Seattle Sees First Net Increase In Police Officers In 4 Years
Don’t call it a comeback…days after President Trump has been re-elected, Seattle has announced it has seen its first net increase in police officers in four years, according to an exclusive new report from KIRO.
The Seattle Police Department reported its first net increase in officers in four years, adding five to seven in the last quarter, reversing losses since 2020.
Council President Sarah Nelson attributed the earlier decline to a 2020 pledge by most council members to halve police funding, which led to officer departures and reduced the force to about 900, well below the 1,400 target.
Nelson said: “Morale was significantly impacted when officers felt their jobs were at risk. However, this recent net positive is a step in the right direction.”
KIRO reported that as the city council reviews its budget, the focus is on addressing underspending and ensuring effective allocation of funds. Council President Sarah Nelson stressed the need for transparency and accountability, particularly in public safety and social services.
The 2025-2026 budget includes key investments: $3.2 million to sustain 300 shelter beds, $3.5 million for 23 new CARE positions, and $14.5 million for health initiatives. Nelson underscored the importance of measurable performance metrics to evaluate the impact of these expenditures.
She added: “We need to see the big picture by knowing exactly what we’re spending right now. Transparency is absolutely key.”
Nelson highlighted additional ongoing efforts to address public safety and budget challenges, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in spending. Initiatives include maintaining the Storefront Repair Fund to assist small businesses, boosting police hiring with competitive wages, and investing in addiction treatment to tackle the fentanyl crisis and homelessness.
Nelson called for improved oversight of departmental budgets and nonprofit grants to ensure funds align with policy goals, alongside performance reviews for programs like affordable housing and emergency response. She remains hopeful these measures will enhance public safety and fiscal efficiency.
The US could do to China in Myanmar what it’s currently doing to Russia in Ukraine…
The latest phase of Myanmar’s nearly four-year-long conflict, which is part of the world’s longest-running civil war that first began in 1948, has seen the military (locally known as the Tatmadaw) retreat from the minority-majority and resource-rich periphery since October 2023’s Operation 1027. They now only control less than half of the country’s territory. Here are some background briefings over the past year to bring unaware readers up to speed about this worsening conflict and its military-strategic dynamics:
What’s most important for casual observers to know is that China has ties with the “Three Brotherhood Alliance” (3BA) that’s behind Operation 1027. The People’s Republic relied on some of their members for facilitating trade with the rest of Myanmar in prior years but then pivoted to supporting last year’s offensive so as to punish the Tatmadaw. China was angry about its past fling with the US as well as its alleged refusal to crack down on cross-border cybercrime and human trafficking rings.
At the same time, the US has also been backing the 3BA and other armed anti-state militias from the get-go since it considers them to be its best chance for carrying out regime change in this geostrategically positioned country at the crossroads of East, South, and Southeast Asia. The US also wants to threaten China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) projects there that are part of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), which includes pipelines, a port at Kyaukphyu in the Bay of Bengal, and a planned railroad.
The 3BA’s unexpected military success, which was facilitated by Beijing’s tacit support and refusal to punish them by cutting off their economic lifelines in the People’s Republic, threw China into a dilemma. It can either let events unfold at the risk of losing all influence in Myanmar after the US superceded its own over the 3BA, possibly leading to CMEC’s cancellation or it falling under the US’ proxy control, or it can intervene with private military contractors (PMC) like the latest reports claim that it’s planning:
None of these reports have been confirmed by China or the Tatmadaw so readers should be cautious, but in the event that there’s any truth to them, they’d represent an unprecedented escalation of the conflict. China’s latest call for peace talks might fall flat just like the ceasefire that it mediated earlier this year so it might feel compelled to unconventionally intervene via PMCs so as to safeguard its investments and influence there out of desperation.
That fateful move would entail the following risks:
1. From Mission Creep To Quagmire
Chinese PMCs might only be authorized to defend BRI projects at first, but this could easily evolve into providing logistical, intelligence, and eventually battlefield support to the Tatmadaw, thus raising the chances of a larger intervention that might even become a formal one with time just like Vietnam did. They might even get trapped in a quagmire due to the ethno-regional complexity of the world’s longest-running conflict as well as the mountainous and jungled geography in which it’s being fought.
