Contents tagged with Syria

  • Russia: Israel threatens stability of entire region

    A spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova stated that Israeli military actions against Syria threaten the stability of the whole region. Zakharova was referring to the attack on Syrian facilities, which is credited to Israel.

    "The escalation of the conflict makes us very concerned. Forceful actions that violate the sovereignty of Syria, not only do not contribute to the normalization of the situation in this country but also carry a threat in which the interests …

  • Russia concludes S-300 deployment in Syria

    The S-300 surface-to-air missile system which Russia has transferred to Syria has finally been deployed and is entirely operational, The Times of Israel reports, citing data from the Israeli satellite image analysis company ImageSat International.

    A satellite photograph published on 30 June shows that the fourth and final missile launcher has been set up and is ready for use. For some time, only three of the four launchers had been installed at the Masyaf base in north-western Syria. At the …

  • Russian-made missile lands and explodes in Cyprus

    An unknown object that fell from the sky on Sunday night north of Nicosia, Cyprus, turned out to be a Syrian anti-air defense missile, the Turkish news agency Anadolu reports, citing Kudret Ozersay, Foreign Minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

    According to him, the missile landed in mountainous terrain and did not cause any serious damage.

    “Based on the initial assessment, this is a Russian-made missile that is part of an anti-air defense system, which was …

  • Israeli Air Force strikes targets near Damascus

    Syrian television reported on a missile attack on the outskirts of Damascus and Homs. The air defense system reportedly managed to repel the attack and shoot down missiles, reports SANA (Syrian Arab News Agency).

    A military source informed SANA that the missiles most likely were fired by the Israeli aircraft from the Lebanese airspace. Their target was military facilities in the largest cities in the country.

    According to SANA, four civilians were killed as a result of an attack.

    Israel …

  • Turkey deploys special forces to Syrian border

    On June 28, Turkey announced  that it is deploying special forces and military equipment to the border with Syria. According to the Anadolu news agency, a convoy of armored vehicles and SWAT teams arrived in the Reyhanlı and Kırıkhan districts in the Hatay Province near the border.

    Also, the Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that it carried out an "effective strike" on the positions of the Syrian national army, controlled by President Bashar al-Assad. According to Turkey, Syrian army uses …

  • UN accuses Russia of raids on Syrian hospitals

    The UN has asked Russia for detailed information on how it has been using the location coordinates of hospitals in Syria. The demand was prompted by a series of airstrikes by the Russian-Syrian coalition in the Syrian provinces of Idlib and Hama in which several schools and more than two dozen medical institutions were hit.

    The hospital coordinates are given by the UN to the conflicting parties as part of a humanitarian resolution system in order to protect them from attacks, Radio Liberty …

  • Syrian general infuriates Russia

    The Syrian brigadier general Suheil al-Hassan, known for his loyalty to Russia, has been displeasing Moscow of late, writes the Mada Post, citing the Syrian opposition news site Zaman Al-Wasl.

    According to the article, the elite Tiger Forces under al-Hassan’s control have failed to make any significant progress in Syria’s Hama province, despite considerable support from Russian aircraft. The offensive operations carried out by the Tiger Forces were reportedly extremely expensive due to the …

  • Five offshore oil pipelines damaged in Syria by unidentified persons

    Unidentified persons have damaged five oil pipelines in the coastal waters of Syria. The incident happened near the city of Banias, reports the Syrian Ministry of oil on their Facebook page.

    According to the report, the Syrian oil company discovered the oil leak near Banias. Underwater exploration was conducted to detect the leak, and as a result, expert divers found external damage in the five oil pipelines, reports RIA Novosti news agency.

    The company has already started repair work and …

  • Putin acknowledges presence of Russian mercenaries in Syria

    There are contractors from private military companies (PMCs) in Syria, but they do not represent the Russian government, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in an episode of the TV show “Direct Line”, when asked why combat veteran status is not given to Russians who work as mercenaries abroad.

    “They are really there,” Putin said, referring to the private military contractors. However, he continued, this is “not the state”, and these people are technically not combat veterans. They deal with “ …

  • Kremlin: US representatives to attend security convention in Ufa, Russia

    Alexander Venediktov, Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta in an interview that a US representative will be present at the international session on security in Ufa.

    “In recent years, the Americans have not participated in our event. However, this year at the session in Ufa we expect to see them,” he said.

    Venediktov added that the attendance of one of the directors of the US National Security Council has been confirmed. He commented that this is a “ …