@Ellen North

and the thread seems to be remarkably dead considering the implications here... but I don't know what to do either, than to point to information of the sort likely to be censored away from our reach shortly.

Leaving off following the rest of the links on the original page; searching for something on the missile attack:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnbYafeNHR0

Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on Syrian airbase – Russian MoD
RT

Published on 9 Apr 2018

Two Israeli F-15 fighters targeted Syria’s T-4 airbase in Homs province, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. The jets fired eight guided missiles, but five of them were shot down before they hit the airfield.

READ MORE: https://on.rt.com/92t5

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Because Hillary wasn't perhaps the only one swearing to billionaire donors to sacrifice America's interests to serve the Israel Likud goals? And because America and other corporate/military/fascist-infiltrated governments will eagerly move to nukes if anyone strikes back at their missile-firing warplanes or military installations while portraying this response as 'unprovoked' and aimed at their 'betters'?

Can't have Syria, Russia, Iran and others fighting the terrorists likely employed in the *Gladios terrorist-inventing programs of the War On The World begun by Hitler-supporting US industrialists who failed the first time and refuse to accept their failure now to take over and entirely micro-manage the world they're so evidently willing to destroy in this attempt.

Above links to:

https://www.rt.com/news/423545-israel-planes-syria-strike/

2 Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on Syrian airbase – Russian MoD
Published time: 9 Apr, 2018 07:08
Edited time: 9 Apr, 2018 13:56

Two Israeli F-15 fighters targeted Syria’s T-4 airbase in Homs province, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. The jets fired eight guided missiles, but five of them were shot down before they hit the airfield.

In a statement on Monday, the Russian military said: “Two Israeli Air Force F-15 jets fired eight guided missiles at the T-4 airfield.” The Israeli aircraft did not enter Syrian airspace and launched the strikes while flying over Lebanon.

“Syrian air defense units have shot down five guided missiles,” the military said, but confirmed that three of the missiles “reached the western part of the airfield.”

Lebanese Armed Forces have also confirmed that Israeli fighter jets and a reconnaissance plane violated the country’s borders and remained in Lebanon’s airspace for about ten minutes. Israel’s aircraft were flying over Lebanon’s northern areas as well as over the sea, it said.

As a result of the strike, there were several “martyrs [killed] and wounded” among Syrian soldiers, SANA news agency reported, without specifying the number of casualties.

Three Iranian troops were killed in the Israeli airstrike on Sunday night, state news agency FARS reported later on Monday. The “Zionist attack in Homs” took the lives of Seyyed Ammar Moussavi, Mehdi Lotfi Niasar and Akbar Zavar Jannati, it said, publishing photographs of the soldiers.

The Israeli embassy in Moscow refused to comment on the Russian Defense Ministry’s report, Alex Gandler, the diplomatic mission’s press attache, told Sputnik. Asked about the Russian military’s statement, an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said he had no immediate comment, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Citing its own correspondent, Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen channel said earlier on Monday that an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft was airborne during the attack on the Syrian base. The missiles crossed Lebanese airspace over Keserwan and Bekaa, heading towards Syria, according to the broadcaster.

The missile attack took place on Sunday night in Syria’s Homs governorate. State news agency SANA reported there were several “martyrs and wounded,” but did not disclose the exact number of casualties. The report also said that the US was “probably” behind the attack, although Washington denied any complicity in the strike.

READ MORE: Red Crescent found no trace of previous 'Ghouta chem attack' used by US to blame Damascus & Moscow

“At this time, the Department of Defense is not conducting airstrikes in Syria,” the Pentagon told Reuters in a statement. “However, we continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable.”

France, which was also suspected of being involved in the attack, denied any responsibility for the military strike, AFP reported on Monday.

The strike on the T-4 base came shortly after Western powers accused the Syrian government of orchestrating an alleged a chlorine attack in the militant-held town of Douma. The chemical incident was reported by the White Helmets, a controversial group repeatedly accused of having ties to terrorists.

Commenting on the unconfirmed gas attack, US President Donald Trump denounced the “mindless” atrocity, which he described as a “humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever.” He also accused Russia and Iran of bearing responsibility for the incident, due to their support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Washington and Paris have already held telephone talks, during which Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron decided to oppose Russia at the upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting, which is being convened to discuss the Douma incident. President Macron previously signaled that Paris might consider unilateral actions, including a military strike, if chemical weapons were ever used in Syria again.

The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced allegations regarding the chemical attack, calling them a “continuous series of fake news” and “baseless speculation.” It noted that Moscow had already warned about a false-flag chemical attack being prepared in recent months. Damascus also rejected the accusations, with the Syrian Foreign Ministry pointing out that similar allegations emerge every time the Syrian Army makes advances in its fight against terrorists.

Page links to:

https://www.rt.com/news/423539-red-crescent-ghouta-no-chemical/

Red Crescent says it found no trace of ‘Ghouta chem attack’ used by US to blame Damascus & Moscow
Published time: 9 Apr, 2018 01:26
Edited time: 9 Apr, 2018 15:37

A former US secretary of state said Moscow was “ultimately responsible” for all chemical incidents in Syria, after reports of a chlorine attack in Ghouta in January. Now, the Syrian Red Crescent says there was no such attack.

