MIDDLE EAST November 23, 2019 7 Look... ‘White Helmets Involved in (Continued From Page One) sailed this week through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since it was deployed to the region in May. Large Iranian military maneuvers and U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf have previously coincided, as they did when Nimitz-class USS John C. Stennis Organ Trafficking in Syria’ entered the region amid the Great Prophet drills in December. On Friday, a top commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the United States must act responsibly to protect the lives of its soldiers in DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – The lier this month. the region, warning that Iran is ready to respond to any threat by using defensive White Helmets, which operates under Syria has been gripped by foreign- and offensive measures. the guise of an aid group in Syria, has backed militancy since March 2011. “Washington has to act responsibly in protecting and not endangering the lives been involved in the forcible removal The Syrian government says the Zi- of American soldiers by avoiding any mistakes in the region, specifically in the of organs from civilians living in areas onist regime and its Western and re- Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz,” Major General Gholam Ali Rashid said. controlled by militants, a survey by a gional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist Rashid, commander of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, added that Russian institution has revealed. groups that are wreaking havoc in the Tehran does not seek war, but that branches across Iran’s Army and IRGC forces are always prepared to defend Iran’s interests. The survey, dubbed “White Hel- country. He added that Iran’s ability to repel any “provocative action” is increasing in a mets: terrorist abettors and sources The conflict has largely wound “coordinated manner”. of disinformation,” was conducted by down recently. Washington, along with its regional allies such as Saudi Arabia, has sought to the Foundation for the Study of De- In a latest development, at least couple economic sanctions with the prospect of military action as part of a cam- mocracy. seven people have lost their lives and paign of “maximum pressure” against Tehran. Presenting the study’s findings, more than two dozen others sustained General Rashid said “sending messages and words” were not enough to deter Maxim Grigoryev, director of the or- injuries when foreign-sponsored mili- Iran’s enemies. “Suitable measures and actions are needed”, he added. Iran has continued to hone its military capabilities, especially in shielding its ganization, said the White Helmets tants carried out a series of mortar at- skies. A recently-released Pentagon report found that despite decades of sanc- evacuated people with the promise of tacks against residential areas in Syr- Members of the so-called civil defense group White Helmets gather at the tions, Iran has succeeded in developing its missile arsenal, which is larger than medical assistance, but later handed ia’s northwestern city of Aleppo. site of a purported airstrike on the town of Ariha, in the south of Syria’s that of any other Middle Eastern country. their bodies — with some vital organs Syria’s state television network re- “Iran has an extensive missile development program, and the size and sophisti- northwestern province of Idlib on July 28, 2019. missing — to their relatives. ported that seven civilians were killed cation of its missile force continues to grow despite decades of counterprolifera- He added that the organ removals the U.S., the UK and France. residents of Syrian areas where White and 30 more were wounded when tion efforts aimed at curbing its advancement,” the Defense Intelligence Agency came to light after the bodies were “They [White Helmets] were a key Helmets were most active, including mortar shells fired by militants posi- said. The report said Iran operates a diverse array of SAM and radar systems intended examined. element in this illegal scheme of organ Aleppo, Damascus, Douma, Dayr al- tioned in the western and northwest- to defend critical sites from attack by a technologically superior air force and is The White Helmets claims to be a removal. We learned about those inci- Zawr and Saqba. ern sectors of the city slammed into “also fielding more-capable, domestically developed SAM and radar systems “to humanitarian NGO, but it has been ac- dents from the people whom we inter- Grigoryev also pointed out that the five districts, namely al-Adhamiyah, help fill gaps in its air defenses”. cused of working with anti-Damascus viewed. This information came as an illegal extraction and trade of human al-Jamiliyah, New Aleppo, Sayf al- Iran has employed such equipment in dealing aerial incursions at home, with terrorists and staging false-flag chem- unpleasant surprise to us,” Grigoryev organs was practiced in late 1990s, Dawla and Salahuddin. the Army downing a U.S. Global Hawk spy drone over the Strait of Hormuz, ical weapons attacks in Syria. said. when White Helmets co-founder The so-called Syrian Observatory reportedly with a 3rd-Khordad surface-to-air missile system. Earlier this month, Iran again downed what Sabahifard said at the time was a “foreign” drone over Syria views the White Helmets as He further noted that the survey was James Le Mesurier was in Yugoslavia. for Human Rights said “one rocket Mahshahr. “a branch of al-Qaeda and al-Nusra” based on interviews with White Hel- Le Mesurier, a former British army of- fired from western Aleppo hit a car in On Friday, Iran’s new indigenous air defense system, 15th Khordad 15th, was militant outfits and a “PR stunt” by mets members, former