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US declassifies explosive documents on ‘Israel’s’ nuclear arsenal

Al Mayadeen | December 18, 2024

Declassified documents cited by the US National Security Archive reveal that the United States has been aware since the 1960s of “Israel’s” ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium at its Dimona nuclear research center.

The US National Security Archive, established in 1985 by journalists and academics, has released a new collection of documents shedding light on “Israel’s” nuclear program.

Among these documents is a December 1960 report from the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), described as “the first and only known report that correctly and unambiguously states that the Israeli Dimona project would include a plutonium reprocessing plant and would be linked to a weapons program,” according to the archive.

An undeclared nuclear entity

However, subsequent US intelligence remained uncertain about “Israel’s” reprocessing activities until the late 1960s, when “Israel” reached the threshold of nuclear weapons capability. Around this time, a secret understanding was reportedly reached between “Israel” and the United States, acknowledging “Israel’s” status as an undeclared nuclear entity.

By 1967, evidence suggested that the Dimona reprocessing plant was either complete or nearly so, and the reactor was operating at full capacity. This progress meant that “Israel” could potentially produce a nuclear weapon within “six to eight weeks,” the report noted. In the following decade, according to declassified documents, the United States appeared to have adjusted to the reality of “Israel’s” nuclear weapons potential.

Dive deeper

A newly released briefing book, titled 1960 Intelligence Report Said Israeli Nuclear Site Was for Weapons, exposes shocking revelations about the US government’s early awareness of “Israel’s” nuclear weapons program.

The 20 declassified documents, which include intelligence reports and diplomatic exchanges, reveal that the US had serious concerns about “Israel’s” covert nuclear activities at the Dimona facility in the al-Naqab Desert.

These documents paint a striking picture of how the US monitored “Israel’s” nuclear schemes from the late 1950s and 1960s, knowing all along that Dimona was more than just a research center—it was the heart of “Israel’s” secret nuclear weapons development.

One of the most significant revelations, as per the book, comes from a December 1960 report by the Joint Atomic Energy Intelligence Committee (JAEIC), which explicitly states that the Dimona project was designed for plutonium production with the goal of developing nuclear weapons.

This marked the first known US intelligence report to confirm the weapons-related purpose of the Dimona facility.

‘Not a satellite of America’

A second explosive document unveils then-Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s fiery rebuttal to US questions about Dimona, where he defiantly declared that “Israel” was “not a satellite of America.” Rejecting any calls for international inspections or oversight, Ben-Gurion’s response reveals “Israel’s” bold strategy of nuclear secrecy—refusing to let outside scrutiny threaten its covert weapons program. At the time, this response highlighted “Israel’s” deliberate efforts to present itself as a sheep in wolf’s clothing in the external arena while pursuing its controversial nuclear program in the internal arena.

Documents detailing US inspections of Dimona between 1965 and 1967 highlight a growing sense of skepticism among US officials regarding Israeli assurances of “peaceful nuclear use.”

Despite “Israel’s” claims, US inspectors observed inconsistencies between the information provided and what was seen at the facility. These limited inspections fueled suspicions about “Israel’s” nuclear ambitions.

A 1967 intelligence assessment delivered a bombshell revelation: “Israel” was just “six to eight weeks” away from producing a nuclear weapon. This alarming disclosure marked a seismic shift in US intelligence, moving from mere suspicion to near-certainty about “Israel’s” covert nuclear weapons capability—exposing how close the entity was to an unprecedented arms escalation.

The big picture

The documents collectively highlight “Israel’s “strategy of nuclear ambiguity, known as “amimut”, which allowed it to maintain a nuclear deterrent without officially acknowledging it. This policy complicated US efforts to enforce global non-proliferation while preserving its alliance with “Israel”.

In short, the declassified documents revealed that by the early 1960s, the US possessed substantial intelligence indicating “Israel’s” nuclear program was geared toward weapons development, a fact that remained hidden from public view for decades. They also underscore the intricate balancing act of US foreign policy, where national security priorities and strategic alliances often clash with non-proliferation goals.

As “Israel” continues to maintain its policy of nuclear ambiguity, the question remains: what role does “Israel”, as an undeclared nuclear power, play in shaping the current landscape of regional and global nuclear politics—particularly when paired with its actions in Gaza, widely criticized as genocidal?

Should the global community be more alarmed?

December 18, 2024 Posted by | Deception, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Militarism | , , | Leave a comment

US Withdrew From Arms Treaties to Develop New Weapons – Russian General

Sputnik – 18.12.2024

The US pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM), Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) and Open Skies treaties so it could build more destructive weapons, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov has said.

“The situation is also aggravated by the crisis in the system of international arms control commitments and agreements,” Gerasimov told a briefing for foreign military attaches.

“Since 2002, the United States has destroyed all the agreements in this area signed during the Cold War — the ABM Treaty, the INF Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty,” he noted.

“The reason why the United States withdrew from these agreements was the desire to ensure the possibility of creating new types of weapons, which were considered the most destructive.”

Gerasimov said the first and foremost issue was medium- and short-range missiles, as well as the US deployment of its missile defense systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

The general said Russia’s Armed Forces in 2024 had met all the tasks set by the government.

“Summing up the performance of the Armed Forces this year, I would like to note that all the tasks set by the country’s leadership have been fulfilled,” Gerasimov said.

He noted that the renewal of weapons and military equipment was underway and the level of training of the command and units was increasing.

Much practical experience had been gained during the special operation in combat operations by various formations, use of aviation, air defense and other units.

More than 30 countries have provided Ukraine with $350 billion in financial aid, including about $170 billion for military needs, and more than 165,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been trained to NATO standards, Gerasimov said.

But the goals of the special military operation would definitely be achieved, he insisted.

The general added that the proportion of strategic nuclear forces units equipped with the newest weapons was now at 95 percent.

Gerasimov announced that the first regiment equipped with the S-500 surface-to-air missile system, which is capable of strategic missile defense, was on the verge of completion.

