NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT MONDAY 11/18/2019

(SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE MONDAY)

BREAKING NEWS:

EXPLOSIONS REPORTED TUESDAY MORNING  IN THE AREA OF THE DAMASCUS AIRPORT IN SYRIA IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN ISRAELI ATTACK.

SYRIAN AIR DEFENSES ACTIVATED AND FOUR MISSILES FIRED IN THE DIRECTION OF THE GOLAN HEIGHTS WITH ISRAELI WARNING SIRENS ACTIVATED.

TWO REPORTED DEAD AND TEN INJURED IN THE ATTACK.

MORE FROM THE SANA NEWS AGENCY OF SYRIA......LINK

THE STORY AS REPORTED BY ISRAEL'S "HAARETZ".....LINK

From the political drama in Washington, President Trump says he is considering testifying before the Democrat-led "impeachment inquiry".     No firm thumbs up or down from the President yet.

Also Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts staying a US Appeals Court ruling that President Trump's financial records have to be turned over to Democrats in Congress.

The stay will allow the Supreme Court to consider the case and make a ruling.

The Hong Kong protests with police laying siege to as many as one-thousand protesters at a college campus in the city Monday and arresting some who tried to leave.

More protesters coming onto the streets as nightfall arrived in the city and here is a live feed at 655 am Eastern time US, 755 pm Hong Kong time.....LINK

The fight in the streets continuing past Midnight and into Tuesday.

Some of the student protesters trapped in the university escaped on the back of motorcyles and others climbed a rope onto a bridge.

Latest word is that those under the age of 18 allowed to leave the campus with those over 18 arrested if they tried to leave and some 100 protesters still on the campus as of mid-day Tuesday in Hong Kong.

A sharp reaction from Iran's Parliament Speaker to comments from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about gasoline price riots in Iran over the weekend.

Ali Larijani says this regarding Pompeo:  

He openly supports immolation of the Iranian people's properties through foolish shamelessness and opportunism, while calling it defending the Iranian people."

Iran, operating under the pressure of intense 1941 Japan style sanctions from the United States, raised gasoline prices Friday in a bid to cut consumption and raise revenue.

Protests broke out in the country afterwards with the torching of banks and gasoline stations reported along with casualties.

More on the Iranian parliament speaker's comments from Iran's "Press TV".....LINK

Iran's  Islamic Revolution Guard Corps issued a statement Monday reading in part:

"...Continuation of any measure, which would foment insecurity, and all actions targeting the calm and tranquility in the society will be dealt with decisively..."

At a brief court hearing in London today Wikileaks founder Julian Assange appeared by video link from Belmarsh Prison, the British Gitmo, where he is being held awaiting extradition to the United States.

Assange gave his name and date of birth via video while his lawyer argued that Assange does have an adequate computer to prepare for his full extradition hearing in February.

Another status hearing in the case set for December 19th.

More on Julian Assange's case on Wikileaks Twitter......LINK

THE US CHANGING POLICY REGARDING JEWISH SETTLEMENTS IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA (THE WEST BANK).    THE US BACKING AWAY FROM A PREVIOUS POLICY THAT DECLARED THOSE SETTLEMENTS A VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW.

As the deadline for forming a new government approaches in Israel this Wednesday, there's a report that the postponement of an Israeli prosecutors conference planned for later this week points to the impending indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.     

 Netanyahu under investigation in three separate corruption cases.    The report says the indictment of Netanyahu is just days away probably this coming Sunday or next Monday.

More from "Haaretz" in Israel........LINK 

Authorities in Ukraine have submitted proposed charges against the country's former president Petro Poroshenko.    The Prosecutor-General's office also proposing a request to the country's parliament (Rada) to approve the lifting of immunity from Poroshenko.

A list of likely charges could put the former president in prison for eight years.

The Russian News Agency Tass reports.......LINK

Russia returning three Ukrainian naval ships seized when they entered Russian waters in the Kerch Strait last November.

The Russian Aerospace Forces in action Sunday in northwestern Syria with up to 29 airstrikes on jihadist opposition forces in Idlib province.    Two jihadists reported killed and others wounded according to the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In Libya today seven reported dead in an airstrike in Tripoli.    The target said to have been a biscuit factory.   33 also reported wounded.    Tripoli is controlled by the Government of National Accord which is fighting the Libyan National Army based in the eastern part of the country.

"Arab News" has published an Associated Press story about the attack......LINK

From the British election campaign where the Labor Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn are constantly associated with Anti-Semitism, a story about the Conservative Party and what one of its candidates has to say about Jews and Israel.

Amjad Bashir, running for a seat in Leeds for the Conservative Party, told the European Parliament that local Jews who go to Israel:

"have come back as extremists....as people that are brainwashed"

"Israel National News" has more......LINK

President Trump meeting with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin at the White House today.

The President wants Powell to be more decisive in lowering interest rates but Powell said by the Fed to be waiting to see more economic data before making any moves.    Powell told Congress recently that interest rates will not be lowered unless there is concrete evidence of damage to the economy.

And for now that's the way it really is for Monday November 18th, 2019.