Syrian tanks in Golan Heights irk Israeli regime

 

Israeli soldiers stand on a tank near the Syrian border. (File photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/04/270353/syrian-tanks-in-golan-irk-israel/

Three Syrian tanks have entered the demilitarized zone in Syria’s Israeli-occupied territory of Golan Heights, angering the Tel Aviv regime.

An Israeli military spokesperson said on Saturday that the regime “filed a complaint with the UN (peacekeeping) force in the area.”

The spokesperson did not provide further details about the mission of the Syrian tanks. However, Israeli media reported that the combat vehicles entered the Syrian village of Beer Ajam, near an Israeli military checkpoint, to confront the insurgents fighting against the Syrian government.

The report comes amid ongoing clashes between the Syrian army and the foreign-sponsored insurgents in Syria.

The Israeli regime seized the Syrian territory on the strategically important Golan Heights in the 1967 war. Tel Aviv annexed the territory on December 14, 1981 -- a move which has been met with international condemnation.

Erdogan seeks war on Syria: Turkish journalist

Source: Press TV

The Turkish government under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks a military conflict with Syria, opposing the views of the Turkish people, a journalist tells Press TV.

This comes as Turkish media stated on Saturday that the military has fired 87 times on Syria, killing 12 Syrian soldiers amid soaring tensions with the Arab neighbor.

Moreover, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that Ankara has banned all Syrian aircraft from entering its airspace as the row between the two neighboring countries escalates.

Relations between Ankara and Damascus have soured since a mortar shell fired from the Syrian territory on October 3 landed in Turkey and killed five civilians.

Tensions have been running high between Syria and Turkey, with Damascus accusing Turkey - along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar - of backing a deadly insurgency that has claimed the lives of many Syrians, including large numbers of security and army personnel.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Ragheb Toran, a Turkish journalist from Istanbul, to further discuss the issue. The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you think of Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian crisis? Some analysts believe that it has gone too far and become part of the war itself since it is a focus that allows its border to be a route for insurgents, for arms. So, what does Turkey have to benefit from all this?

Toran: Yes, indeed. Now, since more than three months, the tension between two countries, let’s say between two capitals Ankara and Damascus, is worse and worse after all this very active support of the Turkish authorities to the Syrian opposition.

The case of the plane coming from Moscow was another problem between two countries. As you know, the Russians were already publicly and officially explaining that these were some technical pieces, electronic pieces... Now, the Turkish prime minister is insisting that this is a war material.

This is another problem between these two countries which is not important because now in the Turkish public opinion, so many people, many people who are with the AKP, I mean the governmental party, are speaking about war against Syria.

The tension is higher and higher mainly in the area of common frontier between Turkey and Syria, more or less between Hatay and Mardin. So, nobody is really happy about that in Turkey, apart from Prime Minister Erdogan.

Press TV: NATO has said that it will not support any kind of war, military attack in Syria. Do you think that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan wants to drag NATO and perhaps even the United States into some kind of military war against Syria?

Toran: Indeed. Everybody knows that Turkey will not be able, alone, to make any kind of military operation because, let’s say during the TV debate, during the night, even very clever military people are saying that it is indeed easy to go inside but it will be very difficult to leave this country. This is very probably true for any kind of operation outside their own country.

For the moment, from Washington or Brussels, there are indeed kind of, let’s say, how to support the Turkish authorities. But these supports should not be understood as a support for any kind of an aggressive operation of Turkey against Syria. It’s mainly the problem of immigrants. It’s mainly about the problem of defending the borders.

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Twelve Syrian troops killed in Turkey attacks: Turkish media

Turkish armored personnel carriers take positions on the border with Syria. (File photo)

Source: Press TV

Turkish media say the military has fired 87 times on Syria, killing 12 Syrian soldiers in tit-for-tat attacks amid soaring tensions with the Arab neighbor.

The figures were revealed on Saturday by a report published in the daily Milliyet newspaper, which also said several Syrian tanks were also destroyed in the strikes.

Turkey has been carrying out a series of retaliatory attacks against its former ally since five Turkish civilians were killed by Syrian mortars fired into the southern frontier town of Akcakale on October 3.

The report said the retaliatory fire had been in response to 27 mortars or shells fired from Syria, adding that Ankara had immediately responded to every incident.

It also claimed that five Syrian tanks, three armored vehicles, one mortar weapon, one ammunition vehicle and two anti-aircraft guns had also been destroyed.

