Unprovoked attack on Syria: Israel commits egregious international crime

By: Tony Cartalucci

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/05/301903/israels-unprovoked-attack-on-syria/

The US feigns disassociation with Hitlerian acts of Israeli aggression - as was planned since 2007.

Unprovoked, Israel has attacked Syria numerous times over the past 2 days, including attacks on the Syrian capital of Damascus, in what appears to be a series of intentional provocations designed to drag the region into a wider conflict its US sponsors can then enter militarily. Neither attacked directly by Syria, nor able to cite credible evidence in regards to perceived threats Israel claims to be reacting to, the assault on Syria represents a Chapter VII breach of the United Nations Charter.

What’s more is that while the US feigns disassociation with Israel’s breach of international peace, after jointly fueling a genocidal sectarian conflict within Syria’s borders for the past two years, it is documented fact that the US and Saudi Arabia planned to use Israel to conduct military attacks against Iran and Syria, they themselves could not justify politically, legally, or strategically.

What is now hoped is that Syria and Iran retaliate militarily, allowing the “other shoe to drop,” and for the US, UK, France, and their regional axis to directly intervene in Syria.

Insidious ploy engineered and documented in 2007-2009

As early as 2007, it was reported that a US-Saudi-Israeli conspiracy to overthrow the governments of Iran and Syria by arming sectarian terrorists, many linked directly to Al Qaeda, was already set in motion. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh in his 2007 New Yorker article “The Redirection” stated:

“To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has cooperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda.”

Of Israel and Saudi Arabia’s partnership it specifically stated:

“The policy shift has brought Saudi Arabia and Israel into a new strategic embrace, largely because both countries see Iran as an existential threat. They have been involved in direct talks, and the Saudis, who believe that greater stability in Israel and Palestine will give Iran less leverage in the region, have become more involved in Arab-Israeli negotiations.”

Additionally, Saudi Arabian officials mentioned the careful balancing act their nation must play in order to conceal its role in supporting US-Israeli ambitions across the region. It was stated even then that using Israel to publicly carry out attacks on Iran would be preferable to the US, which would ultimately implicate the Saudis. It was stated:

“The Saudi said that, in his country’s view, it was taking a political risk by joining the U.S. in challenging Iran: Bandar is already seen in the Arab world as being too close to the Bush Administration. ‘We have two nightmares,’ the former diplomat told me. ‘For Iran to acquire the bomb and for the United States to attack Iran. I’d rather the Israelis bomb the Iranians, so we can blame them. If America does it, we will be blamed.’”

This ploy was further developed in 2009 by the Fortune 500-funded (page 19) Brookings Institution in their document, “Which Path to Persia?” in regards to Iran, and now clearly being utilized against Syria, the gambit was described as follows:

“…it would be far more preferable if the United States could cite an Iranian provocation as justification for the airstrikes before launching them. Clearly, the more outrageous, the more deadly, and the more unprovoked the Iranian action, the better off the United States would be. Of course, it would be very difficult for the United States to goad Iran into such a provocation without the rest of the world recognizing this game, which would then undermine it. (One method that would have some possibility of success would be to ratchet up covert regime change efforts in the hope that Tehran would retaliate overtly, or even semi-overtly, which could then be portrayed as an unprovoked act of Iranian aggression.)” - page 84-85, Which Path to Persia?, Brookings Institution.

And:

“Israel appears to have done extensive planning and practice for such a strike already, and its aircraft are probably already based as close to Iran as possible. As such, Israel might be able to launch the strike in a matter of weeks or even days, depending on what weather and intelligence conditions it felt it needed. Moreover, since Israel would have much less of a need (or even interest) in securing regional support for the operation, Jerusalem probably would feel less motivated to wait for an Iranian provocation before attacking. In short, Israel could move very fast to implement this option if both Israeli and American leaders wanted it to happen.

However, as noted in the previous chapter, the airstrikes themselves are really just the start of this policy. Again, the Iranians would doubtless rebuild their nuclear sites. They would probably retaliate against Israel, and they might retaliate against the United States, too (which might create a pretext for American airstrikes or even an invasion).” - page 91, Which Path to Persia?, Brookings Institution.

And Israel not waiting for a plausible justification to attack Syria is exactly what has just happened. It should also be noted in particular, the last paragraph which gives insight into what the US-led axis plans to do after this egregious international crime - that is - to incrementally engulf the region into a conflict it finally can justify its own entry into open military aggression.

What should Syria and its allies do?

Syria, Iran, Russia and other nations that support the besieged nation most certainly were aware of the Brookings document Which Path to Persia? and familiar with this strategy. It would be hoped that anything of value that the Israelis would seek to attack in order to provoke a much desired retaliation and subsequent war, would have been provided additional protection, or moved entirely out of range of potential Israeli attacks.

A media campaign to illustrate the hypocritical and very revealing convergence between Al Qaeda (the so-called Free Syrian Army or FSA) and Israeli interests would undermine whatever remaining support the battered and failing Western-backed terror campaign inside Syria may still have.

Additionally, Israel’s selection by the US to carry out this attack was done specifically because Israel has long ago exhausted its international legitimacy. What it is doing in Syria is a blatant international crime, in direct violation of international law. Currently, Syria and its allies hold the moral high ground against an enemy who is no longer fooling the world. If it is calculated that Syria can survive Israel’s unprovoked brutality, it would be best to do little or nothing, and incur internationally the same outrage that accompanies Israel’s brutality against the Palestinians.

In light of the US using Israel as its proxy against Syria, should Syria and its allies retaliate, it would be best to do so through any proxies they themselves have at their disposal. Just as Hezbollah and the Palestinians now routinely defeat Israel both strategically and politically, Syria now faces an opportunity to do so again, only on a much bigger scale.