militants and ficer, was found dead in Istanbul ear- Salahuddin, killing four occupants.” tested for the first time in real time combat against hypothetical enemy targets in the final phase of the air defense drills. General Sabahifar said the massive maneuver underway in central Iran fulfilled its objectives and managed to eliminate all pre-determined targets. ‘Iraqi Politician Uncovers Zionist-UAE Plot’ He said Iran would make enemies regret any act of aggression against the coun- BAGHDAD (Press TV) – An in the country’s western al-An- to make a tweet denying his ar- tics. try. “As we have successfully materialized our objectives during the ongoing Iraqi politician has been detained bar province. rest. The recent reports regarding drill, if the enemies entertain a dream, we will also make them regret their folly by the United Arab Emirates af- The armed tribes are to lay the The sources described the in- the joint UAE-Israeli initiative in the battlefield,” he added. ter uncovering a plot by the UAE groundwork for the province’s cident as a case of Persian Gulf in Iraq come as the country has and the Zionist regime targeting autonomy and ultimately its par- countries’ “meddling” in Iraq. been witness to major anti-cor- African... his country, according to reports. ticipation in the so-called “Deal Qais al-Khazali, the leader the ruption and economic protests (Continued From Page One) Izzat Shabandar, an Iraqi po- of the Century”, a U.S.-backed Iraqi Asaib Ahl al-Haq group in the past two months. litical figure and former law- initiative seeking to undermine which is part of Iraq’s Popular Numerous reports have high- who was born on one of the islands of the archipelago and is leader of the Cha- maker, was arrested in the UAE Palestinian territorial rights, Mobilization Forces (PMF), has lighted that foreign states such gossian Refugee Group, told Reuters. earlier this week on orders by making the way for the settle- also described the incident to be as the US and Saudi Arabia have Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said that Britain’s refusal to give up control of the islands was a violation of international law. the UAE’s “highest-ranking ment of Palestinian refugees similar to Saudi Crown Prince been seeking to deviate the pro- “The United Kingdom cannot profess to be a champion of the rule of law and authorities”, pan-Arab al-May- in the al-Anbar province, the Mohammed bin Salman’s de- tests in a bid to provoke unrest human rights whilst maintaining an illegal colonial administration,” he told par- adeen news networks cited un- sources said. tention of Lebanese Prime Min- and destabilize the country. liament on Thursday. named sources as saying. According to the report, Sha- ister Saad Hariri in 2017. According to al-Mayadeen, The only inhabited island of the Indian Ocean archipelago is home to the Diego The sources claim that the bandar likely gained the infor- Many have described the in- Iraqi security forces have de- Garcia U.S. military base, rented out by Britain, and a bomber base for the Air Iraqi political figure’s arrest mation from Qatar. cident, Hariri’s mysterious stay tained an Emirati-led “cell” Force. came after he leaked informa- The sources added that Sha- in Saudi Arabia during which he comprising of Lebanese indi- On Friday, UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged to renounce British “sovereignty” of the Chagos Islands and respect a UN vote calling for the archi- tion regarding the UAE’s role bandar has turned down calls announced his resignation from viduals which have been financ- pelago to be handed back to Mauritius. in financing “destructive activi- urging for his return to Iraq, power, as Riyadh’s attempt to ing groups conducting destruc- Corbyn said he intended to “right one of the wrongs of history”. ties” within ongoing protests in adding that UAE officials have force its decisions upon Hariri tive activities amid the ongoing Asked by reporters on the campaign trail in Stoke-on-Trent whether he would Iraq and arming four Iraqi tribes forced the detained Iraqi figure and meddle in Lebanese poli- protests. accept the international court ruling on sovereignty, Corbyn said: “Yes, absolute- ly. I’ve been involved in the Chagos campaign for a very long time. “What happened to the Chagos islanders was utterly disgraceful. (They were) forcibly removed from their own islands, unfortunately, by this country. Zionist PM Charged With Corruption, Says Won’t Quit An advisory opinion by the international court of justice (ICJ), in The Hague, found earlier this year that the islands had been illegally severed from Mauritius WEST BANK (Dispatches) – Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netan- bility, devotion and concern for all of our futures,” he said,. in the 1960s. The president of the ICJ, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, urged the UK yahu says he will not resign despite being charged with bribery, fraud and His main center-left challenger in the two elections this year, Benny and other member states to “complete the decolonization of Mauritius”. breach of trust in a corruption scandal that he denounced as an “attempted Gantz, tweeted in response: “There is no coup in Israel, just a bid (by The UK regards neither the ICJ judgment nor the UN motion as binding. coup”. Netanyahu) to hang onto power.” The UN vote in May, which underlined Britain’s diplomatic isolation in the The charges announced by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit were The attorney general, who was appointed by Netanyahu, spelled out the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, set a six-month deadline for UK withdrawal, the first of their kind against a serving Zionist prime minister and rep- indictment in his own televised statement. which expired on Friday. The Chagos archipelago is the last African territory to resented the gravest crisis in the political career of the regime’s longest- “This is a difficult and sad day,” said Mandelblit. be held by the UK. About 1,500 islanders were forcibly deported between 1968 and 1973 so Diego serving premier. Police recommended in February that Mandelblit file criminal charges Garcia could be leased to the U.S. for an airbase. They have never been allowed Netanyahu, in power continuously since 2009 and before that in the against Netanyahu in the long-running investigations dubbed Cases 1000, to return apart from a few short “heritage” visits. 