Turkish F-16 war planes have also been on high alert at the Incirlik air base in Adana, some 100 km (62 miles) from the Syrian border.

Ankara has upped its war rhetoric against Syria with Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel warning of strikes "with greater force" in case of further Syrian mortar fire.

The Turkish parliament has also authorized military operations against the neighboring country when deemed right.

Tensions have been running high between Syria and Turkey, with Damascus accusing Turkey along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar of backing a deadly insurgency that has claimed the lives of many Syrians, including security and army personnel.

Turkey deploys tanks near Syrian border amid escalating tensions

 

Turkish tanks deployed near the border with Syria (file photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/12/266244/turkey-deploys-tanks-near-syria-border/

Turkey has deployed 250 tanks along its southern border with Syria amid rising tensions with the Damascus government over the past few days.

The tanks along with military vehicles of the Turkish Armed Forces, artillery units and a large number of military personnel, were dispatched to the southeastern provinces of Sanliurfa, Gaziantep and Mardin at the Turkish-Syrian border, Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reported.

Turkey has beefed up its military defenses on its border with Syria over the past weeks, stationing tanks, anti-aircraft missiles, and additional troops in the area.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on October 9 that Turkey’s armed forces would not hesitate to strike back in response to any strike on Turkish soil.

He also vowed to take any measure necessary to respond to Syrian threats to Turkish national security and said, “The requirement of being a state means we must take any measure and be prepared for any possibility.”

Also on October 5, Erdogan said Ankara was not far from war with Syria due to the cross-border attacks.

“We are not interested in war, but we’re not far from it either.”

“Those who attempt to test Turkey’s deterrence, its decisiveness, its capacity; I say here they are making a fatal mistake,” he warned.

On October 4, the Turkish parliament authorized cross-border military action against Syria “when deemed right.”

Tensions have been running high between Syria and Turkey, with Damascus accusing Turkey -- along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- of backing a deadly insurgency that has claimed the lives of many Syrians, including security and army personnel.

In an interview with the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet in July, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Ankara “has supplied all logistic support to the terrorists who have killed our people.”

 

Ex-German minister slams Saudi deal

A German-made Leopard battle tank (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/191864.html

The former German development minister has joined the opposition Green Party, condemning Berlin for a suspected sale of 200 Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia.

"The tank deal with Saudi Arabia is a catastrophic decision," Deutsche Welle quoted Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul as saying on Monday.

She further called on the foreign minister to explain how the government could openly support the Egyptian people while at the same time secretly conduct an arms deal with the oppressive regime in Saudi Arabia.

This "is the exact opposite of the government's public stance on the democratic uprisings in the Arab World," she said.

Her comment comes a day after the opposition Greens announced that it will take the government to the Constitutional Court over the secret deal.

"A suit brought by the members of parliament Christian Stroebele, Claudia Roth and Katja Keul was filed on Friday" a Green party spokeswoman said.

While the Green Party has called for the report to be made public, the government has claimed that on the basis of national security, it will not comment on the matter.

However, the sale has been publicly known since early July when the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel reported the decision by the Federal Security Council's multi-billion-dollar sale.

The deal came while Germany had imposed a ban on the sale of advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, citing fears that they might be used against Israel.

The Saudis are also in talks with American companies to buy nearly USD 60 billion worth of arms, including 84 new F-15 fighter jets and 178 combat helicopters.

The sales come at a time when Riyadh is being roundly censured for its military interventions in neighboring Bahrain and Yemen.

The Saudi army launched an all-out military offensive against Houthi fighters in Yemen's northern province of Sa'ada in 2010. In March 2011, the Saudis deployed troops in Bahrain to help the regime's forces crack down on nationwide protests.

Saudi Arabia bribed Germany for tank deal?

A Leopard 2 heavy tank in a military exercise in Letzlingen, Germany on March 9, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/188244.html

A senior German lawmaker has revealed that Riyadh is believed to have paid bribe to Germany in order to convince it to sign a deal to sell advanced military tanks to the Persian Gulf kingdom.

It is likely that Riyadh has bribed Berlin to sign a deal to sell the tanks to Saudi Arabi, Deutsche Welle quoted senior Greens MP Christian Stroeble as saying.

The purchase follows Saudi Arabia's $93 billion handout to Germany in March as a 'stimulus package' from Saudi King Abdullah to Berlin in March that included extra support for police and security forces, the report says.

The German government has come under pressure over revelations of the arms deal in which it has reportedly sold advanced tanks capable of crushing anti-government protests to Saudi Arabia.