The outrageous actions of Israel, the despicable double-game the US attempts to play by feigning disassociation with its regional beachhead in Tel Aviv, and the silent complicity of the UN, has people around the world desperately seeking retaliation from Syria, or Iran, or both. In reality, this is precisely what the West hopes to achieve - a wider conventional war in which they hold the advantage. By refusing to retaliate directly, Syria cripples the West politically, highlighting the unprovoked nature of their attacks on a nation they claim is a threat, yet fails to strike back even when its capital is under bombardment. By responding through its own plausibly deniable proxies, tactical and political pressure can be put on Israel to end its aggression.

It appears that the Western-backed terrorist front in Syria has been dealt a fatal blow and is in the process of complete collapse. The attack by Israel is a sign of desperation, seeking to expand a conflict that is about to end. Syria and its allies face difficult decisions and dangerous desperation in the coming days and weeks - with an axis of rogue states committing increasingly heinous atrocities in search of a response .

--------------

About: Tony Cartalucci

Tony Cartalucci is a Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer. He has been published on many alternative media websites, including Alternative Thai News Network and LocalOrg. His writings deal with world events from a Southeast Asian perspective as well as promoting self-sufficiency as one of the keys to true freedom. His website is Land Destroyer Report - http://landdestroyer.blogspot.ca/

 

War on Iran Will Trigger World War III

 

By: Prof. Michel Chossudovsky

Source: Global Research

http://www.globalresearch.ca/a-war-on-iran-will-trigger-world-war-iii/

 “Our defensive power has been created on the basis of our defensive strategy and the presumption ruling our defensive strategy is that we will enter an massive battle with a US-led coalition.” Brigadier General Hossein Salami, IRGC Deputy Commander, September 2012)

Both the US and Israel have threatened to implement a preemptive first strike attack against Iran, the consequences of which would be devastating.

Responding to these ongoing threats, Iran’s Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) General Amir Ali Hajizadeh has warned that a US-Israeli military attack against Iran could lead to the outbreak of a Third World War. He also intimated that Israel cannot launch a war without the green-light from the US.

If such a war were to be launched, according to General Hajizadeh, a scenario of uncontrolled military escalation is likely to occur. If attacked, Iran would retaliate against both Israeli and US targets including US military facilities in neighboring countries (ie. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gulf States):

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force General Amir Ali Hajizadeh warned the US and the Zionist regime [Israel] that an attack on Iran will likely trigger World War III.

Speaking to the Arabic news network, Al-Alam on Sunday, General Hajizadeh said the US and the Israeli regime may not enter war with Iran “independent from each other, meaning that either one of these two starts the war, it will be joined by the other one”.

“We see the US and the Zionist regime standing fully on the side of each other and we cannot imagine the Zionist regime initiating a war without the US backup. Due to the same reason, if a war breaks out, we will definitely wage battle on both sides and will definitely be engaged with the US bases,” he said.

“In case such conditions arise, a series of incidents will take place which will not be controllable and manageable and such a war might turn into a third world war. That means, certain countries may enter the war for or against Iran,” added the general.

The IRGC commander warned that in case such war is waged on Iran, the US bases in “those countries around us and inside the neighboring countries will be targeted and they will even be threatened by the nations of these very states”. (Fars News Agency, September 23, 2012, emphasis added)

The World is at a dangerous crossroads. The statement of General Hajizadeh must be taken seriously.

Active war preparations against Iran have been ongoing for the last eight years. Since 2005, the US and its allies, including America’s NATO partners and Israel, have been involved in the extensive deployment and stockpiling of advanced weapons systems. The air defense systems of the US, NATO member countries and Israel are fully integrated. Israel cannot act without the support of its allies.

This is a coordinated endeavor of the Pentagon, NATO and Israel’s Defense Force (IDF) directed against Iran. Several non-NATO partner countries including the frontline Arab states (members of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative) are also involved.

Media Disinformation

Public opinion, swayed by media hype is tacitly supportive, indifferent or ignorant as to the likely impacts of what is upheld as an ad hoc “punitive” operation directed against Iran’s nuclear facilities rather than an all out war.

The war on Iran is presented to public opinion as an issue among others. It is not viewed as a threat to humanity. Quite the opposite: it is viewed as a humanitarian endeavor.

Retaliation

The Western media is beating the drums of war. The purpose is to tacitly instil, through repeated media reports, ad nauseam, within people’s inner consciousness, the notion that the Iranian threat is real and that the Islamic Republic should be “taken out”.

Iran has significant military capabilities. The fact that an attack on Iran could lead to retaliation and escalation which could potentially unleash a “global war” is not a matter of concern.

While the Islamic Republic does not constitute a threat to the security of Israel, Iran’s military brass has emphasized that in the case of an attack on Iran, retaliation against Israel is contemplated, with potentially devastating consequences:

On Saturday, IRGC’s top Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said an enemy invasion of Iran is possible, but such a war would put an end to the life of the Zionist regime of Israel.

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari

“War may break out, but if Zionists [Israeli government] start something, that will be the point of their annihilation and the endpoint of their story,” he added.

Jafari, meantime, underlined that “no one dares to wage an extensive ground assault on Iran”.

The General said if the enemy were wise, there wouldn’t be any problem, “but the problem is that there is no guarantee for this rationality and we should be prepared too.

Later yesterday, his deputy, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, cautioned that any possible attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime would provide an opportunity for Tehran to wipe the regime off the earth.

“If the Zionists embark on attacking Iran, it will provide a historical opportunity for the Islamic Revolution to wipe them off the world’s geographical history,” Salami said on Saturday night on the state-run TV.

“We are now through with concerns about the Zionist regime’s threats,” he said, adding that Israel has bitter memories of its last-decade wars with the regional allies of the Islamic Republic, including Hezbollah and Hamas Movement.

“(Given the above-mentioned failures) how does it (the Zionist regime) want to be a threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran?” Salami asked.

