Author: Steven Sahiounie

‘The Group of the Martyrs Zbieb and Dhaher managed to destroy a military vehicle at the road of Ivivim colony killing and injuring who’s inside it.’ This was the statement by Hezbollah minutes ago. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate the unprovoked cowardly multiple aggressions by Israel against an apartment used by Hezbollah members in the village of Aqraba in Damascus countryside killing two members of the Hezb in their dorms. At the same time, Netanyahu forces sent two suicide drones to the Southern Beirut residential neighborhood, the main base for Hezbollah supporters in the Lebanese capital. This operation Hezbollah stated was carried…

On Thursday, the “Israeli military” accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of working “inside Lebanon” alongside Hezbollah to try to create missile factories to build weapons which can attack “Israel”. Hezbollah does not possess any factories to produce precision-guided missiles, Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah has said, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “lying” and looking for a pretext to attack Lebanon. “We do not have factories to produce precision-guided missiles in Lebanon,” Nasrallah said, speaking to supporters on Saturday night, his comments cited by Reuters. Hezbollah already has enough precision missiles for ‘any confrontation’ with Israel, big or small, Nasrallah…

The United States sanctioned the tanker Adrian Darya and its captain for transporting more than 2 million barrels of oil that will benefit Iran’s security forces, the Treasury Department said in a statement. “The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today against Adrian Darya 1, an oil tanker transporting 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil ultimately benefitting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). The Adrian Darya 1 is being identified as blocked property pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorism or acts of…

A ceasefire was announced in northern Syria on Friday after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) captured new territories inside the Idlib Governorate. According to the Russian Reconciliation Center, the ceasefire will become effective in the Idlib Governorate at 6:00 A.M. (local time) on August 31st. “In order to stabilize the situation, the Russian Center for Reconciliation between the warring parties reached a unilateral agreement with the Syrian government forces for a ceasefire in the de-escalation zone in Idlib beginning at 06:00 A.M. on August 31, 2019,” the statement said. The Russian Center for Reconciliation called on the leaders of the…

The crew of the oil tanker Adrian Darya 1, formerly known as the Grace 1, has changed its registered destination in its Automatic Identification System to Iskenderun, Turkey, a shipping source stated. ​However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has dismissed the report, saying that the Adrian Darya 1 is heading to Lebanon, not Turkey. Later, though, Cavusoglu stated, as cited by Reuters, that he didn’t mean that the tanker was heading to a Lebanese port. He, however, expressed certainty that the tanker is not coming to a Turkish port. Lebanon’s Finance Minister, in turn, has stated that Beirut has not been…

By: Sarah Abed, independent journalist and analyst On Tuesday, the biennial MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Show kicked off in Russia’s Zhukovsky International Airport. This important event has drawn spectators, journalists, and photographers from around the world every odd year since 1992. What began as an entertaining event has now become a marketplace for Russian aerospace companies to negotiate export contracts and for Russian air carriers to make foreign contacts This year by special invitation Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was given a personal tour by President Putin and other officials, to gain insight into Russia’s latest aviation developments. Turkey was recently ejected from…

Steven Sahiounie, Middle East observer Netanyahu attacks Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon to win re-election Benyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of “Israel”, the occupier of Palestine, may lose the election on September 17th.  He is the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the occupation; however, he is facing possible defeat even though he is the best friend of Pres. Trump, who enjoys a 70% approval rating in “Israel”.  Netanyahu is facing 3 serious corruption charges in a hearing set for October.  Some analysts predict he will lose the election, lose his case, and go to jail.  To win the election, Netanyahu…

Washington earlier suspended Ankara’s participation in the F-35 procurement programme after it refused to fulfil the American ultimatum, demanding that it cancel its deal with Russia on S-400 air defence systems. Pentagon chief Mark Esper expressed hope that Turkey would get rid of its S-400 air defence systems, which it has bought from Russia, saying that if it does so, then the country can count on returning to the F-35 programme and acquire the jets it ordered. He further stressed that Ankara must fully cease its participation in the S-400 programme, removing the systems for good from the country, in order…

Lebanon’s army has opened fire at an Israeli drone in the south of the country, Reuters reported, citing Lebanese security sources. According to the source, the troops fired shots from M16 assault rifles. The National News Agency reported that the incident took place at the village of Odeisseh, near Marjayoun, near the border with Israel. The Lebanese Army stated that it had forced the two drones to return by firing at them. In the meantime, an Israeli military spokeswoman has stated that they’re “checking the report”. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has posted an image with a list of what…

The battle for Ta’manah has begun this evening as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies attempt to take hold of this key town in the southern region of the Idlib Governorate. Led by the Tiger Forces and Republican Guard, the Syrian Arab Army began their assault by storming Ta’manah and the nearby town of Khuwayn Al-Kabir. According to a source from the Republican Guard, their troops captured at least three quarters of Khuwayn Al-Kabir, leaving only a small portion of the town left under the control of the jihadist forces. At the same time, the Tiger Forces are…