Author: Steven Sahiounie

On July 21, a supposed drone strike of the US-led coalition destroyed a vehicle near the village of Ahtimat in the Turkish-occupied part of the Syrian province of Aleppo. The village is located near the town of al-Bab, one of the main strongholds of Turkish-backed militants there. The strike killed two persons. One of them was identified as Shuja’a al Muhammad. The identity of the second person remains unknown. In previous months, the US-led coalition conducted several airstrikes killing prominent ISIS and al-Qaeda members hiding in the Turkish-occupied area under fake names. The July 21 strike could be a part…

The Armenian military demonstrated the wreckage of a kamikaze UAV that was used by units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the conflict zone in the Tavush region. The wreckage of drones destroyed by the Armenian Armed Forces during the escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Tavush region were shown to media representatives. Earlier, on July 18th, the Russian Armed Forces took part in a “sudden readiness” check leading up to the Caucasus-2020 exercises, and categorically rejected that they were in any way connected to the hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Deputy Defense Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin categorically rejected the…

Troops from the Syrian Arab Army reportedly captured a FLIR Systems Black Hornet 3 drone. These very-small scale spy drones are being increasingly used by various sides, including the US military. It is a way to provide small unites with increased situational awareness. The photograph was first published on July 19th, and pro-Syrian government sources reported that the SAA had captured the small drone near the town of Tal Tamr in the country’s northeastern Al Hasakah Governorate, which borders Turkey to the north and Iraq to the south. The Black Hornet 3, also known as the Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS),…

On Sunday, the state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that an explosion occurred in an energy facility in the central province of Isfahan, noting that the incident did not result in any injuries. The agency quoted a local official, saying that the explosion occurred at the power station in the city of Islamabad, Isfahan, and was believed to have been caused by the erosion of one of the transformers, stressing that no injuries were reported. During the past few weeks, Iran has witnessed a series of explosions that rocked several military, nuclear and industrial sites, including the Natanz facility.…

On Sunday morning, Syrian state media reported that ballot boxes were opened to voters in all polling stations to elect members of the People’s Assembly for the third legislative round. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) announced that the Supreme Judicial Committee for Elections in Syria that the polls would be opened today, Sunday, all over Syria, to elect members of the People’s Assembly for the third legislative role. According to the General Elections Law No. 5 of 2014, the election begins at 7 A.M. on the day specified for the election and closes at 7 P.M. on the same…

The Armenian army recently delivered a powerful blow to the Azerbaijani forces, as new photos showed the aftermath of an Armenian attack on the former’s positions along the border.In a photo that has been widely shared on social media, four destroyed vehicles belonging to the Azerbaijani forces can be seen from an aerial image taken near the border of the two countries.“A day earlier it became known that Azerbaijan had already lost at least four tanks in the regions bordering with Armenia, however, the military from Armenia published new photos – as a result of the strikes, another Azerbaijani tank…

A new Pentagon report said that Turkey sent between 3,500 and 3,800 Syrian mercenaries to Libya during the first three months of this year.The report on anti-terrorism operations in Africa told the Pentagon, from which the Associated Press quoted excerpts, that Turkey provided funds and offered citizenship to thousands of fighters in exchange for participating in the conflict in Libya alongside forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.The report pointed out that the Syrian mercenaries were not found to have links with terrorist organizations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, and that financial rewards are most…

London’s decision to ban the Chinese telecoms giant follows months of pressure from the Trump administration, which claims that Huawei conducts espionage at the behest Beijing and that the company’s equipment could be used in potential attacks, allegations that both Huawei and the Chinese government have vehemently denied. Britain has turned to Japan for help in the development of its 5G network, Nikkei reported. According to the newspaper, Japanese tech companies NEC and Fujitsu may replace Huawei after London banned the purchase of the Chinese tech giant’s equipment and ordered all Huawei devices for 5G to be removed by 2027. It…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his support for Azerbaijan, which witnessed border clashes with Armenia, in which 16 people were killed.Erdogan said in a speech on Friday, that Ankara cannot leave Azerbaijan, “it’s a brotherly country, alone in the face of Armenian attacks.”Turkey has strong historical and cultural ties with Azerbaijan as well as joint energy projects.For his part, the director of the Turkish Defense Industries Authority said on Friday, that his sector is ready to assist Azerbaijan.“Our defense industry, with all its expertise, technologies and capabilities, from our drones to our ammunition, missiles and electronic warfare systems, is…

A U.S. official said that the United States has several intelligence reports indicating that Iran has placed parts of its air defenses on “high alert” in recent days.The U.S. official, who is closely following the developments, said that the alert level means that Iranian air missile batteries will be ready to fire at targets “believed to constitute a threat”, according to CNN.The official did not say how the United States got to this information, but American satellites, spy planes and ships are routinely operating in the nearby international field, which is constantly monitoring Iran.The U.S. official said the main concern…