Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that it has detained a number of foreign ships in the Gulf waters, as part of an operation to stop fuel smuggling.Ali Reza Tungsiri, commander of the naval forces in the Revolutionary Guards, said on a program with Iranian television that “23 foreign ships are being held with us,” and described the reason for their detainment as ‘smuggling’, without providing further details about the ownership of the ships and their cargo.He only said that the confiscation of the ships was to combat smuggling.Turning his attention to the recent drone footage of the U.S. warship in…

Johanna Ross, journalist based in Edinburgh, Scotland When I reported on the leak of Integrity Initiative documents back in 2018/19 which exposed the extent of the UK’s propaganda war against Russia, I didn’t think it could get much more organised and coordinated than it was. Involving hundreds of journalists and academics across the globe to spin disinformation about Russia and paint the country in as negative a light as possible in the mainstream media, the UK government-funded campaign was as sophisticated as the information war gets. But here we are in 2020, still uncovering the true scope of western government influence on…

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their heavy bombardment of the jihadist defenses in southern Idlib this week, as their troops unleashed a barrage of artillery and missiles towards several sites inside the governorate.Backed by Russian reconnaissance drones, which zeroed in on the jihadist positions, the Syrian Arab Army heavily targeted sites in the Jabal Al-Zawiya region and Al-Ghaab Plain on Thursday.The Syrian Army’s attack primarily concentrated on the jihadist strongholds of Al-Bara’a and Afis, which were previously targeted by the SAA troops in the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday.Tensions between the Syrian Army and jihadist rebels have been running…

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that five ships belonging to the Caspian Sea Fleet and the Iranian naval forces had simulated the destruction of the naval forces of “illegal armed groups” in the Caspian Sea basin as part of the “Caucasus-2020″ maneuvers.The ministry’s statement read: “During the strategic leadership project Caucasus-2020, a group of tactical ships of the Caspian Sea Fleet and the naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the missile ship Tatarstan, the small missile ship Veliki Ustyug and the small artillery ship Astrakhan the boats Joshan and Pekan of the Iranian Navy, successfully…

Hundreds of Syrian rebels were transported from Turkey to Azerbaijan this week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday.Citing reliable sources, SOHR said the Turkish government “transported over 300 fighters of the Turkish-backed Syrian factions” to Azerbaijan, pointing out that most of the fighters were previously living in the Afrin region of northwestern Aleppo.Furthermore, the monitor said that most of these fighters were members of the Sultan Murad Brigade and Al-Amshat faction, which were based in northwestern Syria.“The fighters themselves have said that they are taken to Azerbaijan in order to guard the state’s border in return…

Heavy clashes broke out on Thursday between two rival militant factions in the Afrin region of Aleppo, local activists reported from the area.According to the reports, two Turkish-backed factions, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and Liwaa Al-Hamza, clashed inside the Janderis District of Afrin, prompting both parties to move forces into the area of conflict.The reason for the clashes is unknown; however, the Turkish-backed factions in the Afrin region have been known to fight with one another from time-to-time.Many of these Turkish-backed factions have setup bases and checkpoints in Afrin, which has been a point of contention between the groups, as they…

A convoy of 35 tanker trucks from the Jazira region of northeastern Syria has made its way out of the country into northern Iraq, the Syrian Arab News Agency has reported, citing local sources. The convoy reportedly left Hasakah province on Wednesday evening.Along with the illegal export of Syrian oil, US forces were said to have brought 6 military vehicles carrying 50 troops from Iraq into Syria, with the forces beefing up the US presence at the makeshift Kharab al-Jeer airport in northeastern Hasakah.In related news, residents of the village of Tal Sateeh took to the streets in the Qamishli…

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran unveiled several drones and attack choppers during a military ceremony this week.The IRGC showcased a plethora of drones that were manufactured inside the Islamic Republic, as they boasted of new technological advances among other things during the ceremony.The footage of the ceremony, which was released by Iran TV and shared on RT, showed dozens of the drones lined up, as IRGC officials inspected the equipment. In total, the IRGC announced that 188 drones and choppers were handed over to them from state.

The Turkish-backed militants in the Al-Hasakah countryside have been busy these last 24 hours, as they have launched attacks against one another, and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Syrian Democratic Forces.The militant factions, which are part of a Turkish-backed “Syrian National Army”, launched attacks on their own positions last night, when infighting broke out among the groups near the city of Ras Al-‘Ain.On Thursday morning, the Turkish-backed forces shifted their attention to the Abu Rasin region of Al-Hasakah, where they launched heavy artillery on the defenses of the Syrian Army and Syrian Democratic Forces.The attacks would continue into the…

The Libyan National Army (LNA) explained what it described as “the truth about what was circulated about the landing of its helicopter in southern Hoon, in the Sukna region.”The Libyan News Agency stationed in the east of the country quoted the Director of the Moral Guidance Department of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, Major General Khaled Al-Mahjoub, as saying, “A helicopter of the Libyan army made an emergency landing in the Sukna area due to a technical failure.”Al-Mahjoub pointed out that the military helicopter “during the landing, the wheel support was broken, which led to its fall, and no one…