Russia's Foreign
Intelligence Service (FIS) warned on 28 December that the US and UK are
planning to use ISIS to attack Russian military bases in Syria to further
destabilize the country after the fall of the Syrian government.
Russian
intelligence confirmed that ISIS field commanders had obtained attack drones to
carry out these attacks.
The FIS stressed
that President Joe Biden's outgoing government aims to sew chaos in West Asia
"to ensure their long-term dominance in the region."
But this is
"impeded by the Russian military presence on the Mediterranean coast of
Syria, which remains an important factor in regional stability, which
necessitated assigning ISIS to carry out the mission," the FIS said.
Russia maintains
an air base near the coastal city of Latakia and a naval base near the coastal
city of Tartus. The presence of Russian forces in Syria is now in question
after the fall of the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad, a close Russian
ally, on 8 December.
Damascus is now
ruled by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former Al-Qaeda commander and current leader of
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Sharaa, formerly Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is a
long-time asset of the US, Israel, and Turkiye.
Al-Mayadeen's
correspondent in Russia stated that Washington and London want to expel Russian
forces from Syria while continuing to occupy the oil-rich areas in the
northeast of the country. Since 2016, US forces have occupied Syrian territory
east of the Euphrates River in partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF), which is an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK).
Washington
maintains its occupation of Syria under the pretext of fighting ISIS, despite
previously supporting the terror group in its conquest of large swathes of
eastern Syria and Western Iraq in 2014, including the city of Mosul.
Washington later
partnered with the SDF to occupy the territory previously controlled by ISIS in
Syria to prevent its return to Syrian government sovereignty.
The US-backed
SDF holds large numbers of ISIS militants in its prisons in the city of Hasakah
in northeast Syria.
The SDF released
thousands of ISIS members this summer as part of an amnesty, raising fears that
the US may again use the group to achieve its foreign policy goals in the
region.
The SDF is
currently fighting the pro-Turkish Syrian National Army (SNA) near the city of
Manbij and the Tishreen Dam in northern Syria. The SDF leadership has warned
that ISIS members may break out of their prisons if the SDF comes under
sustained attack by the SNA and Turkish military.
"With the
increasing threats that faced the city of Manbij, we relocated ISIS detainees
from the prisons there to other, more secure detention facilities," SDF
leader General Mazloum Abdi told CNN on Wednesday.
"As
Turkey-backed factions advanced toward the city center, cells launched attacks
on detention centers holding both civilians and terrorists," he added.
"Currently, detention centers in both Raqqa and Hasakah are facing similar
threats, necessitating enhanced cooperation and additional security measures to
protect these sites."
US
and UK warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes on the Yemeni capital late
on 27 December, targeting the 21 September park in the Maeen district of Sanaa,
according to Yemen's Al-Masirah TV.
No
photos or videos of the attack have been released or circulated on social
media. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has not claimed responsibility for the
attack.
The
latest western aggression came one day after Israeli warplanes launched massive
airstrikes on Sanaa and the coastal province of Hodeidah in retaliation for
continued drone and hypersonic missile attacks by the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF)
in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Earlier
on Friday, hundreds of thousands of Yemenis marched through the streets of
Sanaa, Saada, Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Al-Mahwit, proclaiming, “We firmly stand
with Gaza, the glory… without limits and without red lines."
Demonstrators
also called on the YAF to intensify their operations in support of Palestine.
The
mobilizations started soon after YAF spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree
confirmed that Sanaa conducted drone and missile attacks targeting Israel’s Ben
Gurion airport, “a vital target” south of Tel Aviv, and an Israeli-linked ship
in the Arabia Sea, in response to Israel’s aggressions on Yemen and Gaza.
At
least six people were killed and 40 others injured when Israel bombed Sanaa
International Airport, Red Sea ports, and power stations on Thursday.
"[Ansarallah]
are more technologically advanced than perceived by many [and should not be]
underrated,” an Israeli official told the Washington Post on Friday, speaking
on the condition of anonymity.
He
claimed that with support from Iran, Yemen has been able to take “practical
steps” in fighting a war against Israel and its close allies.
“Because
it’s so cheap for them to try to get a drone or a missile every few days or
weeks into Israel, they can win this,” Yoel Guzansky, a former official on
Israel’s National Security Council and senior fellow at the Institute for
National Security Studies in Tel Aviv told the US daily.
The
US and UK launched an illegal war on Yemen at the start of the year, seeking to
protect Israeli trade interests and shield the country from the pro-Gaza
operations of the Axis of Resistance.
Yemeni
operations have been ongoing since November 2023, and Sanaa has vowed not to
stop until the genocide in Gaza comes to an end. The daring operations by the
YAF against Israel and its allies have forced several US aircraft carriers and
European warships out of West Asia.
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