He, meantime, underlined Iran’s preparedness to confront any aggression against the country, and said, “Our defensive power has been created on the basis of our defensive strategy and the presumption ruling our defensive strategy is that we will enter an massive battle with a US-led coalition.”

On Friday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Seyed Hassan Firouzabadi also warned that Tehran would reciprocate any aggression against the country with an “immediate” and “non-stop” response, stressed.

“We do not feel threatened by the boastful remarks of Zionist leaders, because they are creatures with deep fright who continue crying out since they know that Iran’s response to threats will be readymade, immediate and non-stop,” Major General Firouzabadi told reporters on the sidelines of September 21 military parades marking the anniversary of the Week of Sacred Defense here in Tehran on Friday morning.

“The Zionist regime officials have declared in their (military) estimates that military operations against Iran neither can be done by Israel nor is useful for them,” he added.

He also stated that Iran’s armed forces today are unpredictable and their strategy and actions cannot be foreseen by the enemies.

The Sacred Defense Week, commemorating Iranians’ sacrifices during the 8 years of Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s, started on Friday with nationwide parades by various units of the Islamic Republic Army, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Basij (volunteer) forces in Southern Tehran. (Fars News Agency, September 23, 2012, emphasis added)

Reverse the Tide of War

We call upon our readers to spread the message far and wide.

We call upon people across the land, in America, Western Europe, Israel, Turkey and around the world to rise up against this military project, against their governments which are supportive of military action against Iran, against the media which serves to camouflage the devastating implications of a war against Iran.

The people of Israel are largely united against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s resolve to attack Iran.

A protocol of non-aggression should be reached between Israel and Iran.

 

The object of this book is to forcefully reverse the tide of war, challenge the war criminals in high office and the powerful corporate lobby groups which support them.” (Michel Chossudovsky, Towards a World War III Scenario, Global Research, Montreal, 2012)

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Reviews

Professor Chossudovsky’s hard-hitting and compelling book explains why and how we must immediately undertake a concerted and committed campaign to head off this impending cataclysmic demise of the human race and planet earth. This book is required reading for everyone in the peace movement around the world.”
-Francis A. Boyle, Professor of International Law, University of Illinois College of Law

“This book is a ‘must’ resource – a richly documented and systematic diagnosis of the supremely pathological geo-strategic planning of US wars since ‘9-11’ against non-nuclear countries to seize their oil fields and resources under cover of ‘freedom and democracy’.”
-John McMurtry, Professor of Philosophy, Guelph University

“In a world where engineered, pre-emptive, or more fashionably “humanitarian” wars of aggression have become the norm, this challenging book may be our final wake-up call.”
-Denis Halliday, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

Michel Chossudovsky exposes the insanity of our privatized war machine. Iran is being targeted with nuclear weapons as part of a war agenda built on distortions and lies for the purpose of private profit. The real aims are oil, financial hegemony and global control. The price could be nuclear holocaust. When weapons become the hottest export of the world’s only superpower, and diplomats work as salesmen for the defense industry, the whole world is recklessly endangered. If we must have a military, it belongs entirely in the public sector. No one should profit from mass death and destruction.
-Ellen Brown, author of ‘Web of Debt’ and president of the Public Banking Institute

Assad better get the hell out – Panetta

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (Reuters/Mark Wilson/Pool)

Source: Russia Today

http://www.rt.com/news/panetta-syrian-military-intact-458/

US Defense Sec. Leon Panetta has advice for Syria’s President Assad: “If you want to be able to protect yourself and your family, you’d better get the hell out now.” Panetta also warned that the US would not repeat the mistakes it made in Iraq.

“The United States and the international community has made very clear that this is intolerable, and have brought their diplomatic and economic pressure on Syria to stop this kind of violence, to have Assad step down and to transition to a democratic form of government,” he said in an interview with CNN during a visit to Tunisia.

The international community has yet to reach consensus on the ongoing strife in Syria. Russia and China oppose removing Assad, saying his government is supported by a majority of Syrians.

Syria’s government forces should remain intact after embattled President Assad is ousted, said Panetta. Though the Obama administration is resolved against military intervention in the country, Panetta nevertheless drew a comparison with the occupation of Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion.

"It's very important that we don't make the same mistakes we made in Iraq," he said, referring to the Bush administration’s decision to disband the country’s military in the wake of the invasion. “I think it’s important when Assad leaves, and he will leave, to try to preserve stability in that country.”

The Defense Secretary said that the most effective way to preserve Syrian stability is to “maintain as much of the military and police as you can, along with security forces, and hope that they will transition to a democratic form of government.”

A temporary military regime is a strategy similar to the one employed by Egypt following the ouster of President Mubarak in January last year, where the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) formed an interim government. But prolonged military rule sparked massive protests amid claims that SCAF was stalling democratic elections in a bid to cling to power.

Government forces will be essential to securing key Syrian military sites, including alleged chemical weapons stashes: “It would be a disaster to have those chemical weapons fall into the wrong hands,” Panetta said.

"The key right now is to continue to bring that pressure on Syria, to provide assistance to the opposition, and to provide whatever kind of humanitarian aid we can to assist the refugees," he told CNN.

Panetta is currently in Tunisia as part of a week-long tour of the Middle East, during which the Syrian conflict will be at the top of his agenda.

This aggressive rhetoric comes as the fighting between government forces and rebels intensifies across Syria. Clashes have wracked the industrial hub of Aleppo for the past week, with rebels vowing to turn the northern city into the “grave of the regime.”

The Obama administration has said that it is providing as much “non-lethal” aid as it can to Syrian rebel forces. Russia has accused the West of fueling the conflict by supporting the opposition, claiming that more should be done to facilitate dialogue between the warring camps.

Humanitarian Military Intervention in Syria? Who is Behind the Atrocities?