The medical specialists, who have worked in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta for years, told journalists they did not see any evidence of any chemical incident taking place in the area in January. They also did not confirm reports about an alleged chlorine gas attack that, supposedly, affected more than 20 civilians on January 22.

"At some point, our [hospital] received six people, who were allegedly suffering from respiratory problems. Following a medical examination, we did not find any problems at all, any traces of chemical agents," Seif Aldin Hobia, a member of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, who worked for the last seven years at the central hospital of Douma in Eastern Ghouta, said. Recalling the events that took place in January, he added: "we had no evidence of chemical agents being used [in the area]."

His words were echoed by another medical specialist from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Muhammad Adnan Tabazhu, who claimed that the medics obtained no evidence of chemical weapons being used in Eastern Ghouta between 2012 and 2018, when he was working in the area.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) is a local humanitarian NGO that says it “enjoys financial and administrative independence.” The organization was established in 1942 and recognized by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva (ICRC) in 1946. It has a headquarters in Damascus. The ICRC says it actively cooperates with the SARC in its humanitarian operations across Syria.

Back in January, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson famously claimed that "more than 20 civilians, mostly children, were victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack," adding that the incident raised "serious concerns that [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad may be continuing to use chemical weapons against his own people."

‘Syria gases own people just as Trump mulls withdrawal?’ Journalists question Douma ‘chem attack’

He then immediately said that "whoever conducted the attacks, Russia ultimately bears responsibility for the victims in Eastern Ghouta and countless other Syrians targeted with chemical weapons since Russia became involved in Syria."

The timing of the incident conspicuously coincided with a 29-nation conference in Paris, organized to create the 'International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons.' The reports about the ‘attack’ came just a day ahead of the meeting. The claims were produced by controversial sources, namely the White Helmets and the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Moscow at the time slammed the US accusations as a "massive propaganda attack conducted with the purpose of slandering Russia on the world stage and undermining efforts for a peaceful settlement in Syria." Back then, Russia also called an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

In early February, Pentagon chief James Mattis admitted that the US had no evidence of such chemical agents as sarin ever being used by the Syrian government at all. He also openly said that the only information the US had been able to obtain, so far, had come from "other groups on the ground, NGOs, fighters on the ground" and just "people who claim it's been used."

Mattis, however, claimed that it was "clear" that Damascus had used chlorine gas in the Syrian conflict but, as before, failed to provide any evidence to substantiate his claims. Reports of chemical attacks, blamed on Damascus, had repeatedly surfaced earlier, with Western media and officials immediately jumping at the opportunity to put all the blame for such incidents on the Syrian government and Moscow, often only to admit later that they actually had no verifiable evidence that the attacks in question had even taken place.

The latest revelations come amid another wave of hysteria that followed yet another claim made by the same controversial pro-militant sources that, once again, have accused Damascus of carrying out a chemical attack in the town of Douma on Saturday. Syria and Russia dismissed all the accusations and called the reports fake news and propaganda, which were aimed at helping the extremists and justifying potential strikes against Syrian forces.

EDITORIAL NOTE: This story has been amended to better reflect the fact that it represents the statements of the Syrian Red Crescent NGO. The text lacked attribution when describing the alleged chemical attack in Syria’s Ghouta in January as something that never happened.

And one more thing - are the Skripals alive or (as with their murdered pets) is a maximally limited pretense being made to keep their deaths quiet by claiming that they want no outside contact, so that there is no hazard of family demanding and getting an independent autopsy, or are they being held incognito until they agree to corroboratory whatever the official story is by then, or until an official story is settled on, or until it's too late for any story to matter, or what???!!!

https://www.rt.com/uk/423430-yulia-skripal-cousin-visa/

Skripal relative denied visa to visit UK and return poisoned relatives to Russia
Published time: 6 Apr, 2018 16:43
Edited time: 7 Apr, 2018 10:50

Sergei Skripal’s niece has been denied a visa to enter the UK after claiming she would come and take her relatives back to Russia.

Viktoria Skripal had planned to travel to Britain after her uncle Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to a chemical agent in Salisbury on March 4.

The UK Home Office said on Friday that Viktoria is not being granted a visa to come to the UK. “We have refused a visitor visa application from Viktoria Skripal on the grounds that her application did not comply with the Immigration Rules,” a Home Office spokesman said.

Viktoria was behind the first public statements from either of the Skripals and the world’s media this week when she released a recording of a phone call with her cousin Yulia.

In the clip, the two discussed Viktoria getting a visa. Yulia flatly told her she would not be granted one.

“Vika, nobody will give you a visa,” Yulia said.

She said she and her father were fine and there were no life changing injuries. She gave little detail other than to say they would address one issue at a time.

Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakavenko said the embassy is currently getting its information from the mainstream media, after being locked out of Britain’s investigation. He says requests for access to the Skripals have been repeatedly denied.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, has demanded that London officially explain the grounds on which the visa was denied to Viktoria Skripal. "This is a complete and utter disgrace when a country, which is vocal about every aspect of Russian domestic politics, [and] our lives, [the UK] for some reason refuses to comment on the British visa issue in such extraordinary circumstances," Zakharova told Rossiya 24 channel.

The spokeswoman also rejected speculation in the media that the cousin was somehow influenced by the Russian authorities. "This is complete absurdity, but we've already heard hundreds of such absurd statements coming from Britain," she said.

https://www.rt.com/news/423404-skripal-uk-russia-johnson/

'Skripal case plays amazingly into Britain’s campaign to isolate Russia'
Published time: 6 Apr, 2018

Britain has been trying to wage a campaign of isolation against Russia for years, and 28 countries expelling Russian diplomats played amazingly into these efforts, says independent political analyst Dan Glazebrook.

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday, Russia said that Britain was playing with fire by accusing Moscow of poisoning of former double agent Sergey Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. The UK reiterated its allegation that it was “highly likely” that Russia was responsible.

RT spoke to political analyst Dan Glazebrook, who believes that the UK's evidence is crumbling.

RT: The Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia described the UK allegations as a "theater of the absurd." Is that an accurate description?
Read more
© Li Muzi 'Theater of absurd': Russian envoy shows UK version of Skripal case 'falls apart' (VIDEO)

Dan Glazebrook: Absolutely. There have been three pillars of the UK case and they are crumbling away one by one. The basic three pillars are: first, this pseudo-scientific argument that this is Novichok, this chemical that no one ever heard of until three weeks ago, this nerve agent, and it is only Russia that is capable of producing it and using it. And the second [has] to do with this idea that Russia has form and the motive. But the first case is really crumbling away now that the head of Porton Down has come out and admitted, “We can’t verify that this is Russian-manufactured.” Two very important facts are totally obscured and neglected in the mainstream media. One is that in September 2017, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) actually verified the destruction of Russia’s entire chemical weapons program. The US and the UK have never put forward any reasons as to why they doubt the OPCW’s verification here or any evidence that Russia still is producing Novichok. But that is a very important piece of information that is never picked up on. And secondly, the Russian chemist who revealed the existence of Novichok published a book with his formula in 2008, saying that it could actually be made with fairly simple bits and pieces you get in pesticides and fertilizers. Far from the idea that Russia is the only power capable of producing this stuff, it turns out that actually anyone with access to a decent lab and Amazon.com could produce this stuff. So, that holds that pseudo-scientific argument that it could be only Russia completely crumbled away.

First of all, we have to start with the premise that in recent months, Russia has been blamed for everything from the kneeling scandal in the NFL to the Charlottesville protests. Russia seems to be the first country that is blamed for anything. That makes me very skeptical when people rush to judgment against Russia, especially the US, which Russia seems to be the punching bag for… right now, but frankly, for many decades. There is no evidence Russia was behind this and frankly, the motive doesn’t appear to be there. Why would Russia wait for 8 years to go after this spy and his daughter? […] This smells like a set-up of Russia, and people have to be skeptical of what is happening. – Dan Kovalik, human and labor rights lawyer, author of The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Putin

RT: Vasily Nebenzia also said on a practical level it would make no sense to carry out such an attack before the Russian election and the World Cup. Is it fair to say the UK has failed to come up with a convincing motive?
Read more
Police guard the cordoned-off area around the home of former double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, April 3, 2018 © Hannah McKay Sergei Skripal’s pets die after investigators sealed off home despite vet warning

DG: Exactly. With the crumbling away of this pseudo-scientific part of the argument, Boris Johnson [and others] are left really revealed that actually they don’t have evidence as such but Russia has the form and has the motive. This is now basically the case that the UK is making. If we look at form, Boris Johnson really needs to learn a bit of his own history before he starts accusing Russia of form in this regard. Not only has Britain invaded 90 percent of the world’s countries, not only has Britain committed active genocide on most of the world’s continents, but actually we know from a report by the Independent newspaper two years ago the extent of the British state’s testing of chemical and biological warfare on its own population is much bigger than anyone ever realized. Over 750 experiments carried out on unsuspecting, non-volunteers, members of the population in coastal towns in Britain, on the Tube, or London Underground, having chemical or biological agents released on them during the Cold War from the ‘40s to the ‘50s. And including testing sarin nerve gas on British soldiers right up until the 1980s. So, if we are going to talk about form, Mr. Johnson, Britain has form on using nerve agents against British citizens on British soil. So, then it is reduced down to ‘motive’… I get the idea that you want to send a message to the so-called traitors, that Putin wants a spat with the West in advance of the election. I understand that. But what about what Britain has gained of all of this? Britain has got 28 countries to expel Russian diplomats. Hasn’t Britain been trying to wage this campaign of isolation against Russia for years now? Hasn’t this amazingly played into this campaign? If we are going to reduce everything to “which country’s got the form and the motive,” then Britain is on a very shaky grounds accusing Russia. And that is why it is so important to have evidence rather than just talking about motives.

