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Syrian Protests Spread To Aleppo, Raqqa While Jolani Enjoys Red Carpet At Dubai Media Event

Syria's fuel price hike protests have persisted from Sunday into the heart of this week, and increasingly they are becoming full on anti-Sharaa regime demonstrations. Of course Sharaa - whose al Qaeda/ISIS name is Jolani - was never elected in the first place.

Monday into Tuesday the protests have spread across multiple cities and governates, including Raqqa in the east and Aleppo in the north.

Syria's self-declared President at the Arab Media Summit 2026 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday.

Demonstrators have been burning tires, blocking highways, and confronting security forces after Damascus announced sudden massive increase in fuel prices.

A RESULT OF NEOLIBERAL SHOCK THERAPY in wake of CIA-ORCHESTRATED REGIME CHANGE

Sunday saw authorities raise diesel prices by up to 40% and petrol prices by 28%, after not just years but decades of government regulated price controls and subsidies. 

Already the country was smashed by proxy war and sweeping US-led sanctions, not to mention a decade-long US troop occupation of Syria's oil and gas fields in the northeast, which strangled the population (as part of efforts to overthrow secular Ba'ath leader Bashar al-Assad). 

The West and Gulf powers then gave its backing to Jolani as self-declared president once Assad was ousted in December 2024. He had literally been a member of ISIS and was a founder of Syrian al-Qaeda (Nusra Front, later HTS). Washington, London, Riyadh, and Paris have embraced him - after they and their intelligence services basically put him in power.

Large protests are erupting in Syria, with many people calling for the step down of the Al Qaeda regime leader, Jolani

This video shows protests in Aleppo. pic.twitter.com/39rKf2ictq

— Brian’s Breaking News and Intel (@intelFromBrian) September 14, 2026

When last month Washington finally lifted most sanctions on Damascus, the population hoped this might translate into the common people finally catching a break.

But alas, outrage is spilling into the streets over Jolani regime incompetence. 

Read: Prolific Recruiter Of Teenage Suicide Bombers Earns US Sanctions Relief, Days Before 9/11 Anniversary

Aside from the ISIS pedigree of the US-backed government in Damascus, one Syrian commenter has outlined examples of Jolani/Sharaa regime incompetence:

1) We have no Prime Minister - Al Sharaa is the de facto PM

2) There is no unified 3-5-10 yr strategy that drives how every ministry works.

3) This means each ministry working on its own. Yes ministers are checking with the presidency on the priorities and deliverables, but they are working with or cross referencing with the wider cabinet.

4) I dont think the ministers meet that often with the president (acting PM).

5) These alignment mtgs are integral. Syria must have a national strategy, with clear cut objectives & plans for every ministry, defining how they all work towards a common goal.

Tonight's Syria fuel hike protests are larger and angrier than yesterday's

Currently protests and road blocks are ongoing in several Syrian governorates

If jolani regime fails to appease them by Thursday, then expect major escalation on Friday (after Friday prayers) pic.twitter.com/iQ4mVfijdf

— The'Nimr'Tiger (@Souria4Syrians) September 14, 2026

Some reports say the people are even calling for the return of Assad, echoed in popular street chants heard in some of the protests.

Other pundits have alleged violent tactics by security groups, including firing off live rounds to disperse the protests.

Slogans calling for Assad's return spark alarm in Syria —SOHR

Largest protests since Al-Sharaa took power spread, with roads blocked for days after fuel prices raised

‘Even with the world sanctioning Assad, prices never reached this level’ — protester confronts security forces pic.twitter.com/hrdIuItVFC

— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) September 14, 2026

From Sunday:

DropSite: Residents blocking the Damascus–Aleppo international highway near Maarrat al-Nu’man, south of Idlib, on Sunday, as protests spread following government increases in fuel prices.

