Takfiri terrorism came just after Israel submitted to a ceasefire in its war on Lebanon where Hezbollah put up fierce up resistance to Israeli troops trying to occupy pockets of the country's south.
Israeli aircraft bombed sites along Syria’s border with Lebanon, the Israeli military said Saturday, testing a fragile, days-old ceasefire that halted months of fighting.
Iranians bid farewell to senior IRGC advisor martyred in Syria terrorist attack
Iranians have taken part in a mass funeral procession for a senior military advisor of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), who was martyred in Syria’s northwestern province of Aleppo after foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists unleashed a major assault on government-held positions.
Mourners gathered in the northern Shahrak-e-Mahallati neighborhood of the capital Tehran on Saturday morning and carried Brigadier General Kioumars Pourhashemi’s coffin, draped with the national Iranian flag, on their shoulders.
High-ranking military commanders and government officials were also present at the ceremony.
The IRGC public relations department announced in a statement on Thursday that Pourhashemi, better known by the nom de guerre Haj Hashem, who was one of the defenders of the Sayyida Zaynab Shrine and senior IRGC military advisers in Syria, had been killed in attacks by Takfiri terrorists on the outskirts of Aleppo.
Iran maintains an advisory mission in Syria at the request of Damascus to help the war-torn Arab country defeat the foreign-backed militants who have been fighting the Syrian government since 2011.
Israel has been the principal supporter of terrorist groups that oppose the government of President Bashar al-Assad since the foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria in March 2011.
'Support for Resistance to continue fearlessly'
The deputy commander for coordination of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force said among the Islamic Republic of Iran’s principled policies is to courageously maintain support for the Axis of Resistance.
“Resistance forces who once pelted their enemies with stones, are now equipped with sophisticated armament," Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi said at the funeral.
“I hereby declare that such capability is homegrown, and resistance forces currently produce a wide range of missiles and drones by themselves. Had this matter of fact not been established, it would have been very difficult to support the Resistance as the forces are under sanctions and siege.”
He also scoffed at Israel’s allegations of destroying the missile prowess of the Axis of Resistance, noting that the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah fired 380 missiles at positions within the occupied territories on the same day that Israeli authorities made such a grandiose claim.
No matter how hard the Zionist regime, with the full support of the US, would try, it cannot destroy the Resistance, Masjedi added.
He said the Iranian nation, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and Iran’s Armed Forces are standing by the side of resistance forces, just as the martyred Pourhashemi did. This is the official position of the Islamic Republic and it will continue to support the Resistance without any fear and hesitation.
Jolani’s terrorists in Syria scramble to avenge defeat of Golani terrorists in Lebanon
By Wesam Bahrani
For more than a decade, Syria has faced the most savage forms of mercenary terrorism backed by a coalition of Western and Arab countries.
The West Asian country surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Palestine and Lebanon to the southwest, has a massive strategic significance.
The country also faced the first-ever successful social media propaganda campaign that fuelled the war years ago in a bid to impose a much wider and more sinister agenda with destructive goals.
These included attempts to divide the two largest sects of Islam, the Shia and Sunnis, inflict damage to the Axis of Resistance and, in particular, tarnish the image of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement.
When the 2011 Arab Spring kicked off in the region, it quickly turned into a terrorist Autumn, with the legitimate concerns of the people brushed under the carpet.
This was the same period that then Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expelled US troops from Iraq.
No boots on the ground were to the benefit of the USas they were returning in coffins.
However, no military bases in the region were a concern for US hegemony, especially when one puppet regime was being toppled after the other. And who was set to come to power had the Arab Spring gone as planned? Leaders with hatred of America, its Zionist proxy, and sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
The US tapped into extremist Takfiri elements that deviated from Islam and terrorized the Arab Spring with Takfiri boots on the ground.
NATO-sponsored military coups also wreaked havoc in many countries, taking away people's dreams, but Syria was always the prime target. The Arab country is the beating heart of the resistance axis.
Representatives of Takfiri terrorists, quite remarkably spared from prison in the West, were provided with platforms to speak on Western mainstream media at prime time to brainwash as many youths as possible. Basically a recruiting scheme.
This is while social media footage of peaceful protests in the Syrian cities of Daraa and Homs appeared to show protesters being shot at.
Yet, many eyebrows were raised. Why were security forces firing at protesters who had every right to demonstrate peacefully if they had domestic grievances?
Those who have been to Syria before the war, including former British Ambassador to the country, Peter Ford, witnessed first-hand examples of how a society with so many different ethnic and religious groups can co-exist in complete peace and harmony.