2. China’s PMCs Lack Experience
There are no credible reports indicating that China’s PMCs have anywhere near the level of experience that American, other Western, and Russian ones do. Their possibly creeping involvement in this potential quagmire might therefore prove disastrous since they’ll either be defending or advancing against militants with literally decades-worth of experience on their home turf. The Chinese state and its people might also have less of a tolerance for high casualties than their aforesaid counterparts do.
3. Hastening The US’ Return To Asia
Trump 2.0 is already expected to “Pivot (back) to Asia” upon the inevitable end of the Ukrainian Conflict, whenever that might be and regardless of the terms, but they’ll have an even greater incentive to accelerate this process if China unconventionally intervenes in Myanmar. That development would predictably be spun as “aiding a genocidal military dictatorship” in order to justify this move, which could also lead to increased American involvement in the conflict as their proxy war there intensifies.
4. Falling Into A Brzezinski-Esque Trap
The above risk directly leads to the next one of the US having possibly planned this entire time to set a Brzezinski-esque trap for China in Myanmar along the lines of what that late National Security Advisor set for the erstwhile USSR in Afghanistan. The purpose is to draw it ever deeper into this seemingly intractable series of ethno-reginal conflicts in order to bleed it dry, establish the pretext for more sanctions, and rally a growing number of countries across the world against it.
5. Cross-Border Proxy Attacks
Just like the US uses Ukraine to launch cross-border artillery attacks and even raids against Russia, including the now-infamous invasion of Kursk that still hasn’t been pushed back one-quarter of a year since it started, so too might the US use the 3BA or other anti-state militias against China. The purpose would be to humiliate the People’s Republic and provoke an overreaction like more mission creep or an outmatched response that’s exploited to rally even more countries against it.
China is certainly aware of the risks that any unconventional PMC intervention in the Myanmarese Conflict would entail, but the military-strategic dynamics have changed so much over the past year that it might be willing to throw caution to the wind. That would be uncharacteristic of China, however, so it might ultimately not happen. If it does go through with this, then it might become as much of a game-changer as Russia’s specialoperation has been, for better or for worse depending on how it unfolds.
Americans are constantly on the move, with many leaving their home states in search of better opportunities, lower living costs, or a change in scenery. Some states see more departures than others, raising the question of what’s driving people to pack up and leave.
This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, shows the top five states that American residents moved away from in 2023 and their migration outflows, with the top three states where people from those states moved to labeled.
State-by-state migration flow data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau and is updated as of August 2024. Only residents aged one year and older were included and the data includes Puerto Rico but does not include U.S. island territories.
Which States Did Americans Move Away From in 2023?
Below, we show the top five states that Americans moved away from in 2023, with each states’ total number of residents who left, and the number of residents who went to the top three outbound states.
The average American moves about 11 times throughout their life, according to Steinway Moving and Storage. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that in 2023, 12% of Americans moved to a different residence within the country.
Some stayed close to home and moved within their home state, while others embarked on cross-country relocations. Out of those who moved to a different residence in 2023, 80% moved within their state and 20% moved to a different state.
Interestingly, three out of the top five states Americans are moving away from–Florida, Texas, and California–are also seeing the highest number of new residents from other states.
These states experience high migration turnover due to factors like job opportunities, housing affordability, tax policies, and lifestyle preferences such as weather and urban amenities.
New Yorkers Have Been Leaving In Droves
New York has also seen high levels of domestic out-migration since 2012, primarily due to job transfers, family reasons, or wanting to own a new home.
As one of the most expensive states to live in, it’s no surprise that many people are leaving New York due to affordability concerns and a desire for better quality of life.
Additionally, the pandemic-driven shift to remote work led to significant workforce losses in major metropolitans like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
To learn more about American domestic migration check out this graphic which shows the top five states Americans are moving to.
A new study suggests potential health risks associated with carrageenan (derived from red seaweed), a common food additive used as a thickener and found in everything from ice cream to plant-based milk.
Researchers found that overweight people who ate foods with the additive became more insulin resistant and had more inflammation.
“In overweight participants, carrageenan exposure resulted in lower whole body and hepatic insulin sensitivity,” the study authors wrote, highlighting the need for further investigation into food additives that consumers might consider harmless.
