Author: Steven Sahiounie

Syrian Arab Army (SAA) captured at least two militants near the city of Saraqib in the southeastern Idlib countryside. Opposition sources said the militants, both are field commanders in the Turkish-backed Ahrar Army, fell in an ambush set by the SAA after getting lost on a road leading to Saraqib. The army targeted the militants’ van with machine guns and managed to capture them alive. The captured commanders were identified by activists as Safuan Kulish and Hassan al-Shamat, both from the town of Salqin. The two commanders were reportedly on their way to a military position in the southern Idlib…

U.S. forces have established a new base in the eastern Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on May 8. According to the UK-based monitoring group, the new base was established near the town of al-Jazarat in the northern Deir Ezzor countryside. U.S. forces shipped loads of supplies to the new base over the last few days. “More than 300 [supply] trucks entered Syria’s territory in the last few days and headed to the al-Omar oil fields in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, later a large number of these trucks headed to al-Jazarat,” the…

At least seven Syrian militants were killed in the last few days while fighting for the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on May 9. According to the monitoring group, the dead bodies of the militants were sent to the Turkish-occupied part of northern Aleppo. The militants were killed in clashes with the Libyan National Army (LNA) around the capital, Tripoli, and the city of Misrata. “The death toll of pro-Turkish factions as a result of military operations in Libya has reached 268,” the UK-based group said in a report. The…

The al-Qaeda-affiliated Wa Harid al-Muminin operations room has claimed responsibility for the recent rocket attack on the Russian Hmeimim Air Base in southern Lattakia. Forces of the operations room launched four Grad rockets from their positions in the town of Tardin at the air base in the afternoon of May 9. The rockets fell in farmlands, far away from the air base, causing no damage whatsoever. “With the grace of God Almighty, the air base of the Russian occupier in the Hmeimim area was targeted with Grad rockets and accurate hits were achieved, Thank God, Lord of the Worlds,” the operations room…

The Houthis announced on May 9 that the Yemeni Air Defense Force had targeted an aerial formation of the Saudi-led coalition over the northern province of al-Jawf. A spokesman for the Yemeni group, said the formation, that consisted of several warplanes, was targeted with a “Fatir-1” air-defense system. “The aggressor’s warplanes were confronted with Fatir-1 missiles, which forced them to retreat while they were attempting to carry out hostile acts in the province of al-Jawf,” the spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, said. The Fatir-1 system, which was first revealed by the Houthis in August of 2019, is a locally-upgraded Soviet-made SA-6 “Gainful.”…

The United States is pulling its Patriot missile systems from Saudi soil as part of broader curbs on its military support for the Arab kingdom, a report says. Citing unnamed US officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that four Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries and dozens of military personnel will be removed from Saudi oil facilities. The officials said the US will also reduce its Navy presence in the Persian Gulf soon, adding that two jet fighter squadrons have already left the region. The US intensified its military presence in the region last year amid growing tensions with Iran. Part of…

As the world gradually embarks on easing corona-spawned social and economic restrictions, it has been suggested that gains from increasing demand will continue to be reined in for quite some time. Though oil prices have been slowly but steadily gaining in the past week as more countries began relaxing restrictions in place to eradicate the coronavirus pandemic, demand for crude and its products hasn’t yet started to visibly pick up, with oil reserves continuing to flow largely into limited storage facilities. The latter nuance has boosted the prospect of any gains potentially prompted by higher demand being capped. “Oil is…

by Oleg Burunov President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US of being the mastermind behind the planned incursion in Venezuela, but Washington denies any involvement in the botched raid. In an interview with the news website Grayzone’s Anya Parampil, Drew White, the chief operating officer (COO) of the private military company Silvercorp USA, asserted that there was “no US [offcials] involvement” in the failed attempt to kidnap Venezuelan President Maduro “at all”. Silvercorp USA is suspected of being involved in the plan. White, in particular, referred to his contacts with “great guy” and former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau who was earlier exposed…

Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, Libya has been forced to suspend its activities several times over the past several months due to shelling amid a confrontation between warring factions in the conflict-torn nation. Several fires erupted at Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, Libya after its jet fuel tank farm was “attacked”, Libya’s National Oil Corporation said on Facebook. The company provided no further details on the attack. According to the corporation, a firefighter crew has arrived at the scene to contain the blazes. Al Jazeera earlier reported that the airport had come under a rocket attack that hit a civilian…

by Tim Korso The Su-34 joined the Russian Air Force in 2014 as a multipurpose 4++ generation jet capable of striking ground targets and repelling attacks by hostile fighters utilising its high manoeuvrability. Several Su-34 fighter jets (NATO codename “Fullback”) have for the first time joined the major aerial Victory Day parade in the skies over the Russian city of Ekaterinburg, the command of the Central Military District reported. The 4++ generation jet, capable of launching ground strikes from extremely low altitudes, closed the parade of 22 jets and helicopters along with the recon modification of the Su-24, Su-24MR (NATO codename “Fencer”), and MiG-31…