The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is now flying a new type of warplane that is based on the JH-7 fighter bomber, which Chinese military experts said is likely to have enhanced flight performance and firepower compared to its predecessors.

Damascus has rejected as “blatant aggression” a recent deal between the US and Turkey on the creation of a so-called safe zone in the northern part of Syria, where Washington-sponsored Kurdish militants have been active to Ankara’s dismay.

U.S. President Donald Trump has wiped the slate clean at the nation’s lead intelligence agency. Trump accepted the resignation Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon late Thursday, less than two weeks after announcing the agency’s director, Dan Coats, would also be leaving.