Northern Thunder: Immanent Saudi Invasion of Syria?

[georgephillip]

"350,000 soldiers, 20,000 tanks, 2,450 warplanes and 460 military helicopters are massing in northern Saudi Arabia for a military exercise that is being called 'Northern Thunder'”
http://www.infowars.com/world-war-3...-in-saudi-arabia-stand-ready-to-invade-syria/

RT is reporting similar developments.
Propaganda or WWIII?

"Soldiers from 20 countries are to gather in Saudi Arabia for massive military exercises lasting 18 days, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

"It comes as Riyadh has openly warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that he will be toppled.

"The Saudi state agency made the announcement on Sunday, adding that participating troops will begin arriving in 'the next few hours.'

"The oil-rich nation described the exercises as 'the largest and most important' military drills in the region’s history.

"The so-called 'Northern Thunder' exercise will take place in the north of the country and will include air, sea and land forces.

"SPA said that it will show that Riyadh and its allies 'stand united in confronting all challenges and preserving peace and stability in the region.'

"Among the participants will be Arab and African countries.

"The US and other Western powers have not been invited"
https://www.rt.com/news/332454-saudi-arabia-big-drills/

 

[georgephillip]

"Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired United States Army soldier and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Wilkerson is an adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary where he teaches courses on US national security. He also instructs a senior seminar in the Honors Department at the George Washington University entitled 'National Security Decision Making.'"

In this 7:33 TRNN interview, Colonel Wilkerson sees parallels between recent events in the Middle East and European events from August, 1914:

"WILKERSON: ...I mean, if you're looking at the Saudis coming in to help fight ISIS, which is the ostensible reason they announced they would come in, how does that hurt Assad?

"And if you look at the Turks coming in, or the Turks using armaments, ground or air otherwise, to help defeat ISIS, how does that defeat Assad?

"And yet that's both of their avowed purposes, Riyadh and Ankara, get rid of Assad.

"So this is extremely complex, and it's this kind of miscommunication, this kind of misapplication of military force, this kind of refugee situation, for example, that could lead--and let me tell you about, let me tell you about Jordan.

"Jordan is sitting there with a 1.5 million refugees inside its tiny little borders.

"You have got, as one of the members of the royal family told me not long ago, in Syracuse in Sicily, you have got an Iraqi or a Syrian family in every single Jordanian home.

"Every single Jordanian home.

"That is massively destabilizing.

"I suspect southern Lebanon is the same way.

"I suspect the northern part of Iraq, where the Kurds live, is the same way, because so many Kurds have fled into that region, to get away from the Syrian civil war.

"We're looking at a massive possibility for a lot of conflict from one end of that region to the other, north, south, east, and west.

"And to add the Russians and the United States into that, the Saudis into that, the Turks into that, it's just utter stupidity. But that's the way big wars evolve, sometimes."

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=15678

When (not if) the Big War comes, will you waste time blaming Republicans OR Democrats?

 

[Max R.]

"350,000 soldiers, 20,000 tanks, 2,450 warplanes and 460 military helicopters are massing in northern Saudi Arabia for a military exercise that is being called 'Northern Thunder'”
http://www.infowars.com/world-war-3...-in-saudi-arabia-stand-ready-to-invade-syria/

RT is reporting similar developments.
Propaganda or WWIII?

"Soldiers from 20 countries are to gather in Saudi Arabia for massive military exercises lasting 18 days, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

"It comes as Riyadh has openly warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that he will be toppled.

"The Saudi state agency made the announcement on Sunday, adding that participating troops will begin arriving in 'the next few hours.'

"The oil-rich nation described the exercises as 'the largest and most important' military drills in the region’s history.

"The so-called 'Northern Thunder' exercise will take place in the north of the country and will include air, sea and land forces.

"SPA said that it will show that Riyadh and its allies 'stand united in confronting all challenges and preserving peace and stability in the region.'

"Among the participants will be Arab and African countries.

"The US and other Western powers have not been invited"
https://www.rt.com/news/332454-saudi-arabia-big-drills/

Only the [Unwelcome language removed] Russians would be so paranoid they'd consider a military exercise a full nation away would be preparation to invade.

Obviously they are relying on the ignorance of dumbasses who can't read a [Unwelcome language removed] map.

