Author: Steven Sahiounie

Despite scaling down the US military presence in Syria, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the country intends to retain control of the oil fields in northeastern Syria. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov on Friday slammed US actions in Syria as “destructive, inconsistent”, especially those regarding the country’s oil fields. On Elimination of Former Daesh Leader Al-Baghdadi According to the senior official, the Russian military does not possess any reliable information about the results of an American operation aimed at eliminating Daesh* leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “Our military working on the ground does not have reliable information about the conduct…

Cyprus police said on Thursday that 120 Syrian migrants have been housed at a reception center after arriving from Turkey on board a boat. Police said that the 97 men, 20 children – including 14 unaccompanied minors – and three women told authorities they’d each paid people-traffickers $4,000 for a spot on the boat. The vessel was spotted on Wednesday sailing off Cape Greco on the southeastern tip of the island nation and was escorted to an area harbor. The migrants said they’d set sail from Turkey’s southern port city of Mersin after crossing the Syrian-Turkish border on separate dates. Cyprus officials…

by Tim Korso The indictment comes at a difficult time for Netanyahu and his Likud party. The party, for the second time in a row this year, has failed to form a coalition government and now, with another snap election looming, the embattled prime minister will have to run both an election campaign and any number of court defenses. Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit announced on 21 November that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was charged on three criminal cases, involving bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000, Netanyahu faces the prospect of defending his innocence in…

Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have intercepted and targeted an unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the Saudi-led military coalition in the skies over the kingdom’s southern border region of Najran, in retaliation for the alliance’s military aggression against their conflict-stricken country. The spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, wrote in a post published on his Twitter page that Yemeni forces and their allies shot down the drone over al-Sawh area of the region, situated 844 kilometers (524 miles) south of the capital Riyadh, on Thursday evening. He added that Yemeni army forces and Popular Committees fighters targeted the unmanned aerial…

By Nick Cunningham Some analysts see the world dodging a recession next year, which provides some upward room for oil prices. Last week, the IEA warned last week that “the hefty supply cushion” building up in the first half of 2020 will cause OPEC+ problems as the group tries to balance the oil market. Part of the reason for another potential surplus is the steep drop in demand growth this year, forcing oil forecasters to make multiple downward revisions to their projections. “With consumption growth of just 830 thousand b/d YoY in 2019, global oil demand has easily expanded at the lowest rate since the…

By Andrew Korybko What originally began as an expression of legitimate outrage at the Mideast country’s dysfunctional government and endemic corruption quickly transformed into a Color Revolution aimed at carrying out regime change in Lebanon through the removal of Hezbollah from its government, the threat of which makes this a defining moment for the Resistance because its supporters’ loyalty is being tested to the core. Lebanon is undoubtedly in the throes of an ongoing Color Revolution that’s already succeeded in securing the resignation of Prime Minister Hariri in response to large-scale protests against the Mideast country’s dysfunctional government and endemic corruption, sparked as…

In framework of the economic, and commercial cooperation agreements signed between Syria and Crimea, the first batch of olive oil arrived at the Russian Crimea Peninsula on Wednesday. Minister of industrial policy of the Republic of Crimea Andrey Vasyuty said in a statement published by Russian TASS Agency that the first batch of the Syrian olive oil arrived by the beginning of the current month, asserting that a second batch will arrive to Crimea soon. Vice-Chairman of the Syrian-Russian Business Council and a member of the Committee of Lattakia Export Chamber Myasara al-Haji told SANA in a statement that a…

The Middle East Eye (MEE) has reported on November 21, that the US and British military ran at least two secret prisons in Iraq during the months following the 2003 invasion, effectively concealing prisoners from Red Cross inspectors. MEE claims that the British army’s most senior legal advisor in the country, at the time, has filed a criminal complaint to the police about the existence of the so-called black sites. The legal advisor has alleged that the prisoners may not have been declared to the Red Cross and may have subsequently been rendered out of the country. This allegation comes…

Turkey is discussing with Russia “how to address the continued presence” of Kurdish YPG militants in areas covered by an agreement between the two countries, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday. Ankara halted its incursion against the YPG last month after agreeing with Moscow to allow militants to pull out of a swathe of land east of the Euphrates river, as well as the towns of Tel Rifat and Manbij, west of the river. Turkey has complained that the withdrawal has not been completed, and threatened to resume its offensive, Reuters said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on…

The United States is ready to work with a new Lebanese government that responds to the needs of its people, the country’s President Michael Aoun tweeted on Thursday, citing President Donald Trump’s cable to him. Lebanon is mired in a deep political crisis amid nationwide protests that prompted PM Saad Hariri to resign on October 29. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged Lebanon’s leaders to form a new government capable of enacting reforms and fighting corruption. Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday scheduled a session of parliament next week to discuss draft legislation on banking secrecy and…