What really happened in Daraa and Homs was a massively funded campaign by Persian Gulf kingdoms (who were watching on with horror at the prospect of being dethroned themselves) to manipulate social media videos and make them appear as if Syrian security forces were shooting and killing protesters.
Except they weren't. This was documented shortly afterward by some of the most prominent activists and later by investigative journalists as well.
HTS leader Abu Muhammad Jolani, who has pledged allegiance to every terror leader alive and in living memory, was awarded a large convoy of fighters alongside advanced military equipment that crossed the Turkish border into Idlib last week.
The fabricated "Hezbollah crimes in Syria," still widely circulating in Persian Gulf media, continue to serve as a tool to attack Hezbollah and the entire Axis of Resistance to this day.
After Hezbollah humiliated the Zionist Golani Brigade on the southern Lebanese border, forcing Netanyahu to a temporary truce so his army could take a "breather", Jolani stepped in to compensate.
The aim is to wreak havoc in Syria again and prevent any military supplies from reaching Hezbollah. This was openly stated by Netanyahu.
But just as the US, Zionist, Persian Gulf, and Turkish plot to destabilize Syria was defeated before, the same will happen again.
This is not the same Syria as 2011. The Axis of Resistance that aided Syria before has gained a vast level of experience in dealing with these foreign terrorists.
The liberation of Aleppo from HTS-led groups in 2017 shifted the trajectory of the war in Syria through brave men, including Iranian military advisors, who saw the defeat of Daesh and other head-chopping groups.
The Iraqi resistance alone has put on notice 40,000 fighters to enter Syria if needed. It can double that number if HTS lingers around for too long.
Perhaps the most important element to comprehend how these Takfiri gangs operate for the Zionists and its allies is the fact they did not fire a single shot at the Israeli regime amid almost 14 months of genocide in Gaza. And never once did they do so in their history.
One side sacrificed its best leaders and its highest commanders for Palestine WHILE the other side is determined to kill Muslims in Syria and protect the Zionist regime.
Wesam Bahrani is an Iraqi journalist and commentator who specializes on the Axis of Resistance.
Al Mayadeen – November 30, 2024
Day 421 of Israeli genocide in Gaza: 44,382 killed, 105,142 injured
The Israeli occupation is determined to keep on massacring Palestinians, leaving them nowhere safe to go and nowhere to receive treatment if they survive.
The number of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has risen to 44,382, martyrs, with 105,142 injured since October 7, 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry announced on Saturday.
In its daily report on the 421st day of the genocide, the Ministry noted that the Israeli occupation forces committed four massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip within the past 24 hours, resulting in 19 martyrs and 72 injured who were transported to hospitals.
The Israeli genocide is ongoing
Israeli occupation forces intensified their assaults on Gaza, targeting multiple areas with artillery shelling and airstrikes.
Israeli artillery fire struck the al-Zannah area, east of the city, resulting in casualties. An Israeli airstrike also hit a residential apartment on al-Shuhada Street in Gaza City, causing significant damage.
Invading Israeli forces demolished residential buildings, west of the Beit Lahia project, forcibly displacing families and exacerbating the already dire humanitarian crisis.
In Jabalia, an Israeli drone attack near Halima Al-Sa’dia School killed one Palestinian.
A Palestinian child was killed and several others were injured in an Israeli airstrike on a home in the al-Shuja'iya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. The Israeli military also targeted civilians in al-Bureij Camp in central Gaza, wounding multiple residents.
The death toll in Khan Younis rose to five after an Israeli drone struck a vehicle on Salah al-Din Street. The targeted vehicle belonged to World Central Kitchen, and among the deceased were three of its workers.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/day-421-of-israeli-genocide-in-gaza--44-382-killed--105-142
Countercurrent – November 30, 2024
Gaza Health Official: Israel Uses Unknown Weapons That Vaporize Victims
Gaza (Quds News Network)- Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health, stated that Israel is using weapons in northern Gaza that they have never seen before. He described these weapons as causing people to vaporize.
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Friday, Al-Bursh said Israel has been targeting residential blocks, wiping out entire families. “We don’t hear about these massacres for days because no one can contact us,” he added.
Entire Families Erased by Israel’s Weapons
According to Al-Bursh, Israeli airstrikes reduce residential buildings to rubble and dust and caused many victims to vaporize. “We need an international investigation to understand what Israel is doing to us,” he said. He added that The Civil Defense has recorded approximately 10,000 injuries in northern Gaza over the past 50 days, with around 60,000 people left without food or water.
Last August, the Civil Defense revealed that 1,760 Palestinians had completely vaporized with no remains left. They stated that Israel uses internationally banned weapons that disintegrate bodies upon impact.
