Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #Asad
Most recents (10)
Latest @DefenceHQ update: #Russia is using #Iran's Shahed-136 drones, but #Ukraine is "increasingly successful" dealing with them. Even if President Zelensky exaggerates when he says 85% of them are brought down, they are slow, noisy, and a poor replacement for precision missiles 
Great piece by @Levitt_Matt: "The Assad Regime’s Business Model for Supporting the Islamic State" lawfareblog.com/assad-regimes-…
One of the first things I wrote in 2014, and kept updated for a while as a rolling compilation of evidence, at a time when it was regarded as something of a conspiracy theory: "The Assad Regime's Collusion With ISIS and al-Qaeda: Assessing The Evidence" kyleorton.co.uk/2014/03/24/ass…
Wrote about this a couple of times since then:
"Provocation and the Islamic State: Why Assad Strengthened the Jihadists" kyleorton.co.uk/2014/09/03/pro…
"Partners in Terror: The Assad Regime and the Islamic State" kyleorton.co.uk/2016/03/10/par…
"Provocation and the Islamic State: Why Assad Strengthened the Jihadists" kyleorton.co.uk/2014/09/03/pro…
"Partners in Terror: The Assad Regime and the Islamic State" kyleorton.co.uk/2016/03/10/par…
The reports that #IRGC Quds commander Qassem Sulaymani and his Iraqi deputy, Jamal al-Ibrahimi (Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis), have been killed by a drone strike [apparently American] in Baghdad are now coming from Iraqi politicians close to #Iran/#Hashd and #Hizballah outlets, FWIW.
It's not even surprising that the @WashingtonPost provides space to terrorists any more.
Cemil Bayik, the #PKK leader, has an op-ed in today's paper calling for "peace" with #Turkey. It's a skilled piece of propaganda. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/… <thread below>
Cemil Bayik, the #PKK leader, has an op-ed in today's paper calling for "peace" with #Turkey. It's a skilled piece of propaganda. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/… <thread below>
#YPG/#PKK publicly invites the #Asad/#Iran system into the border areas, particularly Minbij, which was captured because of the efforts of the U.S., working in coordination with #Turkey, having promised that the city would be handed over to local rule after #IS was gone.
It doesn't seem that the #PKK has handed Minbij to the #Asad/#Iran system just yet, though a regime delegation visited this morning.
Worth noting here that the #SDF/#PKK opened Minbij up to Asad's secret police a long time ago, and if the Asad regime is present it means Iranian operatives are, too. thedailybeast.com/us-arms-kurds-…
The #YPG/#PKK announces that its operatives have murdered Akash Ahmad Ali, a member of the ruling council in Efrin. #Syria nedaa-sy.com/en/news/7735
Our partner force in #Syria, the #SDF/#PKK is further formalizing its close relationship with the #Asad/#Iran system and mulling joint offensive operations against a #NATO member. So that's all going well. reut.rs/2LD074A
"It's time to put the myth of 'separating Russia from Iran' to rest. The evidence shows that Russia and Iran are fast allies, and are more likely to remain so than to separate." Great piece by Shlomo Bolts. jpost.com/Opinion/The-my…
SEPT 2017: @Doranimated and @peterrough wrote of "the deep mutual dependence between the Russians and the Iranians [in #Syria]", and thus the unlikelihood of "truly splitting the two". mosaicmagazine.com/essay/2017/09/…
JAN 2018: "What is clear ... is that there are only two real options: either #Russia has leverage [to pressure #Iran and #Asad in Syria] but doesn’t wish to use it, or Russia doesn’t have leverage." jpost.com/Opinion/The-Ir… v @Ayei_Eloheichem
The U.S.'s proposal for an accord with #Russia over #Syria, the purpose of which is to get #Iran out, is broadly known from reporting. Folks familiar with the Syria policy discussions clarified some details. <Thread below>
As an aside: the Syria policy seems to have been taken away from the State Department, wholly into the White House, specifically into the hands of John Bolton, in the run-up to this summit with Putin.
The U.S. will propose:
- Withdrawal of #Iran's personnel (inc. #Hizballah) from Syria, *not* in a "phased" manner but as Stage One of the process;
- After six months, with verification Iran is gone, the U.S. will shut down its bases, not just Tanf, all in the SDF/PKK area
- Withdrawal of #Iran's personnel (inc. #Hizballah) from Syria, *not* in a "phased" manner but as Stage One of the process;
- After six months, with verification Iran is gone, the U.S. will shut down its bases, not just Tanf, all in the SDF/PKK area
The representative for the #Netherlands is trying to shame #Russia into not using its veto to defend Bashar al-Asad's "mass atrocities". Best of luck ....
Amb. @nikkihaley asked about gas attacks and then attacks on the first-responders: "Who does this? Only a monster does this."
#Russia's hands are "covered in the blood of Syrian children", the Ambassador says, and "cannot be ashamed ... we have tried that before."
#Russia's hands are "covered in the blood of Syrian children", the Ambassador says, and "cannot be ashamed ... we have tried that before."
Amb. @nikkihaley attacks #Russia for its backing of #Asad, something "no civilized government" would do; its help in directing the siege-and-starve campaigns in #Syria; and its assistance to the broader war crimes.
The U.S. "will not be held hostage" to Moscow's veto.
The U.S. "will not be held hostage" to Moscow's veto.
