Author: Steven Sahiounie

Tehran is considering the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, Iran’s navy chief has revealed. The development would greatly expand the state’s capabilities to operate in the seas beyond its home waters. “It would be negligence on the part of Iran if it fails to consider using submarines with nuclear propulsion,” Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Thursday. “Therefore, we are thinking about it.” Iran boasts a fleet of various submarines, ranging from midget-subs to some capable of carrying over 50 crew and traversing rough waters. All of its vessels, however, use conventional means of propulsion. Nuclear-powered submarines have better operational capabilities than their…

a large explosion rocked the Turkish-occupied village of al-Ahras in the northern al-Hasakah countryside in northeast Syria. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said a booby-trapped vehicle exploded next to a position of the Turkish military and its proxies. “A car bomb explosion targeted a civilian house used by the Turkish occupation’s mercenaries … this morning in the village of Al-Ahras,” the SANA’s reporter in al-Hasakah said. According to the state-run agency, the explosion killed and injured a number of Turkish personnel. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed this without providing any additional details. After the explosion,…

locals intercepted a convoy of the U.S.-led coalition in the northeastern Syrian governorate of al-Hasakah. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the convoy was intercepted near the towns of Abu Qasayeb and al-Rahayah al-Sawda in northern al-Hasakah. “The locals of the villages of Abu Qasayeb and al-Rahayah al-Sawda in the area of Tell Hamis in al-Qamishli countryside intercepted a convoy of American occupation forces consisting of five armored vehicles, forcing it to retreat,” the state-run agency’s reporter said. Several similar incidents happened during the last few weeks, especially in the countryside of the city of al-Qamishli. In some…

mysterious drone strikes targeted Turkish-backed militants in northwestern Hama, a part of the so-called Greater Idlib region. The strikes destroyed two vehicles of Jaysh al-Nasir and the 1st Coastal Division in the town of al-Enkawi. Activists said the strikes were carried out with precision-guided munitions. Two militants of Jaysh al-Nasir and one from the 1st Coastal Division were killed in the strikes. Six other militants were reportedly injured. Some opposition sources claimed that the strikes were carried out by an Iranian combat drone, while others said the drone was Russian. Both countries are known to operate several types of drones which can…

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian forces are working to establish a helicopter base in the government-held part of the eastern Raqqa countryside, the Step News Agency reported on April 16. According to the pro-opposition agency, Russian experts have inspected a site south of the town of Madan, where the base will be built. Citing a source in the National Defense Forces (NDF), the Step News Agency claimed that the base will include ammo and supplies depots, logistic and military installations as well as barracks for Syrian service members. “The establishment of a helicopter landing zone in that area aims to…

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Na’im Qassem said this week that his organization’s forces are fully prepared for war with Israel. In an interview with Al-Manar, Sheikh Qassem said Hezbollah has prepared themselves for any confrontation with Israel, including a total war. Sheikh Qassem also touched on the Israeli military operation that began on April 11, 1996 and resulted in the death of several Lebanese civilians. “On April 11, 1996, the Israeli enemy sought to sow the seeds of division between Hezbollah and the Lebanese nation through committing massacres. Several world states conspired with the Zionists after the so-called Summit of…

The Spokesman for Yemen’s Armed Forces has rejected a two-week ceasefire declared by the Saudi-led coalition, which is engaged in a brutal military campaign against the Arab country, saying the alliance has carried out over 200 airstrikes despite the truce announced last week. Brigadier General Yahya Saree wrote in a post published on his official Twitter page on Thursday that Saudi-led forces have carried out more than 32 offensives and infiltration attempts since April 9, and that the operations were performed in the northern province of al-Jawf, central provinces of Ma’rib and al-Bayda, and the southern coastal province of Ta’izz.…

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad to protest Ankara’s latest deadly aerial raid on a refugee camp in the Arab country’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali al-Hakim called in the envoy and handed him a letter of protest over “Turkish violations of Iraqi sovereignty”. The ministry spokesman, Ahmed al-Sahaf, also said that the Turkish airstrike was unacceptable and violated its sovereignty and the security of its citizens. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack carried out by the Turkish side, which resulted in loss of life and…

Russian Ambassador to Damascus Aleksandr Yefimov has called for the lifting of sanctions against Syria, stressing that the restrictive measures obstruct the war-ravaged Arab country’s fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. “Even though the national health care system has been severely affected as a result of the war and unjust Western sanctions, Syria has successfully mobilized all its potentials and resources to fight COVID-19,” Yefimov said in an exclusive interview with the Arabic service of Russia’s Sputnik news agency. He noted that Syrian authorities quickly took preventive medical and administrative measures after the new coronavirus hit the country, and praised the sustained efforts by the Damascus…

The French navy has opened a probe into an outbreak of the new coronavirus abroad its flagship aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle, the Defence Ministry has said. “The navy’s chief of staff [Christophe Prazuck] has ordered an investigation into the command to establish how the epidemic was managed within the strike group”, the ministry said in a communique published Wednesday. A third of 1,767 sailors serving with the carrier’s strike group have tested positive for the virus. The ship had been away on a mission since 21 January and had no contact with the outside world after making a brief…