December 18, 2024 Posted by | Militarism | , , , , | Leave a comment

Kiev regime kills Russian general who exposed Western Big Pharma’s crimes in Ukraine

By Lucas Leiroz | December 18, 2024

The Kiev regime continues to use terrorist tactics against Russia, carrying out targeted assassinations against public figures outside the conflict zone. In yet another provocative move, Ukrainian intelligence assets in Moscow killed Igor Kirillov, head of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Forces of the Russian Federation. The case clearly shows the terrorist nature of the Ukrainian regime and the impossibility of any kind of peace negotiations.

Kirillov’s assassination was carried out using a remotely activated explosion. This type of tactic has become commonplace in Ukrainian intelligence’s operations, being one of the main techniques used by the regime to eliminate specific targets. Along with Kirillov, his top aide, Ilya Polikarpov, also died in the attack. Both were leaving a building in Moscow when the explosive was remotely activated by a mercenary working for Kiev.

The main suspect has already been captured by the Russian security service. He is a citizen of Uzbekistan who was hired by Ukraine to carry out the terrorist attack in exchange for a reward of around 100,000 dollars, as well as relocation to a European country. The operation was carefully planned, with the Uzbek mercenary receiving a series of specific instructions to be successful in the plot.

The first step of the plan was to place the explosive device – which he received from the Ukrainian team – on an electric scooter parked near Kirillov’s residence. He then rented a car equipped with a surveillance camera and transmitted live footage to the organizers of the attack. According to the suspect, the organizing team is based in the Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine. Watching the images in live broadcast, the Ukrainians chose the most appropriate moment to detonate the explosive, giving the order to the Uzbek terrorist to carry out the attack.

The case has a number of similarities with other recent terrorist attacks carried out by Kiev. The Ukrainian regime often uses explosives to kill its opponents, in addition to hiring mercenaries from Central Asia to carry out operations on Russian territory. It is worth remembering cases such as that of Daria Dugina and Maxim Fomin, both journalists who were murdered with explosives, as well as the Crocus City Hall massacre, when Tajik terrorists were hired by Ukrainian intelligence to murder civilians in Moscow.

The choice of Igor Kirillov as a target is easy to understand. He was responsible for investigating Ukrainian and Western crimes involving biological and chemical weapons. Since 2022, the Russian Federation has been releasing several reports showing illegal Western biomilitary activities in Ukraine, with Kirillov leading this investigative effort. He has published data proving the involvement of several Western public figures and companies in the production of biological weapons on Ukrainian soil. Those responsible for financing the biolabs included Big Pharma corporations and the Soros Foundation, as well as individuals such as Hunter Biden, the son of the US president.

In fact, the impact of Kirillov’s revelations was so deep that it caused a crisis in the Western pharmaceutical lobby. Since 2022, the crimes committed by American and European Big Pharma companies have been more easily exposed. Even the Covid-19 vaccine lobby has lost strength, with mandatory vaccinations being banned in many countries. These companies started to be the target of lawsuits and their shares have lost market value, which has obviously made Kirillov a target for several Western oligarchs.

In the same vein, Kirillov was the main investigator of chemical weapons provocations by Ukraine. The use of chemical weapons by Kiev troops has become commonplace in the conflict, with several cases of Russian military personnel and civilians being poisoned by toxic substances deliberately released by Ukrainians.

In 2023, I was invited by the Russian Mission in Geneva to present a report at the UN Human Rights Council on this topic, where I recalled several cases of Ukrainian use of chemical weapons. It must be mentioned that the US, which is the biggest supporter of the Kiev regime, is the only country in the world that still publicly maintains stockpiles of chemical weapons, and is therefore a possible supplier of these toxic materials to Ukraine. Without the work of the investigative committee led by Kirillov, this type of violation of international law would never have been revealed, which is why his efforts were so important.

It is still too early to determine the level of Western involvement in the assassination of the Russian general, but it is safe to say that the Kiev regime never acts “on its own.” Ukraine always receives authorization to carry out each attack, since it is a mere proxy agent without any sovereignty.

In addition, Kirillov has caused a great damage to the Western pharmaceutical lobby, becoming a public enemy of many oligarchs. In the end, this is just further proof that any negotiation in the conflict is unfeasible. Both the West and Ukraine are betting on terrorism and all-out war against Moscow, leaving no alternative but a military solution.

Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.

You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.

December 18, 2024 Posted by | War Crimes | , , | Leave a comment

Blinded to Syria

By Patrick Lawrence | Consortium News | December 15, 2024

Decades after deploying mass violence and rendering citizens grotesquely ignorant of the world, U.S.-led powers appear willing to risk world war, while reinventing a terrorist to lead what was a secular nation until last week.

I do not know anyone who was not shocked by the lightning speed with which Damascus fell to expensively armed jihadist militias last weekend.

I know very few people who do not understand that another domino has just fallen in the “seven-front war” Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted this year of waging across West Asia. I know very few people who do not recognize that terrorist Israel is well on the way to establishing itself as a dictatorial hegemon across the region.

I know very few people who do not understand that the longstanding project of the Zionist neoconservatives, who have more or less controlled U.S. foreign policy for decades, i.e., “remaking the Middle East,” is the design behind all that has occurred since the Israelis launched their attack on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

I do not know anyone who has achieved the age of reason who does not recognize the U.S. hand in the stunning sweep through Syria of Hay`at Tahrir al–Sham, long-recognized as a terrorist organization. All one needs to grasp this is a little history.

But I know of no corporate or state-funded medium on either side of the Atlantic — the major dailies, the broadcast networks, NPR, PBS, the BBC — where you can read or hear about any of this.

Blinding Us

Mainstream media are doing exactly what they did as the U.S.–led “regime change” operation in Syria began in early 2012 at the latest and probably in the final months of 2011: They are making sure the events now unfolding in Syria are not quite illegible but nearly.

