of troop incursions into southern Syria well beyond the supposed "zone" that the IDF and Netanyahu said was their extent of troop deployment. Villagers reported a line of tanks and bulldozers came and ripped up agricultural land and destroyed buildings. The general media is so dishonest regarding what the Western motives in Syria have been and still are about. Oil and strategic deployment. The story-line spoon fed to the media is always about the "plight of the average Syrian" and their "freedom".

Syria has over 2 trillion barrels of proven reserves as of 2016 figures. There are the various powers in the world with their troops and air-power in Syria for years now and they don't look to be leaving anytime soon despite calls from the Syrian people to do so. It is not to say that Syrian oil production is on the level of the big players but 2 trillion barrels is still a huge amount of money and carving off a percentage here and there makes billions of dollars for lots of entities. It's a pretty safe bet that the "average Syrian", who is supposed to be what the Western military actions has all been about, will see little to nothing much like several other countries.

Suffice it to say that if there was no oil or strategic geographic position regarding Syria then the West and others would barely register a blip about the plight of the "average Syrian" and any repression. Examples of the US and others ignoring situations in resource poor countries are sadly well known. Examples of the US and others exploiting countries with resources and propping up repressive regimes are also out there. The jockeying going on behind the scenes in Syria is now enormous and you can be sure that promises and percentages are flying hot and heavy. Israel may just be jockeying for strategic deployment reasons but the West would never make this huge investment of military involvement and money if there wasn't a financial component.

https://www.newarab.com/news/what-will-syrias-oil-and-gas-industry-look-post-assad

from either Lebanon or Israel, by either IDF, Hezbollah or LAF in the article you cited.

Also, isn't it equally dishonest of the Western media to not mention that Turkey, Iran, ISIS, Russia, the Kurds, and just about every other faction that influences events in Syria is fighting for the same resources?

the meantime the reference I made was not restricted to the Western media. I said media in general. Also I was not restrictive about other powers. I said "various powers". Also I think reports of troops, not airstrikes, within 16 miles of Damascus counts as a report of IDF incursion beyond the Golan Heights buffer zone. I have included another report from the Syrian Observer which is reporting, but not verifying, IDF tanks and bulldozers ripping up agricultural land. Because this report of a report wasn't verified I didn't source it but simply mentioned the existence of it. Since that time The Times of Israel has verified some of the actions in the Syrian Observer article. There is discrepancy between the IDF claims about giving the journalists/activists back their cameras etc. and the claims in the Syrian Observer article that quotes the Al-Jumhuriya.net site as saying that the recorded material was erased. So it is not the same as "giving back" in the same condition as when taken. The Times of Israel article quotes the lawyer/journalist/activist as saying his sim card was taken and the memory cards for his equipment as well as $200 from his assistant. So we have some corroboration about that event although still with differences. The Syrian Observer article seems to be a "compilation" of events in the area from several sources and it remains to be seen if some of what was on the cameras of the journalists was the kind of activity described in the Syrian Observer report. It wouldn't be the first time that troops in a contentious area have not wanted their actions documented.


https://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-buffer-zone-israeli-forces-syria-near-damascus-1998335
https://syrianobserver.com/foreign-actors/israeli-occupation-arrests-syrian-lawyer-and-french-activist-in-quneitra.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-detains-then-releases-french-journalist-in-southern-syria-buffer-zone/

so whatever I stated about Western media certainly applies to media in general. In any event, Western media is included in your reference to media in general, so my comments remain relevant regardless.

My point had to do with singling out Western motives, not Western media, and leaving out the motives of all other power players in Syria. Just as the article you cited does not address this, neither does your post. The unconfirmed reports you referred to, however you want to interpret them in light of additional reporting from Times of Israel and an unidentified lawyer/journalist/activist, do not address the question that I raised.

And while it is common, and necessary, to conceal military plans and actions from the enemy in all armed conflicts, this doesn't address the fact and the question I raised:

- The article you cited doesn't mention any troop incursions into southern Syria, from either Lebanon or Israel, by either IDF, Hezbollah or LAF, nor does it offer any accounts of such actions, which makes the two introductory sentences in your post rather puzzling, and

- Isn't it equally dishonest of the Western media (whether by themselves or in concert with other media sources) to not mention that Turkey, Iran, ISIS, Russia, the Kurds, and just about every other faction that influences events in Syria is fighting for the same resources?

with you over many, many months. I have been patient in responding to you despite what appears to be obvious attempts to paint me as anti-Semitic. When I respond to a question you raise and give you sourcing or more information you mostly have repeatedly either ignored what is provided and simply restated your question, critique, demand or simply you move the goal posts or imply personal aspersions. My patience with such behavior is over and there will be no further response from me to any comment you give to me about any topic.

I m painting you as being manifestly partial! And in this particular instance, I am painting the information you provided as being besides the point of the post you responded to.

Believe me, I can tell the difference. You should see my responses to overt antisemites.

It's a tactic I believe it's called filibustering

And my aspersions, when moved to directly address false equivalencies and deflections, expose a certain tactic which, I believe, is called "Don't look here, look there!"

in western media. Unfortunately there are not any real good faith actors (governments) anywhere in the Middle East as far as I'm concerned

I try to go to various sites within the countries in question and the also see if I can track reporting through AFP, Reuters etc. If I'm looking for general news about things like development projects, government appointments etc. then something like that is usually more straightforward for determining reliability. What I also find is that some of the news sites will carry historical pieces or opinion pieces about things in Africa and across into areas of Asia etc. that may give a view on a specific aspect to something that I had not thought about. I find value in this because it adds to my thinking on subjects and leads me to further research etc. to try and better inform myself.

