Kyle Orton

Thanks!

It’s bizarre to see warnings that Syria “might become” Libya. It’s detached from reality. Syria over the past 14 years has been far more disordered, violent, brutal - all under Assad, who managed to achieve the rare combination of extreme repression & total chaos, neither freedom nor stability.

It's actually over. Nearly 14 years of daily carnage in Syria, and Bashar al-Asad is gone - from power and possibly from life. An extraordinary event. Baffling. Bewildering. It still doesn't seem real and there's been a handover of power ceremony in Damascus.

Anyone interested in Syria reporting and following of news updates, here is a helpful list to start with:
go.bsky.app/TpjA464

OK -- today is Day 5 of renewed major conflict in #Syria & the frontlines continue to move.

Here's a new 🧵 bringing us up to speed:

Russian and Syrian warplanes seek to blunt rebel advance from Aleppo Bashar al-Assad vows to defend country’s stability as shock offensive challenges his regime

'...The comments came during a call with Emirati leader Mohammed bin Zayed, an Assad ally, who “emphasised the UAE’s solidarity with Syria and its support in combating terrorism”.' www.ft.com/content/6a85...

Ukrainian forces recently regained lost positions north of Kharkiv. Geolocated footage posted 30 NOV shows Russian forces striking Ukrainian forces in a forested area southeast of Hlyboke (north of Kharkiv City), indicating that Ukrainian forces recently regained tactical positions in the area. 1/3

My directorial debut The Battle For Kyiv is available online now for 10 more days at the Byline Doc Fest.

Byline TV subscribers get free access, otherwise a festival pass is available.

byline.tv/docfest/

Syrian insurgents have broken into Aleppo city, eight years after they were defeated and deported, and twelve years after they first captured part of the city.

Jewish Influence and the Origins of Islam A story of collaboration turning into confrontation.

Islam is the result of a long process *after* the formation of the Arab Empire in the 630s and 640s. The question is what the Arab creed looked like before that, specifically how it related to Jews. www.kyleorton.com/p/jewish-inf...

Taliban establish new office to preserve ‘jihadi values’ | Amu TV The report cautioned that a new generation of militants, potentially “more dangerous” than the current Taliban leadership, might emerge as a result.

Taliban establish new office to preserve ‘jihadi values’ amu.tv/139353/

Dozens of Storm Shadow cruise missiles have been delivered to Ukraine by the UK in recent weeks, per Bloomberg.

The shipments come as Ukraine begins a new strike campaign into Russian territory, with a Storm Shadow raid already hitting a critical Russian command post in Kursk.

We take the small mercies

Hunted, Tortured, Killed. The Grim Fate of Journalists Under Russian Occupation From Crimea to Donetsk, Russian forces hunt journalists. Viktoriia Roshchyna’s death highlights the brutal silencing of free press under Russian occupation.

Hunted, Tortured, Killed. The Grim Fate of Journalists Under Russian Occupation

“There are no more Ukrainian media outlets in the territories captured by Russia,” says Nastya Stanko
But there are independent journalists who report anonymously—and they are hunted.

united24media.com/anti-fake/hu...

Guess the disinformation filters on this site are not *that* tight after all. Unless it's a singular exemption that permits people to advocate and justify the rape and slaughter of Jews - which has proven to be a real problem in Left-wing spaces since 7 October 2023.

Criminality is the only real use case for crypto, and anyone who says otherwise is lying or delusional.

US intelligence warns defense companies of Russian sabotage threat U.S. intelligence officials are warning American defense companies to increase their security after a wave of sabotage in Europe blamed on Russia.

U.S. intelligence officials warned American defense companies on Thursday to increase security precautions following several acts of sabotage in Europe that officials have blamed on Russia.

NEW: Lebanese Hezbollah likely fired large numbers of rockets at Israel to pressure the Israeli government during ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

Latest on Iran, Israel, and the Middle East w/ @criticalthreats.bsky.social: isw.pub/IranUpdate11...

More key takeaways 🔽 🧵(1/6)

Vintage portrait of a man in a suit with a signed inscription "Robert Glück.

24 November 1903 | A Czech Jew, Robert Glück, was born in Prague.

He was deported to Auschwitz from Theresienstadt ghetto on 28 September 1944. He did not survive.

reminder of the time john prescott was given a state banquet on a trip to Beijing and then told them it wasn’t as good as Mr Chu’s in Hull

(source: hull daily mail)

This would be a problem for law-based States, even when the Prosecutor is not an accused sexual predator.
bsky.app/profile/kyle...

The reality here, when you strip away the rhetoric, is that the ICC Prosecutor—based on his own ideology and whims—is claiming the right to remove and imprison democratic leaders when the Prosecutor disagrees with a government's national security policy.
bsky.app/profile/kyle...

Those of us who opposed the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) root-and-branch have reasons for optimism. The ICC cannot touch Israel's leaders, but this has shown that our worst forecasts about this wretched institution were accurate. Provides a focal point for collective action.

“I have become a distraction” is a serious contender for a future Strong Message Here episode. It means “I’m bang to rights but I will never, ever admit that”

A girl standing in a room, wearing a white dress, white socks, and black shoes, with a flower in the hair.

21 November 1929 | A Polish Jewish girl, Sara Brukner, was born in Warsaw. She emigrated to France.

She arrived at Auschwitz on 19 August 1942 in a transport of 997 Jews deported from Drancy. She was among 897 of them murdered in gas chambers after the selection.

Conservative is a reasonable description. "Small-c", as we say - should be noted I'm British, so did not vote in the election.

Happy to be on Encyclopedia geopolitica's "2025 Reading list" for my book, Hope and Despair: #Israel's future in the New Middle East
You can order your copy here: hurstpublishers.com/book/hope-an...
Or on Amazon:
amazon.com/Hope-Despair...

😔

Hope this was money laundering. A non-criminal explanation induces too much despair.

im on every app. im in your city, in your neighborhood. the sales associate who handed you a large when you asked for a medium? that was me. i am now behind you.