It is again a question of knowing the history. In the case of Hay`at Tahrir al–Sham and the other jihadists who knocked over the Assad regime as if it were made of Lego blocks, it is another exercise in dressing up a monster in a suit and tie.

The corporate press and broadcasters are now resolutely recasting the murderous fanatics who have seized control of Syria as legitimate “rebels.” Rebels, rebels, rebels: This is the approved terminology.

I see they have left off describing these Sunni zealots as the “moderate rebels” of yesteryear, that phrase having been hopelessly discredited last time around, but the drift is the same: These are civilized people out there trying to do the right thing.

My favorite in this line appeared in The Daily Telegraph several days before the Assad government collapsed: “How Syria’s ‘diversity-friendly’ jihadists plan on building a state.” I had to read this one twice, too.

Nowhere but nowhere in the West’s mass media can you find even a mention of the U.S.–Turkish-and-probably–Israeli support that made possible the swift sweep of Hay`at Tahrir al–Sham and its ever-bickering allies from its seat in the Idlib governorate through Hama and other cities to the center of Damascus.

This is, like the earlier years of the Western-backed terrorist attacks on the Assad regime, and like the proxy war in Ukraine, and like the Saudis’ U.S.–supported war against Yemen, and like the Israeli genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza, and like the Israelis’ attacks in Lebanon, sponsored military aggression we are not permitted to see without considerable effort to transcend official representations of reality.

Understanding Who the Americans Are

What happened, what is happening, what will happen: I do not know anyone who is not asking these questions, too.

We must go back and back and back further to understand what has just occurred in Syria and to understand why, and finally to understand who Americans are and who they have been for all the decades since the 1945 victories.

It is logical to begin this pencil-sketch of the past with the famous coups of the 1950s. These occurred in Iran, where the C.I.A., working with MI6, deposed Mohammed Mossadegh as Iran’s prime minister in August 1953, and in Guatemala, where an agency operation forced Jacobo Árbenz from the presidency a year later.

It is striking today to consider a few of the features of these operations. Stimulating various social and economic antagonisms to foment public unrest and an appearance of political disorder was key in both cases. Both coups removed popularly elected leaders and installed repressive puppets.

There was violence in both cases, but by later standards these operations were something close to surgical. Mossadegh withdrew to his farm in the Iranian countryside; Árbenz, a Swiss pharmacist by background, spent his last years wandering dejectedly through Europe.

An appearance of propriety was important back then. Most Americans were unaware that the C.I.A. had engineered the events in Tehran and Guatemala City. And in the Iranian case, something to note: Removing Iran’s first elected prime minister set in motion a wave of blowback that continues to break over U.S.–Iranian relations; in Guatemala it led to a civil war that endured for 36 years.

The C.I.A. considered the coup in Iran a useful model – Guatemala its next application. But in 1965 the agency began to do things very differently when it organized the coup that brought down Sukarno, independent Indonesia’s charismatic founding father and its first president.

The Jakarta Model

Vincent Blevins, a seasoned foreign correspondent, got this down better than anyone in The Jakarta Method: Washington’s Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World (Public Affairs, 2020). With the Cold War approaching its worst years, the Indonesian coup was the first, as Blevins’s subtitle indicates, to submerge an entire nation in prolonged violence.

There are various figures for the number of deaths that resulted as the agency installed the dictatorial, bottomlessly corrupt Suharto in the presidential palace in 1967. Blevins puts it at a million or more. Along with the deaths, the nation’s previously lively political culture was extinguished until Suharto fell 32 years later.

The Jakarta Method was subsequently applied in various other circumstances, notably but not only in the 1973 coup that deposed Salvador Allende in Chile and installed Augusto Pinochet, a vicious dictator in the Suharto mold. Nine years later Zbigniew Brzezinski put a modified version to use in Afghanistan.

Blind to US Support for Jihadism

As Jimmy Carter’s relentlessly anti–Soviet national security adviser, Brzezinski persuaded Carter to back the mujahideen then fighting the Moscow-backed regime in Kabul. The result was the well-armed, well-financed force named al–Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden.

And so we come, via the campaigns of mass violence in Iraq and Libya and the proxy war in Ukraine, to the Syrian operation. People who rely on mainstream media still have a hard time accepting that the U.S. and its trans–Atlantic allies backed al–Qaeda’s Syrian forces, the Islamic State, and their heinous offshoots in their war against the Assad regime.

There are no grounds whatsoever for this disbelief. The U.S. operation in Syria is a straight readout of Brzezinski’s Afghanistan strategy. Sharmine Narwani, the tenacious Beirut-based correspondent and the founding editor of The Cradle, reported the American op first-hand as it unfolded. She recounted what she saw in an impressively detailed interview I published in 2019. It is here and here in two parts.

It Wasn’t Over

By 2018–19, it was obvious that the C.I.A.’s Syrian operation, in my judgment its largest since the Cold War’s end, had failed after several years of Russia’s bombing campaign against the Islamic State. Everyone making this judgment, myself included, forgot to add four essential words: It had failed for the time being.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham was founded at the start of the covert U.S. intervention, in 2011–12. Its name translates as Organization for the Liberation of the Levant.

Liberating the Levant is a very good idea, but HTS does not mean this the way anyone opposed to the Western powers’ long and violent domination of West Asia would mean it. HTS shared with the Islamic State an ambition to establish a caliphate ruled by radical interpretations of Islamic law.

In May 2018 the State Department added HTS to its list of foreign terrorist organizations, FTOs in the parlance of the apparatchiks. It is a direct descendent of Jabhat al–Nusra, which was the worst of the worst among al–Qaeda’s shape-shifting affiliates operating in Syria.

By the time HTS made the list, Jabhat al–Nusra was already on it. They both remain on it as we speak.

HTS was founded by Abu Mohammad al–Jolani, a nom de guerre now all over the news: He has long led HTS and appears now to have plans to make himself Syria’s next president. When he spoke at a celebrated mosque in Damascus last week, he shed the public alias in favor of his real name, Ahmed al–Shara.

