Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Damascus is negotiating with regime ally Moscow to buy the latest Russian anti-missile system to repel Israeli and American attacks. “It’s natural that we should have such systems,” he said, quoted by Syria’s official SANA agency on Thursday, the same day as Damascus accused Israel of firing several missiles at … Read more
A huge blast which struck near Damascus airport early on Thursday was caused by Israeli missiles hitting a “military position”, Syria’s state SANA news agency reported. “A military position southwest of Damascus International Airport was targeted at dawn today by an Israeli aggression using several missiles fired from occupied territory, sparking explosions in the area,” … Read more
A massive explosion struck near Damascus International Airport early today setting off large fires, a monitoring group said, without specifying the cause. The blast was outside the airport itself. It was not immediately clear whether it was the result of an air strike or a ground attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. But Israeli … Read more
A large explosion has hit an area near Damascus international airport, a monitoring group says. “The blast was huge and could be heard in Damascus,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The airport lies about 25 km (15 miles) south-east of Syria’s capital. The explosion was reportedly followed … Read more
A huge explosion hit near Damascus International Airport early Thursday setting off large fires, with Syrian regime ally Hezbollah saying it was “probably” the result of an Israeli air strike. The Lebanese militant group’s Al-Manar television said the raid hit a warehouse and fuel tanks, without specifying whether they were its own or belonged to … Read more
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis visited Israel on Friday for talks expected to focus on Iran, Syria and the two countries’ close strategic relations despite recent tensions with Barack Obama’s adminstration. Mattis held talks with Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday morning, to be followed by meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven … Read more
Lebanon’s Hezbollah sought Thursday to show that Israel is building up defences in anticipation of another conflict, after a string of statements from Israeli officials warning of a potential confrontation. The powerful Shiite group, which fought a devastating war with the Jewish state in 2006, brought dozens of journalists on a rare and highly-choreographed trip … Read more
The United States on Thursday urged the UN Security Council to devote less attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and make Iran’s “incredibly destructive” activities a priority in the Middle East. US Ambassador Nikki Haley branded Iran the “chief culprit” of conflicts in the Middle East and vowed to work with Washington’s partners to demand Iran … Read more
Let me start by stating that I personally don’t know the former president, so this is not an article in support of a friend. I am also aware that the former president has been involved in the killing of others in his past, when he first came to power in a coup d’état. So, he … Read more
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis warned Wednesday of Iranian efforts to create a Yemeni militia “in the image” of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, after talks with officials in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom leads an Arab coalition which for two years has been fighting in support of Yemen’s government against rebels backed by Iran. Saudi officials have accused … Read more
At least 68 children were among 126 people killed in Saturday’s bomb attack on buses carrying evacuees from besieged Syrian towns, activists say. A vehicle filled with explosives hit the convoy near Aleppo. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least 109 evacuees from government-held towns were killed, along with aid … Read more
The United States and Russia were on a collision course over the alleged Syrian chemical attack on Wednesday as Washington’s top diplomat prepared for talks in Moscow. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled for a day of talks with his opposite number Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that will now be dominated by the war … Read more
Any new US action in Syria “will not go unanswered”, Iran’s Defence Minister Hossein Dehgan warned Tuesday after America threatened to follow up a strike last week with more attacks. The United States last week fired a volley of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed … Read more
Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr on Tuesday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he risked suffering the same fate as slain Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi if he did not step down. The maverick cleric had last week condemned the suspected deadly use of chemical weapons by Assad’s forces against civilians, becoming a rare Shiite leader to … Read more
White specks appear on the horizon and a voice crackles over the radio with a warning: “The speed boat is acting independently.” Two boats on suicide bombing missions had been spotted either side of the INS Hanit, one of the Israeli navy’s top warships. “We recognise the target. This is an immediate enemy,” a voice … Read more
A joint command centre made up of forces from Russia, Iran and militias backing Syrian President Bashar al Assad threatened reprisals against any party that carries out “aggression” against Syria, two days after US missiles hit a Syrian air base. The United States fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian air base on Friday … Read more
The United States stepped up pressure Sunday on Russia to rein in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning that any further chemical attacks would be “very damaging” to their relationship and suggesting there can be no peace in Syria while Assad remains in power. President Donald Trump’s top advisers took to Sunday television talk shows to … Read more
A site hit by airstrikes on Tuesday in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib Allies of Damascus have threatened reprisals against any party that carries out “aggression” against Syria, two days after US missile strikes hit a Syrian airbase. “The aggression against Syria oversteps all red lines. We will react firmly to any … Read more
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel remained committed to treating war wounded from Syria and reaffirmed his support for last week’s US air strike in the neighbouring country. In comments at the start of a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu did not specify whether those injured in last week’s suspected chemical attack in Syria would … Read more
The US envoy to the UN has warned America may take further action after bombarding a Syrian air base suspected of using chemical weapons. Nikki Haley said her country would not stand by when chemical weapons were used, as it was in its “vital interest” to stop their proliferation. Syrian ally Russia accused the US … Read more