Carrageenan Linked to Reduced Insulin Sensitivity, Inflammation
The research, published in BMC Medicine on Tuesday, was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 20 young, healthy male participants who received either 250 milligrams of carrageenan or a placebo twice daily over two weeks.
Key outcomes of the study included the measurement of insulin sensitivity through various tests, including the oral glucose tolerance test. Although no significant differences in overall insulin sensitivity were observed among all participants, interactions between participants’ body mass index (BMI) and their exposure to carrageenan or the placebo were notable.
In overweight people, carrageenan led to lower insulin sensitivity, increased brain inflammation, and higher levels of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and interleukin-6).
Additionally, carrageenan was linked to increased intestinal permeability, suggesting the participants’ digestive systems might allow substances to enter the bloodstream more easily. The study also showed immune cell activation and increased pro-inflammatory proteins released from white blood cells after carrageenan exposure. This supports the theory that the additive may influence insulin sensitivity by fostering inflammation.
While existing research demonstrates carrageenan’s correlation with heightened metabolic risks, inflammation, and gut disruption, the precise molecular mechanisms driving these adverse effects remain unclear.
While previous animal studies had suggested that carrageenan could induce glucose intolerance and worsen the adverse effects of high-fat diets, the new study represents one of the first clinical investigations into the additive’s effects on human glycemic response.
The researchers called for further research into the long-term health impacts of carrageenan and similar food additives, particularly in populations at higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
Cutting Out Carrageenan
Carrageenan is fairly common in highly processed foods, dairy products such as chocolate milk and ice cream, and plant milks, Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietician and certified diabetes care and education specialist at Huntingdon Hospital, a part of Northwell Health in New York, told The Epoch Times.
The additive can be easily avoided if you’re eating a diet based on whole foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, she noted.
“If a food is made in a factory and has ingredients that are not familiar or are difficult to pronounce, it is likely highly processed and may contain carrageenan,” Schiff said. “If you’re eating a packaged good that is creamy or thick, check the label; it may contain carrageenan.” Although carrageenan is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Schiff noted that it has no nutritional value.
Schiff also recommended a whole-food, plant-focused diet to circumvent carrageenan and other unhealthy additives. Alternatives such as gellan, locust bean, guar, and xanthan gums can be used in place of carrageenan without the associated health risks. However, she cautioned that buying organic does not guarantee a product is free from carrageenan.
The amount of carrageenan in a typical Western diet can range from 250 milligrams to 2 to 4 grams per person per day. Carrageenan is the fourth-most commonly consumed food additive in pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease, according to research.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently allows carrageenan in organic food, despite opposition from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a federal advisory board that makes recommendations on organic food and products.
Carrageenan Isn’t the Only Additive of Concern
According to Schiff, people should be aware of other additives commonly found in processed foods, including:
Sodium Nitrite: Found in processed meats, nitrites have been linked to a higher risk of several types of cancer when heated.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup: This sweetener is associated with weight gain, diabetes, and inflammation.
Trans Fats: Present in hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, these fats can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): MSG can cause sweating, flushing, numbness, palpitations, and tingling in sensitive individuals.
Militants from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) currently invading Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, are taking orders from Turkish intelligence, French news agency AFP has reported.
HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, launched a lightning offensive from the group’s stronghold in Idlib Governorate on Wednesday. Its fighters took over numerous villages in the Aleppo countryside before taking control of large parts of Aleppo City on Saturday, including the ancient citadel. AFP writes that “Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey had given a green light to the offensive.”
An AFP correspondent in HTS-held Idlib further reported that “The jihadists and their Turkey-backed allies took orders from a joint operations command.” During the US-backed covert war on Syria that began in 2011, the CIA and allied intelligence agencies established joint operations rooms in southern Turkey and Amman, Jordan, to direct the activities of their extremist proxies fighting the Syrian government.
Izvestia reported that the current HTS attack on Aleppo was coordinated between Turkish, Ukrainian, and French intelligence, with Israeli support and US approval.
The Russian newspaper said the assault was originally planned for March but was launched early in response to events in Lebanon. On Wednesday, a ceasefire took effect to halt 66 days of brutal fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army in Lebanon.
Just as the ceasefire began, Israel turned its sights on Syria by bombing Lebanese-Syrian border crossings in an effort to prevent weapons transfers from Syria to Hezbollah.
