SAMRIBackup

South Asia Media Research Institute (SAMRI). All the News That's Unfit to Print, mainly from South Asia.

Backup of @SAMRIReports, along with @SReports2

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

#ICYMI Clip from #Iran's Ofogh TV's documentary about #Zainabiyoun militants. A Pakistani #Shiite #Pashtun fighter of #Iran-backed #Zainabiyoun militia in #Syria helping his Iranian colleague interrogate a Pakistani #Sunni #Pashtun fighter of #Saudi-backed outfit Jaysh al-Islam.

[Kasra Aarabi @KasraAarabi]

This may apply to Erdogan’s Turkey, perhaps Pakistan too, but I struggle to see how it would apply to Saudi Arabia.

This notion assumes that a weakened regime in Iran translates into a less reckless and hostile one. It doesn’t. A weakened regime may mean fewer resources for the IRGC, but it won’t fundamentally shift its calculus or neuter its asymmetric operations.

For states spending billions on modernisation, living under the shadow of a hostile IRGC regime capable of launching unprovoked attacks on critical infrastructure at any time is far more costly than a pro-Israel alternative in Tehran. It is difficult to see the strategic value of “balancing” Israel if doing so risks compromising one’s own security.

Riyadh will be fully aware of this, having been on the receiving end of IRGC attacks despite all the promises made by Tehran.

Given the above, if a weakened regime over an alternative in Tehran is one of the aims of Ankara and Islamabad, I would argue that it exposes significant divergences in the strategic priorities underpinning the “Mecca Alliance.”

[Firas Maksad @FirasMaksad]

Absolutely true. I would go further.

Some may prefer a weakened Iran that can help balance against Israel rather than a pro Israeli alternative coming to power in Tehran. 👇

[Negar Mojtahedi @NegarMojtahedi]

No birth certificates. No death certificates. From cradle to grave, as Sabah Baloch puts it.

Absolutely heartbreaking. Generations of Baluch families have endured discrimination, poverty and repression, with some denied even the most basic recognition of their existence.

But could decades of injustice, combined with a war-weakened Islamic Republic, be fueling something much bigger?

Baluch armed groups are joining forces in Iran’s restive southeast, raising questions about whether escalating confrontations in Sistan and Baluchestan could develop into a broader uprising and what that could mean for Iran’s wider freedom movement.

On this week’s episode of Eye for Iran, Iranian Baluch analyst Rahim Bandoui examines the growing insurgency and its implications, while human rights advocate Sabah Baloch reveals the devastating human cost of decades of discrimination and repression.

Watch the full discussion on Eye for Iran: https://t.co/l5WgLIv8k1

Or listen on any podcast platform.

[Clash Report @clashreport]

Syrian President Ahmad al-Shaara:

I affirm that throughout my life, I have never attacked a civilian or an unarmed person.

I have principles when it comes to military confrontations, and I take pride in them.

I have been careful to pass these principles on to many of those who worked with me. Because there is honor in fighting.

There is a very big difference between a fighter and a killer.

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

UAE, a close US and Israeli ally, is quietly helping #Houthis fight Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, four sources told @DropSiteNews. This comes after Riyadh forced the UAE out of Yemen last December following clashes between their rival Yemeni allies in the south.

[Drop Site @DropSiteNews]

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: The UAE, a close US and Israeli ally, is quietly helping Ansarallah (Houthis) fight Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, four sources have told Drop Site. This comes after Riyadh forced the UAE out of Yemen last December following clashes between their rival Yemeni allies in the south.

Key findings:

➤ UAE-aligned Yemeni forces have given Ansarallah targeting help while Abu Dhabi looked the other way. Two sources said the UAE has also shared intelligence directly.

➤ The assistance is limited to targets inside Yemen, not Saudi Arabia, according to some sources. One source said a senior US official warned the UAE to stop, but sources indicated the assistance was ongoing.

➤ Commanders in the Giants Brigades, a predominantly Salafi militia from the south, have repeatedly abandoned positions without a fight, while UAE-backed southern separatist commanders have refrained from fighting Ansarallah on key fronts, a Yemeni source said.

Senior Ansarallah official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti denied the assistance, citing UAE “neutrality,” but said Riyadh could avoid “the possibility of a future Yemeni-Emirati alliance against it” by ending the war and lifting the blockade. The STC separatists denied contact with Ansarallah or unwillingness to fight it in the south. The UAE ambassador to Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

🔗 Read the full report from Ryan Grim and Iona Craig below. ⬇️

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

#Kuwait has sentenced three men to death for plotting to assassinate the deputy prime minister, collaborating with #Iran and joining #Hezbollah.

https://t.co/xMRlXecDof

[Timour Azhari @timourazhari]

Note: no evidence has emerged so far of any Islamic State members killed in the strikes.

Syrian civil defense said it recovered the bodies of 7 civilians only.

[Jason Brodsky @JasonMBrodsky]

Kuwait has sentenced three men to death for plotting to assassinate the deputy prime minister, collaborating with Iran and joining Hezbollah. Remember this the next time Iran's regime speaks of the need for a regional security framework. As long as it has a Quds Force, regional security will be threatened.

https://t.co/wasfB87p2e

[Ali Al-Sakani | علي السكني @Alsakaniali]

Houthi battalion com Col. Tareq Jayyash of the Houth-held Interior Ministry’s Facilities & VIP Protection Police was killed today fighting govt forces.
Over the past two days, the group reportedly held funerals for 47 fighters, incl 23 with military ranks.
#Yemen

[OCHA Yemen @OCHAYemen]

#Yemen: As conflict intensifies in Ta’iz, thousands of women and girls are being cut off from essential health and protection services.