 

[georgephillip]

Only the [Unwelcome language removed] Russians would be so paranoid they'd consider a military exercise a full nation away would be preparation to invade.

Obviously they are relying on the ignorance of dumbasses who can't read a [Unwelcome language removed] map.

I wonder how many Americans know how unstable the Middle East is right now?

This is how one expert explains his take on the current situation.

"Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired United States Army soldier and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Wilkerson is an adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary where he teaches courses on US national security. He also instructs a senior seminar in the Honors Department at the George Washington University entitled 'National Security Decision Making.'"

"So this is extremely complex, and it's this kind of miscommunication, this kind of misapplication of military force, this kind of refugee situation, for example, that could lead--and let me tell you about, let me tell you about Jordan.

"Jordan is sitting there with a 1.5 million refugees inside its tiny little borders.

"You have got, as one of the members of the royal family told me not long ago, in Syracuse in Sicily, you have got an Iraqi or a Syrian family in every single Jordanian home.

"Every single Jordanian home.

"That is massively destabilizing.

"I suspect southern Lebanon is the same way.

"I suspect the northern part of Iraq, where the Kurds live, is the same way, because so many Kurds have fled into that region, to get away from the Syrian civil war."
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=15678

 

[Max R.]

I wonder how many Americans know how unstable the Middle East is right now?...

I don't know, but it's been unstable for decades. Same goes for many African nations, but nobody gives a shit there because they don't have oil or other important trade value.

BTW,

 

[georgephillip]

I don't know, but it's been unstable for decades. Same goes for many African nations, but nobody gives a shit there because they don't have oil or other important trade value.

BTW,

"...you have got an Iraqi or a Syrian family in every single Jordanian home. Every single Jordanian home..."
It hasn't been this unstable in the last hundred years, at least. If Saudi or Turkish troops get involved on the ground in Syria...
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=15678

 

[Max R.]

"...you have got an Iraqi or a Syrian family in every single Jordanian home. Every single Jordanian home..."
It hasn't been this unstable in the last hundred years, at least. If Saudi or Turkish troops get involved on the ground in Syria...
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=15678

Dude, just because most people never heard of the Central African Republic doesn't mean everything is hunky-dory there.

 

[georgephillip]

Dude, just because most people never heard of the Central African Republic doesn't mean everything is hunky-dory there.

http://www.africom.mil/

 

[Queen Titania]

"350,000 soldiers, 20,000 tanks, 2,450 warplanes and 460 military helicopters are massing in northern Saudi Arabia for a military exercise that is being called 'Northern Thunder'”
http://www.infowars.com/world-war-3...-in-saudi-arabia-stand-ready-to-invade-syria/

RT is reporting similar developments.
Propaganda or WWIII?

"Soldiers from 20 countries are to gather in Saudi Arabia for massive military exercises lasting 18 days, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

"It comes as Riyadh has openly warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that he will be toppled.

"The Saudi state agency made the announcement on Sunday, adding that participating troops will begin arriving in 'the next few hours.'

"The oil-rich nation described the exercises as 'the largest and most important' military drills in the region’s history.

"The so-called 'Northern Thunder' exercise will take place in the north of the country and will include air, sea and land forces.

"SPA said that it will show that Riyadh and its allies 'stand united in confronting all challenges and preserving peace and stability in the region.'

"Among the participants will be Arab and African countries.

"The US and other Western powers have not been invited"
https://www.rt.com/news/332454-saudi-arabia-big-drills/

Turkey are invading too ---- wasn't that always the plan? To chop up Syria.

 

[SW48]

"350,000 soldiers, 20,000 tanks, 2,450 warplanes and 460 military helicopters are massing in northern Saudi Arabia for a military exercise that is being called 'Northern Thunder'”
http://www.infowars.com/world-war-3...-in-saudi-arabia-stand-ready-to-invade-syria/

RT is reporting similar developments.
Propaganda or WWIII?

"Soldiers from 20 countries are to gather in Saudi Arabia for massive military exercises lasting 18 days, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

"It comes as Riyadh has openly warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that he will be toppled.

"The Saudi state agency made the announcement on Sunday, adding that participating troops will begin arriving in 'the next few hours.'

"The oil-rich nation described the exercises as 'the largest and most important' military drills in the region’s history.

"The so-called 'Northern Thunder' exercise will take place in the north of the country and will include air, sea and land forces.

