Contents tagged with Syria

  • Russian delegation arrives in Israel to discuss Syrian-Iranian issue

    A delegation from Moscow headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and Russian President's Special Envoy Alexander Lavrentiev arrived in Israel.

    They were received at the Israeli Foreign Ministry by the General Director of the diplomatic department Yuval Rotem. The Kremlin envoys are expected to meet with the Israeli Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Israeli sources, the parties will discuss "Syrian issues”.

    As reported on the …

  • Pro-Iranian and pro-Russian forces clash in Syria

    The Tiger Forces, an elite formation of the Syrian government army, have clashed with the 4th Armored Division, the Turkish Anadolu Agency reported, citing sources in Syria. According to the news agency, the Tiger Forces are backed by Russia, whereas the tank division, which is commanded by Bashar al-Assad’s brother General Maher al-Assad, is backed by Iran. 

    The encounter reportedly took place in Syria’s Hama province in the north-west of the country. Anadolu did not specify an exact date.  …

  • Ukrainian Security Service: Russian private military company Wagner active in Syria and Sudan

    The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has published documents belonging to mercenaries from the Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner which confirm that it is a secret detachment of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). 

    “Russia continues to lie shamelessly, trying to justify its crimes committed throughout the world. The Kremlin doesn’t stop ‘shouting’ that its GRU armed divisions are not protecting dictator regimes in Sudan and Syria, and were not involved in the killing of …

  • Media: a conflict is brewing between Russia and Iran in Syria

    After the victory of the Damascus government forces over the rebels, there is a new escalation in the Syrian crisis, reported the German Spiegel Online on January 25 with reference to the intercepted radio communication dated January 19.

    According to these records, units that are part of the corps of pro-Russian militants started an armed clash with the units of the pro-Iranian militants in the strategically important Al-Ghab Plain in the north-west of the Hama Governorate. Both sides …

  • Russia cautions Israel against airstrikes on Syria

    During a briefing, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that it is necessary to stop Israeli airstrikes on Syria. A video of her speech was published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's Facebook page. 

    “The practice of arbitrary strikes on the territory of a sovereign state—in this case, we are talking about Syria—should be stopped,” Zakharova stated. According to Zakharova, such strikes added to tensions in the region that were not in the long-term interests of any …

  • Media: Russia agrees to tolerate Israeli attacks in Syria

    After the most recent consultations to prevent conflicts in Syria, which the Russian and Israeli military delegations held last Thursday, the Israeli army’s press service released a generic statement on the “positive and professional atmosphere” in which the meetings took place and their “agreement to continue working together in the spirit of mutual understanding”.

    During the talks, the two sides agreed on the new “rules of the game” which are based on the agreements on the mechanism of …

  • Syria threatens to attack Tel-Aviv airport in response to Israel’s air strikes

    If the UN Security Council does not take measures in reponse to Israeli attacks on Syria, Damascus can launch a symmetrical strike against Tel-Aviv airport in response, stated Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, RIA Novosti reports.

    “The time for the UN Security Council to take measures necessary to stop regular Israeli attacks against Syrian territory has come, or Syria should draw the attention of those who make war in this Council by implementing our legal …

  • Syrian Pantsir-S aerial defense system destroyed by simple Israeli drone

    One of Syria’s Pantsir-S1 missile defense systems was destroyed by an Israeli SkyStriker drone, military expert Vladislav Shurygin told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

    The specialist noted that the SkyStriker, a so-called kamikaze drone produced by Elbit Systems, is a small, slow (up to 190 kph) unmanned aerial vehicle with a pusher propeller and an electric engine. The drone ways a mere 35 kg, of which the payload accounts for 5-10 kg. It has a maximum flight time of two hours, and is …

  • Kyiv: Ships that caught fire in Kerch Strait were used for illegal gas shipments to Syria

    The gas tankers Maestro and Venice, which caught fire near the Kerch Strait, have been involved in illegal gas shipments to Syria since 2016, Ukraine’s Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories reported, citing information from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    “According to the US Treasury Department’s OFAC, the ships Venice and Maestro have been involved in illegal gas shipments to Syria since 2016,” the statement reads.

    According to international monitoring systems, the …

  • Israel strikes new targets in Syria

    On the night of 20 January, the Israeli military launched another missile strike against targets in Syria. The attack targeted Iranian weapons depots, an intelligence facility, a training camp, and Syrian aerial defense batteries. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) stressed that the attack was a response to a surface-to-surface missile attack launched from Syria against Israel’s Golan Heights.

    “These are the Iranian Quds military sites in Syria that we targeted in response: munition storage sites, …