By: Prof. Michel Chossudovsky

Source: Global Research

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=32117

In the wake of the UN Security Council face-off with Russia and China, a new dangerous phase of the war on Syria is unfolding. The Obama administration, in liaison with London, Paris, Tel Aviv and NATO headquarters in Brussels, is mulling over various military "intervention options", including the conduct of both naval and air operations in support of "opposition" rebel forces on the ground.

The dubious justification for waging a "humanitarian war" on Syria hinges upon the West's "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) the Syrian people against their own government, which allegedly is involved in the routine killing of civilians.

In the aftermath of the battle of Damascus and the setbacks of the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reiterated Washington's threat of military intervention, accusing Syrian government forces of waging "a tragic attack on their own people". The Defense Secretary vowed not only to unseat the Syrian president, but also, in so many words, "to get rid of" Bashar Al Assad:

... I think it ultimately will be a nail in Assad's own coffin,.. What Assad has been doing to his own people and what he continues to do to his own people makes clear that his regime is coming to an end. It's lost all legitimacy," he said, adding, "It's no longer a question of whether he's coming to an end, it's when." (Quoted in Syria says it recaptures Aleppo district after battle, Reuters, July 29, 2012, emphasis added)

Meanwhile, Moscow has accused the US led coalition of supporting the terrorist attacks committed by the "Free Syrian Army" (FSA) and Al Qaeda affiliated entities operating inside Syria.

It is important at this historical juncture to set the record straight as to who is behind these atrocities and crimes against humanity, particularly in view of the fact that the Obama administration and its allies are contemplating outright military intervention against Syria on "humanitarian grounds".

Who is behind the Atrocities?

Whereas the government bears a burden of responsibility pertaining to the conduct of its military operations in urban areas directed against the rebels, the gruesome human rights record of the US-NATO supported "Free Syrian Army" (FSA) is unequivocal. Amply documented, the killings of innocent civilians were not carried by the government but, quite deliberately, by the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

These killings were implemented as part of a diabolical intelligence operation, which consisted in blaming the Syrian government for the atrocities committed by rebel forces. (See Michel Chossudovsky, SYRIA: Killing Innocent Civilians as part of a US Covert Op. Mobilizing Public Support for a R2P War against Syria, Global Research, May 30, 2012)

The substance of Russia's finger pointing is confirmed by numerous reports.

According to the leaked Arab League Observer Mission Report: which had initially been commissioned by the Arab League at Washington's behest:

"In Homs, Idlib and Hama, the Observer Mission witnessed acts of violence being committed against Government forces and civilians that resulted in several deaths and injuries. Examples of those acts include the bombing of a civilian bus, killing eight persons and injuring others, including women and children. ... Such incidents include the bombing of buildings, trains carrying fuel, vehicles carrying diesel oil and explosions targeting the police, members of the media and fuel pipelines. Some of those attacks have been carried out by the Free Syrian Army and some by other armed opposition groups." (League of Arab States Observer Mission to Syria, Report of the Head of the League of Arab States Observer Mission to Syria for the period from 24 December 2011 to 18 January 2012,

The Arab League Observer mission report was subsequently shelved because it revealed the forbidden truth, namely that the US-NATO sponsored "rebels" rather than the government were behind the massacres.

A report of Der Spiegel (March 29, 2012) entitled "An Executioner for Syria's Rebels Tells His Story", confirms an organized process of mass-murder and extra-judicial killing of civilians conducted by the Free Syrian Army (FSA). This single "burial brigade", according to the executioner's testimony, was responsible for the arbitrary execution of 350-400 people including "prisoners" and "traitors". The "traitors" are Sunni civilians within the occupied urban and rural areas, who express their opposition to the rule of terror of the Free Syrian Army (FSA):

"Since last summer, we have executed slightly fewer than 150 men, which represents about 20 percent of our prisoners," says Abu Rami. ... But the executioners of Homs have been busier with traitors within their own ranks than with prisoners of war. "If we catch a Sunni spying, or if a citizen betrays the revolution, we make it quick," says the fighter. According to Abu Rami, Hussein's burial brigade has put between 200 and 250 traitors to death since the beginning of the uprising." (Der Spiegel, March 29, 2012)

The Vatican News Service Agenzia Fides largely confirms that the Western backed "opposition forces" rather than the Al Assad government are responsible for countless atrocities:

"The Syrian soldiers in fact, continue to face foreign fighters, mercenaries Libyans, Lebanese militants from the Gulf, Afghans, Turks. "The Sunni Salafist militants - says the Bishop - continue to commit crimes against civilians, or to recruit fighters with force. The fanatical Sunni extremists are fighting a holy war proudly, especially against the Alawites. When terrorists seek to control the religious identity of a suspect, they ask him to cite the genealogies dating back to Moses. And they ask to recite a prayer that the Alawites removed. The Alawites have no chance to get out alive." (Agenzia Fides, Vatican News Service, 4 June 2012)

Russian journalist Marat Musin in a comprehensive report dispels the lies and fabrications of the Western media.

The report is based on a chronology of events as well as eyewitness accounts. Entire pro-government families in Houla were massacred. The terrorists were not pro-government shabbiha militia as conveyed, in chorus, by the mainstream media, they were in large part mercenaries and professional killers operating under the auspices of the self-proclaimed Free Syrian Army (FSA):

"When the rebels seized the lower checkpoint in the center of town and located next to the local police department, they began to sweep all the families loyal to the authorities in neighboring houses, including the elderly, women and children.

Several families of the Al-Sayed were killed, including 20 young children and the family of Abdul Razak. The people were killed with knives and shot at point blank range.