And regarding the murder of the victim's pets by these 'deeply protective' psychopaths, there have been reports both that they were all callously and deliberately starved to death, that the cat (apparently deeply beloved and worth $2,500 (presumably Euro?) was taken to Porton Down for 'testing' - and kittie's remains cremated - at Porton Down while the pet guinea pigs were left to starve, and that all pets were taken to Porton Down for tests and cremated.

Now, if Skirpal's alive without damage and they do anything like that to any helpless animal, never mind his beloved (and very expensive) pets, while keeping him and his also alive and undamaged daughter incognito, what does that say about the people behind this and their concern for his well-being? Was he told that they were doing this to his pets because he failed to go along with the story and is still in isolation because of perhaps still refusing to help initiate WW3 on a lie?

Or did they know that he was dead and that revealing his death and refusing to release his body to family to prevent an uncontrolled autopsy to reveal some truth exploding their claims and implicating them was not an option and decide to simply delay until they'd created an excuse to trigger WW3?

As with this thwarted planned chemical attack by pet terrorists to be blamed on Syria, Russia (and apparently Iran by some eager to maximize excuses for attacks against more of the targeted countries - like Trump**) which was anyway claimed to have gone forward, with any appropriate response to Israels attack likely to be an excuse to move to nukes, trying for a 'limited nuclear war' which they apparently believe they'll survive in luxury bunkers and eventually some imagined to remain/recover as more inhabitable areas of the planet, but in actuality forcing an inevitable MAD ultimately leaving no life on the planet anyway?

* https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Operation_Gladio

... Official narrative

What has come to be called Operation Gladio was never intended to be publicly acknowledged. It was a multi-national military plan to arm and train clandestine groups in many (perhaps all) of its member countries and elsewhere in Europe. The official narrative on these networks is confused, contradictory and definitely incomplete, with many basic questions unanswered. The stated reasons for establishing undercover armed groups has tended to focus on use of the secret armies as a fifth column to provide armed resistance in the case of a Soviet invasion.
Problems

The power hierarchy of Gladio remains unclear to this day, and is unknown to elected national leaders. When the European Union learned of the existence of Gladio, it passed a resolution mandating national investigations to reveal what was going on, but as of 2016, only 5 countries have done so (including Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland). A large question mark therefore remains over the role that Operation Gladio has played, and continues to play in influencing events. It seems very likely that the deep state controls these forces whether through the national intelligence services or in more informal fashion. The connection, in particular, with false flag terrorist attacks is particularly concerning.
Operation Gladio B

Full article: Rated 5/5 Operation Gladio B

Sibel Edmonds has exposed an international development of the original Gladio program referred to as "Operation Gladio B", which can be understood as a response in the min 1990s to the subsidence of the Soviet threat after the end of the cold war. As a way of kickstarting the "war on terror", instead of nationalist extremists in European countries, radical Muslims are armed, trained and assisted to carry out terrorist attacks while law enforcement is prevented from intervening.
Introduction
Dr. Daniele Ganser Interview: Nato's Secret Armies - Operation Gladio

Operation Gladio first came to light in Italy in 1990, after over 40 years of clandestine operations. Members of the project revealed that similar projects existed in most if not all countries of Western Europe.[2] These stay-behind networks were, in essence, super secret armies in at least 14 European countries, which were kept secret from the official governmental structures of the host countries – being controlled by other forces such as the CIA and MI6. They remained mostly dormant but were also involved in anti-communist activities including anti-democratic agitation and false flag "terrorism".

The name Gladio, (or ‘Sword’ in Italian) was technically the name given to their operations in Italy, but has since come by extension to stand for the phenomenon as a whole. Evidence of such arrangements, which had been kept secret from both public and politicians democratically elected governments in the host countries for a quarter of a century was revealed through a series of scandalous revelations in Italy and other NATO countries during the 90s, and meticulously documented by Swiss historian Daniele Ganser in his 2004 book NATO’s Secret Armies,[3] arguably the most shocking book ever to be ignored by the corporate media. The evidence contained in Ganser’s book, of terrorism directed against the people by secret armies funded and organised by NATO and answerable to deep state elements within NATO, MI6 and the CIA rather than the respective governments is so shocking that the initial reaction of most people would be to reject it. And yet the claims have been substantiated by juridical inquiries in Italy, Switzerland and Belgium and have been debated (and condemned) in the European Parliament. ...

... The Scandal Spreads

Fortuitously for the powers-that-be Andreotti’s revelations coincided with Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait and as a result did not garner the publicity they almost certainly otherwise would have. Even so, the scandal began to spread. In October Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou confirmed there had been a Gladio network in Greece. In Germany a TV programme shocked the nation by revealing how former members of Hitler’s Special Forces SS had been part of a German stay-behind network. The Belgian Parliament appointed a special committee to investigate the existence – confirmed by the defence minister – of a Belgian Gladio network.

