Author: Steven Sahiounie

At least 14 UAE-backed southern separatists and Saudi-led militants have been killed as clashes between the two sides entered a sixth day in the southern Yemeni province of Abyan. Separatist forces of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) are resisting an offensive by Saudi-sponsored militants loyal to Yemen’s former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, launched on the outskirts of Zinjibar, some 60 km from the main southern city of Aden. ​​​​​​A military official of Yemen’s former government told AFP news agency that 14 militants, including 10 pro-Hadi mercenaries, were killed on Saturday as fighting between the two sides entered a sixth day. A separatist military source confirmed the death…

Iraq’s Armed Forces have launched a new military operation against the Daesh terrorist group covering the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Salahuddin to the Syrian border. Iraq’s Security Media Cell announced the beginning of the counter-terrorism campaign, dubbed Operation Al Jazeera Lions, on Sunday. “Under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command ‘Operation Al Jazeera Lions’ was launched this morning to monitor Al Jazeera desert north of Anbar governorate, south of Nineveh governorate, and west of Salahuddin governorate, reaching the international borders with the Syria,” it said in a statement carried by Shafaaq news agency. The campaign, it added, will be conducted on 11…

An American aircraft has reportedly dropped thermal balloons over agricultural lands in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah, setting fire to wheat crops in the area. Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing local sources who requested anonymity, reported on Sunday that the targeted area was part of agricultural lands in the countryside of al-Shaddadi town. The report added that the fire gutted 200 dunums (0.2 square kilometers) of wheat fields The sources highlighted that US planes also flew at low altitude very close to the people’s homes in the agricultural fields, causing panic and fear among local residents. Since late October 2019, the US…

Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) says its forces have managed to shut down another air defense system and shoot down a drone belonging rebels loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar southwest of capital Tripoli. In a statement on Sunday, the GNA’s military spokesman Colonel Mohammed Qanunu announced the news, saying the airstrikes against Haftar’s rebels were carried out at their positions in the Watiya airbase. The official, whose statement was carried by Turkey’s state Anadolu news agency, explained that the GNA forces destroyed a Pantsir type air defense system and a Wing Loong II type combat drone, both supplied by the…

The kingdom earlier expressed interest in making medium to long-term investments in companies, capitalising on the economic effect that the coronavirus pandemic has had on stock markets. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Public Investment Fund has been actively investing in blue-chip companies around the world at least since March, the Financial Times reported, citing a US regulatory filing. Among these companies are the IT giant Facebook, Bank of America, Citigroup, entertainment giant the Walt Disney Company, international hospitality company Marriot, pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer, aviation company Boeing and coffeehouse chain Starbucks. The PIF also reportedly invested in lesser-known brands such as cruise operator Carnival and…

The US has justified sanctions on the Chinese firm by claiming that Huawei’s 5G equipment, sold around the globe, could be used by Beijing to spy on people. Both the Chinese government and the tech giant strongly deny Washington’s claims. The White House strategy to cripple Huawei’s position on the global market has apparently borne unexpected fruit, putting another Chinese phone maker, Xiaomi in the top spot on smartphone markets, Forbes contributor Zak Doffman pointed out in an op-ed, citing the company’s financial reports for 2019. Sanctions, first introduced against Huawei in 2019, banned the company from using Google’s app store…

The situation between Iran and the United States almost escalated into a full conflict after a US drone strike killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in January, prompting Tehran to retaliate by firing ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq hosting US forces. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated that the “Americans won’t stay in Iraq and Syria and will be expelled”, according to his official website. In the meantime, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that Tehran will retaliate if Washington takes action against the fuel deliveries to crisis-hit Venezuela. The statement comes…

Biden and Obama knew about the FBI seeking to investigate the incoming National Security adviser, and the former submitted a formal “unmasking” request for all intelligence agency information held on Flynn. Donald Trump demanded Sunday morning former President Barack Obama and his deputy Joe Biden go to jail for their involvement in the witch hunt against Michael Flynn. Speaking to Fox Business, he dubbed the targeting of his former national security adviser “the greatest political crime in the history of our country”. “If I were a Democrat instead of a Republican, I think everybody would have been in jail a long time ago, and…

A group of five Iranian tankers was previously spotted sailing through the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean and is believed to be heading towards Venezuela. Media reports have suggested that Tehran could be helping Caracas overcome its domestic fuel crisis, which has partially been caused by American sanctions. Tehran has summoned the Swiss ambassador to the country, representing Washington’s interests, to lodge a protest against the alleged plans of the US Navy to intercept its tankers that are on their way towards Venezuela with a cargo of fuel. Earlier, the possibility of such a move by Washington was reported by Reuters,…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Every day we see the conflict in Libya on media news coverage, but what if you were taken to the battlefield and found yourself captured by terrorists?  This is the viewers experience when watching the new action-thriller “Shugaley”, which is free to watch online, and based on the true story of Russian sociologist Maxim Shugaley and his Arab interpreter Samer Sweifan who were kidnapped in Libya by terrorists.  In the course of his research, Shugaley (Kirill Polukhin) discovers explosive information, which leads to the pair being kidnapped by terrorists who work for the government…