Jolani’s background is not to be missed. He was once an Islamic State commander who went on to found Jabhat al–Nusra and, after a violent split, HTS.

As the HTS leader, he was implicated in numerous cases of torture, violence, sexual abuse, arbitrary arrests, disappearances, and so on. Reflecting his singular malignity, the State Department had declared Jolani a “specially designated global terrorist” as far back as 2013.

That designation still stood in 2021. Then something odd, and in hindsight very revealing, occurred.

Rehabilitating Jolani

In April of that year PBS broadcast the first interview with Jolani ever to appear in any Western medium. It was conducted by Martin Smith, a longtime broadcast correspondent with a good reputation.

And there on camera was the specially designated terrorist in a blue blazer and a buttoned-down shirt, telling Smith he planned to build a “salvation government” in Syria.

Smith was not shy, to his credit, in his review of Jolani’s horrific record. But he gave his interview subject ample airtime to make his that-was-then-this-is-now argument.

There was no talk of a caliphate, despite how HTS still named itself. It was about sound local governance. Yes, this would be according to Sharia law, but it would be a kind-and-gentle Sharia law.

The Martin Smith interview, it is now evident, was highly significant for its timing and its implications for U.S. policy. It is almost certain that it signaled an already-in-train revival of the Syrian operation; certainly it marked the start of the preposterous reinvention of Jolani that is now ubiquitous in Western media.

It is a long way from those first postwar coups — large in ambition and implications but small in scale as they look to us now. Since the Jakarta Method was devised in the mid–1960s, mass murder programs have shaped our world just as Vincent Blevins insightfully put it.

Committed to Mass Violence

The questions noted at the start of this commentary remain those we must ask: What happened, what is happening, what will happen. Clarity on these matters arrives by degrees — not by way of official accounts or the corporate press, but in independent media. For now, two conclusions.

One, the U.S. and its trans–Atlantic allies are now thoroughly committed to mass violence. This means it is difficult to avoid concluding that the Western powers and Israel will turn to Iran once Syria as a functioning polity has been thoroughly disabled.

What has prompted the U.S. and Israel to exercise caution to date has been the risk of what would without doubt be a cataclysmic conflict that could tip into another world war.

With a six-decade history of mass violence behind them, these powers now appear willing to take this risk. There is little ground left to continue questioning this.

Two, we now witness the reinvention of a viciously intolerant terrorist given to waging holy wars as an acceptable presence at the head of what was a secular nation until earlier this month.

We must read this as the outcome — the successful outcome — of an eight-decade campaign to render the citizens of the Western powers grotesquely ignorant of the world in which they live.

The New York Times and other major dailies continue to lie by omission about U.S. support for Jolani and the organization he leads, even as both are officially designated terrorists. But something worth considering here: These media ran interesting photographs with their initial stories on the militias’ sudden offensive, showing rocket launchers and armored personnel carriers of obvious Western manufacture. Here is one such picture and here is another.

I see these pictures and the accompanying stories as mirrors. They show us exactly who we are, what we have become — and also the extent to which we are encouraged not to see either.

There are no true surprises in what we witness now in Syria. It is an old story. We have been blinded to it, along with many other things to which we have been blinded. Most fundamentally we have been rendered blind to ourselves.

Patrick Lawrence, a correspondent abroad for many years, chiefly for the International Herald Tribune, is a columnist, essayist, lecturer and author, most recently of Journalists and Their Shadows.

December 17, 2024 Posted by | Aletho News | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sen. Mitch McConnell Fights On for US Foreign Intervention and the Military-Industrial Complex

By Adam Dick | Peace and Prosperity Blog | December 17, 2024

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is set to no longer be the leader of Senate Republicans when Donald Trump is sworn in as president next month. But, McConnell will remain in the Senate. McConnell signaled on Monday, via an editorial at Foreign Affairs, that he will be using his position in the legislative body to focus on supporting increasing both the United States government’s intervention oversees and the flow of money to the military-industrial complex.

Of all things, McConnell, in the second paragraph of his editorial, complained that President Joe Biden has pursued “engagement and accommodation” in foreign policy. This is the president who has been funding, and supplying weapons and intelligence to, Ukraine and Israel without halt for two wars with big tolls in destruction of life and property. Further, these are two wars with large and growing potential to spiral into world war and nuclear annihilation.

Where is Biden’s “engagement and accommodation” in regard to Russia? Biden refuses to even talk with the nation’s leader and persistently prevents peace negotiations for the Ukraine War. Meanwhile, tensions build with China due to US bellicose statements regarding, and actions in, the Asian economic and nuclear power’s neighborhood.

The rewards, meanwhile, have been bountiful for the military-industrial complex.

Yet, Biden’s intervention overseas and military funding are insufficient, proclaimed McConnell. McConnell wants more, and he will be pressuring Trump as president to deliver on that. For a taste of McConnell’s advice for Trump, consider this paragraph from McConnell’s editorial:

Trump would be wise to build his foreign policy on the enduring cornerstone of U.S. leadership: hard power. To reverse the neglect of military strength, his administration must commit to a significant and sustained increase in defense spending, generational investments in the defense industrial base, and urgent reforms to speed the United States’ development of new capabilities and to expand allies’ and partners’ access to them.

And McConnell calls for that military might to be ready for use to help allies and fight foes around the world. Indeed, McConnell’s greatest fear appears to be that Trump will let even some of the rest of the world be. Warned McConnell in his editorial, “the response to four years of weakness must not be four years of isolation.” Further commented McConnell, “Trump will hear from neo-isolationists who discount the importance of American allies to American prosperity, ignore the need for the United States’ credibility among fence sitters in critical regions, and misunderstand the basic requirements of the U.S. military to deter or win faraway conflicts.” Be assured, McConnell will from the Senate work to ensure that, contrary to such so-called neo-isolationist advice, the US will not give peace a chance.

