UN urges Greek Cyprus, 'bully' Turkey to ease tensions over energy.

UN urges Greek Cyprus, 'bully' Turkey to ease tensions over energy.(Taz).

U.N. envoy Espen Barth Eide on Oct. 8 urged Greek Cyprus and Turkey to take steps to ease tensions over the divided island's energy search, warning it could harm the peace process.

Greek Cyprus on Oct. 8 suspended its participation in U.N.-led peace negotiations in protest over moves by Turkey to undermine its right to exploit gas and oil reserves.

Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Dervis Eroglu had been due to meet Thursday inside the U.N.-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia.

"I think it's very important now that everybody acts responsibly and avoid further escalation," Eide told reporters after meeting Wednesday with Anastasiades, president of the internationally-recognised Republic of Cyprus.

The Norwegian diplomat said an understanding had to be reached "as soon as possible" to ensure the island's energy resources are shared between all Cypriots.

Anastasiades's government has not clarified whether the peace process would be put on hold indefinitely, only saying that it was taking "legal and diplomatic" steps against Turkey's "hostile action" in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone.

But the envoy said that without a solution the energy issue will remain a source of conflict. "Oil and gas can be either a blessing or curse," said Eide.

"If it is well managed it will be a source of wealth for all Cypriots, if it becomes a source of tension it will be a problem for everyone and then it will be more of a curse than a solution." Eide said it was up to the leaders when they start the peace talks.

"I cannot force people to meet but I hope that it will be soon, (and) while they are not meeting I will keep talking to both."       

Turkish troops invaded and occupied the northern third of Cyprus in 1974 in response to an Athens-engineered coup aimed at uniting it with Greece. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey.

Ankara opposes Nicosia's exploitation of offshore hydrocarbon reserves before any peace deal, but is itself determined to search for oil and gas in an area the Cypriot government has licensed exploratory drills.

The Greek Cypriots argue that the failure to reach a settlement should not mean such projects are put on hold.

Italian-Korean energy consortium ENI-Kogas began deep sea drilling off Cyprus for possible gas last month in a second block to undergo exploratory tests since the first find in 2011.

U.S. firm Noble Energy made the first find in the Aphrodite field, which is estimated to contain 102 billion to 170 billion cubic metres (3.6 trillion to six trillion cubic feet) of gas.

Government officials in Nicosia say Ankara, which does not recognise the zone, has announced that a Turkish seismic vessel would carry out a survey in the same area as ENI-Kogas's platform from mid-October.

Ankara has also threatened to boycott energy firms operating off Cyprus, while in the past Nicosia accused it of "gunboat diplomacy" by harassing international ships involved.  Hmmmm....Turkey needs Oil and Gas..... he will get it at Cyprus and Syria, no doubt in my mind.....just ask the Kurds about 'Turkish diplomacy'

'Counterterrorism adviser' who called Jerusalem 'Al-quds' to be named CIA Director, by Barack Hussein Obama

'Counterterrorism adviser' who called Jerusalem 'Al-quds' to be named CIA Director, by Barack Hussein Obama.HT: IsraelMatzav.

But Israel's supporters should also be concerned by the nomination of John Brennan. John Brennan is the guy who looks for moderates in Hezbullah (also here between 6:14 and 9:15), speaks lovingly of 'al-Quds,' and refers to jihad as a 'legitimate tenet of Islam.' Brennan was also the architect of the Obama administration's policy of removing 'jihad' and 'Islam' and 'terrorism' from the discourse of law enforcement agencies (a policy on which he was opposed by outgoing CIA director David Petraeus), and has charged that Americans don't have sufficient sensitivity to the Muslim world.

Hmmmm...... This is the guy that has literally wiped up all mention of Islam in relation to terrorism and terrorist attacks."Israel you're on your own........"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it" ~ Zech. 12:3.Read the full story here.

Barack Obama to nominate today John Brennan as CIA director and Hagel As Defence Sec.