🇸🇾⛽️ Protests erupt across Syria over fuel price hikes and rising cost of living

Footage circulating online shows residents blocking the Damascus–Aleppo international highway near Maarrat al-Nu’man, south of Idlib, on Sunday, as protests spread following government increases in… pic.twitter.com/mVwMUhu5qx

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) September 14, 2026

Protests in the east, nearly formerly US-occupied oil fields...

انتفا//ضة غضب في ريف دير الزور.. الأهالي يها//جمون موكب مسؤولي حكومة الجولاني قرب حقل العمر.#سوريا#V_News#وكالة_فيديو_الإخبارية pic.twitter.com/bReSVKjKP2

— V News (@VAgencyia) September 15, 2026

Where has President Sharaa been this week? He's getting the red carpet treatment in Dubai for the "Arab Media Summit 2026".

The following is deeply ironic as various places in Syria burn amid enraged demonstrations:

Al-Sharaa, who spoke at the summit’s “Syria of the Future” event, also met with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Dubai’s crown prince, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Dubai’s second deputy ruler, who is also the chairman of the Dubai Media Council, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

Over a decade ago, Jolani's al-Nusra Front was introduced to Syria and on the world stage via its squadrons of suicide bombers...

In 2013, Jolani sent 2 suicide bombers belonging to his organisation the Nusra front

They destroyed Al Kindi hospital

Al Kindi hospital was one of the best & modern hospitals in Syria. It provided free treatment to the public

Today the hospital is gone, & Jolani is "president" pic.twitter.com/hh4bJrsGHf

— The'Nimr'Tiger (@Souria4Syrians) September 15, 2026

Should the protests and unrest persist into Friday, which is the Islamic day of prayer and the start of the weekend in the Middle East, the situation could explode. It doesn't seem like Jolani has any answers or strategy at this point. Perhaps he'll hang out in Dubai and with his royal Gulf backers a little longer.

Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 22:10

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US Energy Secretary: Saudi Pipeline Could Be Back In Service Within Days

By Julianne Geiger of OilPrice.com

Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline could be back in service within days, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday, offering the first relatively concrete timeline for restoring a route that had been moving 4 million to 5 million barrels per day around the largely closed Strait of Hormuz.

The 1,200-kilometer pipeline was shut after an attack last week damaged the system. Wright said Saudi officials were still assessing the damage, but expected repairs to be measured in days rather than weeks.

The East-West line has been carrying roughly 4% to 5% of global oil supply to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, giving Saudi Arabia an outlet while traffic through Hormuz remains severely constrained. The outage could last several weeks, according to earlier estimates, raising the possibility that export-ready inventories at Yanbu would soon be depleted.

Some of that disruption has already reached buyers.

Saudi Aramco has canceled or delayed late-September crude cargoes to several European refiners. Poland’s Orlen has been buying North Sea crude and seeking U.S. WTI Midland and Kazakhstan’s CPC Blend after Saudi deliveries slipped. No Saudi crude had departed Yanbu since September 11, according to Vortexa data cited by Argus.

Saudi crude supply had already fallen to 6 million bpd in August, down 2.3 million bpd on the month and the lowest level in more than three decades, according to the International Energy Agency.

The pipeline shutdown pushed crude prices higher again Monday and Tuesday, with Brent climbing above $108 per barrel as traders priced in another potential loss of supply.

Wright said Saudi Arabia is also trying to move more crude through Hormuz with U.S. military assistance.

A restart within days would restore one of the few high-capacity routes still available to move Gulf crude without relying on the Strait of Hormuz. It would also arrive before Yanbu inventories become the next constraint.

Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 21:45

Saudi Coalition Intercepts Drone Headed Toward Mecca

Update(2145ET): Drone attack on Mecca from unknown location being reported overnight, though the Saudi coalition has been prompted to blame Yemen's Shia Houthis:

Saudi Arabia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have condemned what they described as a “heinous” Houthi attack targeting Mecca.

