Russian Military Says Mission Accomplished, ISIS Defeated in Syria

In a sharply contrasting statement from an earlier one from the US that they’d done little in combating ISIS, the Russia’s military said on Thursday it had accomplished its mission of defeating Islamic State in Syria. The spokesman for the Russian Federation said that their bombers had used, “unprecedented force” in the last battles of […]

US Slams Russia, Syria Over Halfhearted Attempts to Oust IS

The White House and the Pentagon have publicly blasted the Russians and Syrians for what is viewed as a weak attempt to oust the Islamic State and ISIS from the Syrian borders. In a scathing statement, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said, “The Syrian regime and Russian Federation’s actions have thus far demonstrated that countering […]

Israel strikes Syrian military base west of Damascus: State media

Israel fired missiles at a military site in the Damascus countryside late on Monday, and Syrian defence systems shot down three of the projectiles, Syrian state news agency SANA said. Sounds of explosions were heard from the village of Jamraya, west of Damascus, and smoke was seen rising from the area, witnesses told Reuters. The UK-based […]

Israel Strikes Iranian Base in Syria Outside of Damascus

An Iranian military base near Damascus came under attack just after midnight Saturday by missiles from the Israeli military, according to Lebanon’s Al-Mustaqbal TV and the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network. Twelve Iranian military personnel were killed in the air strike, Syrian sources claim that they intercepted and shot down two Israeli missiles. Arab media reports said Israel […]

Saudis call Iran enemy to cover up defeats: Hassan Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia presents Iran as an enemy because it wants to cover up its defeats in the region. “Saudi Arabia was unsuccessful in Qatar, was unsuccessful in Iraq, in Syria and recently in Lebanon. In all of these areas they were unsuccessful,” Rouhani said in the live […]

There’s confusion about US troop levels in the Middle East, and Trump may keep it that way

The Defense Department has released conflicting numbers about the number of US troops deployed overseas. It has acknowledged the differences and promised to be more transparent about troop levels. But comments by President Donald Trump and ongoing operations suggest that discrepancies will remain. Recent data on troop levels in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria released by […]

US to cut off weapons shipments to Syrian Kurdish SDF

After doing the lion’s share of the fighting in capturing the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Kurds are getting bad news. President Trump announced that the US will no longer be arming the Syrian Kurds in a phone call to the Turkish President. That move is another blow for the Kurdish people who have been […]

U.S. To Cut Off Weapons Shipments to Syrian Kurdish SDF

After doing the lion’s share of the fighting in capturing the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Kurds are getting bad news. President Trump announced that the US will no longer be arming the Syrian Kurds in a phone call to the Turkish President. That move is another blow for the Kurdish people who have been […]

Russians Will Reduce Troop Strength in Syria By the End of the Year

The Russians will begin reducing the size of their military forces in Syria significantly said Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the Russian military General Staff. And he says that it could begin as early as the end of 2017. Russia’s military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, notably through air strikes, has been crucial in […]

Five Iranians, Including Two Revolutionary Guard Commanders Killed in Syria

Iranian state-run media is reporting that five Iranian Shrine Defenders, including two high-ranking commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were killed in the fighting in Syria. Iran’s state-run Fars news agency said that Khairollah Samadi, an IRGC commander in charge of a unit in Syria, was among the dead. The name Shrine Defenders […]

British aid workers in Syria could be on drone ‘kill list’

British aid workers stranded in Syria after having their citizenships revoked could be targets for British and American drone strikes even as they await the verdicts of their appeals, human rights campaigners have warned. Those fears are based on concerns that out-of-country citizenship deprivations have been a “prelude” to extra-judicial killings, and the willingness of […]

US-Backed SDF Deny They Allowed ISIS Fighters to Escape Raqqa

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed peshmerga fighters are denying reports that they approved a deal with the Islamic State last month to allow safe passage to hundreds of trapped ISIS and foreign fighters evacuating from Raqqa, the de facto capital of the so-called Islamic State in northern Syria. The BBC on Sunday published a report, […]