Author: Steven Sahiounie

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a top congressional leader criticized China for what they described as its bullying behavior towards India during a military confrontation on a disputed border between the two countries. Pompeo, in remarks to a research institution called the American Project Policy Institute, and published by the State Department, said that moving Chinese forces to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was similar to its strict behavior in relation to the emerging coronavirus, the South China Sea and Hong Kong. He continued, “These are the types of measures taken by dictatorial regimes.” For his part,…

The U.S. Armed Forces went on the offensive Wednesday as their troops intercepted a Russian military convoy in northeastern Syria. According to local reports, the U.S. Armed Forces intercepted a Russian military patrol that was attempting to travel through the Al-Malikiyah District along the border triangle that links Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The reports said the Russian military was ultimately forced to turn around after a brief standoff with the U.S. troops. No violence was reported. The U.S. Armed Forces were previously blocked this week from accessing a road in the Tal Tamr countryside of Al-Hasakah. The Syrian Army’s 154th…

Last night and earlier this morning, the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF), alongside their Russian counterparts, carried out a half dozen airstrikes over the Latakia and Hama governorates. According to a field source, the Syrian Air Force was responsible for the attack on the foreign jihadist positions in the key town of Kabani, while both air forces launched strikes on the northern part of the Al-Ghaab Plain region. The source stated that the airstrikes primarily targeted the positions of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) and Hurras Al-Deen group, two foreigner-led groups that have carried out attacks against the Syrian Arab…

The commander of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, traveled on Wednesday to Cairo to meet with a number of Egyptian officials to coordinate and consult on developments in the current situation in Libya. Haftar’s trip to Egypt comes at the same time that the Turkish-backed forces attempt to capture several areas around Tripoli, most notably, the international airport. On Wednesday, the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) forces launched two simultaneous attacks that targeted the Tripoli International Airport and the Libyan National Army’s stronghold, Tarhouna.

The Turkish Army has deployed at least one additional Atilgan PMADS (Pedestal-Mounted Air Defence Missile System) to the militant-held area in the Syrian province of Idlib. Over the past months, Turkey has notably increased its military presence in Syria’s Greater Idlib by deploying additional artillery guns, battle tanks and even air defense systems. These moves by Ankara demonstrate that it’s planning to protect terrorists hiding in the area at any cost.

On June 3, a large convoy of Iranian-backed Liwa Fatemiyoun arrived in the town of al-Mayadin in the southern Deir Ezzor countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The convoy, which came from the town of al-Heri on Syria’s border with Iraq, consisted of 30 vehicles carrying logistics, fighters and military equipment. “The convoy settled in the farmlands [around al-Mayadin] which were transformed by Iranian forces and their militias into a large gathering center for them in Deir Ezzor,” the London-based monitoring group said in its report. Last month, similar reinforcements were sent to the town of…

On June 2nd, Lebanese outlet Daily Star reported that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks crossed the technical fence and entered the Blue Line for the first time since 2006. The Israeli version is that they didn’t cross the Blue Line, but there was, regardless, a standoff between IDF and Lebanese troops. In response to the crossing, a number of Lebanese troops armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers arrived at the scene, standing several meters from the tanks. Israel handed over to Lebanon a Syrian shepherd who was shot by their forces as he was herding his goats in the…

On June 3, the Russian Military Police established a new position in the northeastern countryside of Syria’s al-Hasakah. The position was established near the village of Qasr Deep that’s located in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiyah. Vedeng, a news outlet based in northeast Syria, released a video showing Russian troops establishing the position. A unit of the Russian Military Police attempted to conduct a patrol inside al-Malikiyah while the new position was being built. However, it was blocked by U.S. forces, according to the North Press Agency. A day earlier, Qasr Deep locals prevented a unit of the…

The Turkish-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL) has declared the al-Zawiya Mount in the southern countryside of Idlib a “military zone.” In its statement, the al-Sham Falcons, one of the NFL’s factions, called on civilians to evacuate the entire eastern part of the mountain. The faction claimed that the step is meant to ensure the safety of the region’s residents. According to the group’s statement, which was released on June 2, the military zone will cover the areas located to the east of the following points: The town of Benin;The Benin-Farkia road;The town of Majrashah;The al-Ruyha junction;The town of Moataf;The…

Jaysh al-Izza, one of the remaining armed factions in Greater Idlib, announced on May 31 that a new batch of its special forces has completed training. The group released a video on June 2 showing the training of its new special forces personnel. In the video, 28 fighters can be seen training with live ammo and battle tanks in a military camp located right beside refugees’ tents in northern Idlib. The camp is named after Abdul Baset al-Sarout, the so-called “icon” of the Syrian opposition who was killed by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in northern Hama last year. Jaysh al-Izza has been…