Germany's tank deal with Saudi Arabia has caused outrage, drawing criticism from across the political spectrum, Germany's.

According to the report, an informed source recently revealed to media that Saudi Arabia's deal included a bid to purchase 200 2A7+ Leopard tanks from Germany.

"So far, Saudi has bought 44 tanks from Germany and in total wants to buy 200 tanks from Germany," the unnamed source said.

The news caused outrage in Germany where memories of Saudi troops suppressing Bahrain's anti-government protestors are still fresh, and the mood was even aggravated by a video posted on Youtube apparently showing how the 2A7+ could be used to break up demonstrations.

Riyadh is believed to have used the tanks to help crush anti-government protests in Bahrain, a hereditary monarchy in the Persian Gulf island.

"If German Leopard tanks are being used to clear barricades and suppress demonstrations, then we carry some responsibility for violating human rights," says Renke Brahms, a peace commissioner for the Evangelical Church in Germany.

Hans-Joachim Otto, the state secretary for the country's economics ministry, defended Germany's business alliance with Saudi Arabia.

"Saudi Arabia has obtained armaments from Germany for many years," Otto told the German parliament on Wednesday.

Opposition lawmakers have blasted the Merkel administration for violating Germany's policies.

"This is a blatant breach of weapons export guidelines," said senior parliamentarian Katja Keul, noting that the sophisticated tanks should not be exported to the country for repression purposes.

In March, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates deployed their military forces to Bahrain to help the government crush the nationwide protests. Yet, the protests have only grown more popular.

Germany to sell Saudi Arabia battle tanks

A German-made Leopard battle tank (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187273.html

Germany plans to sell 200 Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia after lifting a decades-long ban on selling heavy weaponry to the Persian Gulf kingdom.

The German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel reported the decision on Saturday, saying the Federal Security Council approved the multi-billion-dollar sale last week.

Saudi officials held talks with the Spanish subsidiary of the US military-industrial complex corporation General Dynamics about buying their version of the Leopard tank, but a larger portion of the order will go to German companies Kraus-Maffei and Rheinmetall, the report said.

Under the deals announced by the German government, Saudi Arabia will receive 200 of the last generation of Leopard 2A7+ tanks -- the upgraded version of the German battle tank first presented in 2010.

Germany imposed a ban on the sale of advanced Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, citing fears that they might be used against Israel.

The Saudis are also in talks with US companies to buy nearly 60 billion dollars worth of arms, including 84 new F-15 fighter jets and 178 combat helicopters.

The sales come at a time when Riyadh is being roundly censured for its military interventions in neighboring Bahrain and Yemen.

The Saudi army launched an all-out military offensive against Houthi fighters in Yemen's northern province of Sa'ada in 2010. In March 2011, the Saudis deployed troops to Bahrain to help the regime's forces crack down on nationwide protests.

Israeli army kills 10 more Palestinians

An Israeli tank maneuvers just outside the southern Gaza Strip (file photo).

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/173802.html

Ten more Palestinians have lost their lives and dozens of others, including children, have been injured in separate Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip, reports say.

On the deadliest day of the shelling of the strip on Friday since the end of the Gaza war two years ago, Israeli tanks and warplanes struck heavily on the northern Gaza territory, AFP reported.

The devastating 22-day assault, code-named Operation Cast Lead, on the impoverished enclave in December 2008 and January 2009, killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and inflicted a damage of $1.6 billion on the region's already-stagnant economy.

In the latest Israeli shelling of Khan Younis, two people were killed and ten others, including children, were left injured. In Rafah, Israeli tank shelling claimed the lives of four people.

Another missile strike, near the northern town of Beit Lahiya, killed one Palestinian on the spot, while another one died of his wounds in a hospital, witnesses said.

As dusk fell, a shell slammed into a cemetery in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, killing two people, one of them a 10-year-old boy, and wounding 10 others, some of them also children, according to Palestinian medics.

The total death toll over the past 24 hours has risen to 15 Palestinians, and at least 57 others were wounded, 12 of them seriously, medics said.

Israel in recent days has intensified its air and ground attacks against Gaza. The attacks are often launched under the usual pretext of responding to the purported firing of projectiles.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Meanwhile, in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, up to 2,000 protesters gathered outside the Israeli embassy to protest the strikes.

The mostly youthful crowd waved Palestinian and Egyptian flags and chanted, “The people demand the liberation of Palestine.”