Author: Steven Sahiounie

On Wednesday, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, revealed the establishment of a new naval military base east of the Strait of Hormuz.The state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Salami during the inauguration ceremony of the “headquarters of the martyr Syed Majid Rahbar”, affiliated to the naval force of the Revolutionary Guard, in the city of Serik, east of the Strait of Hormuz (south of the country), as saying:“The headquarters of the martyr Rahbar is located in one of the most strategic areas. In terms of defense and offense, in the Persian Gulf and…

Qatar is poised to seal a deal with Israel as early as next month, says a source involved in the talks, adding that when it happens, it will present a drastic change from the current position of Doha that right now negates the possibility of recognising the Jewish state without reaching a solution on the Palestinian front. In a confidential talk with Sputnik, an anonymous source in the Gulf that’s connected to the highest echelons of government in several countries, said Doha is now mulling over the option of normalising ties with Israel with the mediation of the US. The revelation comes amid…

fresh US convoy consisting of tanker trucks laden with stolen Syrian oil has left the war-stricken country toward Iraq as dozens of US troops and military equipment entered into Syria from neighboring Iraq, a report says. Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria’s official news agency, SANA, on Thursday that 35 oil-laden tanker trucks left Syria’s oil fields in al-Jazira region in northeastern Hasakah Province Wednesday evening. It added that the convoy was heading toward the Iraqi territory through the illegal al-Walid crossing in the al-Yaroubia area. The US looting of Syrian oil was fist confirmed during a Senate hearing…

Dozens of Lebanese activists have gathered in front of the United Arab Emirates’ embassy in Beirut to protest the country’s recent signing of a normalization agreement with Israel, much to the dismay of Palestinians. The protesters voiced their anger at the attempts by a number of Arab states to establish diplomatic relations with the Tel Aviv regime, chanting slogans against Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s de facto ruler – as well as rulers Bahrain, who followed suit, the Arabic-language al-Manar television network reported on Thursday. The demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and shouted slogans…

Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets scrambled to intercept two B-52N strategic bombers of the US Air Force over the Black Sea, Russia’s National Defense Control Center told reporters on Wednesday.According to the center, on Wednesday Russian radars detected two air targets over the neutral waters of the Black Sea. The aircraft were approaching Russia’s sovereign airspace.“Two Su-27 fighter jets of the Southern Military District’s air defense units on duty were scrambled to identify the air targets and to prevent their unauthorized incursion into the Russian airspace. The crews of the Russian fighter aircraft identified the air targets as B-52N strategic…

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been moving in reinforcements to the Al-Raqqa Governorate over the last 48 hours, with several convoys deploying to front-lines with the Turkish military and their allies.According to reports from Al-Raqqa, the Syrian Arab Army sent reinforcements to the key town of ‘Ain ‘Issa, which has been targeted on a number of occasions by the Turkish-backed forces.The reason for the deployments is not known at this time; however, the Turkish-backed forces have been increasing their hostilities east of the Euphrates, which threatens the government troops.Furthermore, the Turkish military and their allies have been monitored moving…

Reuters quoted an informed source as saying that the state-run Venezuelan oil company had begun loading a huge tanker flying the Iranian flag with a shipment of heavy Venezuelan crude for export.A source said in an interview with the agency on Tuesday, that the tanker is expected to ship up to two million barrels of Venezuelan heavy crude on its way back, in a sale agreed by the Venezuelan Oil Company and the state-owned Iranian National Oil Company.The source added that the date of sailing or the destination of the vessel has not yet been decided.According to PDVSA documents, the…

The Turkish-backed forces in northeastern Syria reportedly clashed with one another in the northwestern countryside of the Al-Hasakah Governorate this evening.According to local reports, the Turkish-backed “Syrian National Army” (SNA), which is comprised of several militant factions, was involved in a heated exchange near the Abu Rasin area of Al-Hasakah.The reason for the clashes is unknown; however, a number of militant factions have been involved in inter-SNA firefights over the last few months, with the primary reason for the clashes being rivalries and arguments over stolen goods.These latest clashes come at time when Turkey has strengthened their presence in the…

The Danish army announced that a Russian frigate had collided with a civilian ship in the strait between Denmark and Sweden.The Danish army said in a tweet: “The civilian ship Ice Rose and a Russian frigate collided in the southern part of Oresund.”They explained that a patrol ship of the Danish armed forces and a Swedish tugboat arrived at the scene of the accident, and Ice Rose is being monitored to ensure its safety.

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a series of attacks on Wednesday that targeted the positions of the jihadist rebels in the countryside of the Idlib Governorate.Backed by Russian reconnaissance planes, the Syrian Arab Army’s rocket and artillery teams unleashed a heavy barrage on the enemy defenses, hitting the latter’s positions in the Jabal Al-Zawiya region.In particular, a source from the Syrian Armed Forces told Al-Masdar that the primary targets were the jihadist defenses at the front-line town of Al-Bara’a.Al-Bara’a has served as a launching point for the jihadist forces in the Jabal Al-Zawiya region, as they have attacked the…