http://www.debka.com/article/22385/Iranian-officers-reshape-Assad%E2%80%99s-Shabbiha-militia-into-a-second-al-Qods
and....
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/09/25/qatari-emir-pushes-for-arab-invasion-of-syria/
This was an extremely poor example because the Arab Deterrent Force (ADF), deployed to Lebanon at the onset of their bloody civil war, ended up staying for a solid seven years, morphing into a Syrian military occupation of northern Lebanon, which continued for decades.
Tempers are flaring among the militias today as the government looks to take formal military control over them, and many of the factions that were involved in last year’s civil war complain that they’ve gone “underappreciated” in recent months.
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/09/24/libyan-militia-looters-took-anti-aircraft-missiles-during-protest/
That’s small potatoes, however, according to Ismail Salabi, the head of Rafallah al-Sahati (RAS), one of the other militias that had their base attacked by rioters. He’s warning they made off with massive amounts of weaponry, setting the stage for potential problems.
Iranian officers reshape Assad’s Shabbiha militia into a second al-Qods
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report September 26, 2012, 6:47 PM (GMT+02:00)
Iranian Al Qods Brigades Special Forces
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has leapt into the Syrian battle arena, undertaking the task of transforming the Alawite Shabbiha militia, which has carried the brunt of Bashar Assad’s brutal suppression of the Syrian opposition for 18 months, into a new corps, retrained and reorganized on the model of the elite Al Qods Brigade.
Al Qods is the IRGC’s arm of clandestine and terrorist operations in Iran's foreign arenas.
Al Qods is the IRGC’s arm of clandestine and terrorist operations in Iran's foreign arenas.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report exclusively that when the Shabbiha is slapped into its new military shape, Bashar Assad will have at his disposal an extra 50-60,000 professional Alawite soldiers under arms – the nucleus of a Syrian Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Our sources also reveal that Tehran has promised the Syrian outfit weaponry on a par with the Al Qods arsenal. So, unless he is overthrown in the interim, the Syrian ruler and Iranian government will command the biggest special operations force in the Middle East.
For this project, a massive Iranian airlift of personnel and weapons is running daily from IRGC air bases in Iran into Syria. Most of the planes land at Damascus military airfield; some in other parts of Syria. They are carrying large numbers of IRGC and al Qods military officers and instructors, as well as enough arms to distribute to the Shabbiha combatants during their training and after they go out on field operations.
For this project, a massive Iranian airlift of personnel and weapons is running daily from IRGC air bases in Iran into Syria. Most of the planes land at Damascus military airfield; some in other parts of Syria. They are carrying large numbers of IRGC and al Qods military officers and instructors, as well as enough arms to distribute to the Shabbiha combatants during their training and after they go out on field operations.
Our military sources disclose that by mid-week, the number of Iranian military personnel present in Syria had swelled to 2,200. They arrived with the commander of Tehran’s Syrian enterprise, Gen. Ibrahim Hamadani, one of the deputies of Al Qods chief, Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
His Syrian opposite number is Izzat Hassan, head of the Shabbiha.
All US efforts, including personal intercession by President Barack Obama, have failed to dissuade Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from allowing the Iranian military air corridor to Syria take a short cut through Iraqi air space. Maliki has refused to listen.
All US efforts, including personal intercession by President Barack Obama, have failed to dissuade Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from allowing the Iranian military air corridor to Syria take a short cut through Iraqi air space. Maliki has refused to listen.
Tehran’s willingness in these tense times to hazard the withdrawal of thousands of crack officers, commanders and weapons from combat duty in Iran attests to two conclusions reached by Iranian strategists:
1. They estimate that the United States and Israel have shelved plans for an imminent military strike on Iran’s nuclear program.
1. They estimate that the United States and Israel have shelved plans for an imminent military strike on Iran’s nuclear program.
2. And if a surprise attack is nonetheless launched, thousands of Iranian elite troops will be on hand to menace Israel from the Syrian border without delay.
and....
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/09/25/qatari-emir-pushes-for-arab-invasion-of-syria/
Qatari Emir Pushes for Arab Invasion of Syria
Claims 'Military Duty' to Oust Assad
by Jason Ditz, September 25, 2012
Speaking today at the UN General Assembly, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani proposed an Arab coalition invasion force to enter Syria and “stop the bloodshed,” citing the 1970′s Lebanese force as a guideline. He insisted the nations have a “military duty” to intervene.