1990s, has dominated the regime’s politics for a generation, decisively 2000 and 4000. Netanyahu is suspected of wrongfully accepting $264,000 Prof Philippe Sands QC, who represented Mauritius at The Hague, said: “The turning the regime to the right. He has denied wrongdoing in the three worth of gifts, including champagne and cigars, from wealthy business- failure to give effect to the (ICJ) ruling and general assembly decision is lawless graft cases, saying he is the victim of a political witch hunt. men in one case. In another, he is accused of dispensing favors in return and deeply regrettable, a reflection of a continuing colonial mindset. It under- He is under no legal obligation to resign. But the indictment could fur- for favorable stories about him in the regime’s biggest selling newspaper, mines the UK’s supposed commitment to the rule of law.” ther embolden challengers trying to dislodge him after two inconclusive Yedioth Ahronoth. Most of the islanders and their descendants live in Mauritius, the Seychelles or the UK, where there have been attempts to deport third-generation Chagossians elections since April, with a third election expected to be announced In the most serious case, he is accused of granting regulatory favors on the grounds that even if their grandparents would have been entitled to UK within weeks. worth about 1.8 billion shekels (about $500 million) to Israel’s leading residency they are not. Conviction on the charges could bring a lengthy jail term. But any trial telecoms company, Bezeq Telecom Israel, in return for positive coverage could be delayed for months by the political crisis, and Netanyahu could on a website owned by its former chairman. try to secure parliamentary immunity from prosecution. Mandelblit indicted Netanyahu on charges of breach of trust and fraud Envoy... His rejection of the charges echoed the pugnacious language of his ally, in all three corruption cases, as well as bribery in the Bezeq Telecom (Continued From Page 2) U.S. President Donald Trump. case. “Continuation of the imposition of sanctions and other unilateral coercive “It is an attempted coup based on fabrications and a tainted and biased “They weren’t after the truth, they were after me,” Netanyahu claimed measures are not consistent and coherent with their claims for negotiations,” said investigative process,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech. “I will con- in his address, a note of emotion in what was otherwise a speech mixing Gharibabadi. tinue to lead the country, according to the letter of the law, with responsi- anger with accusations. The nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group of states, the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany. It lifted nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran, which in turn voluntarily changed some aspects of its nuclear energy program. U.S. Warns Egypt Against Russia Warplanes Deal The U.S., however, left the accord last May and reinstated its unilateral sanc- tions against Iran. The Europeans, meanwhile, have bowed to Washington’s pres- WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – The Unit- ent with them in that if they are to acquire Su-35 fighter jets. The United States could sure, failing to honor their contractual obligations to protect Iran’s economy in the ed States is working with Egypt to deter it a significant Russian platform ... that puts impose sanctions under the Countering face of America’s “toughest-ever” bans. from going ahead with a deal to buy Russian them at risk towards sanctions.” America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions In reaction to Washington’s withdrawal from the deal and Europe’s inaction, warplanes, threatening the Cairo govern- The United States has over the years pro- Act (CAATSA), which targets purchases of Tehran has reduced its commitments under the JCPOA in four phases, the latest ment with sanctions if it does, a senior State vided billions of dollars in economic and military equipment from Russia. of which was the resumption of enrichment at Fordow nuclear facility. Department official has said. military aid to Egypt, a long-time ally “They know this and we’re working The fourth step, the injection of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into centri- fuges at Fordow, is believed to be the most important step so far, and a serious Washington was still working with Egypt whose military operates the F-16 fighter through it with them,” the U.S. official warning to other parties. to address its military needs, the official, jet. said. “This is something we’ve not com- Feruta said on Thursday the IAEA will send a team of top officials and experts speaking on condition of anonymity, told Egypt earlier this year signed a $2 billion pletely reconciled yet but they’re acutely to Iran next week to hold talks with Iranian officials about the country’s nucle- a briefing. “But we’ve also been transpar- agreement with Russia to buy more than 20 aware of what they’re putting at risk.” ar-related activities.