"SPA said that it will show that Riyadh and its allies 'stand united in confronting all challenges and preserving peace and stability in the region.'

"Among the participants will be Arab and African countries.

"The US and other Western powers have not been invited"
https://www.rt.com/news/332454-saudi-arabia-big-drills/

There is no such thing as a military exercise that big.

I call BS on this story.

 

[georgephillip]

Turkey are invading too ---- wasn't that always the plan? To chop up Syria.

"Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired United States Army soldier and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Wilkerson is an adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary where he teaches courses on US national security. He also instructs a senior seminar in the Honors Department at the George Washington University entitled 'National Security Decision Making...'"

In this 7:33 TRNN interview Colonel Wilkerson reveals some details about the degree of instability in the Middle East today:

"WILKERSON:"... if you're looking at the Saudis coming in to help fight ISIS, which is the ostensible reason they announced they would come in, how does that hurt Assad? And if you look at the Turks coming in, or the Turks using armaments, ground or air otherwise, to help defeat ISIS, how does that defeat Assad? And yet that's both of their avowed purposes, Riyadh and Ankara, get rid of Assad.

"So this is extremely complex, and it's this kind of miscommunication, this kind of misapplication of military force, this kind of refugee situation, for example, that could lead--and let me tell you about, let me tell you about Jordan.

"Jordan is sitting there with a 1.5 million refugees inside its tiny little borders.

"You have got, as one of the members of the royal family told me not long ago, in Syracuse in Sicily, you have got an Iraqi or a Syrian family in every single Jordanian home.

"Every single Jordanian home.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=15678

"That is massively destabilizing.

"I suspect southern Lebanon is the same way.

"I suspect the northern part of Iraq, where the Kurds live, is the same way, because so many Kurds have fled into that region, to get away from the Syrian civil war."

Hopefully, the Saudis are bluffing, but with the recent change in the House of Saud, who knows?

 

[georgephillip]

There is no such thing as a military exercise that big.

I call BS on this story.

I hope you're right. Since I don't have a television, I don't know if this story is getting MSM coverage, or not. It does appear authentic, however:

"First we were told that Pakistan is only training the Saudi forces. Then, Pakistan is only sharing intelligence with the Saudis. Now Pakistan is taking part in a military exercise with aggressive designs towards Syria..."

"Saudi Arabia is clear about its aims.

"It is not the Daesh it wants to eliminate but the Syrian government.

"Saudi foreign minister told CNN President Assad ‘will be removed by force’ if peace talks fail.

"The aim of the Northern Thunder is to not defend Saudi territory from invasion but to prepare for sending troops under a ruse to overthrow a government which Pakistan recognises as legitimate.

"Syria has already warned that Saudi or other foreign troops entering the country would 'return home in wooden coffins'.

"Iran which is an ally of Syria has taken a similar stand.

"By joining the Northern Thunder Pakistan has sent a wrong message that it agrees with the Saudi policy in the Gulf."

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/02/15/comment/northern-thunder/

According to other accounts I've read, Jordan has also committed troops to this "exercise." If that's true, it stretches credulity to think the US isn't involved.

 

[Queen Titania]

"Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired United States Army soldier and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Wilkerson is an adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary where he teaches courses on US national security. He also instructs a senior seminar in the Honors Department at the George Washington University entitled 'National Security Decision Making...'"

In this 7:33 TRNN interview Colonel Wilkerson reveals some details about the degree of instability in the Middle East today:

"WILKERSON:"... if you're looking at the Saudis coming in to help fight ISIS, which is the ostensible reason they announced they would come in, how does that hurt Assad? And if you look at the Turks coming in, or the Turks using armaments, ground or air otherwise, to help defeat ISIS, how does that defeat Assad? And yet that's both of their avowed purposes, Riyadh and Ankara, get rid of Assad.

"So this is extremely complex, and it's this kind of miscommunication, this kind of misapplication of military force, this kind of refugee situation, for example, that could lead--and let me tell you about, let me tell you about Jordan.

"Jordan is sitting there with a 1.5 million refugees inside its tiny little borders.

"You have got, as one of the members of the royal family told me not long ago, in Syracuse in Sicily, you have got an Iraqi or a Syrian family in every single Jordanian home.

