Author: Steven Sahiounie

Three members of ISIS, including a senior commander, have reportedly escaped from the central prison of Raqqa in northeastern Syria, which is run by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The escape took place in the early hours of June 19. Gun shots were heard near the prison, which is located in the northern outskirts of Raqqa city. In an attempt to recapture the escapees, the SDF deployed large forces around the central prison as well as in nearby neighborhoods. Some sources reported that at least some of the escapees were recaptured. However, this is yet to be confirmed. The…

On June 19, a joint force of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Ahrar al-Sham Movement advanced deep into the Turkish occupied area of Afrin in the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo in a bid to mount more pressure on the al-Shamiya Front. The force entered Afrin a day earlier in response to an attack by al-Shamiya and other factions of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) on key positions of Ahrar al-Sham in the villages of Tall Battal and Abla, which are also located in the northern Aleppo countryside. Ahrar al-Sham is a faction of the SNA. However, it was accused by…

Fire brigades in Hama province , supported by members of the Syrian Arab Army , put out a fire erupted at harvested wheat fields in al-Safsafeh village, 7 km north of Jurin town , the northwest country of Hama province. The fire was caused by shells fired by the terrorist organizations positioned in Idleb countryside. Speaking to SANA reporter, Mayor of al-Safsafeh village said that the fire is under control now. For his part, director of Natural Resources Director of the General Commission for Management and Development of al-Ghab Plain, Fayez Muhammad, said that the area affected by the fire…

The new chief of the General Staff said it was “a burning imperative” to be capable of defeating Russia British forces must prepare “to fight in Europe once again,” the new chief of the General Staff, General Patrick Sanders, said, according to a Sunday report from Sky News. In a letter to his charges, Sanders, whose first day in the new role was June 13, claimed that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine” underlined the UK troops’ “core purpose to protect the UK by being ready to fight and win wars on land.” “There is now a burning imperative to forge an Army capable of…

On June 18, the al-Shamiya Front launched a large-scale attack on key positions of the Ahrar al-Sham Movement in the Turkish-occupied part of northern Syria. Both al-Shamiya Front and Ahrar al-Sham are both members of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). The coalition, which was established in 2017, is no more than a public relations stunt with no real organization or central command. According to Syrian pro-opposition sources, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Right, al-Shamiya Front militants stormed the villages of Tall Battal and Abla in the northern Aleppo countryside, where Ahrar al-Sham maintains key positions. Al-Shamiya Front militants…

On June 18, four service men of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) Republican Guards were killed when a post they were manning near the town of al-Fatatirah in the northwestern Hama countryside was raided by militants. The deadly raid was reportedly carried out by the al-Nasir Army, a faction of the Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL). Syrian pro-government activists identified the casualties as 1st Lt. Ali Shbasi, Pvt Mahmoud Khuzami, Pvt Mohamad Ja’ara and Pvt Omar Hamdo. The raid came just two days after an ambush by the SAA that claimed the lives of two militants from the Sham Legion, also a…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) repelled an attack by terrorists on Saraqib on Wednesday and in the early hours of Thursday. Saraqib is a city in northwestern Syria, located east of Idlib. The small city fell to terrorists in 2012 and was liberated by the SAA in 2020. The SAA used artillery and missiles to halt the terrorists’ advance near Saraqib. Five terrorists were killed and 20 others wounded in the attack. Three Al-Sham Corps members and a member of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham were killed when the SAA targeted their positions and outposts on…

The market drops to bear territory following the Federal Reserve’s historic rate hike US stocks plummeted on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 700 points below 30,000 for the first time in more than a year. The S&P 500 index slid 3.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 4%. They are now both in bear markets, down about 23% and 34% from their highs in January of 2022 and November of 2021, respectively. The Dow is also approaching bear market territory, down about 19% from its recent highs. The nosedive follows Wednesday’s rate hike by the US Federal Reserve, the…

Protests continue throughout Ecuador despite the release of Leonidas Iza, leader of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). Indigenous people, who make up over a million of Ecuador’s 17.7 million citizens, took to the streets on June 13 to protest against fuel prices and living costs. Despite being an oil producer, the prices of fuel almost doubled in Ecuador over the last two years. The price of diesel went from $1 to $1.90 per gallon, while the price of gasoline rose from $1.75 to $2.55 per gallon. The CONAIE, considered a powerhouse in Ecuadorian politics, called for the…

Both sides understand that there will no longer be business as usual Russia’s envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov on Thursday said Russia and the EU prefer not to slam the door shut although their relations reached the lowest point ever. He made the remarks at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club, which is taking place at the venue of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “As for our relations, they are at the lowest point over the entire time not only of my work (as Russian envoy to the EU – TASS), but the entire time of…