Trump’s effort to run as the “peace candidate” may alone have made the difference in his winning the presidential election last month. While not portraying himself as a noninterventionist in regard to foreign policy, Trump did make many comments through the election that indicated he was much farther toward supporting peace than was Biden. The distinction was clear for all to see.

Trump then continued on this course on election night, making the following succinct comment in his acceptance speech: “I’m not gonna start a war; I’m gonna stop wars.” Talk like that to McConnell is like a crucifix to a vampire.

I am hopeful that Trump, as he has continued to suggest in the time between his election and inauguration, will pursue as president a foreign policy significantly less interventionist and militaristic than the one Biden has pursued. But, I am not sure that will be the case. It is not wise to take politicians’ promises to the bank.

More certain is my expectation the McConnell will follow through with his effort to ensure the US government is extreme in its interventions abroad and its feeding of the military-industrial complex. Doing just that has been a large part of McConnell’s career in the Senate over many years.

December 17, 2024 Posted by | Militarism | , | Leave a comment

Alleged provocations exposed by Russia’s murdered general: The main cases

Igor Kirillov spent years investigating incidents involving chemical and biological weapons

RT | December 17, 2024

Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was killed on Tuesday in Moscow along with his assistant in an assassination allegedly carried out by Ukraine, was the Russian military’s top official on the hazards posed by weapons of mass destruction.

Kirillov commanded the military branch responsible for protecting troops and civilians from chemical and biological weapons, and from the radioactive fallout of a nuclear strike or ‘dirty bomb’ attack. He was also in charge of military investigations into numerous high-profile cases directly and indirectly involving Russia.

He delivered over 40 briefings about the findings made by specialists under his command since being appointed in 2017. He also regularly offered his expert opinion to Russian officials and the media. His work came as allegations of chemical weapons use became an increasingly frequent tool in Western foreign policy over the past decade.

Syria

The turning point was arguably the war in Syria and claims by then-US President Barack Obama that Damascus had deployed chemical weapons against opposition forces, thus crossing a Washington-declared ‘red line’. In a Russia-mediated attempt to deflate tensions, the Syrian government agreed in 2013 to destroy all of its declared stockpiles of such weapons.

However, more incidents followed, which the West blamed on government forces, alleging that Damascus never actually fulfilled its obligations. Moscow, meanwhile, maintained that anti-government groups were conducting false flag operations, while foreign-funded organizations, such as the notorious White Helmets, were providing media support.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which has the mandate to investigate such allegations, was compromised by Western influence, Russia believes.

“Syrian authorities demanded on numerous occasions that the OPCW deploy specialists on the ground [for investigation], but received refusals that cited lack of security,” Kirillov said during a briefing in 2018, as he detailed cases of alleged manufacturing of chemical weapons by militant groups.

The same year, the OPCW faced what was arguably its worst internal crisis while investigating a chemical attack in the city of Douma.

According to whistleblowers, its top management suppressed findings by field investigators and manipulated testimony to implicate Damascus. Dissenting scientists argued behind closed doors that the evidence contradicted such a claim, only to be dismissed as disgruntled employees when they went public.

Kirillov reported in 2019 that Russian troops deployed in Syria conducted hundreds of tests for traces of chemical weapons as part of their monitoring mission.

Novichok

Moscow was accused of deploying a chemical weapon in 2018, after Andrey Skripal, a Russian intelligence defector, and his daughter fell ill in Salisbury, Great Britain. London and Western media claimed that they were poisoned with Novichok, a toxic chemical allegedly developed exclusively by the Soviet military.

Although civilian officials were responsible for Moscow’s messaging over the incident, Kirillov was called in to set the record straight about Novichok’s “Russian” nature. Western nations, including the UK, have chemical weapons programs of their own with enough expertise to synthesize highly lethal compounds, he pointed out.

The US and its allies had an opportunity to gain insight into Soviet research, including from chemists involved in it, he added during a briefing in 2018. A scientist named Vil Mirzayanov was the first person to discuss the program dubbed Novichok publicly after moving to the US.

He went as far as to publish a formula for one of the chemicals developed by the USSR, which Kirillov said was deeply irresponsible and posed a proliferation threat.

Ukraine and US-led biolabs

A significant part of Kirillov’s reports in the media focused on the Ukraine conflict after it escalated into open hostilities with Russia in 2022. Some of them documented alleged use of chemical agents by Ukrainian troops on the battlefield or warned of possible provocations by Kiev.

Others dealt with a network of US-backed microbiological labs, which have been a source of major concern for Russia and other countries. Washington claims that the Pentagon-funded activities by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency are merely meant to detect and identify naturally emerging threats. Critics, however, believe the program pursued more sinister aims.

Kirillov claimed that the US evacuated some 16,000 relevant samples from Ukraine while other pieces of evidence were destroyed. But some materials were captured by the Russian military, giving Moscow a glimpse into the clandestine research, the late general claimed.

With his visor up

In October, the UK placed personal sanctions on Kirillov, along with the entire Russian military branch under his command. London cited Kiev’s claims that the general was responsible for using chemical weapons in the Ukraine conflict. Moscow has consistently denied such accusations, insisting it destroyed such materials back in 2017.

The Ukrainian security service SBU announced formal charges against Kirillov hours before his murder. A source in the agency told the media that the assassination was its operation against a “war criminal.”

Kirillov spent years “exposing the crimes of the Anglo-Americans,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, commenting on his death.

“He worked without fear. Did not hide behind anyone’s back. Walked with his visor up. For the motherland and the truth,” she added.

December 17, 2024 Posted by | Deception, False Flag Terrorism, War Crimes | , , , , | Leave a comment

Key Revelations Slain Gen. Kirillov Exposed About Pentagon’s Biolabs Scheme

By Svetlana Ekimenko – Sputnik – 17.12.2024

General Kirillov, head of Russia’s Radiological Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, gained prominence due to his regular appearances at military briefings, accusing the Kiev regime and its US patrons of operating biolaboratories and using chemical weapons.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense troops of the Russian armed forces, was killed in a blast triggered by an improvised explosive device planted near his residence in Moscow. He leaves behind a legacy of eye-opening findings.