Most sensitively the Belgian parliamentarians discovered that the secret NATO army was still active. They found that a secret meeting of Generals directing the secret stay-behind armies in the numerous countries in Western Europe had been held in the secret NATO-linked Gladio headquarters ACC as recently as October 23 and 24, 1990. The meeting of the ACC had taken place in Brussels under the chairmanship of General Raymond Van Calster, chief of the Belgian military secret service SGR (Service General de Renseignement).[5]

In France President Mitterand claimed that the French Gladio network had been dissolved long ago but to his enormous embarrassment Andreotti then claimed the French had taken part in the recent meeting in Brussels. And so it went on. British defence officials refused to comment. In Portugal, contrary to official denials, a retired general confirmed there had been such a network in Portugal, while in Spain former defence minister Alberto Oliart claimed it was childish to "ask whether also under dictator Franco a secret right-wing army had existed in the country because 'here Gladio was the government'."[6]

In Turkey former prime minister Bulent Ecevit went even further and admitted that a secret army had been involved in torture, massacres, assassinations and coups d'etat, prompting the serving defence minister Giray to retort "Ecevit had better keep his fucking mouth shut!"[7]
The EU Debate

In all, 12 EU countries were affected and on November 22 1990 the European Parliament debated the issue.

The tone was set by Greek parliamentarian Ephremidis:

'Mr. President, the Gladio system has operated for four decades under various names. It has operated clandestinely, and we are entitled to attribute to it all the destabilization, all the provocation and all the terrorism that have occurred in our countries over these four decades, and to say that, actively or passively, it must have had an involvement.' Ephremidis sharply criticised the entire stay-behind network: 'The fact that it was set up by the CIA and NATO which, while purporting to defend democracy were actually undermining it and using it for their own nefarious purposes.'

(DG p.21) ...

...Silence from NATO, CIA & MI6

NATO reacted to these revelations in November 1990 with confusion. Against a background of newspaper headlines typified by the Guardian’s ‘Bombs Used at Bologna came from NATO unit’, spokesmen first denied the stories and then denied the denials by saying it was a subject which couldn’t be discussed on grounds of military secrecy.

The Portuguese press reported on November 7 a confirmation, NATO secretary General Manfred Woerner was quoted as telling in secret 16 ambassadors of NATO countries, Worner confirmed that the military command of the allied forces - Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) - coordinated the activities of the

"Gladio Network", which had been erected by the secret services in various countries of NATO, through a committee created in 1952.
(DG p.27)

German press confirmed that the so-called Secret Armies were co-ordinated in a special secure wing of NATO HQ in Casteau. Access was via a bank vault type door and papers were circulated with the stamp ‘American Eyes Only.’

The revelations began to mount and a picture emerged of a NATO Clandestine Planning Committee, responsible for the Gladio armies; of protocols which actively protected right-wing extremists from pursuit since they would be useful in anti-Communist activities. The CPC was run by the US with the UK and France as junior partners, with CIA members present at their meetings. Despite numerous revelations from those who took part, the official NATO position was (and is) one of denial. Official CIA response to information requests has been to neither confirm nor deny. In the UK, MI6 was even more cagey, prompting John Simpson on BBC 2’s Newsnight programme in April 1991 to say

'Britain's role in setting up stay-behinds throughout Europe was absolutely fundamental... it has emerged that other European countries had their own stay-behind armies - Belgium, France, Holland, Spain, Greece, Turkey. Even in neutral Sweden and Switzerland there has been public debate. And in some cases enquiries have been set up. Yet in Britain, there is nothing. Save the customary comment of the ministry of defence that they don't discuss matters of national security.'

(DG p.36)

Paradoxically, despite the secrecy, an exhibition at the Imperial War Museum tacitly admitted the existence of the stay behind networks, and subsequent to this, two former Royal Marine officers admitted to having spent time at Fort Monckton near Portsmouth where MI6 and members of the SAS trained foreign gladiators.
Precursors

The original models for the secret armies had been set up in the UK during WW2 by Section D of MI6. Arms caches were buried in anticipation of a German invasion. Initially, this was a purely domestic affair, but in 1940 with the inception of Special Operations Executive (SOE) the same tactics were taken behind enemy lines throughout occupied Europe. Officially SOE was closed down in 1946 and gave way to a successor - Special Operation (SO) - created under the auspices of MI6 to translate the same networks into resistance in countries overrun by the Soviets. Surviving secret units of the Axis powers were targeted and members of the defeated were sometimes recruited for the new anti-Soviet stay-behind networks. ...

Emphasis mine)
** https://www.rt.com/news/423524-douma-chemical-attack-fake-moscow/

Reports of an alleged gas attack in the Syrian town of Douma are ‘fake news’ aimed at justifying potential strikes against Syria, Moscow said. It warned of “dire consequences” in the event of any military interference.

The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced the latest reports about a chemical attack that allegedly affected dozens of civilians in the militant-controlled town of Douma. It said the reports were another example of a “continuous series of fake news about the use of chlorine and other chemical agents by the government forces.”
Read more
FILE PHOTO: A man walks on rubble of damaged buildings in the town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta © Bassam Khabieh US holds Russia ‘ultimately responsible’ amid reports of dozens gassed in Syria’s Douma

The ministry pointed out that the source of the reports was the notorious “civil defense” group, the White Helmets, which has been repeatedly accused of having ties to terrorists, as well as other groups based in the US and UK.

