Situation in Syria remains tense as militias block Turkish patrols

Tensions continue to rise in Syria as all the warring parties jockey for advantage. And a number of recent events demonstrate the fragility of the situation. Yesterday, the Turkish military in Idlib broke up a protest along the all-important M4 highway on Monday after members of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), a militia group, and civilians […]

ISIS terrorists and Syrian troops fight it out around Homs

Islamic State (ISIS) fighters attacked Syrian troops loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The intense fighting left nearly 50 dead.  The fighting took place, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), around the villages of Badiya Al-Sukhnah and Badiya Al-Sham in Syria’s central province of Homs. ISIS fighters tried to […]

Syrian government used chemical weapons on its own people

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has released the results of a long investigation on the use of chemical weapons in Syria. It concluded that the Syrian air force used such weapons on attacks on its own people in 2017.  Although the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly denied this, the […]

Turkish troops attack Syrian forces outside of Aleppo

The fighting in Syria between Turkish Syrian government troops has once again reignited. Turkish military forces have launched a new attack against the Syrian Army in the northern area outside of Aleppo. Meanwhile, Syrian troops are massing in the Jabal Al-Zawiya area as they seem to be preparing to resume offensive operations. According to a […]

Lebanon: The next Middle East powder keg waiting to explode

Lebanon isn’t in the news much these days but has the potential to blow up into a major conflict.  The country is facing a couple of big problems right now Firstly, Lebanon is going through one of the deepest economic crises in the world today — a crisis that puts it in the precipice of […]

Israeli Air Force strikes Syrian airbase believed to house Iranian troops

The Israeli Air Force conducted another airstrike inside Syria, at the al-Shayrat airbase located in Homs. The Syrian state-run television channel, SANA, reported that their air defense systems fired on what they identified as Israeli warplanes flying over Lebanese airspace.  SANA media, quoting an Army official said that “the air defenses shot down a number […]

Treading carefully: How American troops are protecting Kurdish oil fields

American troops stationed in eastern Syria have the difficult and dangerous job of guarding the very oil-rich Kurdish-held land. And everyone — the Syrian government, the Russians, the Turks, and ISIS — wants to control it.  The area is developing into a very dangerous place for the American troops: They’ve come under attack from a […]

Turkish troops solidify their position as Syrian Army prepares to strike

The tenuous ceasefire in Syria that was signed by Turkey and Russia is in danger of falling apart as various factions are maneuvering forces for what seems an inevitable resumption of hostilities in northern Syria.  The Syrian army of President Assad is intent on pushing the rebel forces out of their last stronghold in Idlib […]

Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal community is looking for officers

The Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community is looking for its future leaders. More specifically, the Navy EOD community is looking for either civilian candidates or Sailors already serving in the fleet who are looking into commissioning through the Enlisted to Officer Commissioning Program (OPNAVINST 1420.1B). Both categories of candidates will have to complete the […]

Turkish military continues to bleed in Syria as new offensive is imminent

While the Coronavirus is dominating the news, an ominous series of events is unfolding once again in Syria. A rocket attack killed two Turkish soldiers and wounded a third in Syria’s northwest Idlib province on Friday, the Turkish military said in a statement.  The Turkish Defense Ministry said that the rocket attack was carried out […]