Syria

 Operation Barbarossa 2 – As the U.S. makes preparations to face a Russian threat in eastern Europe and Syria, Russia feels that the past is about to repeat itself and sees an invasion plan in place that looks very much like Nazi Germany’s build up of forces prior to Operation Barbarossa. Except this time, Russia is different from the former Soviet Union and the Nazis and their allies are the Americans and their friends in Ukraine and the Islamic State.

Last Monday, Washington and Moscow hailed an agreement that would see a temporary cessation of hostilities in Syria.

The “ceasefire” went into effect on Saturday and so far, so good. “Clashes and airstrikes across western Syria largely abated Saturday morning, as an internationally backed truce took hold in parts of the country where rebels have been fighting the regime,” WSJ reported this morning. Although the SAA apparently hit a few rebel positions east of Damascus, overall, “it was a calm morning.”

Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters in Syria fighting the civil war alongside government troops have improved their fighting capabilities and learnt modern military tactics from their Russian allies. Hezbollah has suffered 1,300 casualties in Syria , with thousands more of its fighters injured and had to resort to recruiting teenagers recently. But the tide of war has turned since the involvement of the Russians and the organisations increased strength now has significant political and security implications for the Middle-East.

Submitted by StraightLineLogic.com's Robert Gore via The Burning Platform blog,

Once upon a time, roughly two year ago, the US would vehemently deny that any of its weapons made their way to ISIS, Al Nusra, and the various other jihadist groups operating in the middle east and which the US is, supposedly, targeting for eradication as part of the Syria proxy war. Then, little by little it was revealed that not only is the US not targeting said groups, which led to the Russian bombing campaign unleashed in September, but that it was actively arming them.