Retired US army colonel Lawrence Wilkerson touches on a number of hot topics, from a potential war between Lebanon and “Israel”, the dwindling Israeli military capabilities, to Biden’s Middle East doctrine, all the while casting doubt on Trump’s re-election.
Former chief of staff to US Secretary of State Colin Powell: Best case scenario for “Israel” in future war with Hezbollah would be a stalemate
Video via Al Mayadeen English
Israel and its proxies in Washington are stepping up their efforts to promote war against Iran. Their arguments, however, can be easily debunked.
Rebutting AIPAC’s case for war with Iran
Arabic press review: Lawsuit filed against Iran president in US over 1988 executions
According to the Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) accused Raisi, president since August 2021, of committing crimes of “torture and murder” against Iranian opponents in the late 1980s when he was at the Public Prosecutor’s office.
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The NCRI, which says it has support from 50 members of Congress*, called on the US administration to prevent Raisi from visiting the US and delivering a speech before the United Nations General Assembly next September.
Related:
The National Council of Resistance of Iran is an Iranian political organization based in France and Albania. The organization is a political coalition calling to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran. The coalition is made up of different Iranian dissident groups, with its main member being the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK).
— Wikipedia
The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO).
— Wikipedia
What Should MeK’s Supporters Know about Operation Forough-e Javidan? (archived)
For first time, Iran releases name of martyrs killed by MKO terrorists during 1988 ops
Dozens of social media accounts operating for years in an attempt to influence people in the Middle East and Asia have been shut down. Now a major new study believes the US is likely behind it
US accused over huge ‘covert pro-Western’ digital campaign targeting Middle East
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CONOPs
Evaluating Five Years of Pro-Western Covert Influence Operations
The US government got caught using sock puppets to spread propaganda on social media
The data analyzed came from 146 Twitter accounts (which tweeted 299,566 times), 39 Facebook profiles, and 26 Instagram accounts, along with 16 Facebook pages and two Facebook groups. Some of the accounts were meant to appear like real people and used AI-generated profile pictures. Meta and Twitter didn’t specifically name any organizations or people behind the campaigns but said their analysis led them to believe they originated in the US and Great Britain.
For anyone who’s ever been within 15 feet of a history book, the news that the US is using covert action to push its interests in other countries won’t come as a surprise. It is, however, interesting that these operations were uncovered just as social media companies are gearing up to deal with a wave of foreign interference and misinformation in our own elections.
The report also comes right on the heels of a bombshell whistleblower report from Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, Twitter’s former head of security, which accused the company of lax security practices and misrepresenting the number of bots on its platform (something the US government is investigating and that Twitter has strongly denied).
The US launched more airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, marking the third day of violence since President Biden ordered the bombing of facilities in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, on Tuesday night.
US Launches More Airstrikes in Syria, Says Four Killed
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US Carries Out Airstrikes Targeting ‘Iran-Backed’ Groups in Syria
A Pentagon statement on August 15 said a US base in al-Tanf, Syria, was attacked by a series of drones causing no damage or injuries. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. The White House has not provided evidence that an Iranian-backed group carried out the attack.
The US occupies about a third of Syrian territory with 900 troops. Washington claims its forces remain in Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of the Islamic State. However, Iranian-backed groups support the government of Bashar al-Assad, an avowed enemy of ISIS. In recent months, ISIS has carried out several attacks against Assad’s forces, killing scores of soldiers.
President Joe Biden asserted he had Constitutional authority to carry out the strikes. “The President gave the direction for these strikes pursuant to his Article II authority to protect and defend US personnel by disrupting or deterring attacks by Iran-backed groups,” the press release said.
While Article II may give Biden the power to defend US troops, Congress has never passed a declaration of war or authorization of military force for Syria. Without Congressional authorization, three successive American presidents bombed Syria.
Former national security adviser John Bolton said he was embarrassed when he found out $300,000 was being offered to assassinate him
Bolton ’embarrassed’ at low price allegedly offered in assassination plot
I’m surprised that he’s even worth that much (if the story is even true)!
‘New work of fiction’: Iran rejects US claim of plot to kill ex-NSA John Bolton
The US claim comes at a crunch moment in talks on reviving a nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that Washington had abandoned in 2018 but has said it wants to rejoin, with Iran now considering what European Union mediators have called a “final” text.
WASHINGTON — A fist bump and meeting with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Tariffs and export controls on China. Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
On U.S. Foreign Policy, the New Boss Acts a Lot Like the Old One
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No more mean Tweets, at least. /sarcasm
When U.S. president Joe Biden recently held a number of talks in the Middle East, Iran was one point on his agenda. The U.S. has made it clear that it does not want to reenter into the nuclear deal with Iran. It is instead again attempting a ‘maximum pressure’ strategy to pressure Iran into additional concessions.
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In his book The Great Chessboard the former National Security Advisor of the United States Zbigniew Brzeziński wrote:
“Potentially, the most dangerous scenario [for America] would be a grand coalition of China, Russia, and perhaps Iran, an ‘anti-hegemonic’ coalition united not by ideology but by complementary grievances.”
Joe Biden has finally managed to create that.
In The Multipolar World Iran Will No Longer Fear US Sanctions
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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