Contents tagged with Syria

  • US warns Assad of 'firm' measures if southern Syria is attacked

    The US has warned that it will take “firm and appropriate measures” to enforce the ceasefire agreement in southern Syria if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sends his troops against the opposition who are based in that part of the country.

    The territory in south-western Syria between the border city of Daraa and the Israeli Golan Heights has become another “hot spot” in the large-scale conflict between the irreconcilable enemies in the region: Israel and Iran.

    In 2017, the US, Russia and …

  • Kremlin: Russia tested next generation cruise missiles and Su-57 fighters in Syria

    Russia has tested next generation cruise missiles in Syria from the fifth generation Su-57 fighter in February, Interfax reports, citing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu.

    “Practical launches of next generation cruise missiles of operational-tactical designation were carried out from the fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft in February of this year to assess the combat performance of the military equipment being developed," he reported.

    On February 22, Syrian sources reported that two fifth- …

  • France and Russia want to create coordination mechanism in Syria

    France and Russia want to create a coordination mechanism between the leading powers in order to find a political solution to the problems in Syria,as stated on Thursday by French President Emmanuel Macron.

    According to Macron, the idea is to coordinate the efforts of the Astana Process, which includes Russia, Turkey, Iran, and a “small group,” the creation of which was initiated by France, and which includes the United Kingdom, Germany, Jordan, the United States and Saudi Arabia.

    “We need to …

  • Israel strikes Syrian airbase in Homs province

    According to the Syrian state agency SANA, Dabaa military airbase in the province of Homs was subjected to a missile attack. SANA does not report who carried out the missile strikes on the airbase.

    At the same time, Syrian sources report that Israeli warplanes were seen crossing the Lebanese airspace in the direction of Homs. It is reported that Hezbollah and Iranian forces are stationed at the airbase.

    According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 6 missiles have been fired at …

  • Human Rights Watch calls for boycott of FIFA 2018 World Cup opening match in Russia

    Human Rights Watch, a prominent human rights organization, has called for a political boycott of the opening match of the World Cup, which will be held on June 14 in Russia. Kenneth Roth, the Executive Director of the organization, announced this in a special statement on Tuesday, May 22.

    "World leaders should signal to President Putin that unless he changes track and acts to end atrocities by Russian and Syrian forces in Syria, they won’t be in their seats in the VIP box with him on opening …

  • Tel Aviv accuses Syria of firing at Israeli warplanes

    The commander of the Israeli Air Force, Amikam Norkin, said that Syrian anti-aircraft systems fired more than 100 missiles at Israeli warplanes, which struck Iranian military facilities on the night of May 10.

    All the planes involved in the largest-ever operation against Iranian forces safely returned to their bases. Along the route, they fired on the anti-aircraft systems that shot at them, including Russian-produced Pantsir and Buk systems which were recently imported to Syria.

    “In the …

  • Media: France deploys six artillery batteries in Syrian Deir ez-Zor province

    The French military has established six artillery batteries near the Syrian-Iraqi border in order to support Kurds, the Baghdad Post reports, citing its sources.

    The newspaper states that the six artillery batteries were established in the north of Deir Ezzor province's Baguz village.

    The French military have increased their presence in Kurdish-held areas of Syria. They are currently deployed in Manbij, al-Hasakah, Ayn Issa and Raqqa.

    Earlier, the newspaper Le Parisien, citing as its source …

  • Crimean authorities say they are ready to help rebuild Syrian cities

    At a meeting with Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad, the governor of the annexed Sevastopol, Dmitry Ovsyannikov, announced that the Crimean authorities, which are subordinated to Kremlin, are ready to cooperate with Syria in trade and the restoration of Syrian cities, as reported by the press service of the Russian government reported on May 19.

    "Sevastopol is ready for cooperation not only with regard to the supply of goods, but also the restoration of the cities of Syria. It is …

  • Syria starts building tourist resorts for Russians

    The construction of tourist resorts for Russian citizens has begun in Syria, said Syria's Ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad, RIA Novosti reports.

    "The construction of tourist resorts for Russians begins in Syria. There are some working facilities and even now there are some tourists,” Haddad told journalists in Yalta.  He said that tourists are on vacation mostly in regions of Syria that are located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. "The situation is better there than in other places. Most …

  • Lavrov: Russian military will remain in Syria as long as Assad regime needs them

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Argentine newspaper Clarin in a recent interview that Russia will maintain its military contingent in Syria as long as the local government continues to need it.

    The Russian military personnel, as the Minister recalled, have been there since fall 2015 "at the invitation of the legitimate government of the Arab Republic." It then asked Moscow to help "in stabilizing the situation in the country, creating conditions for a political settlement of …