Pentagram to have troops occupy 1/3 of Syria indefinitely

[midnight rambler]

This is seriously fucked up.

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/in-america-s-hidden-war-in-syria-troops-face-peril-on-many-fronts-1.560780

[Jewboo]

In September, however, the administration switched course, saying the troops will stay in Syria pending an overall settlement to the Syrian war and with a new mission: to act as a bulwark against Iran's expanding influence.


http://www.jewishpress.com/wp-content/uploads/US-President-Donald-Trump-with-Israeli-Prime-Minister-Benjamin-Netanyahu-1.jpg

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/075/688/307.jpg

[End Times]

We must stop Russia's aggressive and imperialist designs on its neighbors!

Russia needs to stop putting its forces near our forces:

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-68a2fbcaa0c2f6d3c4a47b945ed326bd


https://orientalreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/17_1.jpg

[woodman]

We must stop Russia's aggressive and imperialist designs on its neighbors!

Russia needs to stop putting its forces near our forces:

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-68a2fbcaa0c2f6d3c4a47b945ed326bd


https://orientalreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/17_1.jpg





Who the hell do they think they are, putting their borders near our bases?

[keehah]

Soon to be two decades!

Do current decades US Military Industrial/Congressional Complexers take a hypocrisic oath?

georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov: Executive Order: Blocking Property of Certain Persons and Prohibiting the Export of Certain Goods to Syria (https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/05/20040511-6.html)

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, Public Law 108-175 (SAA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, hereby determine that the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, continuing its occupation of Lebanon, pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining United States and international efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. To address that threat, and to implement the SAA, I hereby order the following:..

This order is effective at 12:01 eastern daylight time on May 12, 2004.
govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-05-10/ (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-05-10/html/2023-10143.htm)

Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Actions of the Government of Syria

On May 11, 2004, pursuant to his authority under the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C.
1701 et seq.) and the Syria Accountability and Lebanese
Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-
175), the President issued Executive Order 13338, in
which he declared a national emergency with respect to
the actions of the Government of Syria. The national
emergency was modified in scope and relied upon for
additional steps taken in Executive Order 13399 of
April 25, 2006, Executive Order 13460 of February 13,
2008, Executive Order 13572 of April 29, 2011,
Executive Order 13573 of May 18, 2011, Executive Order
13582 of August 17, 2011, Executive Order 13606 of
April 22, 2012, and Executive Order 13608 of May 1,
2012.

The President took these actions to deal with the
unusual and extraordinary threat to the national
security, foreign policy, and economy of the United
States constituted by the actions of the Government of
Syria
thecradle.co: Biden unilaterally extends ‘national emergency’ targeting Syria (https://thecradle.co/article-view/24604/biden-unilaterally-extends-national-emergency-targeting-syria)

May 09 2023
On 8 May, US President Joe Biden signed a new one-year extension for the “national emergency” declared concerning Syria, just one day after the Arab League approved Damascus’ reentry to the bloc despite Washington’s objections.

Initially signed in 2004 by former president George W. Bush, Executive Order 13338 classified Syria, a nation nearly 10,000km away from Washington, as an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.”

“The United States will consider changes in policies and actions of the Government of Syria in determining whether to continue or terminate this national emergency in the future,” Biden’s letter concludes.

On Sunday, White House officials confirmed that crushing US sanctions (https://thecradle.co/article-view/22174/syrian-quake-triggers-arab-debate-on-defying-us-sanctions) on Syria would continue to be enforced despite an ongoing push by the Arab world to normalize (https://thecradle.co/article-view/23684/echoes-of-taif-syria-and-saudi-arabia-reconcile) ties with the war-torn country.

“We do not believe that Syria merits readmission to the Arab League at this time, and it’s a point that we’ve made clear with all of our partners,” US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on 7 May...

While the CIA was tasked with arming and training extremist groups in Syria since late 2012, US troops officially entered the fray once Damascus asked for Russia’s help to push back against ISIS in 2015.

Seeing the gains the Syrian and Russian armies made against ISIS and other armed groups, the US partnered with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) to create the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), effectively starting a race for control of Syria’s resource-rich Deir Ezzor and Hasakah governorates.

Around 900 US troops are still present in Syria. Their deployment is illegal under international law, as the government in Damascus did not approve it.

Moreover, former US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump deployed the troops without congressional approval, abusing the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed in 2001 in the wake of the 11 September attacks.