Then they presented the murdered [corpses] to the UN and the international community as victims of bombings by the Syrian army, something that was not verified by any marks on their bodies." (See Marat Musdin, THE HOULA MASSACRE: Opposition Terrorists "Killed Families Loyal to the Government" ANNA News, translated from Russian, June 1, 2012)

According to a detailed report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ):

"Those killed were almost exclusively from families belonging to Houla’s Alawi and Shia minorities. .... Immediately following the massacre, the perpetrators are supposed to have filmed their victims and then presented them as Sunni victims in videos posted on the internet." (Neue Erkenntnisse zu Getöteten von Hula.Abermals Massaker in Syrien, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 7, 2012)

The recently released "Intelligence Estimates" of Germany's Bundes Nachrichtendienst (BND) states that "'around 90 [terror attacks] can be attributed to organizations that are close to al-Qaeda or jihadist groups' (January through June 2012) as reported by the German daily Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)". (quoted in English by John Rosenthal, German intelligence: al-Qaeda all over Syria The Asian Times, July 24, 2012).

The above mainstream media --together with an extensive body of evidence contained in independent alternative media reports-- confirm unequivocally that crimes against humanity are being committed by terrorist militia.

We are at a very dangerous crossroads. An all out "humanitarian war" against Syria is on the drawing board of the Pentagon, which, if carried out, could lead the World into a regional war extending from the Eastern Mediterranean to the heartland of Central Asia.

It is essential to reverse the tide of war propaganda which uses civilian deaths as a pretext to wage war on humanitarian grounds, when those killings of civilians were carried out not by government forces but by professional terrorists operating under the helm of the US-NATO sponsored Free Syrian Army (FSA).

--------------------

For further detailed documentation on Who is behind the Atrocities in Syria see Michel Chossudovsky (Editor), SYRIA: NATO's Next "Humanitarian" War? ONLINE INTERACTIVE I-BOOK, Global Research, February 2012, updated June 15, 2012, PART VI of this Collection pertains to War Propaganda and The Massacre of Innocent Civilians

SYRIA: Killing Innocent Civilians as part of a US Covert Op. Mobilizing Public Support for a R2P War against Syria

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31122

US military doctrine envisages the central role of "massive casualty producing events" in which innocent civilians are killed. The killings are carried out as part of a covert operation. The enemy is blamed for the resulting atrocities

Report: Rebels Responsible for Houla Massacre

Armed rebels murdered “entire Alawi families” in village of Taldo in Houla
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31340

Propaganda War: Houla Massacre Committed by US-NATO Sponsored “Free Syrian Army”. But They Accuse Syrian Government.

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31333

"Humanitarian War Criminals" in High Office: Was the Houla Massacre Ordered by the Western Military Alliance?

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31359

VATICAN NEWS: Foreign Fighters, Mercenaries, Terrorists, behind Syria Massacre

"The desolation of Homs and the war of information ": the Words of a Greek-Catholic Bishop.
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31245

THE HOULA MASSACRE: Opposition Terrorists "Killed Families Loyal to the Government"

Detailed Investigation
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31184

VIDEO: US-NATO “Humanitarian Intervention” in Syria: Towards a Regional War

http://tv.globalresearch.ca/2012/06/humanitarian-intervention-syria-towards-regional-war

Syria: NATO’s Next “Humanitarian War” – Online Interactive I-Book

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29234

Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (Emeritus) at the University of Ottawa. He is the Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and Editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America's "War on Terrorism"(2005). His most recent book is entitled Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011).

He has taught as Visiting Professor at universities in Western Europe, South East Asia, Latin America and the Pacific, acted as an adviser to governments of developing countries and as a consultant for several international organizations.

Prof. Chossudovsky is a signatory of the Kuala Lumpur declaration to criminalize war and recipient of the Human Rights Prize of the Society for the Protection of Civil Rights and Human Dignity (GBM), Berlin. He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages.

‘British-born jihadists fighting Assad in Syria’ – captured photographer

Armed members of the Free Syrian Army are seen in the western border town of Zabadani in this undated still image taken from amateur video obtained by Reuters (Reuters / Reuters TV)

Source: Russia Today

http://www.rt.com/news/british-jihadists-fighting-syria-360/

Radical Islamists with “British accents” are among the coalition forces looking to topple Bashar Assad, says Jeroen Oerlemans, a photographer who was held hostage in Syria for a week. The UK Foreign Office has launched an investigation.

Oerlemans, a famous Dutch photo journalist, and John Cantlie, another photographer from the UK, were captured by a group of between 30 and 100 anti-Assad fighters when crossing the Syrian border from Turkey last week. They were then blindfolded.

"One of the black jihadists freaked out and shouted: 'These are journalists and now they will see we are preparing an international jihad in this place.'" Oerlemans told NRC Handelsblatt newspaper. He said that none of the fighters was Syrian.

"They all claimed they came from countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh and Chechnya and they said there was some vague 'emir' at the head of the group."

About 40 per cent of the militants spoke English. In fact, several apparently talked with recognizable regional British accents, from Birmingham and London.

The two photographers suspected that a ransom would be demanded for their release and tried to escape. Oerlemans was shot twice in the leg during the failed attempt and Cantlie, who has so far not spoken to any media, was wounded in the arm.

The pair’s ordeal ended when the Free Syrian Army, the main anti-Assad force, demanded that their nominal allies hand them over.

"They took us with them like a bunch of gangsters," Oerlemans said, "Shooting in the air as we rode out of there.”

The Free Syrian Army released the men and the two are now resting in Turkey. They expect to travel home in the coming days.

If it is confirmed, Oerleman’s story will add to reports that Syria has become a magnet for radical Islamists, who are there either as mercenaries or because of ideology.

"As soon as Assad has fallen, these fighters want to introduce Islamic law, Sharia, in Syria," said Oerlemans.

Syria: Washington’s Latest War Crime

By: Dr. Paul Craig Roberts

http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/

One wonders what Syrians are thinking as “rebels” vowing to “free Syria” take the country down the same road to destruction as “rebels” in Libya. Libya, under Gaddafi a well run country whose oil revenues were shared with the Libyan people instead of monopolized by a princely class as in Saudi Arabia, now has no government and is in disarray with contending factions vying for power.

