Badlands News Brief
Damascus Has Fallen ... Cui Bono?
The News Cycle is almost impossible to track these days. At least, to do so fully.
That’s where we come in.
In the Badlands News Brief, the Badlands Media team hand pick news items of interest from the previous days to give you an overview of the biggest goings-on relevant to the Truth Community with some Badlands flavoring to help wash it down.
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Now, onto the news from the Weekend that Was …
Damascus Has Fallen: Assad Has Reportedly Left The Capital
Damascus has fallen. Unverified reports say President Assad and top officials have fled to Dubai or elsewhere but the situation overnight is fluid and anything but clear in terms of the location of top leadership. They may be in Latakia on the coast, or headed there. What is clear, however, is that the jihadists have entered the heart of the capital.
This brings to an end the last secular and Baathist state in the Middle East, and 50+ years of Assad family rule. Journalist Danny Makki, who is currently in Damascus, observes:
Literally Syrian military/security around Damascus just fled, ran away, changed into civilian clothes escaped, there was no battle for Damascus, it was abandoned and by tommorow it will be all under opposition control.
And Al Jazeera reports:
Videos from the Syrian capital, verified by Al Jazeera, appears to show soldiers leaving the city. The sound of gunfire could also be heard.
The footage was taken moments before opposition forces claimed entering Damascus. There’s been no confirmation or denial from government forces.
"Syrian rebel sources tell Al Jazeera Arabic that government forces have withdrawn from the Defence Ministry headquarters in Damascus," the report further indicates. State TV channels are in the hands of the anti-Assad factions. — ZeroHedge
And …
Syria’s Assad in Moscow – senior diplomat
Bashar Assad and his family are in Moscow, senior Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov said early Monday morning, seemingly confirming previous media reports that the former Syrian president has been granted asylum. The government in Damascus fell to militants on Sunday.
Ulyanov, who leads Moscow’s delegation to international organizations headquartered in Vienna, said the presence of the Assads in Moscow shows that “Russia does not betray its friends in difficult situations… unlike the US.”
On Sunday, Russian news agencies cited diplomatic sources as saying that Assad and his family members had arrived in Russia. They were reportedly granted asylum “on humanitarian grounds.”
Over the weekend, the Syrian Army stood down as Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadists and US-armed Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants advanced on Damascus and took over the Syrian capital. The anti-Assad forces declared him deposed and claimed control over the country’s government.
Assad agreed to step down following back-channel talks with unspecified armed groups and left the country, instructing officials to conduct “a peaceful transfer of power,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. — RT
Our Take: To me, this all seems like semantics.
Assad was reportedly in Moscow just last week meeting with Putin when these Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorists swept through Syrian cities and took them over. Are we to believe that he went running back to Syria—in a highly active warzone—to his capital, on the verge of collapse, only to turn right back around and flee back to Moscow?
Something tells me that Assad never left Moscow, and the media reporting that he has "fled" Syria was purely for dramatic effect.
But the question of "why" is heavy on the minds of many, so please allow me to attempt to decipher at least a few plausible reasons.
1) The natural gas pipeline(s.)
Sometime around 2009, two different pipelines were proposed from the Persian Gulf that would supply Europe with natural gas, directly challenging Russia's NordStream pipeline. One would have originated in Iran and terminated in Lebanon, where Liquid Natural Gas would have been refined and loaded onto ships; a competing proposal showed the pipeline originating in Qatar and running through Turkey and directly into Europe. Both proposals required their respective pipelines to traverse Syria. These proposals were both purportedly rejected by Assad.
2) The Five Seas Vision.
Following the death of his older brother, Dr. Bashar al-Assad (ophthalmologist) became the unlikely heir to his father, Hafez al-Assad. Bashar decided to focus on cultivating prosperity for his people, so in 2005 he proposed the Five Seas Vision, which was a proposal for an enormous rail system that would have connected the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Persian Gulf. At the heart of the rail network was Aleppo in Syria.
It is worth noting that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Chinese have approached Assad over the past few years about resurrecting this plan and implementing it as part of China's One Belt, One Road initiative and tying it into MBS's ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 plans.
3) Greater Israel.
Would it surprise any of you to hear that Netanyahu has already bragged publicly about ordering the IDF to start annexing land in the Golan Heights? (Which is still legally part of Syria despite the fact that it has been under military occupation by the IDF since the end of the Six Days War in 1967.)
Using a defense force to invade a foreign country and seize land is quite the Orwellian use of language.
Netanyahu is fulfilling the statement made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich back in October when he said in an interview that [Syrian capital] Damascus was part of Israel, based on his interpretation of the scriptures.