Syrian army sources said on Saturday that Israel was also backing the extremists attacking Aleppo and areas on the Idlib front. In the past, Israel has kept its support for Al-Qaeda groups in Syria covert so as not to damage their credibility in the eyes of Arabs and Sunni Muslims.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a special security discussion Friday evening with the heads of the defense establishment to discuss the current fighting in Syria.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli officials view the Turkish-backed extremist advance on Aleppo as an opportunity to weaken Syria, which is a key ally of Hezbollah and Iran in the Axis of Resistance.
The CIA and Pentagon have armed 21 out of 28 Syrian anti-government militias repurposed by Turkey into a mercenary “national army,” according to Turkish think tank SETA
Many of these same US-backed groups participated in this week’s assault on Aleppo https://t.co/aw6ueXG7hG
An unnamed Israeli official told the Hebrew newspaper that the fighting “is something we need to closely monitor and see how it develops.'”
“It doesn’t necessarily affect us, especially not in the short term, but any erosion of stability in a neighboring country could also impact us. It seems here that there are also opportunities for change,” the official said.
“Enough Is Enough” – Biden Pardons Hunter For “Unfair Prosecution” By His Own DoJ
President Joe Biden is pardoning his son Hunter, despite Biden and the White House repeatedly denying he would do so.
The pardon comes ahead of Hunter’s Dec. 12 sentencing for his conviction on federal gun charges, as well as an upcoming Dec. 16 sentencing in a separate criminal case in which he pleaded guilty on federal tax evasion charges.
The pardon is expected to cover both the gun conviction and the guilty plea.
In a statement, Biden said Hunter was “treated differently” by his own Justice Department, adding that the charges only came about “after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election.”
“In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me,” Biden continued, adding “Enough is enough.“
In recent months Biden has said he wouldn’t pardon Hunter…
“I will not pardon him,” Biden said in June. However, according to NBC News, Biden has been discussing a pardon with his closest aides since Hunter’s June conviction, adding that the decision was made at the time for the president to lie and say he wouldn’t pardon him.
In November, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that Joe’s position hadn’t changed.
“We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands which is ‘no,’” she said.
And when asked on Monday if Biden is still committed to not pardoning Hunter, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said “The president has spoken to this.”
Jill Biden also said Hunter wouldn’t receive a pardon.
“Joe and I both respect the judicial system, and that’s the bottom line,” she told NBC News in June.
In October, I asked Trump if he would consider pardoning Hunter Biden?
“This Is Nuts”: NYC Pays Pakistani-Owned Roosevelt Hotel $220 Million To House Illegal Aliens
Americans should be outraged by New York City’s $220 million sweetheart deal with Pakistan to lease the prestigious Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan as a luxury shelter for illegal aliens. The most alarming issue is that NYC paid a foreign government to help house the migrants.
X user John LeFevre resurfaced a 2023 news story, first published by The Economic Times, regarding Pakistan’s decision to lease the iconic Roosevelt Hotel to the local government, sympathetic to globalist policies, such as open borders.
The Roosevelt Hotel NYC.
City officials are reporting that over 700 migrants are still arriving in NYC per week .
Over 300k migrants have been through NYC funded shelters and hotels .
The cost of the migrant crisis is over 5.6 billion dollars per year .
For some context, Pakistan has owned the Roosevelt Hotel since 1979. State-owned Pakistan International Airlines acquired the trophy property through its investment arm, PIA Investments Limited.
According to the 2023 report, the lease agreement spans three years, during which NYC stuffed thousands of illegal aliens into the 1,250-room hotel like cattle—funded entirely by taxpayers. This arrangement has sparked outrage about how NYC paid a foreign gov’t to help support the invasion of the third world into a first-world city.
The Roosevelt Hotel in NYC is a breeding ground for migrant gangs like Tren de Aragua to recruit new young members. pic.twitter.com/VITs4SWNu7
“The hotel is owned by the government of Pakistan, and the deal was part of a $1.1 billion IMF bailout package to help Pakistan avoid defaulting on their international debt,” LeFevre wrote on X.
According to the public records website The Org, Najeeb Samie is a director at Roosevelt Hotel Corporation, as well as a director at Habib Bank and board member and managing director at PIA Investments.