Russia has warned about a false-flag chemical attack being prepared in the recent months, the ministry said. Those who are not interested in a genuine political settlement of the Syrian crisis are seeking to complicate the situation on the ground, it added.

“The goal of this… baseless speculation is to shield the terrorists and… the radical opposition that refuse to engage in a political settlement [process], as well as to justify potential military strikes from the outside,” the statement said. It then warned that any military interference in Syria conducted under “far-fetched or fabricated pretexts” would be “absolutely unacceptable” and could lead to “dire consequences.”

Meanwhile, the reports by various rebel-linked activists about the alleged chemical incident in Douma seem to have provoked yet another wave of hysteria in the West. US President Donald Trump rushed to denounce the unconfirmed attack as a “mindless” atrocity and a “humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever.” He also warned that those behind the alleged attack ‘will pay a big price.’

(Trump tweets)

Accusations against the Syrian government and Russia soon followed. In his Twitter posts, Trump declared “President [Vladimir] Putin, Russia and Iran… responsible” for the attack because of their backing for Syrian President Bashar Assad. Earlier, the US State Department also said that “Russia ultimately bears responsibility for the brutal targeting of countless Syrians with chemical weapons.”
Read more
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami in Moscow on April 4, 2018.© Alexander Nemenov US tried to play 'controlled chaos' among Muslim nations and lost – Iran

However, US officials admitted that they were unable to independently verify any information about the alleged incident and had to rely solely on “reports” made by rebel-linked sources.

The EU claimed on Sunday that there is “evidence” pointing to “another chemical attack” conducted by Damascus. It provided no specific details to substantiate the claim. Instead, the bloc called for an immediate “international response” and urged Russia and Iran to use their influence to prevent any similar incidents in future.

Damascus rejected the accusations, calling them “boring and inconclusive propaganda.” Only countries that “speculate on the blood of civilians and support terrorism in Syria” could be convinced by such reports, a Syrian Foreign Ministry official told SANA news agency. They pointed out that similar allegations emerge every time the Syrian Army makes advances in its fight against terrorists. The official added that Damascus had warned about a pre-planned false-flag attack.

Tehran has denounced statements made by US officials, describing them as “baseless accusations” that could be used as a pretext for military actions against the Syrian Army.

Meanwhile, the US administration appears to be already considering a potential response to the alleged chemical incident. “We'll be reviewing the situation later today,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CBS, commenting on a possible response. He refused to outline any particular options that are being considered, but said that Donald Trump and his national security team will be reviewing “all different alternatives.” Asked about the possibility of another US strike, the president’s Homeland Security Advisor Thomas Bossert said: “I wouldn’t take anything off the table.”
Read more
Rebel fighters pray before they are evacuated outside Harasta in eastern Ghouta, March 23, 2018 / Omar Sanadiki 143k civilians & rebels left E. Ghouta amid humanitarian ceasefire – Russian MoD

This is not the first time that reports of chemical attacks pinned on Damascus have surfaced on social media.

Moscow had warned that unconfirmed reports of atrocities and false-flag chemical incidents were likely to appear at a time when militant factions are losing ground in Syria. The latest report came as the Syrian Army pushed to liberate the remaining militant-occupied settlements in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, with the city of Douma being the last such city in the area.

It comes as Jaysh al-Islam militants holding the city of Douma reportedly held talks with government forces and agreed to leave the enclave. Damascus said on March 31 that nearly all militant-held settlements in Ghouta were liberated, and a major Syrian highway had been cleared after a seven-year militant blockade.

In February 2018, Syrian troops began the operation to retake the area that has been under militant control since 2012, and Russia brokered the creation of humanitarian corridors to allow locals to escape the siege. A total of 153,240 people have left the area through humanitarian corridors since the start of the operation, according to the Russian Defense Ministry’s Center for Syrian Reconciliation.

At this moment, we still have 'now'; what do we do with it?

#5

the other being this (again,in entirety, in case access is lost):

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803121062441058-french-weapons-fou...

Syrian Army Reportedly Finds Cache of French Weapons in Liberated Eastern Ghouta
© AFP 2018/ Ammar SULEIMAN
Middle East
15:18 12.03.2018(updated 16:16 12.03.2018)

The suspected find comes on the heels of the military's discovery of a workshop used by militants to manufacture chemical weapons.

Syrian forces involved in a mopping-up operation in recently-freed areas of Eastern Ghouta have come across a large arms depot including weapons made in France, Fars News Agency has reported, citing field sources.

The French-made weapons and ammunition were found during the military's operations to sweep the towns of Modira and Mesraba of militants, the sources said.

A picture taken on March 11, 2018 shows Syrian government forces outside of the town of Jisreen in the southern tip of the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta enclave as they advance in the area
© REUTERS/ STRINGER
Syrian Army Finds Militants' Workshop to Manufacture Chemical Munitions in Eastern Ghouta - Colonel
The discovery of a cache of French-made weapons comes following a report by the Syrian Army Monday that the military had found a clandestine workshop used for the manufacture chemical weapons in the village of Aftris.