This was an extremely poor example because the Arab Deterrent Force (ADF), deployed to Lebanon at the onset of their bloody civil war, ended up staying for a solid seven years, morphing into a Syrian military occupation of northern Lebanon, which continued for decades.
And even then, the Lebanese Civil War was not over. The ADF officially left in 1982 but the war continued off and on through the rest of the 1980s before finally reaching a political settlement long after the 20,000-strong force left.
The Qatari government, as with the rest of the governments in the GCC, back the rebels against the Assad government, and many are keen to insinuate themselves militarily to install the Sunni rebels in the country. Russia and China, both allies of Assad, would oppose any foreign invasions.
and.....
Clashes in Tripoli as Libyan Militias Feel ‘Unappreciated’
Argument Leads to Gunbattle Outside National Congress Meeting
by Jason Ditz, September 25, 2012
Fighters from multiple Libyan militia factions engaged in a gunbattle today in the capital city of Tripoli, fighting in front of the hotel hosting the National Congress meeting after a dispute among different protesting groups.
Tempers are flaring among the militias today as the government looks to take formal military control over them, and many of the factions that were involved in last year’s civil war complain that they’ve gone “underappreciated” in recent months.
For well-connected factions the order is something to be ignored, but for those in less cushy positions with the winning politicians in the last election this has been an opportunity for a full scale military crackdown.
The order to bring militias under regime control came in the wake of the US Benghazi Consulate attack, which was initially blamed on one of the militias, Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi (ASB). Officials now concede they don’t have any proof of this allegation, and since ASB’s headquarters was burned by pro-regime demonstrators they are not likely to find any.
and....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/25/iran-new-military-drone-israel?newsfeed=true
Iran flexes military muscle with new drone
Elite revolutionary guards unveil reconnaissance and combat aircraft capable of reaching Israel
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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS
Iran has flexed its military might by showing off what it claims is a new "indigenous" reconnaissance drone capable of reaching Israel and launching a series of anti-warship missiles in the Persian Gulf.
In what appears to be a reaction to the recent naval exercise in the region by the US and its allies, Iran's elite revolutionary guards have unveiled an unmanned aerial vehicle, called Shahed-129 (or Witness-129), which is claimed to have a range of up to 2000 kilometres and capable of 24 hour flight.
"The new drone... can carry out combat and reconnaissance missions with its 24-hour non-stop flight capability," reported the website of Iran's state-run English language television, Press TV. "The home-made aircraft is capable of hitting targets at a distance of 1,700-2,000 kilometers... [and] can be equipped with electronic and communication systems including cameras which can capture and send live images," it said.
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, which is affiliated to the guards, also reported that the forces have successfully test-fired four anti-missiles in the Persian Gulf. Citing a guards' navy commander, Ali Fadavi, Fars said: "The missiles were fired simultaneously at a sea target as large as a warship and sank it in fifty seconds."
News about Iran's new military advances comes as president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a visit to the UN general assembly in New York that his country did not take threats of an Israeli military strike seriously.
"We have all the defensive means at our disposal and we are ready to defend ourselves," he added.
Despite a plea by the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who warned the Iranian president recently to avoid "incendiary rhetoric", Ahmadinejad once again used his New York visit to make strongly worded statements about Israel, saying the country had no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated".
A White House spokesman reacted by describing his comments as "characteristically disgusting, offensive and outrageous".
In reaction to increasing western economic sanctions and threats of war, Iran has resorted to sabre-rattling and threats to close the strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway in the Gulf where one-fifth of the world's oil passes in tankers.
Recent miltary manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf by the US and its allies are seen as a practice to counter any threat from Tehran to disrupt activities around the strait. "This exercise is about mines and the international effort to clear them," said commander of the US naval forces central command, Vice Admiral John Miller, last week.
Last December, Iranian authorities displayed a US unmanned aerial vehicle, believed to be an RQ-170 Sentinel drone, which they claimed to have brought down electronically. Military experts questioned the veracity of Iranian claims, while the US insisted the drone malfunctioned and was not brought down by Iranian forces.
Iran previously claimed it would dismantle the US drone in order to study it but it was not clear on Tuesday whether the new Iranian reconnaissance aircraft had any linkes with the RQ-170.
