Turkey has announced the creation of its own high-tech multi-level defense system called the "Steel Dome", which is apparently supposed to work on the principle of the Israeli system.

And I just can't understand one thing: why? If the main and most important threat to Turkey, that is, the guerrillas, has been walking on foot for half a century, and not flying through the air?

Who will attack Turkey? Greece? Who? What aggressive enemy does Turkey have that has enough resources to throw missiles at Turkey?

Turkey is not leaving the list of countries with the highest inflation, there is poverty in the country, refugees, infrastructure destroyed, is there really nowhere to spend money?

By the way, about Iran.

Right now in Deir ez-Zor, a city in Syria that the Americans really wanted to liberate from ISIS, things are unsettled again. Not as bad as last year, of course, but it's not very pleasant: today, for example, they reported 11 civilians killed, including children.

What happened?

On August 7, the forces of the Syrian regime, which control part of Deir ez-Zor, and their mercenaries, including the National, God forgive me, Defense, randomly opened fire on villages in the east of the Deir ez-Zor countryside. The east is controlled by the SDF, the Arabs and Kurds, who liberated this city together with the United States (Global Coalition). The forces of the Syrian regime attacked several villages at once in the middle of the night.

Eyewitness Jalal Al-Khatab says that they were sleeping at home (apparently it was hot and they slept right on the roof, as is customary), when a shell hit their house. His son Imad died from the wound.

Background

Last year in Deir ez-Zor there were fightings between the Syrian regime and the SDF, which were called "the suppression of the popular uprising by Kurdish forces" and "Kurds against Arabs". Although, of course, this was not the case.

What does all this really mean?

In Syria, there is still a clan system in all of its territories, both in the areas controlled by the regime and in the areas controlled by the SDF. All residents of the region, except for those like me, "edjnebi" (note - a foreigner, a foreigner), belong to tribes. Within the tribes there are large families. The Igedad tribe in Deir ez-Zor is very large. There are some elders who are on the side of the SDF, and there are some who were bribed. Why were they bribed? In order to create an unstable situation in the region, to occupy a city strategically important for both the SDF and the US, to use all its resources: oil is right there, where the SDF and the US control.

What does Iran have to do with it?

In general, it should be clear from the last phrase that Iran wants to be where the US is. The tribal forces that attacked the eastern part of the Deir ez-Zor countryside 2 days ago, like all pro-Iranian militias, all mercenaries in Syria, were trained by the Iranian regime. This adventure is also not sponsored by the "popular will of oppressed Arabs", and the mercenaries are pursuing quite pragmatic goals.

In general, I will remind you that without Russia and Iran, the Syrian regime, which destroys people either in prisons, but by torture, or by sending them to the army, would not exist at all, and Assad would have been executed long ago in an attempt to administer justice to those same oppressed Arabs. After the murder of 11 civilians and children in a couple of days, I hope no one has any doubts that this is not an "Arab uprising against the Kurds", but the usual things that regimes like Iran, Syria and Russia do.

I had some hopes that with the focus on the Middle East due to the expectation of a retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel, the domestic situation in Iran would also come into focus.

But no. The media writes about Hezbollah, missiles, the nuclear program, Yemen, Shoigu, but not about the fundamental catastrophe due to which the Iranian regime exists at all.

On August 6, another young Kurdish guy, Reza Resai, was executed in Iran. After that, a riot began in the women's section of Evin prison in Tehran, where the same prisoners are sentenced to death, including those sentenced to death. They broke down the doors, fought with the guards, some of the political prisoners are in serious condition due to injuries.

The situation of Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish woman who was sentenced to death, receives a little more coverage in the press. The name of Sherife Mohammedi is sometimes mentioned with her. Much less is said about Varisha Moradi, although she was kidnapped and for several months no one knew where she was or what had happened to her. Of course, she was tortured all this time.

And so on.

About how political prisoners are not allowed to meet with lawyers at all, and the families of the executed notify their relatives about the execution after the fact, probably only those who regularly monitor the news in Farsi know. How they kidnap people out of the blue, without making any charges, all this is known to those who already work with the region every day, but not to those who are waiting for a “big war in the region” outside this very region.

If you suddenly want to read about political prisoners in Iran after this post, do not believe the open data on officially executed people. There are many, many more. And this does not include the shuttle traders, whom Iranian forces simply shoot like animals on a hunt.