On Illegal US Bio-Research

Revelations by Russia’s Defense Ministry on illegal biological experiments at the Prestige Biotech’s California laboratory touched off a US Congressional investigation. The US Department of State played a direct role in the Biosecurity Engagement Program, which was initiated by ex-President Barack Obama, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov revealed in one of the Ministry of Defense briefings.

The program’s priority areas for implementation include the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Ukraine, and Africa.

Third-party contractors, intermediaries, and NGOs—such as Metabiota, CH2M Hill, and EcoHealth Alliance—are utilized to serve the interests of clients like the State Department, Pentagon, FBI, and CIA, as well as for military biological research.

“Unconditional deterrence of adversaries” from using weapons of mass destruction against Washington and its allies has become one of the points of the new US national strategy, it was noted.

On US Biolabs in Ukraine

The US State Department is directly involved in these biological programs, despite the federal foreign agency’s denials, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov repeatedly underscored.

The United States aims to exert global control over biological matters, he noted in one of his reports. He added that under Barack Obama, US biological programs in other countries were promoted at the recommendation of the State Department, with supporting documents available as evidence.

Pentagon’s Deadly Biological Warfare Program

Slain Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov regularly exposed the Pentagon’s biological warfare program. Recent developments indicate that the United States has embarked on preparations for a new pandemic by looking into virus mutations, he said at a briefing in August 2023.

Commenting on the establishment of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, led by Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biosecurity at the National Security Council, retired Air Force Major General Paul Friedrichs, in July 2023, Kirillov told reporters:

“The priority areas of this department include work on the creation of vaccines and drugs for stopping viruses and their genetically modified variants, as well as the introduction of advanced technologies in bioproduction. Thus, the United States, as it was in 2019, began preparing for a new pandemic by implementing search for virus mutations.”

The newly established Office is prioritizing the creation of vaccines and drugs said to combat viruses and their genetically modified variants, Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops warned.

Furthermore, documents uncovered during the special military operation in Ukraine have confirmed that the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases is involved in accumulating dangerous pathogens across various regions of the world.

US Officials Linked to Hazardous Vaccines

The Russian Ministry of Defense released the names of American officials connected to the development and production of dangerous vaccines, General Igor Kirillov told reporters in 2023.

This list includes former Johnson & Johnson Board member Mark McClellan, Pfizer Board member Scott Gottlieb, and Stephen Hahn, the CEO of Flagship Pioneering Inc.

He underscored that officials from regulatory agencies have been lobbying and prioritizing the commercial interests of pharmaceutical companies to the detriment of existing safety and quality standards.

US Democratic Party’s Role in Military Biological Research

Investment funds belonging to prominent figures such as the Clintons, the Rockefellers, Soros, and Biden, along with other NGOs affiliated with the Democratic Party in the US, are bankrolling military biological research, documents and analytical materials studied by Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops have revealed.

Multinational corporations often referred to as “Big Pharma” are involved in this scheme, including Pfizer, Moderna, Merck, as well as Gilead, a US military-affiliated company. Furthermore, US experts are working on testing new medicines, bypassing international safety standards.

The involvement of non-governmental and biotech organizations enables the leaders of the Democratic Party to pocket additional financial revenue for election campaigns and to conceal cash flows.

Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops warned in January 2024 that Washington’s goals in the military-biological domain are multifold, ranging from the creation and manipulation of the causative agents of “particularly dangerous infections in regions of the world that are strategically important for the United States,” to efforts to achieve global “superiority” in biomanufacturing, biological monitoring, and the expansion of potentially unethical and illegal military biological research outside US jurisdictions.

December 17, 2024 Posted by | Corruption, Deception, War Crimes | , , , | Leave a comment

US chip suppression won’t stop Chinese industries’ development, will only make them stronger: China chip trade group

By Zhang Yiyi and Wang Cong | Global Times | December 13, 2024

On December 3, one day after the US government announced yet another round of restrictions on chip sales to Chinese firms, four Chinese industry associations, including the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) and the Internet Society of China (ISC), issued firmly worded statements declaring that US chip products are no longer safe and reliable.

Behind the strongly-worded statements are the profound indignation among Chinese industries over the US government’s relentless campaign to target an ever-growing number of Chinese companies, and the determination to ensure safe and reliable chip supplies for relevant Chinese industries, according to Wei Shaojun, vice chairman of the CSIA.

“The US government has repeatedly suppressed Chinese semiconductor companies, and CSIA members have been very outraged about this. So, it is the CSIA’s responsibility to speak out,” Wei told the Global Times in an interview on Thursday, noting that more than 240 Chinese semiconductor companies have been added to the US’ so-called Entity List so far, accounting for one-quarter of the CSIA members, or one-third, if affected foreign CSIA members are included.

In the statement on December 3, the CSIA blasted the US government’s latest move of adding more than 140 Chinese firms to its so-called Entity List, saying the US arbitrary export control measures against Chinese firms have affected the stable supply of US chip products. “US chip products are no longer safe and reliable and relevant Chinese industries will have to be cautious in purchasing US chips,” it said.

Also making the same determination are three other Chinese industry associations that represent the main buyers of chips – the ISC, the China Association of Communications Enterprises, and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Relevant Chinese ministries, including the Ministry of Commerce, also slammed the US move and vowed to take “necessary” measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

China’s innovation edge

The statements from the Chinese industry associations showed a “stronger-than-before attitude” and “they expressed our strong indignation,” Tu Xinquan, dean of China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics and a consultant for the CSIA, told the Global Times.

As the US government is bent on escalating the crackdown measures, “we must take some necessary measures to firmly safeguard our legitimate rights and interests,” Tu said, “we must accordingly encourage and support the purchase of reliable and safe products, whether they are made by Chinese companies or in other countries or regions.”

