Holiday Season Warmaking

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

A pause in US, NATO, Israeli warmaking is never in the cards during the holiday season or any other time of year.

It's how aggressor states always operate, Christmas day as good a time as any other for warmaking.

Endless war rages in all US war theaters, including Yemen, ceasefire agreed on by warring parties proving more farcical than real.

On Christmas day, the Saudis and UAE attacked the port city of Hodeidah and surrounding areas, breaching what was agreed on in Sweden, according to the Houthis.

Since the mid-December agreement, they launched 223 ground and aerial attacks on the area, according to Houthi General Yahya Sariyah, strikes continuing with no letup before, during, and post-Christmas.

What's going on is supported and encouraged by Trump regime hardliners, controlling the conflict, rejecting ceasefire, wanting endless war continued.

On Saturday, UN monitors led by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert arrived in Sanaa, heading for Hodeidah to oversee the no-ceasefire/ceasefire.

Saudi/UAE strikes on Hodeidah and surrounding areas have been ongoing intensively since June, ceasefire agreed on in Sweden breached straightaway.

On Christmas eve, Trump turned truth on its head tweeting: "Saudi Arabia has now agreed to spend the necessary money needed to help rebuild Syria, instead of the United States. See?" 

"Isn't it nice when immensely wealthy countries help rebuild their neighbors rather than a Great Country, the US, that is 5000 miles away. Thanks to Saudi A!"

America and its imperial partners rape and destroy countries, rebuilding left to victims, not aggressors.

In all its war theaters, the US and its imperial partners sponsor ISIS and likeminded jihadists, pretending to combat the scourge they actively support. Western media suppress what demands headlined reports.

Trump's announced troop pullout from Syria left Washington's reason for war on the country unchanged - regime change the objective, wanting the Syrian Arab Republic transformed into another US vassal state, Iran isolated ahead of a similar plot to replace its government, what I've explained many times.

Israel is waging war on Syria without declaring it. In response to Trump's announced pullout, Netanyahu said his regime "will continue to act aggressively against Iran's attempt to entrench itself militarily in Syria (sic), and to the extent necessary, we will even expand our actions there" - with full support and encouragement from Washington.

Overnight, on the phony pretext of countering a Syrian missile strike, IDF warplanes attacked a Damascus area arms depot. The Syrian Arab News Agency  reported what happened as follows, saying:

"A military source affirmed that the Syrian Air defenses intercepted hostile missiles launched by the Israeli warplanes from over the Lebanese territories and downed the majority of them before reaching their targets…damage limited to a munition warehouse and the injury of three soldiers."

AMN News said a Qatana area weapons depot was struck, "causing significant damage…no one…killed…most Israeli missiles" launched from Lebanese airspace downed in flight.

SouthFront said Syrian air defenses largely repelled the overnight IDF airstrikes, reportedly at least 22 missiles fired, "aimed at (an) alleged Iranian shipment (of weapons) in the Damascus International Airport area."

Israeli military intelligence connected DEBKAfile  called overnight IDF aggression a "wide-ranging attack on Iranian (and Hezbollah) targets south of Damascus," adding:

"Some sources reported explosions in Damascus. Other sources later described the location under attack as Qatana outside the capital."

By the IDF's own admission, Israeli warplanes launched numerous strikes on Syrian targets throughout much of the war, largely from Lebanese airspace.

A Sputnik news correspondent "reported several explosions that hit the Syrian capital (area overnight). The causes of explosions, however, remain unknown."

Syrian Ikhbariya television said Israeli strikes continued for about 90 minutes. Lebanese media reported IDF warplanes in the country's airspace overnight.

Iran's Press TV said "Syrian air defense systems have intercepted 'hostile' missiles fired by Israeli warplanes, nearly a month after government force foiled another Israeli act of aggression against the country."

US orchestrated and led aggression against Syria continues with no letup. It's been ongoing for nearly eight years with no resolution in prospect because Trump regime hardliners want endless war and regime change.

A Final Comment

Russia's Defense Ministry reported that overnight Israeli aggression against Syria near Damascus occurred while passenger planes were landing at its airport. In harm's way, they managed to land safely.

General Igor Konashenkov slammed the Netanyahu regime, saying "(p)rovocative actions of the Israeli Air Force on the evening of December 25, when six F-16 aircraft launched an airstrike on the territory of Syria from the airspace of neighboring Lebanon, created a direct threat to two passenger aircraft."

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html