Author: Steven Sahiounie

NATO countries have been moving their troops towards the eastern boundaries of the bloc under the pretext of responding to alleged Russian plans to invade Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly rejected these unsubstantiated claims and demanded that the alliance move its forces back to its 1997 lines. US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has announced that Washington will be moving some of its troops from Germany to Bulgaria for the sake of joint training opportunities and better interoperability. “I’d also like to add my appreciation to Bulgaria, who just today agreed to host the US Army Stryker company for joint training opportunities.…

The Syrian Army has said that a helicopter had to make an emergency landing after experiencing a technical issue. The Syrian Army has stated that two servicemen died and two more were injured as a result of a military helicopter’s crash landing in the east of Latakia Province.The military said that the helicopter experienced a technical malfunction as it was flying along the coastline conducting a training mission. It then had to make an emergency landing in a mountainous area.Earlier, a source in the Syrian armed forces, said that the crash landing of the helicopter resulted in injuries to two…

Bratislava, SANA- Head of the Slovak Socialist Party, Artur Bekmatov, has called on the international community to support Syria’s rightful demands to restore the occupied Golan, stressing that these demands are in line with international law and United Nations resolutions that Israel flagrantly violates. In a statement to SANA correspondent in Prague, Bekmatov condemned the Israeli settlement plans in the occupied Syrian Golan and the attempts to change the demographic structure there. Bekmatov called for international sanctions to be imposed on “Israel” because of its apartheid policy. Source: SANA

Aleppo, SANA- In the framework of the continued infighting among terrorist organizations linked to Turkish regime, one of the leaders of the mercenaries of this regime was killed in explosive device blast in al-Bab city, Aleppo northern countryside. Local sources told SANA that an explosive device went off in a private car in the center of al-Bab city, Aleppo northern countryside, killing one of the terrorist organizations’ leader. The infighting among the terrorist mercenaries continues in the areas occupied by the Turkish occupation forces due to disputes over the influential areas and sharing stolen goods. Source: SANA

After Israeli authorities imposed collective punitive policies on Palestinian prisoners, they unite to take escalatory measures. The Palestinian prisoners’ movement in occupied Palestine declared Friday a “day of anger” against the decisions of the Israeli prison administration. In a statement, the movement warned of an unprecedented stage of escalation that has not been seen for quite some time by the occupation’s prison system, adding that Palestinian prisoners protest Israeli collective punishment with “unprecedented’ unity”. On February 5, the Israeli occupation’s prison system has imposed new penalties on Palestinian prisoners, decreasing the time and number of prisoners allowed for yard time, in violation…

The US is reportedly considering its response after Moscow showed senior diplomat Bartle Gorman the door Russia has expelled a top diplomat serving in the US Embassy in Moscow, both RIA Novosti and TASS have reported on Thursday, citing the American mission. Bart Gorman, who has been serving as deputy ambassador, was asked to leave the country, they claimed. The embassy told the news agencies that Washington is considering a tit-for-tat response. Gorman is a career US diplomat specializing in security, according to his bio. He previously served as the deputy assistant secretary and assistant director for Threat Investigations and…

The Belarusian leader also threatened to be an “eternal president” if the West does not stop “attacking” his country Belarus’s longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko has said he will never step down from office if the West does not put an end to efforts to oust him from the country’s top job, claiming that he is prepared to deploy not only nuclear, but “supernuclear” weapons to deter his enemies. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Lukashenko accused the West of “attacking” him and attempting to stage coups in Belarus. On the subject of a possible transfer of power in the country, the leader, who has been…

Late on February 16, the Israeli military struck positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) located to the south of the Syrian capital, Damascus. “At around 11:35 of today’s eve, the Israeli enemy carried out a strike with a number of ground-to-ground missiles, which were launched from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some positions in the outskirts of the town of Zakyah in southern Damascus,” the Syrian Arab News Agency quoted a Syrian military official as saying. Zakyah is located 40 kilometers away from the Israeli occupied part of the Golan Heights. The town is surrounded by several key bases…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Negotiations between the western powers and Iran are continuing concerning a new nuclear deal.  Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Massoud Khodabandeh to gain insight not only about the negotiation, but a wide array of topics connected to Iran and the Middle East. Khodabandeh is a regular writer and contributor on Middle East issues in print, broadcast and documentaries. He co-authored the book ‘The Life of Camp Ashraf – Victims of Many Masters” with his wife Anne Singleton. 1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): We have seen the Houthis launching several attacks on the UAE and Saudi…

Occupied Jerusalem, SANA- The Israeli occupation forces arrested on Tuesday 12 Palestinians in the West Bank. The occupation troops stormed al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya village, Bita town, south of Nablus, the villages of Tawana and Beit Amir in Hebron, Rummana, Jaba’ and Qabatiya in Jenin, they raided the Palestinians’ houses and arrested twelve persons, according to Wafa News Agency. On Tuesday, 20 Palestinians were arrested in several areas of the West Bank Source: SANA