Author: M Barbu

Turkey-Hamas Relations From 2004 To Today – $300 Million, A Hamas Center In Istanbul For Cyberattacks And Counterintelligence, And Many Treasury Department-Designated Nationals

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s close relations with Hamas, the public record of which goes back nearly 20 years, appear to have been largely unaffected by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. While there are rumors that Isma’il Haniyeh, who has since 2017 been chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau, was in Istanbul on October 7, and reports that Erdoğan thereafter asked him and the rest of Hamas to leave Turkey, the veracity of these claims remains unclear.

For Hezbollah, Timing Is the Essence

The party may escalate on the southern border with Israel, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will reach the level of bombing cities.

The speech last week of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah left many in Lebanon and beyond relieved, as he defended his organization’s limited engagement in the Gaza war and called the Lebanese front against Israel a “solidarity and support” front. Nasrallah did so mostly to underline the party’s secondary role in the conflict, in which Palestinian fighters are taking the lead.

Destroying the “Mother of All Proxy Armies” in Ukraine

The Object of War

From the moment in early April when Russian forces on the perimeter of Kiev began to withdraw to new positions in eastern Ukraine, western war propagandists have been trumpeting what they characterized as Russia’s “humiliating defeat”. As one who recognized as early as February 28th that the Russian army was executing a strategic feint in and around the Ukrainian capital, I could only shake my head and laugh at the cluelessness of most of the so-called “experts” who have attempted to sell this interpretation of events to hopelessly ignorant western audiences.

Au Mali, l’armée prend position dans Kidal

L’état-major malien a affirmé que ses soldats ont « pris position » mardi 14 novembre dans ce bastion de la rébellion dominante touarègue.

Le 14 novembre, l’armée malienne a dit avoir pris position dans Kidal, bastion des séparatistes et enjeu majeur de souveraineté pour l’État malien. « Les FAMa (forces armées maliennes) ont pris position dans la ville de Kidal ce mardi », a dit l’état-major sur les réseaux sociaux. « Aujourd’hui, nos forces armées et de sécurité se sont emparées de Kidal », a déclaré le colonel Assimi Goïta dans un message lu au cours d’un flash spécial à la télévision d’État.Z

Mali : L’armée prend le « contrôle total » d’Anéfis

L’armée malienne a annoncé samedi qu’elle avait pris le « contrôle total » d’Anéfis, une ville située au nord-est du Mali et considérée comme une étape vers Kidal, un bastion de la rébellion touareg qui s’est réarmée contre le gouvernement central.

L’annonce a été faite par le biais d’un communiqué publié sur les médias sociaux, où l’armée malienne a affirmé que les forces armées maliennes (FAMa) avaient conquis entièrement la ville d’Anéfis tôt samedi matin.

Ansaroul Islam: The Rise and Decline of a Militant Islamist Group in the Sahel

Burkina Faso’s first militant Islamist group, Ansaroul Islam, has faced setbacks, pointing to the weaknesses of violent extremist organizations lacking deep local support and facing sustained pressure.

After years of avoiding militant Islamist violence, Burkina Faso has experienced a rapid growth in attacks since 2016. In 2018, there were 137 such violent events involving 149 fatalities. By mid-2019, militant Islamist groups already had outpaced these numbers with 191 episodes of violence and 324 fatalities. Three groups have been primarily responsible—the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), the Macina Liberation Front (FLM) faction of the Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) coalition, and Ansaroul Islam.

Syrian Opposition Websites: Military Experts From Iran-Backed Iraqi Militias, Lebanese Hizbullah Enter Eastern Syria

Delegation From Iraqi Shi’ite Militias Enters Deir Al-Zour To Discuss Recent Attacks On U.S. Bases

On November 7, 2023, the Syrian opposition website Euphrates Post published a report claiming that a military delegation of the Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades militia, Al-Nujaba Movement militia, and Sayyid Al-Shuhada Brigades Militias, including senior commanders, had arrived in Al-Bukamal, on the Iraqi border in eastern Syria’s Deir Al-Zour governorate.[1]

Yemeni-Houthi Military Expert Colonel Mujib Shamsan On Hizbullah TV: We Will Continue To Launch Missiles And UAVs At Israeli And American Targets; Any Naval Passage In The Red Sea And Bab El-Mandeb Strait Can Be Targeted

Yemeni military expert and strategic analyst Colonel Mujib Shamsan said on an October 31, 2023 show on Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that the Houthis will continue to launch missiles and UAVs at Israeli and American targets. He said that if matters escalate, then any naval passage by Israeli or American vessels in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandab Strait could be targeted. The show host commented that the Houthis are implementing their motto “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”

Iranian Politician And IRGC Officer Brig.-Gen. Mohsen Rafighdoost: We Have Hostages We Can Eliminate If Iran Is Attacked; Hopefully, We Will Get The Opportunity To Do This

Brigadier-General Mohsen Rafighdoost, former Minister of the IRGC – a position that later evolved into Minister of Defense – said on an October 28, 2023 show on Channel 3 (Iran) that Iran holds hostages from “powers” – supposedly meaning Western countries – that have military presence in the region. He added that if attacked, Iran can “eliminate” these hostages within 30 to 60 minutes. Rafighdoost added: “Inshallah, we will get an opportunity to do this.” During the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Rafighdoost was the head of Ayatollah Khomeini’s security detail.

US launches new airstrikes against IRGC facility in Syria as attacks continue

US F-15s bombed a facility in eastern Syria as the Pentagon’s Middle East policy director openly warned that the US military may target Iranian IRGC personnel in a bid to halt militia attacks on American troops.

The United States military on Wednesday launched a new round of airstrikes targeting a facility in eastern Syria which the Pentagon said was used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the latest sign of broader escalation with Iran-backed groups.