Barack Obama to nominate today John Brennan as CIA director and Hagel As Defence Sec.(NDtv).Washington: President Barack Obama will nominate John Brennan as his next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Brennan, a 25-year CIA veteran, currently serves as Obama's top counterterrorism adviser. The White House says the president will announce Brennan's nomination during an event on Monday afternoon.
At the same event, an administration official says, the president will also formally announce that he is nominating Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary. Both men must be confirmed by the Senate.
Obama considered Brennan for the top CIA job in 2008. But Brennan withdrew his name amid questions about his connection to enhanced interrogation techniques while serving in the spy agency during the George W. Bush administration.
Brennan denied involvement in the controversial interrogation tactics, including waterboarding, and has spoken out against them.Hmmmm.....Obama: "But I’m also mindful of the proverb, “A man is judged by his deeds, not his words.” So if you want to know where my heart lies, look no further than what I have done — to stand up for Israel."Read the full story here.

Mr. Hagel and the Jews.

Staunchest 'allies' of Israel.

Mr. Hagel and the Jews.(WS).By Eliot Abrams.During the hearings on Chuck Hagel’s nomination to be secretary of defense, it’s clear that the views of gay rights organizations will be heard. There the issue seems to be whether Hagel’s apology for previous remarks and beliefs was sincere, or motivated solely by self-interest. He had years to apologize publicly, but did so only when opposition from gay rights groups threatened his nomination.
But in the case of allegations of anti-Semitism, Hagel has not even apologized. He has remained silent, though one can expect the usual “perhaps I didn’t word that sentence as best I might have” excuse to emerge at his hearings. The question is, what might he have to apologize for? Why would anyone think he was an anti-Semite?
Here the testimony of the Jewish community that knew him best is most useful: Nebraskans. And the record seems unchallenged: Nebraskan Jewish activists and officials have said he was hostile, and none—including Obama supporters and Democratic party activists—have come forward to counter that allegation.Read the full story here.

Video - Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): Hagel an 'in your face nomination by the President to all of us who are supportive of Israel'

HT: IsraelMatzav.

Chuck Hagel Obama's 'future' defense secretary: "People say we're not fighting for oil. Of course we are,"

"Could we go after the Jews their oil?" this is Not a real quote!

Chuck Hagel Obama's 'future' defense secretary: "People say we're not fighting for oil. Of course we are," (WS).In a post yesterday waxing enthusiastic about Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, Michael Moore called attention to a statement of Hagel that I don't believe had been previously much noted. Here it is, from September 2007:

"People say we're not fighting for oil. Of course we are," said the Republican Senator from Nebraska Chuck Hagel to law students of Catholic University last September. "They talk about America's national interest. What the hell do you think they're talking about? We're not there for figs."

This rounds out a Hagelian worldview—but I also wonder if it could be the straw that breaks the back of Hagel's chances. It's true that senators have been notified in the last few days that Hagel is the likely choice.
But the latest AP story has the Obama administration keeping the door open for the president to go in a different direction: "White House aides said the president has not made a final decision on either post and won't until he returns from Hawaii, where he is vacationing with his family. Obama is due back in Washington Sunday morning." Now, when Obama returns, he'll have to come to grips with the Hagel war-for-oil statement.
After all, this vulgar and disgusting charge has always been out of even the anti-war mainstream. It's something President Obama, an opponent of the Iraq war, has never (to my knowledge) said. Obama thought the war a mistake for various reasons. But he never bought in to the far-left trope that it was, secretly, a war for oil.
What's more, isn't Hagel’s statement a direct attack on the motives and honesty of those senators who supported the war—including Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry? Indeed, what does it say about Chuck Hagel, who voted to authorize the war in October 2002? He knew it was a war for oil, didn't say so at the time, but voted for it anyway? And then, a few years later, at the height of the fighting by American soldiers in Iraq, he proclaims with false braggadocio the alleged truth that it's all just a war for oil?
Is President Obama really going to nominate this man as secretary of defense? Hmmmm.....I wonder how he feels about Israel's Gas and Oil fields?Read the full story here.

"Échec et mat" - This could be Russia's Masterstroke: Bailing Out Cyprus.

"Échec et mat" - This could be Russia's Masterstroke: Bailing Out Cyprus.(GI).By Peter Martino.

"Cyprus is a prey Russia has long been eyeing, both as a substitute for Syria, and as a permanent naval base for the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean."