[keehah]

indefinitely - to an indefinite extent; for an indefinite time; "this could go on indefinitely"


AP: Exclusive: Israel lobbies US to keep Russian bases in a 'weak' Syria, sources say (https://www.reuters.com/world/israel-lobbies-us-keep-russian-bases-weak-syria-sources-say-2025-02-28/)

February 28, 2025(Reuters)
Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralised, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Turkey's growing influence in the country, four sources familiar with the efforts said...

The lobbying points to a concerted Israeli campaign to influence U.S. policy at a critical juncture for Syria, as the Islamists who ousted Bashar al-Assad try to stabilise the fractured state and get Washington to lift punishing sanctions...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel will not tolerate the presence in southern Syria of HTS, or any other forces affiliated with the new rulers, and demanded the territory be demilitarised.

Following Assad's ouster, Israel carried out extensive airstrikes on Syrian military bases and moved forces into a U.N.-monitored demilitarised zone within Syria. Earlier this week, Israel struck military sites south of Damascus.
federalregister.gov:Notice—Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Actions of the Government of Syria (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/05/09/2025-08310/continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with-respect-to-the-actions-of-the-government-of-syria)

A Presidential Document by the Executive Office of the President on 05/09/2025
May 07, 2025
Syria's lack of structure and limited governance capability with respect to chemical weapons and combatting terrorist organizations continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. As a result, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338, which was expanded in scope in Executive Order 13572, and with respect to which additional steps were taken in Executive Order 13399, Executive Order 13460, Executive Order 13573, Executive Order 13582, Executive Order 13606, and Executive Order 13608, must continue in effect beyond May 11, 2025. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338...

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.
AP: Trump meets with Syria’s interim president, a first between the nations’ leaders in 25 years (https://apnews.com/article/trump-syria-saudi-arabia-sharaa-assad-sanctions-bb208f25cfedecd6446fd1626012c0fb)

May 14, 2025
Trump praised al-Sharaa to reporters after the meeting, saying he was a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.”

Under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, al-Sharaa had ties to al-Qaida and joined insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian war. He was even imprisoned by U.S. troops there for several years.

“He’s got a real shot at holding it together,” Trump said. “He’s a real leader. He led a charge, and he’s pretty amazing.”
abcnews.go.com: From al-Qaeda to Syria's presidency, the rise of Ahmad al-Sharaa (https://abcnews.go.com/International/al-qaeda-syrias-presidency-rise-ahmad-al-sharaa/story?id=121788656)

May 17, 2025
He's a former al-Qaeda insurgent who fought against U.S. forces in Iraq and served time in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. Still, on Wednesday, new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa stood on the world stage shaking hands with President Donald Trump and achieving a major feat for his fledgling administration.

Trump announced he would lift the crippling U.S. sanctions against Syria and urged al-Sharaa to meet specified conditions in hopes that it will stabilize the country. These conditions include normalizing relations with Syria's neighbors, including Israel, as well as the United States.

Syria's civil war ended in December when al-Sharaa and a band of rebel fighters overthrew the government... a former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for counterterrorism

Unlike some terrorist leaders -- including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late leader of the Islamic State jihadist group, and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the late al-Qaeda chief and accused plotter of the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- al-Sharaa has not been known as a charismatic leader, said Warrick...

While fighting for al-Qaeda in Iraq, al-Sharaa was captured by U.S. military forces and imprisoned at Abu Ghraib and other detention sites, according to Warrick [a former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for counterterrorism].

Sometime after U.S. forces began to pull out of Iraq in 2007, al-Sharaa was released from prison and returned to Syria, Warrick said...

But al-Sharaa has major challenges to face, the two biggest being asserting control over all of the Syrian territory, as well as the armed groups that helped him ascend to power...

After meeting with President Trump on Wednesday, al-Sharaa delivered a televised speech to his nation, saying Syria would no longer serve as an arena for foreign struggles, nor would it allow the resurgence of the old regime narrative that divided his country. He signaled that his country is interested in pivoting toward building international partnerships rooted in sovereignty and mutual interest.

During the speech, he invited Syrian investors abroad to return to the country and help it rebuild, saying, "Hope in modern Syria has become a tangible reality," and he praised Trump's decision to lift sanctions, calling it "historic and courageous."
armscontrol.org: Fate of Syrian Chemical Weapons Uncertain After Assad’s Fall (https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2025-01/news/fate-syrian-chemical-weapons-uncertain-after-assads-fall)

January/February 2025
Along with the OPCW, the United States has been waiting to see if remnants of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons stockpiles would be found, but The New York Times reported on Dec. 25 that “none are known to have turned up so far.”

