The seizure of the northern Syrian province of Idlib by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from other armed opposition groups in early January once again brings to the fore the debate over its ties to al-Qaeda (AQ). HTS grew out of the Nusra Front (NF) in 2017, when it was required …
Read More »Islamic State’s Chief Al-Baghdadi Survived a ‘Coup’ by his Fighters
Martin Chulov reported [1] for The Guardian yesterday, February 7, the Islamic State’s chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had survived a coup attempt last month by foreign fighters within the ranks of the terrorist organization in its holdout in Hajin in eastern Syria near the town of Al-Bukamal on the border …
Read More »US General Warns of Russian, Chinese Inroads in Africa
Fears that Washington is increasingly losing influence across the globe are starting to come to fruition in Africa, where a top military official says Russia is playing on perceived U.S. weaknesses to gain leverage and resources.
Read More »Now That NATO Door Is Open, North Macedonia Gets To Show That It Belongs
NATO says it is now ready North Macedonia. But is North Macedonia ready for the Western security alliance? At the center of a tug-of-war for influence between Russia and the West, Skopje signed a protocol on February 6 that could see another successor state of Yugoslavia become the military alliance’s …
Read More »Iran unveils underground ballistic missile plant for 1st time
Iran has unveiled an underground plant manufacturing precision ballistic missiles for the Aerospace Division of its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Read More »Imagery Suggests Second Launch Attempt Of Iranian Satellite
Two satellite-imagery companies have released photos that suggest Iran has attempted a second launch of a satellite after the failure of the first lift-off in January.
Read More »Has Turkish President Erdoğan Distanced Himself from the Muslim Brotherhood?
The picture sent shockwaves through Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s grassroots: A poor Egyptian member of the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan in Arabic) handcuffed by the Turkish police, put aboard a Turkish Airlines plane to fly back to Cairo, to be tortured and eventually executed. Is President Erdoğan not a staunch …
Read More »NATO Allies sign Accession Protocol for the future Republic of North Macedonia
At NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday (6 February 2019) the Permanent Representatives to NATO of the 29 members of the Alliance signed the Accession Protocol for the future Republic of North Macedonia. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov.
Read More »Israeli Satellite PHOTOS Suggest Russian-Made S-300 Operational in Syria
Russia completed its delivery of new S-300 air defence systems to Syria last October following a Russian plane’s accidental destruction by a Syrian air defence battery that was responding to an Israeli airstrike.
Read More »Russia successfully test-fires long-range missile amid tensions with US
Russia has successfully test-launched an RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), amid ongoing tensions with the United States over long-running treaties that control development of new missiles.
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