What a fine mess the Europeans have made with their deluded dream of a common European currency for 17 countries with different languages, cultures, traditions and economic systems. As a result of the experiment with the euro, almost all countries along Europe's southern rim are on the brink of bankruptcy. One of them is Cyprus. It, too, urgently needs a bailout. This week, the Cypriotic government needs €4bn to recapitalize the country's second largest bank.Cyprus, however, is in a comfortable position. The other beggars are forced to accept bailout from the European Union in exchange for diminished national sovereignty, EU imposed austerity measures and direct supervision from Brussels over their budgets and economies. Cyprus, however, has an alternative. "We have other options," the Cypriotic Finance Minister Vassos Shiarly recently told journalists in Nicosia. Economists expect that to keep Cyprus afloat, it will need between €25 and 50bn in the coming years. Nicosia, however, is resisting pressure from the other EU countries to take a first bailout package worth as much as €10bn.
Cyprus does not want to accept the strings attached to the European offer. The Cypriotic alternative is called Russia. Last December, Moscow already gave Nicosia a bilateral loan of €3bn. Eager, since the era of Peter the Great, to acquire a strategic foothold in the Eastern Mediterranean, Russia is now offering even more. And with President Demetris Christofias of Cyprus happy to accommodate his friend Vladimir Putin, there is no doubt that Nicosia will turn to Moscow rather than to Brussels.Christofias is a Communist – he is, in fact, the only Communist leader in the European Union – and, under the EU's rotating chairmanship, he will be chairing the EU meetings from July 1^st until the end of the year.
As pointed out earlier in this Gatestone column, if Russia steps in, the strategic situation in the entire Eastern Mediterranean could change. Russia stands to gain most out of the eurozone crisis. Cyprus is a prey which it has long been eying. If Moscow loses Syria as its ally, it needs Cyprus as a substitute. Bailing out Nicosia is a bargain price to acquire a permanent naval base for the Russian fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus is said to be so high on Russia's priority list that President Putin himself is currently dealing with the €4bn loan request from Nicosia. The interest charged by the Russians is 4.5%, which is far better than Cyprus can get anywhere else. The financial risk for the Russians is limited. There is every chance that Cyprus will be able to repay their bilateral loans fairly soon. Nicosia hopes to start exploiting the huge gas reserves off the Cypriotic coast in the coming decade. With Russian help, it might even be able to exploit these gas fields within the next five years.The gas fields are an additional reason why Cyprus is a good long-term investment for the Russians. But there are many other reasons. The Russian presence in Cyprus is already very strong. Cyprus is a favourite holiday resort for the Russian middle and upper classes. It could easily become a Russian Florida. Some 50,000 Russians – mostly retirees – are already living permanently on the island. They are attracted by its climate and by the cultural affinities with the Cypriots, who, like the Russians, are Orthodox Christians. Cyprus is also used by Russians as an offshore banking center. This, too, is why the Russians will do their best to support the Cypriotic banking system.A Russian deal is a win-win situation for both Russia and Cyprus. As soon as Russia has acquired a solid foothold on Cyprus, the third largest island of the Mediterranean Sea, it will be able to drop Assad, thereby reducing the current diplomatic tensions between Washington and Moscow over Syria. Cyprus, on the other hand, welcomes Russian backing: its intention to exploit the gas fields has merely led to tensions with Turkey. With the Russian bear behind its back, it will be easier to deter the Turks. The pro-Turkish attitude of the EU authorities in Brussels has long angered the Cypriots.
If Russia, as a result of its interference in Cyprus, becomes involved in a quarrel with Turkey, this, too, might lead to superficially better, if unreliable, relations with Israel. The animosity between Israel and its NATO ally Turkey has been rising lately. There is little doubt that Putin, during this week's visit to Israel, will discuss not just Syria, Iran and Turkey with the Israeli leadership, but also Russia's growing involvement in Cyprus.
If Cyprus proves to be better off with Russia's financial, political and strategic backing than Greece with the assistance of the European Union, the close relations between the Greeks and the Cypriots might convince Greece that it, too, should turn to Moscow rather than to Brussels for financial and economic help. A strategic realignment in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East might then be in the offing. If the EU and NATO keep regarding the pro-Islamic government in Turkey as their preferred ally, before they know it they might be confronted with an alliance of Russia, Cyprus and Greece – a strong Christian-Orthodox axis against the Turks. And whom would this alliance target after that?
Comment: The relationship between one's debt and its ability to conduct rationale and effective foreign policy is clear. America, with its massive debt puts herself in a most weak position. America's energy policies also place her in a position to not move to support stability in regions far away from her shores. For example, the gas field find in the Mediterranean is an energy game changer in this part of the world. It also established a new flash point for violence-Israel's gas filed find is being challenged by this same group-Cyprus is "next door" to Israel and if you don't think military action is going to be avoided than you are naive as the summer days are long. Russia wanted back in as a "player", everyone is cooperating-even we in Israel are playing the "game"-Putin arrived two blocks from my home in Netanya yesterday for a "ceremony"-really now why do you think he agreed to do this?Read the full story here.