So, in summary, this is about sticking it to Putin, stifling prosperity, and fulfilling Talmudic prophecy.
In my opinion, there is no way that Putin and the lads are going to stand by and allow the globalist hegemony to topple yet another government and continue to impose itself on the world.
The Sovereign Alliance has been engaging in political power projection for many years now, but that means little if they cannot back it up, kinetically. The whole reason that Assad's Five Seas Vision failed 20 years ago is because he and his allies lacked the firepower to build something great in the face of their enemy, who only desires to see them suffer in stagnant subjugation.
Putin, Xi, and MBS will lose the support of their coalition if they do not put a stop to the regime change cartel. —
‘THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT’: Trump Rages Against U.S. Intervention in Syria
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday raged against any U.S. military involvement in Syria—and took a potshot at former President Barack Obama—as rebels broached the outskirts of the country’s capital city.
The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, has been engaged in a 13-year war effort to suppress uprisings from within the country that were first sparked by discontent with the authoritarian leader’s tenure.
With the conflict seemingly poised to boil over in Damascus, America’s president-elect offered his first detailed public remarks on the situation in a characteristically emphatic post on Truth Social.
Trump noted that Russia, a longtime ally of Syria, seemed incapable of stopping a “literal march through Syria” because they are “so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers.”
Trump himself has long drawn concern over his close personal allyship with Russia and President Vladimir Putin. He argued in his post that Assad being overthrown—and the prospect of Russia ceasing operations in Syria—could benefit the European giant.
[…]
“There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid,” Trump wrote.
“In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” he added. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” — The Daily Beast
Our Take: We're now told Israel is making moves with regards to Syria, and the fact that the region has been a sociopolitical powder keg is a feature of the ongoing storyline rather than a bug.
For the entirety of the Biden term, Trump needed to be out of a public position of power for the American Awakening to accelerate. But I've always personally felt that, at least on an Actual level, the more important maneuvers were taking place on the international scene.
From the Kabul Withdrawal to Russia in the Donbas and whatever comes of the Gaza Gordian Knot, and with China-Taiwan and even the Koreas boiling over, it seems quite obvious that Trump could not be seen as the Commander-in-Chief during this time period so Regime assets and factions could be taken off the game board by other players in the Sovereign Alliance.
Which is which and who is whom is up for interpretation ... but mark the public narrative re: "Israel for last," and reconcile it with Trump saying that this is "NOT OUR FIGHT!" —
First Signs Russia Is Evacuating Navy Ships From Syria
The Russian Navy base at Tartus in Syria appears under imminent threat as the civil war turns against the Assad regime. As the front lines draw closer, Russia is already taking precautions. Russia currently has five naval ships and a submarine based in Tartus. These comprise of two Gorskhov class frigates, one Grigorovich class frigate, two axillaries and an Improved-Kilo class submarine.
One of these vessels, the auxiliary Yelnya, was noted departing Tartus on the morning of December 2 2024, with information suggesting that some or all of the other vessels also left. This unexpected move comes several days into a sudden change in the situation in Syria’s ongoing civil war. The Assad regime, of which Russia is a key ally, is now on the back foot. Opposition forces are rapidly advancing towards the capital.
Although unconfirmed, this ship movement is considered likely to be directly related to the situation on the ground. If so it is the first visible sign that Russia is moving valuable assets out of the country. Respected naval analyst Droxford Maritime noted on X and Bluesky that “there is a realistic possibility departure is related to the worsening situation in Syria.” Yelnya is a Project 160 Altay class oiler, which is a valuable asset and important to maintaining Russia’s force in the Mediterranean. Information suggests that the submarine, frigates and another auxiliary also sailed out of Tartus. — Naval News
And …
Russian ships still at Tartus base – Lavrov
Russian ships have not left the base in Tartus after the surprise jihadist offensive against the Syrian government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Rumors circulating in the media could be based on incorrect assumptions due to exercises taking place in the Mediterranean, he added.
“Military exercises are being conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps the satellite images were mistaken for something else,” Lavrov said on Sunday after meeting with the Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers in Qatar.
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Iran, and Russia met in Doha on Saturday to discuss the lightning rebel advance in Syria. — RT
Our Take: Sergei Lavrov is such a gem. A real mensch.
Instead of excoriating his western counterparts for engaging in such shameless propaganda, he's giving them the benefit of the doubt (publicly) that they reported lies by mistake. This is why Lavrov is considered one of the great diplomats of this era—he always knows how to take the high road.
