For an organization that disintegrated twice over the past four-and-a-half decades — once in 1976 and again in 1984 — the Lebanese army is no stranger to crisis. But with Lebanon’s economy in free fall, the predicament in which the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) now finds itself is unprecedented. The …
Read More »Engagement Reframed #7: Defending democracy and countering China requires US and Western support for a beleaguered developing world
The war in Ukraine has become a turning point for developing countries, many of whom could give up the gains made in economic growth and reduction in poverty over the past three decades. A growing number of developing nations are vulnerable to political instability caused by debt crises, as is …
Read More »Russia Crisis Military Assessment: The impact of multiple rocket launcher transfers to Ukraine
The bottom line While the transfer of US high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and British multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) will help Ukraine, we assess that the amount of systems and ammunition planned for transfer in the first tranche will only have a minor impact in the fighting. Russia’s …
Read More »Turkish Media: Army & Allies Completed Preparations for Military Operation in Syria
Turkish media said that the Turkish army and factions of the Syrian National Army have completed preparations and are waiting for Ankara’s order to start a new cross-border operation in northern Syria. The Turkish newspaper, Sabah Daily, reported that the Turkish army had taken combat positions around the cities of …
Read More »Washington Warns of “Costly Setbacks” in Northern Syria if Turkey Attacks
In a press briefing on Tuesday, the spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, Ned Price, renewed his country’s concerns about a breach of the 2019 ceasefire agreement in northeast Syria and said that any escalation by Turkey would affect the battle against the Islamic State Organization (ISIS). “I’ve previously …
Read More »Lines of Contact Unchanged, Army Reinforcing its Forces North of Raqqa
The positions of frontlines remain unchanged in northern Syria, despite the high frequency of Turkish attacks and the Erdogan regime’s continued threats to occupy the border strip at a depth of 30 kilometres. Developments in the field seemed to be racing against political developments. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein …
Read More »Fearing Iranian Expansion, Russia Increases Economic Activity in Syria
Russia has revived several economic projects, especially in the field of transports, according to al-Hal Net. Recently, Russia appears to have started increasing its economic activity in Syria, which has followed Iran’s exploitation of the Russian preoccupation with invasions of Ukrainian territory. In this context, Iran was presented with an …
Read More »The Truth About 60,000 Russian Troops in Syria
Enab Baladi says Russia exaggerates the number of soldiers it keeps in Syria. Speculation has swept over the past few weeks about the number of Russian soldiers present in Syria, in light of reports that Russia has reduced that number, according to what was reported by Russian media that does …
Read More »President Assad to RT: Russia Restored Lost International Balance
President Bashar al-Assad has stressed that Russia is subjected to a war that cannot be linked to the issue of NATO expansion alone. Instead, it is a continuous war that did not stop even before communism or World War I, affirming that the strength of Russia today constitutes a restoration …
Read More »Recap: Turkish Operation in NE Syria Looms, Despite Condemnation
The frontlines remain unchanged in Syria. This is how the pro-regime newspaper al-Watan, resumed the current situation in the north, one week after Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan threatened to unleash his wrath on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara sees as a terrorist group. Despite this apparent …
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