More:  Axis Moscow-Tel Aviv by Turkish & Islamic - V.Poutin the event of unforeseen circumstances in Israel!   here from a Greek Source,(GoogleTranslate).

Turkish Factor In Leviathan and Aphrodite ‘Energy Wars’.

Turkish Factor In Leviathan and Aphrodite ‘Energy Wars’.(Stratrisks).Source: Noravank/Groong

Sevak Sarukhnyan
Deputy Director of “Noravank” Foundation,
Head of the Center for Political Studies, Candidate of Science (Political Science)

Finding vast reserves of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean has turned this region into a stage of new energy and political contradictions. On the one hand Israel and Cyprus, in which waters the reserves were found, and on the other hand Turkey, which wants to consolidate its positions in the Mediterranean, tend to protect their claims on the gas sea reserves.

“Leviathan” gas field as a source of energy security of Israel

Leviathan gas field, which is located in the Mediterranean Sea in 135km from the Israeli Haifa, was discovered in 2010 by the American Noble Energy Company, which concluded contract with Israeli government back in 2008 on initiating joint gas and oil exploration in the Mediterranean. The gas reserves found in 2010 can be considered rather impressive as, according to Noble Energy the total natural gas reserves in this field are estimated up to 450 billion m3 which makes it one of the biggest gas fields in the world. The importance of Leviathan for Israel is conditioned by the fact that it will exempt the Jewish state from the energy dependence on Egypt, which imports exports gas to Israel. Taking into consideration that the political processes going on in Egypt since 2011 can bring to power “Muslim brothers”, who are of radical anti-Israeli orientation, discovering and processing of a gas field of its own has become for Israel an issue of paramount national importance.
On the other hand Israel is interested in reducing the level of energy cooperation with Turkey, which has not proved to be a realizable partner for Israel recently and tends to strengthen its positions in the Middle East and with this purpose it widely uses local Islamists. A gas field, which has reserves counting 450 billion m3, may provide Israel consuming maximum 3 billion m3 of gas annually with gas for the near 100 years. This will be a sound solution of Israel’s energy security issue and ensure the energy independence from Egypt and Turkey.
At the same time it should be mentioned that Leviathan also has rather big oil reserves, the volume of which is not cleat yet. According to preliminary research there are about 500 million tons, which turns this field into crucial oil factor. This can become important not only for Israel but for the whole region either as Israel will not be dependent on Azerbaijani oil and Turkish Ceyhan port any more. The latter, according to the Turkish plans, should become the biggest energy hub in the region, the importance of which is conditioned by the dependence of the Mediterranean region on the Caspian oil. This dependence may simply disappear thanks to the Leviathan.

“Leviathan” development

For Israel, which does not possess appropriate means for the development of the gas field and production of the gas, it is important from whom it will receive help for making necessary investments in the gas field. The consortium, which was established for the development of the oil field, consists of small companies, which cannot provide appropriate investments due to the scantiness of means.

“Leviathan” development consortium

Due to this reason it is eagerly discussed what real chances Noble Energy Company, which has $15 billion capitalization, has for the development of Leviathan. According to the opinion of the American analyst Jim Fink published by authoritative Investing Daily periodical¹ this American company, with its headquarters in Texas, is obliged to cede its positions to a bigger company, which would be able to invest proper money for the development of the gas field and gas production.
It is obvious that Leviathan will attract new investors to the region and those investors may be the biggest oil and gas companies. The latter are closely connected with the western governments and in some of the companies the biggest shareholders are the members of the Jewish communities. Selling the share of Noble Energy to some big energy company, which would be able not only to provide technical backup of the project but also ensure necessary political support, taking into consideration aggressive policy of Turkey directed to obtaining the share of its own in Aphrodite and Leviathan, can become a natural continuation of the ongoing negotiations. But before referring to the Turkish interests let us turn to the CypriotAphrodite gas field, which is, according to the geologists, natural continuation of Leviathan and it has bound Israel and Cyprus politically.