Just as no one knew who the Libyan “rebels” were, with elements of al Qaeda reportedly among them, no one knows who the Syrian “rebels” are, or indeed if they are even rebels (Antiwar.com). Some “rebels” appear to be bandit groups who seize the opportunity to loot and to rape and set themselves up as the governments of villages and towns. Others appear to be al Qaeda. (Antiwar.com)

The fact that the “rebels” are armed is an indication of interference from outside. There have been reports that Washington has ordered its Saudi and Bahrain puppet governments to supply the “rebels” with military weaponry. Some suspect that the explosion that killed the Syrian Defense Minister and the head of the government’s crisis operations was not the work of a suicide bomber but the work of a US drone or missile reminiscent of Washington’s failed attempts to murder Saddam Hussein. Regardless, Washington regarded the terror attack as a success, declaring that it showed the rebels were gaining “real momentum” and called on the Syrian government to respond to the attack by resigning. (reuters.com)

The following is from a leaked intelligence document describing a previous Western terrorist intervention in Syria just in case any reader is so naive as to think that “our government would never do that.”

“In order to facilitate the action of liberative (sic) forces, …a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. …[to] be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention, …

Once a political decision has been reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS (MI6) will attempt to mount minor sabotage and coup de main (sic) incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals. …Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus …
Further: a “necessary degree of fear .. frontier incidents and (staged) border clashes”, would “provide a pretext for intervention… the CIA and SIS [MI6] should use … capabilities in both psychological and action fields to augment tension.” (Joint US-UK leaked Intelligence Document, London and Washington, 1957) (globalreasearch.ca)

Obama has not said why his government is so desperate to overthrow the Syrian government. The current president was an eye doctor in London who was brought back to Syria to replace his father, who had passed away, as president of the country. Washington is reticent about its real motives, which it masks with high-sounding humanitarian rhetoric, but Washington’s motives are transparent.

One motive is to get rid of the Russian naval base in Syria, thus depriving Russia of its only Mediterranean base.

A second motive is to eliminate Syria as a source of arms and support to Hizbullah in order that Israel can succeed in its attempts to occupy southern Lebanon and acquire its water resources. Hizbullah’s fighters have twice defeated the Israeli military’s attempts to invade and to occupy southern Lebanon.

A third motive is to destroy the unity of Syria with sectarian conflict, as Washington destroyed Libya and Iraq, and leave Syria to waring factions to dismember the country, thus removing another obstacle to Washington’s hegemony.

Syria, a secular Arab state, like Iraq was, is ruled by a political party composed of Alawis, more or less Shia Muslims. The Alawis comprise about 12% of the Syrian population and are regarded as heretics by the Sunni Muslims who comprise about 74% of the Syrian population. Thus the orchestrated “uprising” appeals to many Sunnis who see the opportunity to take over. (In Iraq it was a Sunni minority that ruled a Shia majority, and in Syria it is the opposite.)

The divisions among Arabs make Arabs vulnerable to Western interference and rule. The Sunni-Shia split makes it impossible for an Arab country to unite against an invader or for one Arab country to come to the aid of another. In 1990 the Shia Syrian government lined up with the US against the Sunni Iraq government in the First Iraq War. Neither Lawrence of Arabia, Nasser, nor Gaddafi succeeded in creating an Arab consciousness.

Washington’s cover for its violent overthrow of other governments is always moralistic verbiage. First the target is demonized, and then Washington’s naked aggression is described as “bringing freedom and democracy,” “overthrowing a brutal dictator,” “protecting women’s rights.” Any assortment of cant words and phrases seems to work.

Hillary Clinton has been especially strident in advocating the overthrow of the Syrian government. The silly woman even issued threats to Russia and China for daring to block Washington’s attempt to use a UN resolution as cover for invading Syria. Washington misrepresents the Syrian government’s resistance to being overthrown as a government conducting terror against its own people. But Washington had no condemnation for the terror attack, whether its own or that of a suicide bomber, that killed high-level Syrian government officials. Washington’s double standard prompted the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, to accuse Washington of having “a sinister position.”

Indeed, Washington does. But what is surprising about Washington’s sinister position after Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Pakistan? Undoubtedly, after Syria is overthrown, Washington will move on to Iran. Russia itself is already being surrounded by US missile bases, and the Russian government has a disloyal and traitorous political opposition financed by American money. China is confronting a rapid buildup of US air, naval, and troop bases in the Pacific. How long before China’s government has a disloyal opposition financed by Washington?

The hegemon is on the march, but what Syrian Sunnis see is a chance to overthrow the Alawite Shia. The Syrian Sunnis will ally with Washington despite the fact that Washington overthrew the Iraqi Sunnis. Few Arabs, it seems, mind being puppets of a foreign regime that hands out billions of dollars.

Washington loosely refers to Syrian President Assad as a “dictator” or “brutal dictator,” but obviously if Assad is a dictator he is not very effective in that role. Normally, dictators don’t permit an opposition to rise, much less arm itself. It would be more accurate to say that the ruling party is authoritarian, but the ruling party has introduced elements of democracy with the new constitution.

As Iraq has proved, Arab governments have to be authoritarian if their Sunni and Shia populations are not to be constantly engaged in civil war. Both Bush and Obama claim that Washington brought “freedom and democracy” to Iraq. However, the ongoing violence in Iraq is as intense or more intense than under the American occupation. Here are the reports for the last three days:

July 23: “A wave of bomb attacks and shootings in Baghdad and north of the capital has killed at least 107 people. At least 216 were wounded.”

July 24: “A second day of intensified attacks left at least 145 Iraqis killed and 379 more wounded.”

July 25: “Attacks continue across Iraq: 17 killed, 60 wounded.”