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/09/24/libyan-militia-looters-took-anti-aircraft-missiles-during-protest/
Libyan Militia: Looters Took Anti-Aircraft Missiles During ‘Protest’
Benghazi Militia's Base Was One of Four Sacked During Friday Rally
by Jason Ditz, September 24, 2012
Massive pro-regime rallies in the Libyan city of Benghazi were problematic, as demonstrators sacked the bases of several independent militias, including the Ansar al-Sharia group accused of an attack on the US consulate, likely destroying evidence that would’ve helped the investigation.
That’s small potatoes, however, according to Ismail Salabi, the head of Rafallah al-Sahati (RAS), one of the other militias that had their base attacked by rioters. He’s warning they made off with massive amounts of weaponry, setting the stage for potential problems.
Salabi reported that the looters made off with some 2,000 semiautomatic rifles, massive amounts of ammunition, and perhaps most ominously, a cache of heat-seeking anti-aircraft missiles.
Libyan security officials downplayed the seriousness of the incident, saying they were setting up new checkpoints to “track down” the weapons, but reporters on the ground noted no new checkpoints were ever actually setup, and the weaponry seems to have simply disappeared into the countryside.
and......
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Syrian rebels plant bombs in school occupied by army as mortars land in Israeli-held Golan Heights for the first time.
Last Modified: 25 Sep 2012 20:33
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| Bombs planted by rebels have exploded at a school building occupied by security forces and pro-government militias in Damascus, in yet another strike near the centre of President Bashar al-Assad's power. The school's director told state television that seven people were wounded in Tuesday's attack in a southeastern district of the Syrian capital.
"At exactly 9:35am, seven improvised devices were set off in two explosions to target a school used for weekly planning meetings between shabbiha militia and security officers," said Abu Moaz, a leader of Ansar al-Islam, one of the rebel groups.
Residents and activists said smoke could be seen rising from the site and that ambulances were rushing to the scene. They suspected the attack had targeted high-ranking military officers.
While the 18-month conflict continued in Damascus, it also spilled over the border into Israeli territory for the first time. Israel's military said Syrian forces fired mortar shells at villages suspected to be occupied by rebels but accidentally hit Israeli-held land in the disputed Golan Heights, causing no injuries or damage. A spokesman said the Israeli military filed a complaint with UN forces responsible for monitoring the border area and that "fire from Syria leaking into Israel will not be accepted". A source in the area told the Reuters news agency that the orchard where the shells fell belonged to an Israeli agricultural community which lies close to Syrian villages where fighting has flared between Syrian rebels and forces loyal to Assad. The incidents came as the UN convened for its annual General Assembly in New York City, where Lakhdar Brahimi, the new UN-Arab League envoy, briefed the Security Council and reportedly told representatives that Assad was "not serious about making reforms". Planted by 'terrorists' The Damascus bombings targeted the Sons of Martyrs School, which reportedly had been turned into a military base used to fire mortars at rebellious neighbourhoods. State-run television quoted the director of the school as saying that two bombs exploded inside, wounding seven people and causing minor damage. The channel said the bombs were planted by "terrorists", a term that the government uses for rebels. But a governmental official told the Associated Press news agency that three people were wounded.
"At exactly 9:35am, seven improvised devices were set off in two explosions to target a school used for weekly planning meetings between shabbiha militia and security officers," Abu Moaz, a leader of the Ansar al-Islam rebel group, said.
"There were several officers present, and we are hoping they will be part of a large number of killed in this operation," he said. Southern Damascus has, in recent months, become a battleground between Assad's forces and opposition fighters, turning what was thought to be Assad's untouchable seat of power into disputed territory. Damascus residents also reported heavy clashes for two hours on Baghdad Street in a central district just to the north of the Old City. Growing food crisis As the weather in Syria grows colder, food will become scarcer and proper shelter more important for Syria's millions of internally displaced people. Envoys said Brahimi told the Security Council that the country faces a growing food crisis. He also told the 15-nation Security Council that the Syrian government estimates there are 5,000 foreign fighters in the country and is increasingly portraying the conflict as a "foreign conspiracy," delegates at the closed meeting said. According to a diplomat in the room, Brahimi gave a very downbeat assessment of the situation, saying that the situation has gone from bad to worse. It is the first time Brahimi has briefed the Security Council since he took the job a month ago. He told the council that the torture of detainees has become "routine" and that people were now afraid to go to hospitals which were in the hands of government forces. Children 'badly traumatised'
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