Hengaw (hengaw.net)

Two Kolbers Killed and Four Others Injured on the Borders of Nowsud and Marivan

Turkish media are publishing that Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot Trump, was a member of the PKK/YPG. This is just some kind of madness, I don’t even know what kind of audience the Turkish media is counting on.

On July 8, a film crew with journalists from Çira TV and Çira FM went to Tilqeseb to cover events dedicated to the anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide. The crew's car was attacked by a Turkish drone. The result of the attack can be seen in the photo above. The attack seriously injured Çira FM reporter Mirad Mîrza Îbrahîm, Çira TV reporter Medya Hasen and driver Xelef Xidir, as well as two civilians and a small child. Seriously injured journalist Mirad Mîrza was taken to a Mosul hospital where he received medical treatment. The bleeding did not stop for several days. Today he died.

In addition to the fact that Turkey has already entered 40 km deep into the Iraqi border, established many checkpoints and evacuated villages, Turkey continues to target and intimidate the residents of South Kurdistan (Iraq). 

Following a drone attack in Shengal that killed journalist Mirad Mîrza and injured several civilians and a child, drones are flying over the Makhmur camp (also in Iraq). 

Media writes that protests against the Turkish occupiers began in Syria after Erdogan’s statements about the normalization of relations with the bloody Assad regime. I don't entirely agree with this.

Turkey allegedly supports the “Syrian opposition” against the Assad regime (actually use it to occupy the territories of northern Syria). Now Erdogan says that they will sit at the same table with Assad, like a family.

Yes, indeed, this angered and upset the Syrian opposition. But is this the reason for such large-scale protests? I honestly think that this is not the reason.

Talks about “normalizing” relations between Turkey and the Assad regime have been going on for so long that everyone has already gotten used to them. It is clear that Turkish intelligence and the intelligence of the Assad regime are working together, that negotiations are ongoing, that they even recently opened a border checkpoint (they closed it almost immediately).

▪️But I am sure that the matter has to do with a problem that has been brewing for a long time, firstly, xenophobic sentiments in Turkey itself, which were supported directly by the government.

▪️Secondly, the problem of refugees in Turkey, whom the Turkish authorities use as an instrument of pressure against Europe and as cannon fodder for wars.

▪️Thirdly, Turkey’s wrong policy in the occupied Syrian territories, where Arabs are taught Turkish, are forced to pay with Turkish lira and use Turkish place names rather than Arab ones. This is a policy of Turkification, the forced Turkification of the Arab population.

I want you to watch these attached videos. These videos are from different cities of Turkey, where crowds of angry Turks indiscriminately attack not only Syrians, but also just Arabs. Of course, in the occupied territories of Syria they know that in Turkey Arabs, and especially Syrians, are not considered people. Therefore, it is not surprising that they organize protests and fight against the Turkish occupiers. In such a situation, any spark, any event, ignites a flame of resistance against the Turkish occupiers.
?

Do you know of any other regime that survives solely due to external support like the Assad regime in Syria? Indeed, the Assad regime remained in many important areas.

Every time I talk to people from different parts of Syria about Assad’s military, I don’t understand why Russia and Iran can’t find some alternatives to Assad to back (or leave Syria or be destroyed from within by a popular uprising but let's not dream so far). Because the Assad regime is a regime that seems to have lost the trust of all Syrians.

For example, people are seriously publishing news about how in Suwayda, where a peaceful protest in Kerama Square has been going on for a very long time, residents kidnapped officers of Assad’s army.

Think about it. Residents. Kidnapped. Army officers. How vulnerable and fragile is this regime if some more or less armed people can kidnap not just anyone, but army officers...

And yet, this regime still lives. Assad is even invited to the League of Arab States, they shake his hands, and it seems that everything is about to get better for him.

Today is the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. At this time, Erdogan, the successor of all the Ottoman wars and the leader of the falling Turkish lira, says that the Armenians now need to recognize the new order. The prime minister of Armenia Pashinyan, according to Erdogan, has already understood this. Although, of course, it is difficult to understand what Erdogan means by “new order.” Probably, the Armenian people began the 21st century again with exile, refugee, destroyed churches in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is usually called Artsakh for solidarity with the Armenian people.

In addition to these genocidal practices in Artsakh (demographic changes and the destruction of cultural and historical heritage are exactly that), now in Armenia itself, residents expect an invasion of Azerbaijani forces any minute and are protesting against the transfer of villages in Armenia to Azerbaijan. The transfer of villages to Azerbaijan is a measure by the Armenian government to avoid another Azerbaijani invasion.