But this is also gamesmanship, with Lavrov firmly and stoically engaging in power projection against the Deep State. It's not only a message for them, it is a message for the rest of the world, because this moment represents (narratively) the contest between the globalist hegemony (Deep State) and the Sovereign Alliance.
If the Multipolar World Order is going to survive, let alone thrive, then it must demonstrate to the world that it is capable of imposing its decentralized (collective) will on those who threaten it. But unlike NATO, there isn't a blanket pact that says if one nation is attacked, everybody must go to war. These are decisions that will be based on bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding. It may take time for the entire network to get on board and on the same page, but it also won't be long before Israel is selecting its next target— as the leaders are already calling for Iran to become the next conquest.
Remember, this all began with Ukraine.
Either the Sovereign Alliance will capitulate and abandon their ambitions of a multipolar world, or they will maneuver and counter.
The War of Sovereignty. —
Another Take: This is a soft re-run of the 2021 Kabul Withdrawal by US troops, and Trump gave us a hint of it Saturday morning.
From an Actual perspective, the world is realigning around twin Regions of Responsibility/Sovereign Alliance lines, which Putin, Xi and even Trump refer to as multipolarity.
That means no more global police forces, and that includes Sovereign Alliance players.
Russia was in Syria in order to stop the advance of extremist groups propped up by the Western Globalist Hegemon. The US was in Kabul specifically to profit these same forces, and we're seeing instances of the template all over the world, with Ukraine the Prussian Proxy State being one of the most obvious examples.
So, Russia will ostensibly cease to operate in Syria under the guise of a withdrawal due to their ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Just like the US withdrawal from Kabul was blamed on the incompetence of the Biden Admin despite ALSO representing the consumation of the Doha Agreement.
The War is a Story. —
White House addresses Biden's debatable pardon for son in first public statement
The White House Press Secretary held a briefing Friday for the first time since President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden.
The President's spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, was met with questions about the controversial pardon after she said multiple times on different occasions that Biden would not pardon his son.
Jean-Pierre defended Biden for his decision, saying the circumstances have changed.
"The fact is, when you think about how the president got to this decision, circumstances have changed, they have," Jean-Pierre said.
She blamed Republicans who she said were "not going to let up" as Hunter Biden's sentencing for his trial conviction in his gun case was coming up.
She cited Biden's pardon and said that the President felt Hunter and his family had been through enough.
"He wrestled with these circumstances, with these changing circumstances, ultimately, and the combination of that the president changing his mind and issuing this pardon," she added. — Bakersfield Now
Our Take: The exchange below begs the question: Who wrote the referenced statement?
It’s “in his own voice” is Comms team jargon for the speaker & style of a specific message.
A message from the President “in his own voice” would be a tightly controlled comms channel, with specific rules for use and very few people with access to execute.
A comms professional should never publicly refer to a specific statement from a specific speaker as “in his own voice.”
Why wouldn’t it be? That kind of public statement undermines the credibility, and, therefore, effectiveness, of your communication program. Only in government.
Based on KJP’s response here, I’d wager there was a discussion about how to announce Hunter’s pardon. KJP clearly adopted the position that Joe needed to talk to the people “in his own voice,” and I bet she argued that it would project strength and authenticity.
Of course, her personal calculus likely included the ability to claim the president’s statement stands on its own and dodge questions.
So, who is writing in the president’s “own voice”?
It’s Jill, isn’t it? —
Netanyahu claims credit for starting ‘historic’ process that led to fall of Assad regime
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed credit for starting the chain of events that led to the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, hailing it as an “historic day,” as the military seized control of the buffer zone on the countries’ border.
“This is a historic day in the history of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said during a visit to Mount Bental on Israel’s border with Syria. “The Assad regime is a central link in Iran’s axis of evil — this regime has fallen. ”
“This is a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, the main supporters of the Assad regime,” Netanyahu argued, referencing the 14 months of combat against Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies since October 7 of last year.
“This has created a chain reaction throughout the Middle East of all those who want to be free from this oppressive and tyrannical regime,” he added.
Netanyahu hearkened back to the “Good Neighbor” policy Israel pursued at the height of the Syrian civil war, when the country provided medical treatment to thousands of Syrians, and sent thousands of tons of humanitarian goods into the country. “Hundreds of Syrian children were born here in Israel,” he noted. — Times of Israel
Our Take: Last week, the Times of Israel published an article that documented video interviews with the "Syrian rebels" that had aired on Israeli television. These rebels were from the group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which is a long-known Al Qaeda affiliate, who have fought alongside ISIS against Hezbollah and Assad in the Syrian Civil War over the past 12 years.
