Author: Steven Sahiounie

Around 100,000 Syrians living without approval in Istanbul have left it since early July, when the government set a deadline for Syrians not registered in the city to leave for other provinces, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Wednesday. Syrians registered in other cities had come to Istanbul, leading to an accumulation in the city, the minister told the parliament, adding that a total of 200,000 migrants had left the city. As sentiment toward Syrian refugees among Turks began to sour in recent years, authorities said Syrians not registered in Turkey’s largest city should return to the provinces in which…

By Paul Antonopoulos, From November 3 to November 14, Israeli, U.S., German, Italian and Greek war jets participated in the “Blue Flag 2019” military exercises out of the Ovda Air Base in Israel’s Negev Desert. The timing of these exercises corresponds with Turkey and a whole host of other countries conducting their own naval exercises in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Lines are certainly being drawn in the Eastern Mediterranean between pro-U.S. forces and states seeking their own sovereignty away from U.S. hegemony, especially Turkey. Greece proves to be a curious country at the moment, since one of its warships participated in…

Earlier this week, the militia temporarily released three South Korean vessels and their 16 crew members, including two South Korean nationals, following reports that they had seized a ship carrying a drilling rig from Saudi Arabia to Somalia through the Red Sea. Yemen’s Houthi militia have reported shooting down a Saudi-led coalition F-15 fighter jet. In a tweet cited by Reuters, a militia spokesman wrote: “Our air defence systems have intercepted an F-15 fighter jet belonging to the countries of aggression in Saada province.” The Houthis did not clarify which coalition country the plane belonged to. The Saudi-led coalition in…

By Andrew Korybko Turkish President Erdogan reaffirmed to his American counterpart that his country won’t completely abandon its purchase of Russia’s S-400s like Washington wants but that Ankara would buy its Patriot competitor as well if an offer was made “under suitable conditions”, suggesting that one or the other air-defense system would become a ‘white elephant’ under that scenario, with the odds being likely that it would be the Patriots which would fulfill this expensive but useless role and not the S-400s. Turkish President Erdogan’s visit to the US last week didn’t visibly seem to have accomplished much in repairing the…

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli Air Force reported carrying out multiple attacks inside Syrian territory, attacking dozens of military targets allegedly containing ‘Iranian’ and Syrian forces. Israel’s attacks against Syria are a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and only serve to escalate tensions in the region, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday. “Recently, the intensity of Israeli rocket and bomb attacks on Syrian territory have increased sharply…This development evokes the most serious concern and opposition in Moscow. We consider it critically important to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and…

China and Saudi Arabia have begun a three-week joint naval exercise, according to Chinese state media. The joint exercise at a Saudi Arabian naval base comes as tensions in the Gulf have risen over recent attacks on oil tankers and a major assault on Saudi energy facilities. Beijing maintains close ties with Saudi Arabia, which is China’s top oil supplier to date, but it has also sought to strengthen ties with Iran, Reuters said. The joint exercise was designed to build trust between the two sides to combat maritime terrorism and piracy, officials say.

Russia and Turkey share common interests in the Eastern Mediterranean and need to increase cooperation and joint defence production in light of the growing sanctions pressure from the US and EU, say retired Turkish Air Force officer Mesuat Halli Casin and historian Mehmet Perincek. On 18-19 November Turkey hosted an international conference eloquently titled “Changing Global Order: Blue Wars in the Eastern Mediterranean” amid growing tensions between Ankara and Washington over the S-400 deal and the latter’s reinvigorated backing of Greece and Cyprus. Washington and Ankara have yet to resolve their debate over the delivery of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning…

By Drago Bosnic US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has once again made remarks in support of riots in Iran, interfering in the country’s domestic affairs in support of, not people’s right of protest, but riots by saboteurs. Turning a blind eye to the escalating radical violent crimes in a number of cities that seriously trample the rule of law, Pompeo retweeted on Saturday a previous message sent to the Iranian people in July 2018, reminding them, “The United States is with you”. Pompeo had sent a message last year saying, “The United States hears you. The United States supports you.…

East Libya-based forces said they had carried out airstrikes on the port city of Misrata in the early hours of Tuesday, targeting armored vehicles delivered from Turkey and a munitions depot. The strikes came hours after a deadly airstrike on a biscuit factory in the capital Tripoli, 190km (118 miles) to the west, Reuters reported. The attacks mark a new escalation in the conflict around Tripoli, where forces loyal to east Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar have been on the offensive since early April. The attempt by Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) to take Tripoli stalled, and both sides have used…

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday resolutely condemned the statement of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the previous day that the US is terminating the sanctions waiver related to Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant. “There is no legitimate reason for Iran to resume enrichment at this previously clandestine site,” Pompeo said. Washington’s intentions are a blatant violation of international obligations, the Russian ministry said. Taking into account the US statements, a substantial reaction from the Commission on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will be required, according to the statement. Moscow hopes that European colleagues “will find the strength to go beyond the…