Middle Orient

US Formally Notifies Turkey of Removal From F-35 Deal Over S-400 Purchase, Report Says

The United States has officially notified Turkey that it was excluded from the agreement on the F-35 jet production due to its purchase of Russian-made S-400 air defence systems, the official Anadolu news agency reported, citing a Pentagon source. According to the news agency, the US abrogated the 2007 F-35 …

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Europeans warn against attacks on Iran nuclear facilities

“We condemn escalatory measures by any actor which could jeopardize progress.” Iran’s clerical establishment said it will not return to the 2015 agreement unless all sanctions are lifted. The European parties to the Iran deal warned against taking non-diplomatic steps to stop the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, in a statement …

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Iran media celebrates ‘explosion’ at ‘sensitive Israel missile factory’

Reports indicate the explosion happened near Ramle at a routine test at the Tomer factory for advanced weapons. Iranian state media highlighted a “powerful explosion” that they said took place at a “sensitive Israeli missile factory” during a test. A similar report appeared in Haaretz, and it appears Iranian media …

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Syria has a history of wildly firing air defense missiles

The IDF says that “surface-to-air missile fire was identified from Syria, which landed in the Negev area. In response,the IDF struck the battery, from which the missile was launched, and additional Syrian surface-to-air batteries in the area.”Reports online say the missile was an S-200, also known as an SA-5. This …

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Aiming at Dimona: Did the Syrian regime purposely target Israel?

Much remains unclear about the incident on April 22, including why Syria fired a missile so wildly and so far south into Israel – and whether Israel’s interceptors failed to stop the threat. A sleepless night on Thursday morning left many in Israel wondering what sirens at two in the …

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Syrian missile lands near Dimona nuclear reactor, interception fails

SA-5 flies from Syria all the way to Negev in the longest-range attack yet by Syria; Patriot missile activated in response. Israel and Syria exchanged missile attacks early on Thursday morning, after Damascus launched an advanced surface-to-air missile that landed in the Negev Desert. Alarms sounded in Abu Qrenat near …

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Swedish Suit Says Strongman Savagely Struck Syrians With Sarin

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad was sued on Tuesday for using chemical weapons against his own countrymen during Syria’s long-running civil war. Four NGOs in Sweden filed the criminal complaint against the Russian-backed strongman and his Damascus cohorts, expressing hope that an “investigation into these crimes will eventually result in trials …

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Russia briefly withdraws from bases in north Aleppo, leaving SDF to face Turkey by itself

Russia briefly withdrew its forces and its military equipment from two bases in Tal Rifaat, only to return to them in the wake of understandings with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that control the area and fear the advances of the Turkish-backed opposition. Russian forces withdrew April 13 from two …

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Iran welcomes Iraqi mediation with Gulf states

No clear results yet, said Tehran’s ambassador in Baghdad after reports of Saudi-Iran dialogue. Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad said on Tuesday his government welcomes Iraq’s efforts to mediate relations with Arab Gulf states. “The Islamic Republic supports Baghdad’s mediation to bring Tehran closer to countries with which we have faced …

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Government, Kurdish forces clash in northeast Syria

The pro-government National Defense Forces fired on Kurdish Asayesh forces at a checkpoint in Qamishli, according to Kurdish sources. Clashes broke out in northeast Syria last night between Kurdish and government forces. The violence began in the Qamishli neighborhood of Tayy. The pro-government militia the National Defense Forces attacked a …

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