Two New Massacres in Northern Gaza
Medical sources confirmed two massacres in Beit Lahia on Friday. At least 75 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in these attacks.
The Israeli assault on Gaza has continued for 14 months. International reports highlight tens of thousands of deaths and injuries, with women and children making up at least 70% of victims. The siege has caused unprecedented humanitarian and health crises in the region with reports of deaths from hunger and the shortage of medication.
The Ministry of Health and Civil Defense called for urgent international action. They demanded an independent investigation into Israel’s actions and the enforcement of international humanitarian law to protect civilians and rescue teams.
Countercurrent – November 30, 2024
Children’s Suffering in Gaza Memorialized on Black Friday
by Phil Pasquini
As Black Friday descended on San Francisco today and Christmas shoppers invaded downtown stores for the beginning of the holiday shopping season, a group of human rights and anti-war activists from RACCOON (Radical Anti-Capitalist Collective of Outrageous Noise) and CODEPINK demonstrated to mourn the continuing deaths and suffering of the children of Gaza in Israel’s war. On this International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, similar demonstrations took place in other cities around the globe.
CODEPINK organizer Cynthia Papermaster said, “This gathering is to mark this day and express our deep sorrow and anger that the genocide in Gaza is continuing despite the majority of people in the U.S. wanting it to stop and wanting the U.S. to stop sending weapons that are killing innocent children.”
Today’s demonstration took place in front of the building housing the Israeli Consulate where activists created several memorials dedicated to the memory of children killed in Israel’s war during the past 13 months. One memorial contained 17 pairs of children’s shoes with each pair representing 500 children of the more than an estimated 16,750 killed thus far. Behind the shoe display, blocking the entry to the building were the names and ages of some of the children killed, written on white cloth ribbons placed over a blood red banner supported by a barricade.
The banners were accompanied by signs reminding passersby that the children’s deaths were paid for with U.S. tax dollars, and horrifically that one child is killed in Gaza every ten minutes.
Activists also called for the U.S. to “enable aid to enter Gaza, enact an arms embargo on Israel, and restore funding to UNRWA.”
Sidewalk chalk art called for an end to the war, for the sanctioning of Israel, and an end to arms transfers along with the occupation. Speakers called for Netanyahu’s arrest as a war criminal based on the warrant recently issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Activists also called for peace in the region for all people.
Speaking to the crowd, Steve Zeltzer, a union labor news and radio journalist, remarked on how the AFL-CIO and national unions around the world have been opposed to a boycott on shipping arms to Israel. This, even though longshoremen at many ports have refused to load arms destined to be used in the war on Gaza.
One speaker, Leslie Angeline, who was in her 11th day of a solidarity hunger strike, spoke of her distress regarding the killings, destruction and starvation inflicted by Israel against the residents in Gaza. Angeline joined the hunger strike started on November 1st by the Free Youth Movement in Amman, Jordan, that has now gained global momentum with members of Veterans for Peace in Washington, DC, Doctors Against Genocide in New York and one woman who has been present outside of the White House.
Angeline welcomed the arrest warrant by the ICC of Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and said that a warrant should be issued for Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for their part in the ongoing genocide.
Accompanying the action, activists from RACCOON created lots of loud noise that echoed through the canyons of the Financial District bringing attention to the memorial while cars passing by used their horns to support and encourage those assembled.
Report and photo by Phil Pasquini
https://countercurrents.org/2024/11/childrens-suffering-in-gaza-memorialized-on-black-friday/
Over dozen killed in clashes amid violence targeting Pakistan's Shias
At least 13 people have been killed in clashes in northwest Pakistan where a fresh bout of Takfiri violence has targeted Shia Muslims.
A deadly attack last week in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan on a passenger convoy traveling from Parachinar to Peshawar has sparked widespread outrage and triggered clashes.
The Takfiri attack on the convoy, which included killing women and children, has raised suspicions among tribes.
A local official in Kurram district on Saturday attributed the tense situation to Takfiri terrorists operating in the restive tribal regions.
The government official said in the past two days 13 more people, mostly Shias, had been killed in new attacks, raising the total death toll since last week to 124.
Attacks on Shia Muslims in the past have been carried out by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Kurram district is located west of Peshawar and leads into the Paktia, Logar and Nangarhar provinces of eastern Afghanistan.
The Shia Muslim community in Pakistan has called on Islamabad to take immediate action to stop the ongoing massacre in the restive northwestern and unsafe parts of the country.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a letter of condolences last Thursday, expressed sympathy with the Pakistani government and nation, as well as the bereaved families of the victims of the attacks.
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/11/30/738209/Pakistan-13-More-Killed-In-Takfiri-Kurram-Shia