Samie’s connection with Habib Bank is alarming, given that in 2017, the New York State Department of Financial Services fined the Pakistani bank $225 million and surrendered its license to operate in the US over compliance failures in its New York branch, such as weaknesses in monitoring transactions for potential links to terrorism financing and sanctions evasion.
Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE’s Vivek Ramaswamy (also led by Elon Musk), is livid over NYC funding a foreign gov’t entity with taxpayer dollars in supporting the migrant invasion. He called the migrant housing scheme totally “nuts”:
“A taxpayer-funded hotel for illegal migrants is owned by the Pakistani government which means NYC taxpayers are effectively paying a foreign government to house illegals in our own country. This is nuts.
A taxpayer-funded hotel for illegal migrants is owned by the Pakistani government which means NYC taxpayers are effectively paying a foreign government to house illegals in our own country. This is nuts. https://t.co/Oy4Z9qoX45
And Hurricane Helene victims are without homes, heat, clothing, … what an absolute disgrace. So much done behind closed doors. Money laundering and payoffs. What do Americans get in all of this wheelin’ and dealin’?
Ocasio-Cortez’s name “always bubbles to the top” when Democrats discuss the party’s future, The Hillnoted Friday in a compilation list of potential presidential contenders.
One leftist strategist claimed the congresswoman has impressed Democrats by cutting “through the BS and telling it like it is.” This positive characterization sharply contrasted with online comments from users on X.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz reacted to the news by jesting, “Alex has told people she’s running in 2028 since 2019.”
— Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (@FmrRepMattGaetz) November 29, 2024
This comment appears to reference the suggestion made by some Democrats in 2020 that Ocasio-Cortez would have been a presidential “front-runner” had she not been so young.
One user shared Ocasio-Cortez’s infamous crying photo at the southern border, with a Trump-Vance sign photoshopped into the image.
Another user shared an AI-generated image of Ocasio-Cortez as a swamp-like comic villain, with incoming Vice President JD Vance’s face photoshopped onto a Captain America costume in the image.
“Think of the memes!” the second user said, predicting that an Ocasio-Cortez candidacy would invite mockery.
Podcast host and author Alec Lace mocked Ocasio-Cortez by recalling how her endorsement of outgoing Rep. Jamaal Bowman failed to save him from losing his Democratic primary.
A second Democratic strategist told The Hill that Ocasio-Cortez and her leftist “Squad” are deemed too controversial.
“She and the ‘squad’ started pushing too hard, too fast,” the Democrat said. “D.C. doesn’t work that way. And our party doesn’t work that way. We need to get back to the basics.”
A potential Ocasio-Cortez candidacy could mirror outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris’s first presidential bid in 2020.
Harris launched her campaign as a progressive leader but ultimately failed to make it to the primaries.
Her campaign was plagued by controversy, wasteful spending and ineffective staff. Four years later, Harris would renounce most of her leftist policies in a failed bid to appear moderate.
Thanksgiving 5-Day US Box Office Sets Record At $420M; AMC CEO Calls Moviegoer Surge A “National Phenomenon”
Paul Dergarabedian, a media analyst for Comscore, revealed on X on Sunday afternoon that US domestic box offices set a record, raking in $420 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period. According to Deadline, Disney’s Moana sequel was the most popular movie, attracting 17.4 million admissions, Universal’s Wicked with 8.7 million viewers, and Paramount’s Gladiator II drew 3.3 million from Wednesday through Sunday.
Dergarabedian said Comscore reports “a monumental Thanksgiving weekend (and week) for movie theatres!”
He noted that “this weekend’s overall total estimated 3-day Domestic box office is around $272M (5-day at an estimated $420M) & YTD 2024 (now at $7.781B through Sunday) is down now just 6.4% vs. 2023, Note: a week ago Sunday the YTD deficit was at 10.6%!”
.@Comscore@csMoviesUS@CSGlobalMovies reports a monumental #Thanksgiving weekend (and week) for movie theatres! Please note this weekend’s overall total estimated 3-day Domestic box office is around $272M (5-day at an estimated $420M) & YTD 2024 (now at $7.781B through Sunday)… pic.twitter.com/KwJHCJrhxy
X user Tony Denaro posted that the top ten grossing flicks for the five-day period hit new records.