From that article:
“Nobody knows if Iran and the regime would have been weakened without the recent Israeli attacks in Syria, which have allowed us to return and free the lands and the country,”
Another rebel figure from the Idlib area who spoke to the network thanked Jerusalem and said the opposition was “very satisfied” with Israel’s actions against Hezbollah and other Iran-backed players. Hezbollah is avowedly committed to destroying Israel.
“They accuse us of cooperating with you because we were quite happy when you attacked Hezbollah, really happy, and we’re glad that you won,” the source said.
Both said the rebels had no issue with Israel. “We love Israel and we were never its enemies,” the man from the Idlib area said. “[Israel] isn’t hostile to those who are not hostile toward it. We don’t hate you, we love you very much.”
Yesterday, I recorded a podcast with AlphaWarrior on the Syria situation that will air this evening on his Rumble channel.
For those who don't know: Alpha enlisted in the Marines two days after 9/11. To this day, the official story is that the hijackers of those planes were Al Qaeada operatives, but most discerning researchers have now pieced together that Mossad's fingerprints were all over it, and that Al Qaeada was merely the scapegoat—or useful idiot, depending on what you think happened that day. Alpha clarified that it was Al Qaeda that he and his fellow Marines were fighting in Iraq.
It is also worth noting that, despite its rhetoric, Al Qaeda has never carried out an attack against Israel. I know that may sound hard to believe, so I would encourage you to go look it up for yourself. Likewise, ISIS has also never attacked the State of Israel. In fact, there was an incident in November 2016 where Al Qaeda fighters exchanged fire with the IDF in the Golan Heights. The following August, the former Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, said that ISIS reached out and apologized for the incident—despite the fact that the IDF allegedly killed four of their comrades during the exchange.
Does anybody else find any of this odd? The two most significant and notorious international terrorist organizations in modern history, and the reason that the US military is currently still deployed in the Middle East over 23 years after one of these groups purportedly flew airplanes into the World Trade Center buildings killing nearly 3,000 Americans... and neither of them have ever intentionally attacked the State of Israel, despite rhetoric (from Al Qaeda) for years that Israel is their sworn enemy?
And now Al Qaeda is saying that they love Israel and never considered them their enemy, and Netanyahu is openly thanking them for overthrowing Assad and promising to work with them on diplomacy?
According to the Republican Party, as well as the emerging Con Inc. alternative media, Netanyahu is our greatest ally.
Didn't Kash Patel just promise to release the 9/11 files?
Do you see how this situation is going to be the end of the Republican Party and ConInc?
(Checkmate, Shapiro.)
PS - Both the Times of Israel and Deep State NGO's have published articles over the past few days asserting that Al Qaeda has now adopted "Diversity is our strength" as a rallying cry, and no I am not kidding. We now have gay DEI jihadis fighting for Israel. What a timeline, lads. —
Another Take: Once more, Donald Trump is playing the international game board with aplomb, not committing to any specific outcome other than keeping the United States OUT of war while calling for peace.
Shortly after the October 7 story hit the zeitgeist, I've been saying the Middle East was the ultimate Kobayashi Maru (Impossible Task) of the current era ... and truthfully, of the last century.
Not just because it was SEEMINGLY impossible to solve generations, if not centuries of engineered strife in the region, but more so because both liberal and traditionally conservative audiences have been gaslit into defending one side or the other blindly despite copious evidence to the contrary.
In this ONE case, liberals might actually be ahead of conservatives on the macro.
Trump has praised defense of Israel while condemning its leadership. He's also made allusions to NATO crossing "red lines" against Russia.
Now ... Bibi is taking credit for something he probably shouldn't.
Awakening accelerates. —
Watch: Obama Suddenly Concerned About Election Rigging, Weaponizing Justice
Barack Obama suggested during a speech Thursday that Republicans are the ones weaponizing the justice system against their political enemies, and that Americans should be concerned about elections being rigged.
The remarks, made during an appearance at the ‘Democracy Forum’, had many noting how hypocritical the Democrats are, after years of stating that concerns of election rigging constitute ‘disinformation’, as well as actively sicking the Department of Justice on president Trump.
“Since total victory is impossible in a country politically split down the middle, the result is a doom loop of government gridlock, even greater polarization, wilder rhetoric, and a deepening conviction among partisans that the other side is breaking the rules and has rigged the game to tip it in their favor,” Obama stated.
He added, “One side tries to stack the deck and lock in [very long pause]… A permanent grip on power, either by actively suppressing votes or politicizing the armed forces or using the judiciary criminal justice system to go after opponents.” — Modernity News
Our Take: Elections are only free and fair if the Obama era regime is running them? That sounds like elections aren’t free and fair.