“Aphrodite” gas field as a guarantee of economic security of Cyprus

Aphrodite gas field, which is a continuation of the Israeli Leviathan but is situated in the Cypriot maritime zone, was discovered in 2011 by the same Noble Energy Company. The amount of gas there is considerable. According the geological exploration there are about 400-600 billion m3 of gas and about 300 million tons of oil. If we take into consideration that Aphrodite and Leviathan are two parts of the same gas field, we can state that this field is the biggest among those which have been discover over recent ten years.
After discovering Aphrodite Cyprus will, most probably, become a big energy carriers supplier, taking into consideration first of all the fact that the Republic of Cyprus does not have big consumer market, which is conditioned by an absence of industry in the country.
For Cyprus the discovered gas and oil supplies can become a guarantee of countries independence and sovereignty. After the economic crisis in Greece the financial and economic situation in Cyprus worsened as the Cypriot economy and financial system are directly dependant on Greece. The bankruptcy of the latter can result in the bankruptcy of Cyprus as well, because alongside with the immigration of the Greek population, the emigration of Muslim, mainly Arab migrants to the country has grown, especially after war in Iraq. A new wave of emigrants to Cyprus is also expected from Syria where the political crisis may even deepen ethnic and religious contradictions and cause new wave of migration to Cyprus.
In this aspect the Cypriot authorities may use big oil and gas supply for the economic development and curbing migration of Greeks from the country. It is clear that considering all this Cyprus is ready to wage struggle for protection of its rights on newly discovered fields even if the other party is big and influential Turkey.

Turkey and fields in the Mediterranean

Since 2010 Turkey has been contesting rights of Cyprus and Israel on managing gas and oil fields discovered in the Mediterranean. As we can see from the map brought above, those fields are so far from the Turkish coast that one can state without any analysis that the Turkish claims are simply absurd. But Ankara is of other opinion and adopted policy which can complicate development of the gas and oil fields discovered by Israel and Cyprus and creation of an appropriate infrastructure.
Turkey contests the fact that these fields are situated in the waters which are not divided between the neighboring countries. Though in 2010-2011 Israel and Turkey adjusted the principles of delimitation of waters and signed a document on that delimitation, Turkey continues contesting Israeli and Cypriot rights.
In June 2011 the Minister of Energy of Turkey T. Yildiz stated that the Republic of Cyprus has no right to export gas without adjusting the issue of re-division of the reserves with Ankara. And the president of the Turkish part of Cyprus Dervis Eroglu stated that though the gas and oil fields were situated near the southern shore of the island they could not be developed only by the Greeks as they are of general importance for the whole island.
On September 8, 2011, after the conclusion of Israeli-Cypriot agreement on delimitation, the Turkish prime-minister Erdogan in his interview to Al-Jazeera while speaking about Leviathan stated: “Israel has begun to declare that it has the right to act in exclusive economic areas in the Mediterranean,” meanwhile Israel “will not be the owner of this right”. During the same interview Erdogan threatened that Turkish navy can set control over any part in the Mediterranean where Turkish interests are contested. The statement of the Turkish prime-minister evoked a wide response in Israel where it was taken as a hostile act and a threat. The Minister of Intelligence of Israel Dan Meridor called Erdogan’s statement“risky and serious”, adding that Israel was ready to face any challenge.
The former Israeli ambassador to Turkey Alon Liel who is today considered to be one of the most authoritative Israeli analysts, in his interview regarding Erdogan’s statement explained that in his opinion the main reason of such an approach of the Turkish side was rather stirring up of the Israeli-Cypriot cooperation (which is characterized not only by economic but also by military components) than the gas and oil fields. According to Liel after discovering huge reserves of oil and gas Israel will built a big port on the territory of Cyprus in cooperation with the local government and this port will serve for exporting oil and gas to the international markets. In his opinion this is the main reason of concern for Turkey as such a big port constitutes real threat to Ankara’s strategy, among the provisions of which the suppression of the Greek part of the Cyprus and turning Turkey into a main port hub are mentioned.
Against the background of Turkish threats Israel without any concern spent the end of 2011 deepening partnership with Cyprus and Greece which aimed to set cooperation in energy and other strategic areas. In November the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Dani Ayalon visited Athens; while speaking about the main goal of the negotiations he said: “We’re going to talk about making Greece and Cyprus distribution centers for Israeli gas in Europe, which needs to diversify its sources.”
Israel has been continuing the policy directed to the deepening of relations with Greece and Cyprus in recent months either, especially after Turkey’s military gamble in December 2011.Read the full story here.