Paris has made no secret of its weapons deliveries to Syrian 'rebels', with illicit deliveries continuing in 2012 despite a European embargo. In a 2015 interview, then-President Francois Hollande admitted that France had delivered the weapons, saying that he was "certain that they would end up in the right hands." France provided the militants with small arms, rocket launchers, and anti-tank missiles. In addition to weapons, France has also provided rebel groups with other forms of support, including cash and military advisors. In 2014, Hollande justified the supply of weapons, saying that France "cannot leave the only Syrians who are preparing a democracy…without weapons."

France has been at the front of the line of Western powers accusing Damascus of using chemical weapons in its struggle against militants in Eastern Ghouta. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that France "will strike" if reports about the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons against civilians were confirmed.

"On chemical weapons, I set a red line and I reaffirm that red line," Macron said, referring to a telephone conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons, pointing out that their chemical weapons stocks were destroyed in 2014 as part of a deal brokered by Russia and the US.

The Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta has been under the control of a motley collection of Islamist militants, including the al-Nusra Front* since 2012, with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 militants estimated to be holed up in the area. The Syrian Army began a major military operation, code-named 'Damascus Steel', last month in a bid to liberate the territory. According to the latest estimates, the Syrian Army has now liberated well over half of the area, dividing the area under terrorist control into three pockets.

*A terrorist group banned in Russia

Just in case anyone was wondering why all of these right-wing - now termed centre-right - parties somehow started forming governments around the world years back, there's Macron as an example.

Beginning on the links within the story:

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961221000735

Mon Mar 12, 2018

Syrian Army Seizes French Arms in Terrorists' Positions in Eastern Ghouta

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops carried out a cleansing operation in the newly-freed regions in Eastern Ghouta, seizing a large depot of terrorists' arms, including French weapons, field sources reported on Monday.

The sources said that the army men launched cleansing operation in the towns of Modira and Mesraba, finding a large volume of arms and ammunition, including France-made munitions and weapons.

In a relevant development on Sunday, the Syrian Air Force carried out fresh raids on terrorists' strongholds in Eastern Ghouta, destroying an arms depot of the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at or the Levant Liberation Board) before the start of a daily truce in the region. ...

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803121062431574-syrian-army-chemic...

Syrian Army Finds Chemical Weapons' Workshop in Eastern Ghouta
© REUTERS/ STRINGER
Middle East
11:48 12.03.2018(updated 12:38 12.03.2018)

The suspected find comes on the heels of the military's discovery of a workshop used by militants to manufacture chemical weapons.

Syrian forces involved in a mopping-up operation in recently-freed areas of Eastern Ghouta have come across a large arms depot including weapons made in France, Fars News Agency has reported, citing field sources.

The French-made weapons and ammunition were found during the military's operations to sweep the towns of Modira and Mesraba of militants, the sources said.

A picture taken on March 11, 2018 shows Syrian government forces outside of the town of Jisreen in the southern tip of the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta enclave as they advance in the area
© REUTERS/ STRINGER
Syrian Army Finds Militants' Workshop to Manufacture Chemical Munitions in Eastern Ghouta - Colonel
The discovery of a cache of French-made weapons comes following a report by the Syrian Army Monday that the military had found a clandestine workshop used for the manufacture chemical weapons in the village of Aftris.

Paris has made no secret of its weapons deliveries to Syrian 'rebels', with illicit deliveries continuing in 2012 despite a European embargo. In a 2015 interview, then-President Francois Hollande admitted that France had delivered the weapons, saying that he was "certain that they would end up in the right hands." France provided the militants with small arms, rocket launchers, and anti-tank missiles. In addition to weapons, France has also provided rebel groups with other forms of support, including cash and military advisors. In 2014, Hollande justified the supply of weapons, saying that France "cannot leave the only Syrians who are preparing a democracy…without weapons."

France has been at the front of the line of Western powers accusing Damascus of using chemical weapons in its struggle against militants in Eastern Ghouta. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that France "will strike" if reports about the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons against civilians were confirmed.

"On chemical weapons, I set a red line and I reaffirm that red line," Macron said, referring to a telephone conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons, pointing out that their chemical weapons stocks were destroyed in 2014 as part of a deal brokered by Russia and the US.

The Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta has been under the control of a motley collection of Islamist militants, including the al-Nusra Front* since 2012, with an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 militants estimated to be holed up in the area. The Syrian Army began a major military operation, code-named 'Damascus Steel', last month in a bid to liberate the territory. According to the latest estimates, the Syrian Army has now liberated well over half of the area, dividing the area under terrorist control into three pockets.

*A terrorist group banned in Russia

WTF???!!!The listing down the side of the above:

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Facebook/Google/Twitter et al algorithms and other censorship taking their toll? Or something acting here to crowd out related stories one would normally expect to see in that position?