Even the BBC can be skimpy on reporting about things in general or about conflicts. I think Reuters and AFP have been doing the most of anybody. But there is a strong segment of small sites and journalists trying to report on the conflicts but it is incredibly dangerous for them and many have died. There is also the issue of bias in reporting but I try to filter out the inflammatory words etc. because it does not serve to the "Who, What and Where" that I'm looking for. That's why when I read some initial reporting on Syrian Observer I didn't source it and comment because it was clear they were reporting a report of reports. Once I saw some corroboration in The Times of Israel that at least a certain incident had taken place, despite the details between the two reporting sites, I felt comfortable enough to include them both as source material.

I agree that finding good faith actors is not easy. I have said, and reiterated many times that the average person in the Middle East has been lied to, manipulated and screwed around for over 100 years by powers within their own ranks and by powers at large around the world. The last thing a Palestinian should believe is when a Western government says they are looking out for the interests of the people. The governments in the Middle East and around the world look out for their own interests and it has little to nothing to do with the general welfare of the average person. Power and control. The name of their game.

No such micro-aggressive scrutiny for any other player in the Middle East.

in the Middle East holding millions of people in occupation and bombing a civilian population day after day causing hundreds of deaths of women and children every month. So that will tend to get a bit of scrutiny.

Syria, for instance, somehow desn't come to mind at all.

aid from the United States. The United States isn't supplying weapons of mass destruction to Syria. Syria isn't a democracy though I can make the case Israel isn't one either so strike that.

Last edited Mon Jan 13, 2025, 02:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Not the country where over half a million of its subjects were killed in the thirteen years of war, not the terror organizations who hold over 100 civilians hostage and murdered more of them, who steal resources from their own people, who indiscriminately fired tens of thousands of missiles into civilian centers, who use their homes to hide weapons in, not the tens of thousands of victims of suicide bombings in Iraq.

And only because the largest recipient of US aid is Israel...Oh wait, it is not. Ukraine is.

At the risk of repeating myself, I rest my case.

foreign aid for decades. The money being sent to Ukraine is Arming a country to defend it's borders from a super power that invaded it's country and is occupying land. A super power with an actual Army, Air force, Ballistic missiles and a Nuclear arsenal. To compare Israels situation with Ukraine's is preposterous at best. I'm concerned about the death of innocents at the hand of tyrannical governments everywhere but the people in Gaza are dying at the hand of a tyrannical government that is being funded with my tax dollars, I have little to no "agency" when it comes to the situation in Syria. Look if you support the policy of Bibi and the right-wing government and soon to be Trump administration in Israel just come out and say so, stop dancing around the issue, own it. Here do a little research:

"Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its founding, receiving about $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance. The United States has also provided large foreign aid packages to other Middle Eastern countries, particularly Egypt and Iraq, but Israel stands apart."

https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts

No consideration other than blaming Israel enters your mind, no matter how demonstrably flawed and partial your excuses turn out to be.

You just completely overlooked the fact that I didn't compare Ukraine to Israel. I compared US aid to Ukraine to that of Israel, on the terms you brought up: its total amount. It is you who are now suggesting a preposterous comparison to cover up your previous claims.

You are not concerned with the deaths of innocents. You are only concerned with the deaths of innocents when it comes to fallacious attempts to blame them on Israel. You are completely disregarding the deaths of innocents under any other circumstances, anywhere else in the world. This is so capricious on its face, it speaks for itself, no further comments necessary.

US aid to Israel started when the combined armies of five Arab states invaded Israel when Israel had no formal armed forces. Since then, Israel had been invaded several times with the forces of combined Arab armies. It is still being invaded by the armies of Iran's terrorist forces on multiple fronts. Since you have apparently done your research now, you should be able to figure out why Israel stands apart from other countries in the Middle East that receive US foreign aid. Just ask yourself how many of these countries had been ever invaded by the combined armies of multiple neighboring states, and how many times. When you think of it, the answer is obvious, isn't it? If you ever choose to think of it.

Somehow, the sudden concern about your tax dollars disregards all of this. You have as much agency of your tax dollars going to Syria as you have anywhere else in the world, and pretending that your agency for your tax dollars going to Israel is any different only accentuates your bias.

But... Israel. I've seen this movie again and again. And it only gets worse as time goes by.

run along now!

And I am done running. You'll be hearing from me, whether you like it or not.

completely ignore that hamas did October 7, continued to shoot missiles into Israel the day after October 7 even before Israel retaliated, along with Hezbolah's constant missiles into Northern Israel, and always cry fowl after hamas started the damn mess, and even now refuse to release the hostages, and surrender.

Hamas, the murders of Sadat through the Muslim brotherhood from where they came, is using Palestinian civilians as their pawns, and there is hardly a critical word sent against hamas throughout this whole ordeal. Including immediately after October 7, when some wonderful professors at prestigious universities actually applauded what hamas did.

Of course slaughters in Hama, Syria, Sudan, etc., are not even a footnote among some, who conveniently use the excuse that it is because the supports Israel, while ignoring the fact that hamas charter has called for the complete destruction of Israel.

You want the war to end, tell hamas to release all the hostages unconditionally, and dismantle.

Those anti-Israeli protesters who refused to vote for VP Harris let's see how things work out with trump, based on their foolishness.

2.5 billion barrels, proven reserves. Maybe somebody misread "2,500,000,000"?

Now, they also include 8.5 trillion cft of methane.

that Hizbollah shouldn't have started a war with Israel.
In the infamous words of Will Smith: Don't start shit, won't be shit.

Last edited Sun Jan 12, 2025, 08:06 PM - Edit history (1)

They owe reparations to the people of Lebanon for continuously violating the UN Resolution 1701 for decades.

Time for them to pay for their crimes.