The OPCW confirmed that there were 'reasonable grounds' to believe that the Syrian military used chemical weapons on Douma in 2018. (See ACT, March 2023.)

The OPCW also confirmed the use of chemical weapons by nonstate actors in 2015.
oafnation.com: Israel's attacks on Damascus hinder Assad chemical weapons search, Syrian official says (https://oafnation.com/blogs/news/israels-attacks-on-damascus-hinder-assad-chemical-weapons-search-syrian-official-says)

Jul 17, 2025
Israel's attacks on Damascus hinder Assad chemical weapons search, Syrian official says..

A planned visit by inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has already had to be postponed, adviser Ibrahim Olabi said...

Israel launched powerful airstrikes on Damascus on Wednesday, blowing up part of the defence ministry and hitting near the presidential palace, taking action it said was to protect the Druze minority in southern Syria.

The Syrian defence ministry provided the institutional infrastructure needed to organise and secure visits from OPCW inspectors, Olabi said...
BBC: Who are the Druze and why is Israel attacking Syria? (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70xyv4z74go)

16 July 2025
One week on, more than 1,100 people are reported to have been killed in Suweida, according to the UK-based war monitor, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

All sides - Druze, Bedouin and government forces - have been accused of atrocities.

The violence, along with the Israeli strikes, has re-ignited fears of a security breakdown, as Syria grapples with the fallout from a 13-year civil war, and the recent Islamist-led rebel takeover of Damascus.

Syria's current leader, the former militant Ahmed al-Sharaa, has vowed to protect minorities, but that has been met by scepticism by critics, including Israel.

Several bouts of sectarian violence, including the killing of hundreds of members of the Alawite minority in March, have fuelled concerns over the status of minorities in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime...

The Syrian government has condemned the attacks on Druze people and promised to restore order. However, its forces are also accused of attacking the minority; the SOHR has documented "summary executions" by government forces.

Historically, Israel has courted ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East in a bid to forge strategic alliances in the face of its regional rivals. Since Assad's fall, it has increasingly positioned itself as a regional protector of minorities, including the Kurds, Druze and Alawites in Syria, while attacking military sites across the country and government forces.

However, some Druze in Syria and Lebanon have accused Israel of stoking sectarian divisions to advance its own expansionist aspirations.

Israel has struck Syria multiple times, with the intention of preventing the new authorities from building military capacities that could threaten Israeli security...

While the air strikes on 15 July were limited to targeting security forces and vehicles in Suweida, the scope was widened the next day, when Israel hit the Ministry of Defence and the Syrian army headquarters in Damascus.

"The warnings in Damascus have ended - now painful blows will come," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media shortly after the strikes began.

The blast at the military headquarters was broadcast live by Syria's leading TV channel, which has its studios nearby. Footage showed the news presenter fleeing the studio mid-programme.

The attacks represented the most serious Israeli escalation in Syria since December 2024, when it obliterated hundreds of military sites and seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights, which the UN said was a violation of a 1974 agreement that there would be no military presence in the area.
JPost: On the brink of chaos: Clashes in Syria threaten to spill over - opinion (https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-861986)

JULY 24, 2025
The current situation, and especially the violence by the new Syrian regime or other ethnic groups, will require Israel to intervene militarily and diplomatically.

In recent weeks, and especially now, there have been severe clashes between Druze militias and armed Bedouin groups, as well as fighters associated with HTS. These confrontations are often inflamed by sectarian provocations and retaliations, reportedly supported by government elements. Reports from the region about targeted killings of Druze leaders and widespread civilian casualties have heightened fears of potential ethnic cleansing or mass displacement...

The situation, as it appears now, and especially the violence by the new Syrian regime or other ethnic groups, will require Israel to intervene militarily and diplomatically, whichever avenue yields the necessary results...

While Assad's ousting removes a longtime foe deeply allied with Iran, it brings to power a Sunni Islamist regime that does not adhere to established bilateral rules. With growing concern over the spread of Sunni jihadism and concentrations of radical fighters near the northern border, Israel has increased its military presence in the Golan Heights, carried out targeted strikes against perceived threats, and maintained open communication channels with Druze leaders on both sides of the border...

Looking forward, a new and complicated reality emerges: A Sunni Islamist regime in Syria, minority communities under attack, and unstable frontiers on the borders of key states. Israel will need to persist in safeguarding its northern border and maintain ties to the Syrian minority. Current conditions are escalating, and diplomacy has yet to deliver the required results. Trump holds a significant role in shaping boundaries within this new policy framework and in preventing the region from slipping into uncontrolled jihadist chaos.