The fact that the Armenian government itself is trying to drive Armenians out of their homes so that they are not driven out by force by the Azerbaijanis causes bewilderment and disdain among any conscientious Armenians. The pro-Russian opposition in Armenia is putting pressure on these feelings, and it is clear why: to put their pro-Russian Armenians back in power in Armenia, to strengthen the influence of the Russian Federation.

Armenian history is known for the desperate attempts of the Armenian nobility to balance between empires. The support of the Armenians by the Russian Empire led to the virtual enslavement of the Armenian Church, which continues to play an important role in Armenian society. In the Armenian language there is an expression “Spitak Turk”, which means “white Turk” and it means, of course, Russians.

Now, as before, to be on the side of the current Armenian government, which Erdogan approves, or on the side of the pro-Russian Armenian opposition means to be on the side of the enemies. For 109 years, the Ottomans, at the instigation of the Russians, managed to destroy the Armenians in western Armenia. And 108 years later, they managed to occupy Artsakh, expelling all (!) ethnic Armenians from the region, after starving some of them to death in a blockade.

Although the Armenian government pretends to be drifting towards the West and democracy, Armenia does not officially leave either the CSTO or the EAEU - the two fundamental organizations for projecting Russian power into the post-Soviet space.

The so-called opposition in Armenia is in the hands of former Armenian presidents: Serzh Sargsyan and Putin's longtime friend Robert Kocharyan. Although they do not publicly appear in the Tavush protests, realizing that their low rating among the people would have negative consequences in the protests, they found a way out of the situation in the form of the charismatic Bagrat Srbazan, who has the support of the residents of Tavush.

These protests are covered in suspicious detail in pro-Russian media and channels, and their news is also republished by Azerbaijani channels. It turns out that in order to defend their villages, the Armenians must become even more dependent on the Russian forces, whose peacekeeping forces will keep the peace until the war breaks out. And the Armenians seem to have no other alternative on this anniversary of the Genocide.

*text written together with my friend from Artsakh Gabriel.

The events of recent days can make you worry. The day before, Erdogan visited Baghdad and discussed with the Iraqi Prime Minister the fight against the PKK and the water that the Turkish side is cutting off, which causes drought, unsanitary conditions and epidemics in the region. Of course, water is not the only tool of pressure on Iraq that Turkey uses to continue its expansion. But no one wants to sit through another summer without water in Iraq.

The media got excited about this news, which is right, and wrote that Turkey was starting another operation in Southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). In fact, Turkey did not end its military operation in Southern Kurdistan: Turkey is actively building more and more new bases further and further from the border.

Not only Kurds, but also Arabs living far from the combat zone and Turkish bases have already begun to pay attention to these events. While Erdogan was visiting Baghdad, some activists there staged a picket against his visit. Turkish soldiers on Iraqi territory already feel so comfortable that the matter is no longer limited to local clashes with the Kurds, but completely includes the federal forces of Iraq. After all, in Syria, Turkish forces still manage to maintain control over the so-called Syrian opposition, thereby expanding their dominance in the region. The same thing in Iraq seems to be a very bleak prospect. But not everyone understands this.

Judging by the long list of agreements concluded between Turkey and Iraq during Erdogan's visit, the Turkish presence in Iraq will only grow, and the Iraqi authorities will become increasingly dependent on their northern neighbor.

More bad news:

The arrests of journalists in Turkey will not surprise anyone. Today, journalists were arrested again in Istanbul, Riha and Ankara. And if the arrests of journalists in Turkey do not surprise anyone, you still do not expect such arbitrariness in Europe. Simultaneously with these arrests in Turkey, the Belgian police decided to follow the example of their Turkish colleagues and conducted raids on two editorial offices of Kurdish television channels. Belgium, by the way, was considered a completely favorable country in this regard until today: the Belgian Supreme Court removed the PKK from the list of terrorists.

But now suddenly there are raids, supposedly at the request of France. In France, by the way, there are also searches in the Kurdish center and arrests. They are actively looking for more “terrorists” to be deported to Turkey, as was recently the case with another Kurd, Mehmet Kopal. France deported him to Turkey, denying him refugee status.

Of course, you might think that all this is happening somewhere far away, and some suspicious individuals are being arrested and deported, but not you, and nothing threatens democracy in Europe. But you would be wrong.

??Reuters reports, citing a source in Turkey: Two of those accused of committing the Crocus terrorist attack arrived in Moscow on March 2 on the same flight.

Who could possibly imagine! How unpredictable ISIS members are! What would they even do in Turkey!