“Press reporting that Americans are pouring into movie theatres this holiday weekend for Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator II,” AMC Entertainment Holdings CEO Adam Aron wrote on X.
He noted, “So many appealing movies in theatres. Smaller titles too like Red One, Conclave and Juror #2. Be part of a national phenomenon.”
Press reporting that Americans are pouring into movie theatres this holiday weekend for Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator II. So many appealing movies in theatres. Smaller titles too like Red One, Conclave and Juror #2. Be part of a national phenomenon. Catch a flick at AMC! pic.twitter.com/yAYnCgov8d
Any AMC rally on this news should be approached with caution, as the company is burdened by $4 billion in long-term debt and hefty interest payments. This may only suggest that CEO Aron might hit equity markets on any significant pop.
Death Toll From Islamist Assault On Aleppo Nears 500 As Iran Says ‘Firmly Supports’ Assad
President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly sent large reinforcements to the southern Aleppo area after Al-Qaeda linked insurgents’ shock offensive which captured the city. Assad said he will defend Syria’s stability and territorial integrity.
The London-based political opposition group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday that the total death toll from the fighting is over 400 people on both sides. The tally includes the deaths of 214 members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions which launched the assault.
And at least 137 pro-government forces and 61 civilians have been killed. The AFP has described that the military campaign launched out of Idlib is being coordinated from an operations room in Turkey.
AFP wrote on Friday that “Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey had given a green light to the offensive.” AFPs correspondent in HTS/AQ-held Idlib additionally reported that “The jihadists and their Turkey-backed allies took orders from a joint operations command.”
A fresh report in Israeli media has acknowledged that this is all about weakening the ‘Iran axis’:
But the primary reason for the success of the rebel offensive and the collapse of the regime forces is the effectiveness of Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah and Iran since October 8, 2023.
HTS had been building up its military capabilities for years in preparation for such an offensive.
“The group operates a professionally staffed military academy run by defectors from the Syrian military, and it has restructured its armed wing into a conventional armed force structure,” wrote Charles Lister, Syria expert at the Middle East Institute. “In recent years, it has also developed ‘special forces’ units dedicated to covert operations, lightning raids behind enemy lines, and nighttime operations.”
In prior years, any time an air and artillery campaign against Al-Qaeda held Idlib would ramp up, there would be an outcry from the West, and more condemnation of Damascus and Moscow, urging their militaries to halt efforts to take back Idlib.
According to more on the Israeli and Sunni Islamists’ efforts to roll back the pro-Tehran axis:
“The timing is not coincidental,” Carmit Valensi, head of the Northern Arena Program at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, told The Times of Israel.
“They identify well the critical, even historical, weakness that the ‘Resistance Axis,’ primarily Hezbollah and Iran, find themselves in,” she continued.
As for Iran, it says that it firmly supports Assad in a new statement. Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said Sunday he will soon arrive in Damascus to deliver a strong message of support for Syria’s government and military, Iranian state media has said.
“I am going to Damascus to convey the message of the Islamic Republic to the Syrian government,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. He pledged that Iran will “firmly support the Syrian government and army,” IRNA news agency said.
Iran is pointing the finger at Washington and Tel Aviv for this new jihadist offensive:
Araghchi again called the surprise rebel offensive a plot by the United States and Israel.
“The Syrian army will once again beat these terrorist groups as in the past,” the foreign minister added.
In the past couple days of Aleppo fighting, not only has the Islamic Republic’s consulate in the major northern city come under attack, but there have been reports that an Iranian general may have been killed.
The HTS-led coalition is attacking Kurdish groups in the environs of northern Aleppo as well. Currently there are reports the militants are reinforcing their positions near Hama, possibly poised to attack the central city next.
After years and years of crippling sanctions, the Syrian Army remains in a precarious position in terms of resources and logistics. “Outside the city of Hama, Syrian government military vehicles could be seen all over the roads, apparently abandoned by fleeing government troops after they ran out of fuel,” The New York Times writes Sunday.
* * *
As a reminder, amid this renewed conflict the United States still occupied large portions of Syria, and curiously the HTS/AQ militant groups are not attacking these US-occupied areas…
Why does the Western mainstream media never mention the American-occupied territories in Syria? pic.twitter.com/4o6EZLiu55
