Author: Steven Sahiounie

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…

A group of Russian fighters intercepted a Norwegian R3S Orion reconnaissance plane over the Barents Sea on Friday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.The Russian National Defense Administration Center announced in a statement on Friday:“Russian fighters of the Northern Fleet intercepted a Norwegian reconnaissance plane over the Barents Sea.”They continued: “On July 17, Russian airspace monitors discovered a Norwegian Air Force R3S Orion reconnaissance plane over the Barents Sea.”According to the report, the reconnaissance aircraft “was escorted by the Northern Air Force’s combat air defense aircraft. There was no violation of the Russian Federation’s borders,” the statement added.Friday’s incident marked…

Greece’s Chief-of-Staff, General Konstantinos Floros, said on Friday that Turkey was a “destabilizing factor” in the region.In an interview with his Israeli counterpart, Aviv Kochavi, in Israel, he explained that Turkey represents a threat to Greece and the current situation in the Eastern Mediterranean region.Floros that his forces are ready to defend the territorial integrity, rights and sovereignty of Greece against any Turkish threat. He also stressed the need for coordination between the Eastern Mediterranean countries to preserve the security of the region and the prosperity of its citizens.According to the Greek media, the two parties discussed deepening military cooperation…

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that Egypt will not stand idle in the face of any moves that constitute a direct and strong threat to national security, not only Egyptian and Libyan, but also Arab, regional and international.According to the statement of the Egyptian presidency , Sisi said, “The main goal of the Egyptian efforts at all levels towards Libya is to activate the free will of the Libyan people for a better future for their country and for future generations of their children.”The Egyptian President stated that ” the red lines that he announced before are mainly a…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Following a week of tension between Western governments and those of Russia and China, the UN Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution on Saturday allowing the use of the Bab al-Hawa crossing point from Turkey to Idlib for one year.  The final vote was 12 in favor, while Russia, China, and the Dominican Republic abstained.  The UN and humanitarian groups had demanded two crossing points along the Turkish border with Syria to deliver aid to the residents of Idlib, which are estimated to be about 3 million; though, the true count is thought to…

The Russian Air Force has issued its response to the attempted militant drone strikes on the Hmeimim Airbase over the weekend, as their warplanes hammered the jihadist rebel positions in the Jabal Al-Akrad and Jisr Al-Shughour regions. According to a field report from the Latakia Governorate, the Russian warplanes carried out several airstrikes over the jihadist stronghold of Kabani, resulting in the destruction of bases and trenches. The report said the Russian Air Force then carried out several airstrikes along the Latakia-Idlib axis, with the primary target being the jihadists of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) and the Al-Qaeda-linked Hurras…

Wealthy individuals, calling themselves Millionaires for Humanity, in an open letter on Monday called on governments to increase taxes on rich people to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences. “As COVID-19 strikes the world, millionaires like us have a critical role to play in healing our world. No, we are not the ones caring for the sick in intensive care wards. We are not driving the ambulances that will bring the ill to hospitals. We are not restocking grocery store shelves or delivering food door to door. But we do have money, lots of it”. Money that…

A group of gunman belonging to a group called “Mughawer Al-Thourah”, who had been detained near Palmyra, admitted to have received training from the U.S. forces.It was reported earlier that three gunmen were arrested and transferred to the Syrian city of Palmyra, after their group fell into a minefield.The detained militants acknowledged that they had been sent on a mission, and had to obtain information about Russian and Iranian targets in Syria.One of the detainees, Abdullah Al-Mishwat, said in his confessions: “We were taught how to deal with all types of weapons by American trainers. All of the weapons were…