For domestic internet companies, they need to “promptly adjust their foreign cooperation and development strategies,” Pei Wei, Deputy Secretary General of the ISC, told the Global Times in an interview. “They need to diversify the supply chain layout, especially for the procurement of key technologies and components, to reduce the reliance on a single source.”

Chinese internet companies should establish partnerships with chip manufacturers in countries and regions outside the US, strengthen support for domestic and locally produced chips, so as to diversify risks and enhance supply chain security and stability, Pei further noted.

“At the same time, we must also improve our internal capabilities and continue to build independent research and development, production and manufacturing capabilities,” Pei said.

Wei also urged support for reliable chip supplies in the face of the US’ relentless crackdown campaign.

“We call on the Chinese government to support the stable development of reliable semiconductor suppliers; we also call on semiconductor companies in relevant countries and regions to strive to become reliable semiconductor industry suppliers,” he said. “Suppression will not stop us from development. Chinese industries will become stronger and more confident in our development.”

Broader cooperation needed

In response to the US government’s relentless crackdown campaign, Chinese industries should also remain open for cooperation with their foreign counterparts, the leaders of the industries also said.

“The current success and achievement of the semiconductor industry are the result of global competition and cooperation. Closed development is not conducive to technological progresses and breakthroughs in the industry, and will harm the interests of global consumers,” Wei said, urging the US to return to the stage for fair competition.

Tu noted that it is the US government’s policies, not US companies, that make US chip products unsafe and unreliable. “The restrictions are on exports, so they are actually restrictions on US companies,” he said.

Pei of the ISC also called for principles of openness, inclusiveness and win-win results for international cooperation. “Chinese and foreign industries can conduct deep cooperation in areas such as research and development, market exploration and talent training to share the development results,” Pei said.

December 17, 2024 Posted by | Economics, Sinophobia | , | Leave a comment

American Pravda: Propaganda-Hoaxes vs. Chinese Reality

Scenes from the Uighur “Genocide” Compared to Those of the Palestinian “Genocide”
Scenes from the Uighur “Genocide” Compared to Those of the Palestinian “Genocide”
By Ron Unz • Unz Review • December 16, 2024

… A major flashpoint in the growing international confrontation [between the West and China] came in January 2020 when top officials of the outgoing Trump Administration joined their counterparts of the incoming Biden Administration in both declaring that China was committing “genocide” against its Muslim Uyghur population of Xinjiang province, with the New York Times and our other leading media outlets endorsing and heavily amplifying those explosive accusations.

Such enormously grave charges soon led many Western companies to ban the use of Chinese products from Xinjiang, a decision that outraged China and prompted economic retaliation.

Both at the time and afterward, I regularly ridiculed those accusations, emphasizing that they seemed based upon no solid evidence and greatly reminded me of the false claims of Saddam’s WMDs that that been used to launch our ill-fated Iraq War. Indeed, none of the world’s many Muslim countries took those claims seriously, with the only supporters being the population of the heavily brainwashed West. And after Israel began its massive campaign to annihilate Gaza’s Palestinians, I noted the huge apparent differences between these two alleged “genocides.”

What made these accusations about Xinjiang seem so totally absurd was that the huge province was completely open to both Chinese and foreign tourists, who regularly traveled there in large numbers, attracted by its scenic vistas and interesting Muslim Turkic culture. The notion that China was committing a “genocide” in a region constantly crisscrossed by tourists seemed like the most mindless sort of dishonest propaganda, aimed at the gullible and the dim-witted.

During several years of this ongoing controversy, I failed to consider that video-loggers had become an important part of the Internet, and that some of these specialized in the stories of their foreign travels. But a commenter recently posted a couple of such videos on one of my articles, and clicking the links I discovered the easy availability of such direct personal evidence about Chinese society.

There are a multitude of such channels, and I recently spent a couple of days exploring the China content of two of them. Nothing I saw much surprised me, but I think that our relations with that huge country would greatly improve if more Americans did the same.

I’m not sure of her last name, but the eponymous host of Katherine’s Journey to the East seems like a very pleasant young woman from the Virginia suburbs of DC:

Full article

December 16, 2024 Posted by | Timeless or most popular, Video | , , | Leave a comment

House Strikes a Blow To Censorship in Landmark Defense Bill Vote

By Dan Frieth | Reclaim The Net | December 16, 2024

A new chapter in the fight against censorship unfolded as the US House of Representatives approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025. While 124 Democrats opposed the bill, its passage marked a significant step in addressing concerns over biased media practices and government spending.

Among its provisions, the legislation includes a prohibition on contracts with firms like NewsGuard Technologies, an organization criticized and accused of targeting certain media outlets.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson praised the bill’s contents, highlighting its focus on accountability in government spending and ensuring a level playing field for media voices.

Founded in 2018, NewsGuard claims to serve as a nonpartisan fact-checking organization, rating the reliability of news websites. However, critics argue that its actions reveal a far different agenda. The group has been accused of systematically targeting certain outlets while shielding some publishers from scrutiny.

Its self-proclaimed mission to “promote truth” often directs readers to government-endorsed sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a practice that raises questions about impartiality – especially since it has received funding from government sources.

Breitbart, The Drudge Report, and The Daily Mail are among the prominent outlets that have been ranked poorly by NewsGuard.

Reports indicate that the organization allegedly advises advertisers to avoid these sites, effectively stripping them of revenue. Critics see this as financial censorship—a strategy to silence dissenting voices while funneling resources toward establishment-backed media.

In recent years, these concerns have deepened, particularly following revelations that the US Department of Defense (DOD) awarded NewsGuard $749,387 in taxpayer funds in September 2021.

December 16, 2024 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , | Leave a comment

Biden Regime Launches Task Force on Chinese Censorship, Drawing Criticism for Hypocrisy

By Didi Rankovic – Reclaim The Net – December 16, 2024

The Biden-Harris administration has revealed it was setting up an action group to “monitor and address the effects” of any censorship or intimidation of Americans by China.