This is what Washington did for Iraq. Far from bringing “freedom and democracy,” Washington brought endless mayhem and death. And this is precisely what Washington is in the process of bringing to Syria.

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following.

Turkey to buy two F-35 jets from US

File photo of an F-35 fighter jet

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219538.html

Turkey's government says it plans to purchase two F-35 fighter jets and 15 helicopters from the United States.

The announcement came on Thursday after a key meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee (SSIK) chaired by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish defense authorities said they decided to order two F-35 Lightening II jets (formerly known as Joint Strike Fighter) as part of a larger previous plan to purchase 100 jets to replace the country's F-4 and F-16 fleet.

However, the acquisition of the total order has been hampered by increasing costs. The price of each plane is well over 100 million dollars.

The hi-tech fighter jets, manufactured by the US Lockheed Martin Company, are reportedly the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program ever.

Turkey's decision to place the order for the warplanes comes at a time when several other countries, including Denmark, Holland and Canada, have suspended their orders for the jets.

The government also said it will also enter into negotiations with Bell Helicopter Textron for the purchase of 15 helicopters for the country's police forces.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program is an internationally oriented program consisting of partnerships with a number of countries, including United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Norway.

Pakistanis slam NATO cross-border raid

Sunni Tehreek activists set fire to the portraits of US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as they shout slogans during a demonstration in Karachi, Pakistan, on December 1, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/213338.html

Thousands of people in Pakistan have held rallies to protest against a recent NATO cross-border airstrike in the country's northwest that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers, Press TV reports.

Demonstrators took to the streets in the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi and Sheikhupura on Thursday, and strongly condemned the NATO attack in the tribal Mohmand Agency of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

They also called upon the Pakistani government to immediately end the alliance with the US in the so-called war on terrorism.

Protesters set fire to the portraits of US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as they shouted slogans during a demonstration in Karachi.

Lawyers dressed in black suits staged a rally in Lahore, 275 kilometers (170 miles) southeast of the capital Islamabad, and chanted anti-US slogans.

NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military border posts in northwest Pakistan on November 26, killing 24 Pakistani troops.

Enraged by the attack, Pakistan closed the border crossings that the Western military alliance used to transfer fuel and other supplies for foreign forces into landlocked Afghanistan. It also called on the United States to vacate Shamsi Air Base in Balochistan Province.

The US military reportedly uses the remote desert outpost as a hub to launch assassination drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas. Pakistan had previously told the United States to leave the controversial airbase in June.

Furthermore, Pakistan announced it would not participate in an international conference on Afghanistan in Germany next week in a show of anger over the deadly NATO strike.

Meanwhile, Islamabad government warned on Thursday that it could withdraw its support for the US-led war on terrorism if Pakistan's sovereignty is violated again.

“Enough is enough. The government will not tolerate any incident of spilling even a single drop of any civilian or soldier's blood,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told a Senate committee on foreign affairs.

“Pakistan's role in the war on terror must not be overlooked,” she noted.

Pakistan to show NATO zero tolerance

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar (R) looks on as the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses a joint press conference in Islamabad on October 21, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/213304.html

Pakistan has said that it would no longer tolerate the spilling of the blood of its citizens at the hands of the US-led forces, who violate its sovereignty.

"Enough is enough. The government will not tolerate any incident of spilling even a single drop of any civilian or soldier's blood," Pakistani daily The News reported on Thursday, quoting Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar as telling lawmakers in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

Pakistan would discontinue its support for the US-led war in Afghanistan if its sovereignty was violated again, she added.

On November 26, US-led NATO helicopters and fighter jets carried out airstrikes on two military checkpoints in the northwest of Pakistan, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers and wounding dozens of others.

The attack has fueled the anti-American sentiment among the Pakistani people and prompted a harshly-toned condemnation from the country's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Khar said there would be no compromise on the country's national interests.

The minister added that Islamabad's recent retaliatory decision to order the US to vacate Pakistan's Shamsi airbase in the northwestern province of Balochistan was final.

On Wednesday, a senior Pakistani Army official said the attack had been a deliberate act of blatant aggression.

"Detailed information of the posts was already with ISAF (the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force), including map references, and it was impossible that they did not know these to be our posts," said Major General Ashfaq Nadeem, Army's Director General of Military Operations.

Thousands have marched in all major Pakistani cities, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Charsada, Nowshera, and Rawalpindi to condemn the strikes.

US unapologetic over Pakistan strikes

White House spokesman Jay Carney gestures during a daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Thursday, November 10, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/213319.html

The United States has refused to apologize to Pakistan for the recent airstrikes by the US-led forces that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday in Washington that the US had already offered condolences, but insisted Washington would withhold an apology, the White House reported on its website.

Carney added that Washington had launched an investigation through the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) to find out exactly what transpired, but “there was obviously no apology and there was an expression of condolences.”

On November 26, US-led NATO helicopters and fighter jets carried out airstrikes on two military checkpoints in the northwest of Pakistan, killing 24 Pakistani soldiers and wounding dozens of others.

The attack has fueled the anti-American sentiment among the Pakistani people and prompted a harshly-toned condemnation from the country's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

According to reports, the US State Department lobbied President Barack Obama to address the Pakistani nation on the matter through a formal statement of regret, but the idea was strongly opposed by the Pentagon.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has warned that Islamabad would no longer tolerate the spilling of the blood of its citizens at the hands of the US-led forces.

"Enough is enough. The government will not tolerate any incident of spilling even a single drop of any civilian or soldier's blood," she stated.

Pakistan would discontinue its support for the US-led war in Afghanistan if its sovereignty was violated again, Khar added.

On Wednesday, a senior Pakistani Army official called the attack a deliberate act of blatant aggression against the country.

Thousands of people have marched in Pakistani cities, including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Charsada, Nowshera, and Rawalpindi to condemn the airstrikes.