Humanitarian access is essential to ensure lifesaving support reaches people in need.

🔗 https://t.co/uxRFlDxvSE

[Kamran Bokhari @KamranBokhari]

➤ The U.S. and Israel are poised to strike Iran again, and the region’s three main stakeholders are now tasked with containing the fallout.

➤ The bloc’s first joint engagement with Iran brought a top Saudi prince, Pakistan’s military chief and Turkey’s spymaster to Tehran.

➤ At its core, the Mecca Accord brings two major non-Arab powers, Turkey and Pakistan, into efforts to shield the Arab world from Iran and its proxies.

➤ The pact is years from becoming a functioning security bloc, so its members must build the plane while flying it.

➤ Their trap: they need American firepower against Iran but have little say in how Washington uses it.

➤ Israel is another blind spot, since none of the three has meaningful sway over its war plans.

➤ Their hidden card: an increasingly isolated Iran has fewer regional channels for managing the crisis.

➤ If they pull this off, Washington’s burden-sharing strategy gains credibility, and the Iran war could become a catalyst for a more self-reliant regional security order.

My latest: https://t.co/KxrB4aRchH

[Ali Al-Sakani | علي السكني @Alsakaniali]

Satellite intelligence has also helped Houthis in their fight inside #Yemen

Russian satellite intelligence has also helped the Houthis in the dramatic advances they made against Saudi-backed opponents in Yemen’s civil war, according to Obaid and a Houthi leader.

AURORAH identified satellite configurations over targets in connection to an Oct. 15 Houthi strike on the presidential palace in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden and a nearby command center used by the Saudi-led coalition, as well as a strike on a government recruitment center in the province of Shabwa that killed 75 new recruits, Obaid said.

Iranian advisers on the ground in Yemen have been providing the rebels with data based on Russian satellite intelligence to help in targeting, a senior Houthi leader told the AP.

The Houthi leader also said the Iranians provided the rebels with more advanced equipment, including systems for piloting drones and for helping missiles evade air defenses.

The equipment was developed by the Iranians, bought commercially or provided by Russia and China, he said, though he did not know whether those countries were aware the equipment was being used in the Yemen war.
-via AP

[Aymenn J Al-Tamimi @ajaltamimi]

Jordanian airstrikes on Syrian territory were normalised through the strikes on Suwayda’ on the basis of counter-narcotics. If those are deemed acceptable what stops Jordan from deciding it can strike for counter-terrorism purposes?

[Basha باشا @BashaReport]

During my latest interview with @PakTVGlobal, I discussed Pakistan's diplomatic role in the Saudi-Iranian talks in Tehran and the growing expectation of another round of regional military escalation.

"Pakistan is walking a diplomatic tightrope. It is a member of the Mecca Pact and an ally of Saudi Arabia, but it is also Iran's neighbor."

According to reports emerging from Tehran, yesterday's meeting was arranged at the request of Pakistan's leadership. If accurate, that alone represents a diplomatic achievement for Islamabad, bringing Saudi and Iranian officials face to face at a time of considerable regional tension.

"Nothing concrete may have emerged from today's meeting, but getting the parties to sit together is a step forward. At the end of the day, all wars end at the negotiating table."

I also explained that Riyadh is pursuing several tracks simultaneously. It is recalibrating its military deterrence against the Houthis, reinforcing its northern border with Iraq and engaging Iran directly through diplomacy.

"Saudi Arabia is preparing for further confrontation while keeping diplomatic channels open. The two are not mutually exclusive."

Having just returned from Qatar and with another visit to Bahrain approaching, my conversations across the Gulf suggest that regional governments are increasingly anticipating another round of military strikes, whether Israeli or jointly conducted by the United States and Israel.

"The question in the Gulf is increasingly no longer whether another round of strikes will happen, but when."

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

US plans to deport some #Afghan migrants, including relatives of Afghans who worked with US forces, to #Pakistan.
https://t.co/hnhshWfa4K

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

South African Telecom giant MTN faces an anti-terrorism case in US over alleged ties with Taliban and Iran. Families of US soldiers allege MTN paid the Taliban to protect its towers, and shut towers to help fighters avoid detection.

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

South African Telecom giant MTN faces an anti-terrorism case in US over alleged ties with Taliban and Iran. Families of US soldiers allege MTN paid the Taliban to protect its towers, and shut towers to help fighters avoid detection.
https://t.co/Hjay4ja7cH

[eNCA @eNCA]

An anti-terrorism case against Telecom giant MTN is moving forward in the United States. The South African group is facing several cases brought under the U.S. anti-terrorism act. Tune in to #eNCA on #DStv403.

[Basha باشا @BashaReport]

This viral photo shows three Houthi fighters helping each other descend a mountain during the West Coast offensive. The Houthis have now confirmed all three were killed in action. Mohammed al-Sultan, Abdulkarim al-Nono, and Nashwan al-Sultan. Territorial gains, but at a heavy cost.

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

The strange stability between #Iran and #Taliban

One principle has again proven true: in the Middle East and across Central and South Asia, religion is often expressed rhetorically while decisions are driven by political interests.
https://t.co/Hrh5qashky

[SAMRIBackup @SamriBackup]

Iran and the Taliban: An Axis of Convenience the US Cannot Ignore

#Taliban are not an #Iranian proxy in the mold of #Hezbollah, nor do they take orders from #Tehran. Instead, they function as a partner of opportunity—one #Iran can influence.
https://t.co/cqVhZn0gBa