Link from bottom of the previous page - this and some people escaping through a humanitarian corridor must be what's being presented in propaganda as 'Syrians fleeing Syrian government advances' and needs to be preserved):

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803091062376132-east-ghouta-protes...

Anti-Militant Protests Erupt in Syria's East Ghouta in Support of Syrian Army
© Sputnik/ Mikhail Alayeddin
Middle East
18:05 09.03.2018(updated 12:52 10.03.2018)

Local Syrians in parts of Damascus’ East Ghouta pocket have been protesting against militants, calling on them to leave the area and allow the Syrian Army in. Rallies have been held in recently liberated areas and parts of east Ghouta which are still under the control of hardline Islamist militants.

New footage posted on social media platforms today reportedly show fresh anti-militant protests and pro-government rallies in east Ghouta.

Dozens of civilians gathered in the city of Hamouriyah – which is reportedly still under the control of militants – earlier today, waving makeshift Syrian flags and chanting anti-militant slogans.

Hassan Ridha @sayed_ridha
9 Mar

SAA advance in Hamouriyah - Saqba farms and eliminate all militants in Ahlam Factory axis who were attempting to reenter Beit Sawa, E Ghouta

Hassan Ridha @sayed_ridha

Another Pro-SAA demonstration by Hamouriyah locals in East Ghouta this morning pic.twitter.com/ukAFiLMQhm
3:42 AM - Mar 9, 2018
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

82
59 people are talking about this

Pro-government forces, led by the Syrian Army's fourth armored division and Republican Guard, are advancing towards the area after successfully repelling a militant counter-attack, and subsequently seizing nearby farms.

Similar protests also took place just hours ago in the town of Kafr Batna, which is also under the control of militants.

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Additionally, a large-scale pro-government rally was held in the recently liberated village of Al-Ghizlaniyah, calling on militants to surrender and allow civilians to leave other parts of east Ghouta.

(my insert: Arabic tweet with pics of protest at source in this position)

The Syrian Army began mobilizing troops, armor and artillery last month, in preparation of this ongoing offensive — operation Damascus Steel — and have liberated over 50 percent of east Ghouta in around two weeks.

Terrorists have also shelled government-held parts of Damascus, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties and school closures. Thousands of Damascenes have fled to the coastal region in fear of their lives.

This is also interesting, if such a term can used for this complex - and carefully created - horror:

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803121062429627-syria-east-ghouta-...

Russian MoD: E Ghouta Militants Struggle After Call for Separation From al-Nusra
© AFP 2018/ Ammar SULEIMAN
Middle East
10:27 12.03.2018(updated 13:48 12.03.2018)

Groups of militants in Eastern Ghouta started an open confrontation after demanding that the opposition group Faylaq al-Rahman break ties with the internationally-condemned terrorist organization Jabhat al-Nusra, Vladimir Zolotukhin, a representative of the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation, told journalists on Monday.

"After the Center for Reconciliation demanded the immediate disengagement of the Faylaq al-Rahman group from the terrorist organization Jabhat al Nusra to discuss their further withdrawal from the region, the confrontation between the groups began. In the streets there are open battles between members of illegal armed formations; civilians are forced to seek shelter in order not to become victims of hostilities," Vladimir Zolotukhin said.

Earlier, representatives of the reconciliation center held negotiations with the leaders of the illegal armed group Faylaq al-Rahman, where they made the demand. The parties discussed issues related to withdrawal of the Jabhat al Nusra formations from Eastern Ghouta to Idlib as well as further destiny of the Faylaq al-Rahman group's members.

READ MORE: 50+ Fled Syria's Eastern Ghouta Via Humanitarian Corridor — Russian Military

The Syrian government forces have surrounded two major terrorist strongholds in the cities of Harasta and Duma in the enclave of Eastern Ghouta, an informed local source told Sputnik on Monday.

"Each of the cities [Harasta and Duma] is closely surrounded," the source said.

According to the source, the armed forces are at the cities' limits in the south. A number of districts in Harasta from the side of the highway linking Damascus and Homs have already been liberated.

People are seen in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria March 9, 2018
© REUTERS/ Bassam Khabieh
E Ghouta Militants Plan to Conduct Chemical Attack, Involving Several Women to Blame Damascus - Syrian Foreign Ministry
The fourteenth humanitarian pause began in Eastern Ghouta on Monday at 9.00 local time (10.00 Moscow time), there are two humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and militants — in the settlements of Muhayam and Mlekha. Recently, 52 residents of Misrab, including 26 children managed to leave the area. At the moment, militants continue to block outlets to the humanitarian corridor from Eastern Ghouta, preventing civilians from leaving the area.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2401 that urged all parties to the conflict to immediately stop all fighting's and adhere to a long-term humanitarian pause on the entire territory of Syria.

Eastern Ghouta was occupied by militants in 2012. According to Syrian Army estimations, there are 10,000-12,000 militants in the area. Despite the recent UN resolution, the combat has not ended, even when the humanitarian pause was in place, according to Russian Defense Ministry's center for Syrian reconciliation.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) and Jabhat al Nusra are terrorist groups banned in Russia