A Houthi official, however, rejected Saudi Arabia’s account that its forces had shot down a drone heading toward the holy city, calling the report “a worn-out lie.”- AFP

And emerging reporting via Al Jazeera:

The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, said Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the hostile drone before it entered the restricted airspace on Tuesday evening.

Al-Maliki condemned the incident as an attempt to frighten worshippers and harm civilians, warning that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims is a “red line”.

The Houthis have previously denied targeting Mecca, saying that they do not target holy sites.

via Reuters

Currently a number of fake or old videos are circulating; however, the Saudis are reporting the incident.

*  *  *

Israeli media on Tuesday is awash with reports that the Israeli government is now quietly providing intelligence to Saudi Arabia amid the raging fight with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The claims definitely ring true given Israel has long faced immediate threats out of Yemen, after earlier in the Gaza war Israeli territory suffered several Houthi ballistic missile hits, including near sensitive facilities like airports. Also, Saudi and Israeli-linked ships are effectively banned from Red Sea shipping amid Houthi attacks.

One Israeli report reads: "Israel and Saudi Arabia are engaged in direct dialogue facilitated by the United States Central Command over potential Israeli intelligence assistance to Riyadh against the Houthis, a regional diplomat told i24NEWS." Jerusalem Post also says that the intel-sharing is already happening.

via Reuters

"The diplomat said the discussions are intended to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s ability to confront the growing Houthi threat, with Israel potentially supplying intelligence on the group’s military positions, weapons infrastructure and operational plans," the report adds.

CENTCOM chief Bradley Cooper has been in Saudi Arabia, where a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took place the past weekend. MbS has urgently requested military help from Washington and London. Only Britain is said to be mulling a new Yemen intervention on any serious level. Riyadh is also appealing to Egypt's President Sisi.

The Times of Israel separately reports that "The goal of the contacts is to share Israeli intelligence that could help Riyadh defend itself."

The kingdom has of late come under direct ballistic missile and drone attack, and is seeking to especially protect its oil infrastructure, amid efforts to bring the damaged East-West pipeline back online after what appeared to be drones out of Shia militias in Iraq.

Middle East Eye says Netanyahu is ready to once again press a multi-front war:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered "Israel’s services" to countries in the Arabian Peninsula and has expressed a willingness to participate in a “comprehensive war” against Ansar Allah, the Houthi movement in Yemen, Lebanese media have reported.

The report, by Al-Akhbar editor Ibrahim al-Amin, said that Netanyahu was pressing Israel’s security establishment and military to prepare for possible action against Iran and Hezbollah.

Israel has already for months been pummeling south Lebanon, despite what's supposed to be a ceasefire with Hezbollah, and has moved troops into occupy a 'buffer zone'.

Amb. Huckabee is not too convincing...

Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee: "I don't think it's quite that bad. What we do have is a for sure skirmish between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, but it has not really gone across the region. That's the good news. The US and the Houthis still have a ceasefire. That's a good thing." pic.twitter.com/56iWv0JfVf

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 15, 2026

Saudi-Israeli intelligence sharing would certainly be seen as provocative among Arab populations, including Saudi Arabia's own; however, it was likely going on during the Syrian proxy war to oust Assad. Gulf-Israeli cooperation against the 'pro-Shia axis' also reached a peak during the last decade.

Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 21:45

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Tucker Carlson Sounds Alarm Over Trump's Planned 'Largest Transfer Of Ordinance In Modern History'

After the US was essentially forced to conduct a major and rapid draw down of forces from the Gulf and Mideast region in the wake of Iran's 'unexpectedly' large retaliation for Operation Epic Fury, it seems all that Washington is left to do is arm regional allies to the teeth and wish them the best.

Early this month the US approved two potential Saudi defense packages valued at a whopping $5.75 billion. The forthcoming deals will reportedly focus on transferring extended-range precision bombs and bolstering Abrams tanks in the kingdom.

