According to CNN – so maybe not, Qatar has placed it’s military “on the highest state of alert” over fears of a military incursion – following yesterday’s ultimatum by Saudi Arabia to sever all ties with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
16 leopard tanks have reportedly been brought out of storage in Qatar’s capital city Doha [which doesn’t seem like a ton of firepower], while the Qatari Minstry of Defense shot off a letter to the Saudis, UAE, and Bahraini governments, warning them that any ships entering Qatari waters would be fired upon.
To try and diffuse the situation President Trump has “extended an olive branch” in a phone call with Qatar’s Emir – offering to help all parties resolve their differences at the White House. In other words, Don’s not getting on a fucking plane for this shit.
In a description of the Wednesday call, the White House said Trump “emphasized the importance of all countries in the region working together to prevent the financing of terrorist organizations and stop the promotion of extremist ideology.”
Referring to the regional group that includes Qatar, the President also “reiterated that a united Gulf Cooperation Council and a strong United States-Gulf Cooperation Council partnership are critical to defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability.” Trump spoke to the Saudi king Tuesday, the White House said, delivering a very similar message. –VFN
The Wall St. Journal confirmed earlier reports that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and their allies are seeking guarantees that Qatar will stop financing Islamic extremist groups and sever relations with the Muslim Brotherhood – and have demanded Qatar ‘scale back’ the Al Jazeera media network.
And per ZeroHedge – Giorgio Cafiero of geopolitical risk consultancy Gulf State Analytics stresses the danger of deteriorating relations between Middle Eastern nations:
“There are many analysts who believe that a potential break-up of the GCC has to be considered right now. If these countries fail to resolve their issues and such tensions reaches new heights, we have to be very open to the possibility of these six Arab countries no longer being able to unite under the banner of one council,” said Cafiero.
He added that if tension escalates, there could be a “military confrontation.”
I look forward to nothing happening whatsoever and this turning out to be a gigantic waste of time.
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Sixteen tanks would suggest a company size deployment. Not much. Probably just for showing off around the city. And are these Leopards or Leopard II’s? Big difference between the two. Typical fear mongering crap from ZeroEdge. But could be interesting to see how this works out with all the regional players jockeying for position.
I am sure there’s a formidable army hiding in all those 16 tanks.