Author: Steven Sahiounie

“Considerable trophies” were left behind by Ukrainian troops in Ugledar, the Defense Ministry has saidRussian troops have seized a large stockpile of NATO-supplied weapons and ammunition in the Donbass stronghold of Ugledar after driving Ukrainian forces out of the town, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said. Ugledar, which is located in the southern sector of the front around 50km from Donetsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), was liberated by Russian forces earlier this week. The town, which has been the scene of fierce fighting since August 2022, is heavily fortified and sits on a hill, with many high-rise…

Ukraine could end up sacrificing land in order to end the conflict with Russia, Jens Stoltenberg has saidUkraine may have to recognize the loss of some of its territory to Russia in order to achieve peace and security guarantees, Jens Stoltenberg said in his first long interview after stepping down as NATO secretary-general. Stoltenberg ended his ten-year tenure as the chief of the US-led alliance on October 1. In a conversation with the Financial Times published on Friday, he said that Kiev may be forced to rethink seeing the restoration of the 1991 borders as a prerequisite for any peace deal. Stoltenberg…

The Jewish state has declared Antonio Guterres persona non grata for failing to immediately condemn Iran’s missile attackThe UN Security Council has declared its support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israel barred him from entering the country for not immediately condemning Iran’s missile attack against the Jewish state. Without naming Israel, the 15-member council urged all UN member states to maintain a “productive and effective relationship” with the secretary-general and to “refrain from any actions that undermine his work.” “The members of the Security Council affirmed their full support for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his important role and that of the wider…

On Friday, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel is reconsidering its strategy of attacking Iran’s oil facilities. This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to participate in a limited defense consultation at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv on Saturday. U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to target Iranian oil facilities in retaliation for a missile strike carried out by Tehran against Israel earlier this week. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Biden said, “If I were them, I’d be thinking of alternatives to striking oil fields,” following his remarks about ongoing discussions…

On Friday, the Israeli army reported that Hezbollah fired approximately 222 shells from Lebanon toward Israel. Hezbollah also announced on Friday that its fighters targeted Israeli forces in a border region in southern Lebanon. According to the group, its artillery units struck Israeli military vehicles and personnel in the Maroun al-Ras plain, confirming injuries among Israeli forces, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP). In a statement, the Israeli military said it had killed Mohammad Rashid Skaffi, a key Hezbollah communications commander, in a “precise strike based on intelligence information” in Beirut on Thursday, as reported by Reuters. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s government…

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, confirmed in a statement on Friday evening the death of its senior leader, Zahi Yasser Awfi, in an Israeli airstrike on Tulkarm, West Bank. Alongside Awfi, seven other fighters were also killed in the attack. The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the strike, stating that Awfi, who was the head of Hamas in Tulkarm, was killed during an operation on Thursday. Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army spokesperson, posted on his “X” account, saying, “The IDF and Shin Bet eliminated the leader of Hamas’ terrorist network in Tulkarm, who was planning an imminent…

Late Friday evening, media outlets affiliated with the Houthi movement reported three U.S.-British airstrikes on the coastal area of Al-Jabana, west of Hodeidah, Yemen. The U.S. military executed 15 airstrikes on Friday, targeting Houthi military positions linked to Iran. Residents reported hearing explosions near military sites and the airport. According to CENTCOM, the strikes aimed at Houthi offensive military capabilities. However, no specifics were given about whether the targets included missiles, drones, or radar systems. Earlier that Friday, Houthi-controlled media and local residents mentioned that airstrikes had hit various parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sana’a, and Hodeidah airport. The…

Following three days of Iranian missile attacks on Israeli territory, Iranian oil tankers have left their positions at the country’s main oil export terminal, amid threats from Israel to launch strikes on targets within Iran, including oil facilities. According to TankerTrackers.com Inc, a company specializing in tracking and monitoring ships using satellite data, the oil tankers departed from Iran’s largest oil terminal. In a tweet on its platform, X, the company stated, “It appears that the National Iranian Oil Company fears an imminent attack by Israel. Empty supertankers have left the country’s largest oil terminal, Kharg Island, as of yesterday.”…

The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency issued a warning on Friday that the upcoming anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 could be a “triggering event” for domestic disturbances. Next Monday marks the first anniversary of the unprecedented attack that ignited the war in Gaza and sparked conflict with Hamas allies in Lebanon, Iran, and elsewhere. Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, stated that unrest in the Middle East tends to provoke reactions in Germany. He cautioned about a “high likelihood of sympathy, polarization, and extremism” during the anniversary.…

Israeli media reported today that the Israeli Security Cabinet has decided to respond to the Iranian missile attack. Sources from Channel 13 indicated that “Israel aims to ensure that its response to Iran does not lead to an exchange of strikes in the near future.” The report added, “We want to carry out a significant operation in response to Iran, but we do not want options that divert us from our war objectives.” This decision coincides with ongoing consultations between the United States and Israel regarding the nature of the response, with the potential targeting of Iranian oil facilities being…