Ironically this comes at a moment that Saudi-backed coalition forces in Yemen - with all its military tech - are getting rolled back by Ansar Allah fighters in sandals.

Getty Images

Naturally, next on the list comes Israel.

On Tuesday, over a week since the planned Saudi sale was reported, The Washington Post reveals the following:

President Donald Trump's administration is planning to sell to Israel a munitions package worth $2.8 billion, which will include tens of thousands of highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs, according to a U.S. official familiar with the sale.

The planned sale, which has been informally communicated to relevant congressional committees who weigh in on large arms sales, includes 20,000 MK 84s and 20,000 BLU-117s, the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.

WaPo calls the package "the largest" planned sale of 2,000 pound bombs to Israel in years.

Just prior to initial reporting of this dropping at around midday Tuesday, Tucker Carlson revealed on X: "According to an informed federal official, in the coming months the Trump administration plans to send a total of 40,000 Mark 84 and Blu-117 bombs to the government of Israel. Each bomb weighs 2,000 pounds. This appears to be the largest transfer of conventional explosive ordnance from the United States in modern history."

Carlson put it in perspective in the following commentary:

How big is this shipment? It amounts to 40,000 tons of bombs. For perspective, the largest American air raid of World War Two was the Eighth Air Force’s attack on Berlin in March of 1945. Combined, the 2,023 Allied aircraft involved dropped about 3,000 tons of bombs. That’s 7.5 percent of what Trump is sending to Israel. That same month, March of 1945, the US Army Air Forces began the single most destructive bombing raid in human history, Operation Meetinghouse over Tokyo. More than 100,000 Japanese civilians were killed. By the end of that operation, the US had dropped 1,600 tons of bombs. That’s four percent of what Trump is sending to Israel. World War Two ended five months later, when the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. The shipment Trump is sending to Israel amounts to more than three times the destructive power of that nuclear explosion. There is no precedent for what the Trump administration is doing. Nor is there a justification. The government of Israel is not fighting World War Two, or even a war. It is engaged in periodic skirmishes with a guerrilla force in Lebanon, and it is working to exterminate an unarmed civilian population in Gaza. Neither front requires modern 2,000-pound bombs.

The former Fox host further warned this portends Israel could soon go even more 'gloves off' and unleash further hell on Gaza and Lebanon, or possibly even Iran - at a moment the US seems to be trying to find an exit from the hot phase of the conflict.

More from Carlson:

How did this happen? The request for 40,000 new high-explosive civilian-killing bombs originated at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, which is run by Christian Zionist Ambassador Mike Huckabee and his aide David Milstein, who is the stepson of Fox News host Mark Levin. From there it moved to the State Department, where Marco Rubio enthusiastically approved it. At this point, only four more people need to sign off before the bombs ship to Israel: Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Congressmen Brian Mast and Gregory Meeks, the top two members of the equivalent House committee. All four are committed neocons. Collectively they’ve taken millions from the Israel lobby. In 2015, Brian Mast traveled to Israel to volunteer for the Israeli military. In 2023, Mast showed up in the House of Representatives wearing an IDF uniform. It’s hard to imagine any of them hesitating before sending more free bombs to Israel. Only public outrage can stop this.

Poll after recent poll has shown that by and large the American public is finally questioning Washington's blank check approach to Israel.

DropSite: Carlson calls the taxpayer-funded, roughly $3 billion package “a gift” to a government “working to exterminate an unarmed civilian population in Gaza.”

🔴 Tucker Carlson reports, citing a federal official, that President Trump plans to send Israel 40,000 MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds, in the coming months. The Washington Post’s John Hudson separately also confirmed the proposed transfer.

Carlson calls the… https://t.co/xBDJxO0P3R

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) September 15, 2026

And plenty of MAGA and conservative 'influencers' have called out Trump's Israel policy as opposite America First. This as the Iran war is continuing to prove to be deeply unpopular. This also after over 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza. Israeli officials themselves openly admitted this figure.

Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 21:20

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