US refuses to apologize over deadly Pakistan air strike

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/212823.html

Gen Martin Dempsey, the most senior figure in the U.S. military has refused to apologize for an air strike at the weekend that killed 24 Pakistan soldiers.

The Pakistani army claimed the attack lasted almost two hours, and that it continued even after commanders on the ground contacted NATO to ask what was going on.

In an interview with ITV News, Gen Dempsey said he telephoned the Chief of Pakistan's army General Ashfaq Kayani and “expressed regret”.

“They have reason to be furious that they have 24 soldiers dead and that what killed them was the ordinance of a partner,” he said.

Asked if there was anything apologize for however, Gen Dempsey said: “absolutely not.”

Gen Dempsey also admitted that the U.S. relationship with Pakistan, viewed from the outside is “the worst it's ever been.” Telegraph

FACTS & FIGURES

NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military outposts in northwest Pakistan on November 26, killing as many as 28 troops and plunging U.S.-Pakistan relations, already deeply frayed, further into crisis. Reuters

Pakistan summoned United States Ambassador Cameron Munter to seek clarification over the NATO raid on its military check post. The Nation

Pakistan also ordered a review of all arrangements with the United States and NATO, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence activities, following the deadly cross-border strike. AFP

On November 26, Pakistani authorities gave the United States 15 days to leave the Shamsi airbase, and closed NATO supply lines into Afghanistan in response to the deadly NATO air strike. en.ria.ru

Relations between the United States and Pakistan have been strained following the alleged killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. special forces in a raid on the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad in May, which Pakistan called a flagrant violation of sovereignty. Reuters

Pakistan orders US to vacate airbase

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/212301.html

The Pakistani government has ordered the US to vacate an airbase within 15 days following a deadly air strike near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Islamabad on Saturday ordered Washington to vacate Shamsi, which is a remote desert outpost in southwest Pakistan.

The airbase was reportedly used as a hub for covert CIA drone strikes. Pakistan had previously told the United States to leave the site in June.

The new order to vacate came after a US-led NATO air strike killed at least 28 Pakistani soldiers and wounded 15 others in the Mohmand Agency in northwestern Pakistan early on Saturday.

Pakistan also ordered a review of all arrangements with the US and NATO, including diplomatic, political, military and intelligence activities, AFP reported.

The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of senior cabinet ministers and military service chiefs chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who strongly condemned the strike.

Islamabad also summoned US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter to lodge a strong complaint regarding the unprovoked attack.

Activists with Islami Jamiat Tulba, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami party, staged a protest in the northwestern city of Lahore to denounce the killings of soldiers.

NATO confirmed that the attack has left some Pakistani soldiers dead and has launched an investigation into the incident.

In a retaliatory move, the Pakistani government has blocked dozens of trucks carrying goods and fuel supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has repeatedly condemned air strikes against its troops near the border with Afghanistan. While the strikes supposedly target militants, they usually claim the lives of civilians and Pakistani soldiers.

Report: US-China Cold War starts

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/212282.html

The formal organ of China's ruling party has reported that a cold war era has started between China and the US as Washington has stepped up a campaign to counter Beijing's growing clout across the globe.

Reports from Pentagon indicate that the US is gearing up to counter what it calls 'China's capabilities,' IRNA quoted from China's The People's Daily newspaper.

Based on the new roadmap, the US is set to pose a fresh challenge against China through the establishment of new strategic systems in the Asia-Pacific region, the report said.

The paper went on to say that a significant increase in the deployment of the US air forces in Asia-Pacific is considered as a threat which prompts Beijing to enhance its defense capabilities against Washington.

The official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) asserted that Washington's interference in Asia-Pacific will meet a resolute response from Beijing, warning the US against posing any military challenge against China.

Last week, US President Barack Obama announced Washington's new plans to increase its military presence in Asia-Pacific.

On top of the current 28,000 US troops in South Korea, and 50,000 in Japan, the US will permanently deploy 2,500 Marines in Australia.

Washington also plans to increase the traveling of combat aircraft such as B-52 bombers and aircraft carriers to Australia.

Meanwhile, Singapore and Vietnam have promised to provide bases for US combat ships.

Based on Obama's newly announced plan, Washington will supply Indonesia with 24 refurbished F-16C/D fighter aircrafts, and consider proving a second destroyer to Philippines.

The Obama administration has also reiterated its arms commitment to China's regional rival Taiwan.

Meanwhile, on the economic front, Washington has recently unveiled a free trade deal with its allies in Asia-Pacific, named Asia Trans-Pacific Partnership that excludes China.

Iran attacks Turkey's NATO shield, if hit

Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/212321.html

Commander of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says in case of a military movement against Iran, NATO's missile shield in Turkey will be Iran's first target.

“The West's missile shield which is being deployed in Turkey by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), is managed by America and the Zionists, but to deceive Turkish people, they call it NATO defense shield,” Brigadier General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh said.

He added that Iran has considerably changed its defense strategy, based on orders by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei], after recent threats by the US and Israel. The change is based on “counter threat by threat” principle, IRNA reported on Saturday.

The commander said that Iran will “use its legal choices and geographical advantages to defend its waters and soil” and will gradually make the situation more difficult for the American troops in the region.

“If the US continues such measures as sanctions as well as economic, political, and cultural mischief against the Islamic Republic of Iran, [the Iranian] armed forces have prepared plans which they will carry out against the US one after the other,” he noted.

Hajizadeh went on to say that Iran is not concerned about possible military actions [against Iran] by the enemy as all their moves are monitored by the Iranian armed forces.

The United States and Israel have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike, based on the allegation that Iran's nuclear program may consist of a covert military agenda.

On November 6, Israeli President Shimon Peres threatened that an attack against the Islamic Republic was becoming “more and more likely.”

Iranian officials have promised a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would spread beyond the Middle East.