But that can’t be coming from Obama! He and his comrades are the reason that “election denialism” is even a term.
Obama was going to appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court and, when that didn’t work out, O’Biden named Garland to head DOJ. The outcome is the same when it comes to elections:
Garland’s job is to weaponize government power against those who question Democracy™️. They punish political opponents for other reasons, too, of course, but let’s focus on elections for the moment.
After years of likening election denialism to burning crosses, Democrat Communists are rediscovering that elections are fake. Hypocrisy doesn’t feel like a strong enough word. They ruined countless lives over their former position.
At the end of the day, while maddening, Obama’s hypocritical about-face is a good thing. Let’s audit all the elections, private vendors, NGOs, professional associations, Secretaries of State, and any other smoke on the horizon of Democracy™️.
Make Elections Real Again.
Make America Great Again. —
BONUS ITEMS
Trump meets with Macron, Zelensky in France
President-elect Donald Trump visited with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday in Paris, for a meeting that he said was to discuss the world going “crazy.”
Trump was greeted by Macron at Élysée Palace and said that the two leaders had “really great success working together on defense and offense” during his first administration.
“And it certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now and we’ll be talking about that,” the president-elect said Saturday.
He also cited that he and Macron have “a great relationship” and called the people of France “spectacular.”
In a post on Truth Social sharing a video of the exchange, Trump said he considered the trip “A GREAT HONOR.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also joined the meeting, greeting Trump with a handshake when he arrived. Trump has said he will end the war in Ukraine quickly when he is sworn into office next month.
Trump will attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral later in the day while in Paris. The cathedral suffered a devastating fire in the spring of 2019, causing its spire and wooden latticework of its roof to collapse.
First lady Jill Biden will attend the reopening as well. The White House said Friday that President Biden couldn’t go due to a scheduling conflict. — The Hill
Mexican Officials Make Record Fentanyl Seizure Days After Trump Tariff Warning
Mexican security forces said on Dec. 4 that they had made the largest fentanyl seizure in the country’s history, impounding 1,100 kilograms (1.2 tons) of the synthetic opioid in the state of Sinaloa.
Mexico’s top security official, Omar García Harfuch, said in a statement that more than a ton of fentanyl was seized by officials in Sinaloa state. Several guns were also seized, and two men were arrested, he said.
“This is an investigation that has been going on for a long time, and yesterday, it gave these results,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at a press conference on Dec. 4, referring to the fentanyl seizures.
Violence has worsened recently in Sinaloa, where factions of the Sinaloa Cartel have been engaged in bitter fighting that flared after the capture of kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July.
“These actions will continue until the violence in the state of Sinaloa decreases,” Harfuch said.
Sinaloa is home to the powerful drug cartel that bears the same name and was formerly headed by longtime drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is currently incarcerated at the ADX Florence federal prison in Colorado.
Security forces found the fentanyl at two properties in the municipality of Ahome after intelligence work and tip-offs from the public led them to investigate there. — The Epoch Times
60 Minutes: “We haven't been asking to be deregulated. We've been asking to be regulated,’” says Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse.
We hope you enjoyed this brief look back at the major news items you might have missed in this ever-escalating and ever-accelerating news cycle as the Information War continues to rage on around us.
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Trump’s emphatic statement: “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,” he added. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
One could argue that Obama utterly failed in making the Middle East “his/our” fight and that he intentionally promoted a Muslim Brotherhood caliphate (he had Muslim Brotherhood staff in his White House!) to elevate radical Islamists to the United Arab States…a vision Obama held to be on equal par with the United States. Publicly, Obama promoted “democracy” as our reason to meddle in Middle Eastern affairs…but covertly the goal was anything but democracy.
It is not our fight…Our fight is in our own homeland. Securing our borders. Restoring economic prosperity for our citizens. Eliminating the Federal Department of Educational Indoctrination. Cleaning up the nightmare of unelected bureaucratic rule. And most importantly, restoring our country as a channel for God radiating Light to the world…a position we were gifted with our Constitution and have nearly defaulted on through the infiltration of warped Marxist ideology.
Thank you Badlands!!! I could hardly wait for today’s Takes 🙏❤️🕊🕊
Obama's problem is that he still thinks he is "the It Girl" - the hottest thing of the moment. The guy just does not get that he doesn't carry the juice he once did, so when he goes off with his nose in the air, it is annoying. It always was, but he can't get away with it like he did in the past. My niece snd nephews were 5 and 8 when he took office. They all just voted a month ago. He is an old man in their eyes.