Signed by President Joe Biden, the memorandum addressed heads of executive departments and agencies, while the task force is to be led by the assistant to the president for National Security Affairs and the director of the National Economic Council.

This move comes after the administration spent the past four years doubling and tripling down on policies encouraging unprecedented censorship at home and being sued and investigated for colluding (through pressure via third parties) with social platforms and other tech companies to do its (unconstitutional) bidding.

Hypocrisy this may be, but that might be the least of the problems with this sudden spurt of activity by an administration that is weeks away from exiting, stage left.

If we choose to forget that many of the censorship and surveillance mechanisms that permeated the soon-to-be former administration’s activities were regularly mentioned by critics as “inspired” by those used by China’s authorities, the question remains: why establish an entirely new “task force” and why now?

The departments and agencies that will be represented at assistant secretary or above level include the departments of state, defense, treasury, commerce, agriculture, education, the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, the FBI, the director of National Intelligence, etc. – plus, “other agencies and offices as the President may, from time to time, designate.”

Opponents of the Chinese authorities and their notorious brand of censorship welcome the move and believe it should be endorsed by the incoming Trump administration, but also – somehow – expanded to China itself.

Declarative statements about the purpose of such “monitoring” outfits are one thing, but recent history shows how far those can veer off course.

One cautionary tale is the Department of Homeland Security’s Global Engagement Sector (GEC) which was set up to direct, lead, and coordinate US government efforts countering foreign state propaganda and disinformation.

What that turned out to be, however, is a weapon of censorship pointed at Americans, that used third parties to circumvent legal constraints and push biased, partisan narratives at home.

December 16, 2024 Posted by | Full Spectrum Dominance, Progressive Hypocrite | , | Leave a comment

Israel is ready to annex the West Bank, but why now?

By Dr Ramzy Baroud | MEMO | December 16, 2024

Israel is getting ready to annex the occupied Palestinian West Bank. The annexation will be a major step backwards on the road to Palestinian freedom and will likely serve as a catalyst for a new Palestinian uprising. Although annexation has been on the Israeli agenda for years, this time around a “great opportunity” — in the words of extreme far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — has presented itself and, from an Israeli point of view, cannot be missed.

“I hope we’ll have a great opportunity with the new US administration to create full normalisation [of the Israeli occupation],” he was quoted as saying by Israeli media. This is not the first time that Smotrich, along with other Israeli extremists, has made the connection between Donald Trump moving back into the White House and the illegal expansion of Israel’s nominal borders.

Two things make Israel’s far-right optimistic about Trump’s return to the Oval Office: the Israeli experience during Trump’s first term in office, when the US president allowed the occupation state to claim sovereignty over illegal settlements, the Syrian Golan Heights and occupied East Jerusalem; and Trump’s more recent statement in the run-up to the elections.

Israel is “so tiny” on the map, said Trump when addressing the pro-Israel group Stop Anti-Semitism at an event in August, asking aloud: “Is there any way of getting more?” The statement, absurd by any definition, prompted joy among Israeli politicians, who understood it to be a green light for further annexation of Palestinian land.

Israel’s aims for colonial expansion have also received a boost in more recent days.

Following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Israel immediately invaded large swathes of the country, reaching as far as the Quneitra governorate, less than 20 kilometres from the capital, Damascus. What is taking place in Syria serves as a model of what to expect in the West Bank in coming months.

Israel occupied nearly 70 per cent of the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967. It cemented its illegal occupation of the Arab region by formally annexing it in 1981 through the so-called Golan Heights Law. That illegal move came shortly after another illegal annexation, that of occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem the previous year.

Although the West Bank was not formally annexed, the boundaries of East Jerusalem have been expanded well beyond its historic borders, thus swallowing large parts of the West Bank. Like East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, the West Bank is also recognised as illegally occupied under international law. Israel has no legal basis to maintain its occupation, let alone annex any Palestinian or Arab land. It is allowed to do so, however, due to US-Western support and international silence.

But why is Israel keen on annexing the West Bank now?

Aside from the “great opportunity” linked to Trump’s return to power, Israel feels that its ability to sustain a genocidal war on Gaza without any international intervention to bring the extermination to an end, would make the annexation of the West Bank a far less consequential matter on the international agenda.

Even though the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a decisive ruling on the illegality of the Israeli occupation on 19 July, followed by the issuance of arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 21 November, no action was taken to actually hold Israel accountable. The annexation of the West Bank is unlikely to change that, especially as Israel conducts its wars and illegal actions with direct US support.

The Democratic administration of Joe Biden has financed and supported all Israeli wars, including the current genocide. Trump is expected to be equally generous, or at the very least, not at all critical.

With all of this in mind, the annexation of the West Bank in the coming weeks or months is a real possibility. In fact, Smotrich has already informed “workers of the Defence Ministry body in charge of Israeli and Palestinian civil affairs in the West Bank” about his plans to “shut down the department as part of an envisioned Israeli annexation of the area,” the Times of Israel reported on 6 December.

While such annexation will not change the legal status of the West Bank under international law, it will have dire consequences for the millions of Palestinians living there, as annexation is likely to be followed by a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing, if not from the whole of the West Bank, certainly from large parts of it.

Annexation will also render the Palestinian Authority legally irrelevant.

It was created following the Oslo Accords to administer parts of the West Bank in anticipation of a future sovereign state, which has never materialised. Will the PA agree to remain functional as part of the Israeli military administration of a newly annexed West Bank?

Palestinians will certainly resist, as they always do. The nature of the resistance will prove critical in the success or failure of the Israeli scheme. A popular Intifada, for example, will overstretch the Israeli military, which will likely use an unprecedented degree of violence to suppress Palestinians, but is unlikely to succeed.

Annexing the West Bank at a time when Palestine — in fact, the whole region — is in turmoil, is a recipe for perpetual war. From the viewpoint of Smotrich and his ilk, that will be another “great opportunity”, as it will secure their political survival for years to come.

December 16, 2024 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Illegal Occupation | , , , , | Leave a comment

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