"Every single Jordanian home.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=15678

"That is massively destabilizing.

"I suspect southern Lebanon is the same way.

"I suspect the northern part of Iraq, where the Kurds live, is the same way, because so many Kurds have fled into that region, to get away from the Syrian civil war."

Hopefully, the Saudis are bluffing, but with the recent change in the House of Saud, who knows?

https://www.rt.com/news/332718-turkey-secure-line-syria/

 

[georgephillip]

https://www.rt.com/news/332718-turkey-secure-line-syria/

Your link:

LATEST — Turkey wants secure line made 10 km within Syria, including town of Azaz, Deputy PM..."
00:59 - 17 февраля 2016

"...
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned on Wednesday that Ankara does not intend to stop shelling Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.

"He also called on the US to choose whether it wanted to back Turkey or the Syrian Kurds.

"Turkey has shelled Syrian Kurdish forces in northern Syria for four consecutive days as Ankara tries to stop the YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units) from claiming the town of Azaz, just 8km from the Turkish border."

August, 1914?

https://www.rt.com/news/332718-turkey-secure-line-syria/

 

[Queen Titania]

Your link:

LATEST — Turkey wants secure line made 10 km within Syria, including town of Azaz, Deputy PM..."
00:59 - 17 февраля 2016

"...
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioned on Wednesday that Ankara does not intend to stop shelling Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.

"He also called on the US to choose whether it wanted to back Turkey or the Syrian Kurds.

"Turkey has shelled Syrian Kurdish forces in northern Syria for four consecutive days as Ankara tries to stop the YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units) from claiming the town of Azaz, just 8km from the Turkish border."

August, 1914?

https://www.rt.com/news/332718-turkey-secure-line-syria/

It was in this related link

https://www.rt.com/news/332794-kurds-proof-turkey-islamists/

 

[georgephillip]

It was in this related link

https://www.rt.com/news/332794-kurds-proof-turkey-islamists/

"The Kurdish commander maintains that 'Turkish authorities think this way: if 3 million Syrian Kurds gain independence, then 20 million Turkish Kurds would want to do the same immediately.'

"To prevent this scenario and dishearten Kurds striving to form a state of their own, Turkey’s ruling AKP party would do anything within its powers, including 'inciting militants of Ahrar ash-Sham and Jabhat Al-Nusra [Al-Nusra Front] to attack Syrian regions inhabited by Kurds,' Karayılan said.

"He added that once these groups failed to defeat the Kurds, the AKP prompted Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] into attacking them, which resulted in the battle for the city of Kobani between September 2014 and March 2015.

"The Kurds have 'documented evidence' that the AKP, which is headed by Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, has ties with all those terrorist groups, Karayılan said.

"Turkey was fostering Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State from the very beginning, Karayılan claims.

“'We’re 100 percent positive Turkey is maintaining contact with IS, we’ve seen it with our own eyes,' the PKK leader said, stressing that meetings between top Turkish negotiators and IS members have been registered on multiple occasions."
So, maybe a NATO(minus Turkey) garrisoned "free" Kurdistan is back on the table?

Or not

 

[Days]

"The Kurdish commander maintains that 'Turkish authorities think this way: if 3 million Syrian Kurds gain independence, then 20 million Turkish Kurds would want to do the same immediately.'

"To prevent this scenario and dishearten Kurds striving to form a state of their own, Turkey’s ruling AKP party would do anything within its powers, including 'inciting militants of Ahrar ash-Sham and Jabhat Al-Nusra [Al-Nusra Front] to attack Syrian regions inhabited by Kurds,' Karayılan said.

"He added that once these groups failed to defeat the Kurds, the AKP prompted Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] into attacking them, which resulted in the battle for the city of Kobani between September 2014 and March 2015.

"The Kurds have 'documented evidence' that the AKP, which is headed by Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, has ties with all those terrorist groups, Karayılan said.

"Turkey was fostering Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State from the very beginning, Karayılan claims.

“'We’re 100 percent positive Turkey is maintaining contact with IS, we’ve seen it with our own eyes,' the PKK leader said, stressing that meetings between top Turkish negotiators and IS members have been registered on multiple occasions."
So, maybe a NATO(minus Turkey) garrisoned "free" Kurdistan is back on the table?

Or not

There is no such thing as a military exercise that big.

I call BS on this story.