Eric Zuesse
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
13 December 2024, posted by Eric Zuesse. (All of my recent articles can be seen here.)
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https://www.rt.com/news/609310-blinded-by-propaganda-syria/
13 December 2024 17:26
While the militants who have seized power make promises that delight Western journalists, the country is drowning in blood.
Since the start of the large-scale offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied opposition groups, the HTS-led Syrian Salvation Government has issued a series of loud statements.
The first concerned Russia and its support of the Syrian authorities. Russian troops were the only ones to oppose the advancing opposition forces, and the rebels urged them to end the strikes on terrorist positions, claiming that such actions would only result in civilian casualties. The Syrian Salvation Government said that its actions were aimed against the Syrian authorities, not Moscow, with which the militants intend to establish mutually beneficial cooperation.
Next, the Salvation Government released statements concerning neighboring countries. It called on Iraq to close its borders and prevent pro-Iranian groups from entering Syria to help exiled President Bashar Assad. Additionally, the rebels proclaimed that they would protect all foreign embassies, humanitarian organizations, and journalists.
Read more Why the West cheers for Al-Qaeda successors taking over Syria
A separate statement was issued regarding chemical weapons, their production facilities and storage sites. The Salvation Government assured media that these weapons would never be used and would not fall into irresponsible hands, and invited relevant international organizations to monitor them.
Some of the rebels’ most notable promises were made to ethnic and religious minorities in Syria, including Kurds, Alawites, Christians, and Shiites. The Salvation Government declared that no minority would face genocide or persecution for their views and beliefs, since they are an integral part of the Syrian nation. It also said that inclusivity is the strength, not the weakness, of the future Syria.
In addressing the Kurds, the rebels condemned the barbaric practices of ISIS, such as murder, slavery, and other brutal actions committed against the Kurdish population by jihadists. They also guaranteed the safety of Syrian soldiers who laid down their arms and surrendered.
These statements by the Salvation Government and the HTS leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, were met with enthusiasm by prominent experts of Islamic radicalism and fundamentalism. They praised al-Julani’s professionalism, transparency, and moderate views, and the fact that he distanced himself from his jihadist roots.
Read more Assad’s collapse was coming – everyone just looked away
Western media picked up this narrative and, in an attempt to whitewash the rebel leader, CNN released an exclusive interview with him. In this interview, al-Julani repeated the above-mentioned statements made by the Syrian Salvation Government and noted that the ambitions of HTS and its allies are confined to Syria, which should reassure potential adversaries and key regional players. The goals of HTS, he claimed, were to overthrow Bashar Assad and then to start “building Syria” – and the rebels had already achieved the first goal.
However, as often happens, the statements issued by the rebels were far from the truth. HTS terrorists and allied opposition groups have already released dozens of videos demonstrating executions of members of Arab-Kurdish forces, Syrian soldiers (even those who surrendered voluntarily), Alawites, and Shiites. In several video clips, militants are seen slitting the throats of their captives.
Additionally, there are videos of the rebels hunting down former soldiers, which they refer to as “patrolling” or “clearing” an area. Mostly, their targets are shot on the spot. In addition, the rebels have published dozens of video messages threatening various minorities and neighboring countries. Some of them claim that the coup in Syria gives them the freedom to destroy Israel and liberate Palestinian territories.
Russian-speaking terrorists from the Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar and Ajnad al-Kavkaz jihadist militant groups, whose former leader and certain members are currently fighting in the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the side of Ukraine, have threatened that their next target will be Russia.
The actions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and affiliated opposition groups have nothing in common with the rebels’ public statements. They stand in stark contrast to the promises of a measured and moderate stance when it comes to the future of Syria and the status of its minorities.
Since the Syrian Salvation Government was established in 2017, we have closely monitored the rebels’ statements and propaganda. The militants claim that peace and stability reign in the areas under their control in Syria’s Idlib governorate [see this about “Idlib governate”], where all problems are resolved effortlessly; and al-Julani, they say, would have no trouble applying his invaluable experience of governing Idlib to the rest of Syria. This, however, is certainly not true.
By the Directorate 4 team, an analytical and monitoring center researching Islamic radicalism and fundamentalism
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PS: If you like this article, please email it to all your friends or otherwise let others know about it. None of the U.S.-and-allied ‘news’-media will likely publish it (nor link to it, since doing that might also hurt them with Google or etc.). I am not asking for money, but I am asking my readers to spread my articles far and wide, because I specialize in documenting what the Deep State is constantly hiding. This is, in fact, today’s samizdat.
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Investigative historian Eric Zuesse’s latest book, AMERICA’S EMPIRE OF EVIL: Hitler’s Posthumous Victory, and Why the Social Sciences Need to Change, is about how America took over the world after World War II in order to enslave it to U.S.-and-allied billionaires. Their cartels extract the world’s wealth by control of not only their ‘news’ media but the social ‘sciences’ — duping the public.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
I did not see RT honestly report on the 480 Israeli military strikes in just two days on the Syrian armed forces, destroying their air defence systems, long-range missiles, weapon production sites, anti-aircraft batteries, fighter jets, weapons stockpiles.
Nor did RT report that the Israeli navy destroyed the Syrian fleet, after the treacherous Syrian armed forces leadership, was bought off with Shekels/Dollars, to stand down, and allow the total destruction of their entire Navy and much of their Air Force and Army.
Nor did RT report on the fact, that Israel’s Channel 12 stated that the IDF was ready to “deepen” its advance in Syria and approach Damascus. which also reported that Israel was prepared to stay in the country for “a long time.”
RT is as bad as CNN or the BBC, when it comes to certain news stories and narratives, as they clearly did not report on Israels largest act of aggression, in it bloody history.
The same scumbags at RT, banned two of my accounts, one in 2019 and another in early 2020, because I was warning their readers of what was about to unfold, after the Event 201 pandemic tabletop exercise, and how they were going to rebrand the Common Cold and influenza, simply to get imbeciles to poison their blood with mRNA gene therapy.
No, RT is every bit as bad as the BBC, CNN and Euronews.
RT will report on the symptoms “Russian media honestly report the bloody jihadist takeover of Syria”, but never the cause.
RT are a fifth column in Russia, as they routinely state ‘Russian official “CLAIMS”, when figures like Sergey Lavrov and Andrey Belousov, provide factual evidence of war-crimes and the like.
NATO have made a strategic mistake here! They are cheering now but watch them invade Turkey and fight NATO units to a standstill (including the US)!