Turkish Oil Company to Start Drilling in 'occupied' North Cyprus Site

Turkish Oil Company to Start Drilling in 'occupied' North Cyprus Site.(AM).Turkey's state-run oil company is set to start drilling for oil and gas in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus under an agreement signed last year in September. The Turkish Petroleum Corporation, or TPAO, will start drilling on Thursday at a field in Gazimagusa's Sinirustu village with a ceremony which will be participated by Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz as well as Turkish Cypriot President Dervis Eroglu and Prime Minister Irsen Kucuk. TPAO has said it planned to drill as deep as 3,000 meters at the well which has been named Turkyurdu-1. On September 21, Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Dervis Eroglu of TRNC signed in New York an agreement on the delineation of the continental shelf between two countries in the East Mediterranean. Under the agreement, TPAO will be able to make three dimensional seismic research and drilling in TRNC land and sea more actively. The agreement follows a Greek Cypriot move to start offshore drilling for natural gas and oil in the southeast of the Eastern Mediterranean island. On September 22, TRNC Council of Ministers gave exploration license to TPAO, Turkish Petroleum Corp., to explore oil and natural gas around Cyprus island. TRNC President Eroglu met UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York on September 24, and proposed to suspend oil and natural gas exploration until a comprehensive solution was found to Cyprus question or if Greek Cypriot administration insisted on oil exploration, then a committee shall be set up by the two sides in the island, and it shall decide how to share the richness that could be found after the explorations. However, Greek Cypriot side did not give a positive response. Thus, TPAO, by Piri Reis vessel, began geophysical research and seismic data collecting studies on behalf of TRNC on September 26. In 2010, the Greek Cypriot administration and Israel signed an accord demarcating their maritime borders to facilitate a search for mineral deposits in the East Mediterranean. The Greek Cypriot side had signed a deal with U.S.-based Noble Energy to start drilling in an 324,000-hectare economic zone adjacent to the Israeli waters.Read the full story here and more here.

Russian warships launch drill from Tartus versus US-Israeli-Greek naval exercise.

Russian warships launch drill from Tartus versus US-Israeli-Greek naval exercise.(Debka).Not 24 hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that a pre-emptive strike (by the US and/or Israel) would violate international law, Moscow put muscle into his warning: Tuesday, April 3, the Russian guided missile destroyer Smetliviy arrived in the Syrian port of Tartus from its Black Sea base for a naval exercise. The warship’s support group is on the way.
debkafile’s military sources report that the Russian flotilla carried a threefold message for Washington:
1. The Russian-Iranian strategy of propping up the Assad regime which has brought the Syrian ruler close to victory over his foes, will continue: Diplomacy will be propelled by military impetus.
2. Russia is providing the Assad regime with defense systems capable of repelling foreign military intervention.
3. Consigning the Smetliviy warship to Syria illustrates Moscow’s new rapid response policy: Russia is launching a naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean to match the “Noble Dina” air and naval maneuver the US, Israel and Greece are conducting across a broad expanse of sea between Crete and the Israeli bases at Haifa and Ashdod.
Israeli warships and air force jets may therefore find themselves not just operating alongside US naval and aircraft but confronted suddenly by one of the largest destroyers in the Russian fleet (NATO-coded ASW-submarine warfare), whose decks are the launching base for anti-air, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles.
The Smetliviy’s support group, believed to be a supply vessel and a submarine, passed through the Bosporus Saturday, March 31 on their way to Tartus.Hmmmm.......Don't you love all the "Change" since Obama became President?Read the full story here.