Author: Steven Sahiounie

January 13, warplanes of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a new round of airstrikes on ISIS terrorists in Syria’s central region. The airstrikes targeted a number of caves and dens in the deserts of Homs and Deir Ezzor which were being used as hideouts by the terrorists. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Russian airstrikes claimed the lives of 11 terrorists and wounded at least 20 others. The death toll from the airstrikes may rise as many of the wounded are in a critical condition. The intense airstrikes didn’t deter ISIS terrorists, who later attacked…

The situation in Syria remains unstable despite of a slight decline in violence. As of January 13, several military and security developments were reported in the country’s northwester, northeastern, central and southern regions. In the northwestern region, known as Greater Idlib, the ceasefire which was brokered by Russia and Turkey more than a year ago is still holding up despite repeated ceasefire violations.On January 12, al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies shelled positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near the town of Urem Al-Kubra in the western Aleppo countryside.The army responded within a few hours by shelling…

the US Embassy’s compound in Baghdad was shelled with three rockets. Our reporter said three strikes were heard around Baghdad. The embassy’s defense systems were activated after the embassy was shelled. January 5 that five Grad missiles fell on the US Ain al-Assad base in Al-Anbar. A logistical support convoy of the US-led International Coalition was targeted with an explosive device in Babel, south of Baghdad, our correspondent reported. In addition, two logistical support convoys affiliated with the US coalition were targeted on the highway linking the Muthanna Governorate and southern Iraq. Earlier that day, our correspondent in Baghdad said…

The Israeli occupation suppressed and attempted to disperse Palestinian protests against the bulldozing of indigenous lands in Al-Naqab through violent means, such as using stun grenades, tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons, The Israeli occupation forces are attempting to disperse and suppress demonstrators against the bulldozing of land in Al-Naqab through using wastewater, tear gas, and rubber bullets,” our correspondent added. The occupation’s aircraft is flying at a low altitude over the area where the demonstrations are held with thousands of Palestinians still on the streets,” she reported. Protests in Al-Naqab were renewed on the evening of Wednesday after Israeli…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Lebanese parliamentary elections are set for March 27. While the social, political, and economic crisis which has caused the collapse of Lebanon is far from over, the various political factions are jockeying for position and making promises. One political party leader has emerged and is a very old face on the scene.  Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF) since 1986.   The LF is a political party that began as an armed militia, with no connection to the national army, the Lebanese Army.  Geagea still makes promises that he has 15,000…

Nader Entessar, Professor Emeritus of Political Science from university of South Alabama says that if an agreement is reached in Vienna, unfreezing Iran’s assets in South Korea will be among the priorities of such an agreement as Seoul seems to favor solving its problems with Tehran and returning to the status quo ante in Iran-Korean relations. He also says “At this time, I do not think the Europeans are inclined to activate the snapback mechanism because this will, for all practical purposes, kill any prospect of reviving the JCPOA.” Following is the full text of the Bazaar interview with Professor Entessar: Bazaar:…

The years-long war in Yemen sees no end, and 2022 is not an exception. The year began with a large-scale operation, dubbed Southern Storm aimed to expel the Houthis (Ansar Allah) from Yemen’s central-southern province of Shabawah. The operation is mainly led by the UAE-backed Giant Brigades, a force of an estimated 15,000 fighters, with support from the Yemeni Armed Forces and backed by air cover from Coalition warplanes. The operation took the Houthis by surprise and resulted in significant gains since its first days. On January 2, the Giants Brigades managed to capture the center of Usaylan district. On…

2022 is not off with a great start for the world’s largest cryptocurrency, as Bitcoin has dipped Monday below $40,000, the coin’s lowest price since September, as it shows no end to its volatility. The leading cryptocurrency had dropped to $39,663.18 down from its record high of over $66,000 in October. It had an upward trend from August thereon when it topped $50,000 in a first since May, rebounding from its then-highest value of $64,000. According to data from CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin recovered from the blow it took on Monday, rising to $41,684.67. Whenever the BTC rises, it takes up the entire…

The Pentagon has published its first Airpower Summary since US President Joe Biden took office about a year ago. According to a commentary article by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas Davies published in the Salon, the Airpower Summary is a report that has been published since 2007, which documents the number of bombs and missiles dropped by the US forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other countries since 2004. Former US President Donald Trump stopped publishing the documenting report after February 2020, covering up on the 3,246 bombs and missiles on Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other countries (2,068 under Trump and 1,178 under Biden), the writers…

China’s imports of Iranian crude oil last year hit a record high since the US imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic in 2018 with the aim of bringing the country’s oil sales down to zero, Bloomberg reports. Chinese refiners brushed off the risk of the sanctions to take in 324 million barrels from Iran and Venezuela in 2021, about 53% more than the year before, data from market intelligence firm Kpler cited by the news provider showed. “That’s the most since 2018, when China took 352 million barrels from the two nations,” it added. According to Braemar and industry consultant…