Other Middle East news

Israeli navy boards activist ship en route to Gaza

Finnish ship SV Estelle is seen during an operation off the southern Greek island of Gavdos, south of Crete (AFP Photo / STR)

Israel’s defense forces have boarded a ship attempting to break through the Gaza blockade in “a peaceful operation.” The vessel was carrying Palestinian activists, parliamentarians and humanitarian cargo, said a mission spokesperson.

Six Israeli naval boats surrounded the SV Estelle’ 38 nautical miles from Gaza while it was still in international waters.

A spokesperson from the Israeli Department of Defense said that they were forced to intervene after the vessel ignored numerous warnings to change course and cooperate with the Israeli authorities.

"After the passengers ignored calls to change course, the decision was made to board the vessel and lead it to the port of Ashdod,” said the spokesperson, adding that no one was injured when the marines seized control of the ship.

The organizers of the activist mission to Gaza announced over the radio that their vessel had come under attack shortly after it was approached by Israeli ships.....

http://rt.com/news/israel-board-ship-gaza-851/

Turkey Has Fired on Syria 87

Times, Killed 12 Syrian

Soldiers

The Assad regime appears reluctant to escalate conflict with Turkey, while NATO hopes to contain the violence

The Turkish military has fired on Syria 87 times in recent weeks, killing 12 Syrian soldiers and destroying several tanks, supposedly in retaliation for Syrian shells and mortars landing across the border into Turkish territory.

Turkey has been firing on Syria ever since Syrian shells killed five Turkish civilians in early October. Ankara continues to claim its ongoing cross-border attacks are merely retaliatory, but its response has been disproportionate and many observers think Turkey has ulterior motives and is vying for a NATO intervention.

Turkey has experienced destabilizing effects from Syria’s bloody civil conflict, but its decision early on to aid and arm Syrian rebel fighters trying to overthrow the Assad regime was irresponsible, and also could potentially prompt an outbreak of war.

Ankara may want an escalation in the stand-off with Syria, but there will be no NATO war without US backing. Although the US has been meddling in Syria’s conflict – by sending aid to the rebel fighters and fueling the violence – many in the US  still don’t see an outbreak of war in Syria as workable.

The sectarian nature of the conflict brings back very fresh memories of the power vacuum and subsequent descent into chaos that broke out in Iraq. Furthermore, the opposition has elements of extremism and even al-Qaeda in it, and there’s no viable organized opposition for anyone to support.

Half measures like imposing a no-fly zone would also worsen the situation, given Assad’s considerable anti-aircraft capabilities, which are located in urban areas, putting more civilians at risk if the US were to try to take them out. This is also likely to expand the conflict outside Syria’s borders, something even war planners aren’t willing to risk.

http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/20/turkey-has-fired-on-syria-87-times-killed-12-syrian-soldiers/

US Behind Turkish Downing

of Syrian Passenger Plane

US 'Tipped Off' Turkish Military on Suspicions

 

 

According to unnamed US officials, it was American intelligence agencies that were behind Turkey’s decision to force down a Syrian passenger plane last week, to follow up on US suspicions that the plane had Russian military hardware aboard.

Turkish officials made unspecified claims of the search turning up “objectionable” material, but Russian officials insist all that was on board were “dual use” radar parts, which are not banned from being on civilian aircraft. The US State Departmentcondemned Russia for pointing this out.

This “tip” and the subsequent deleterious effect it has had on Russo-Turkish relations is part of what Obama Administration officials call growing military ties with Turkey as the Syrian Civil War continues to worsen.

Of course, Turkey was already one of the largest military powers in NATO, and so had a pretty close relationship with the US as it is, but officials now concede that they have been talking with Turkey about the idea of attacking Syria to impose a “no-fly zone.” No decision has been made, and such a move would be an act of war, one likely to spark a major reaction from Russia and China, two close allies of Syria.

http://news.antiwar.com/2012/10/19/us-behind-turkish-downing-of-syrian-passenger-plane/

Former Gaddafi spokesman 'captured'

Moussa Ibrahim "arrested" at a checkpoint southwest of Tripoli while trying to flee Bani Walid, a Gaddafi stronghold.

Moussa Ibrahim, who served as the last spokesman for deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been arrested in a town southwest of the capital Tripoli, according to the prime minister's office.

Mustafa Abu Shagur, Libya's deputy prime minister, confirmed the news on Saturday on microblogging site Twitter with the following post: "Criminal Moussa Ibrahim was arrested and he is now on his way to Tripoli."...

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/10/2012102014924315670.html