Syria continues to offer the ground where Russia and the United States compete over control of oil and gas fields and the transportation routes that bring energy to consumers. Russia seeks to expand its energy footprint in Syria to build influence over rebel-controlled areas in Northeast Syria that are backed …
Read More »TimeLine Layout
February, 2021
-
20 February
Dutch far-right politician under investigation for calling Turkish president a terrorist
The controversial Geert Wilders has had spats with the Turkish government before amid wider crises between Turkey and the Netherlands. The Turkish government and a far-right Dutch politician are in a row over a tweet portraying the Turkish president as a terrorist and Islamic State (IS) supporter.
Read More » -
20 February
Iran begins joint naval exercise with Russia in Indian Ocean
India will also join the defense maneuver, according to the Iranian navy. The Iranian military began a naval drill with Indian and Russian forces on Tuesday.
Read More » -
20 February
Intel: US announces missile sale to Egypt after American activist’s relatives detained
The Biden administration announced a plan to sell nearly $200 million worth of naval surface-to-air missiles to Cairo on Tuesday, just hours after Egypt’s government arrested two relatives of an Egyptian-American activist. The State Department on Tuesday afternoon informed Congress of the proposed $197 million sale of up to 168 …
Read More » -
20 February
Iran denies involvement in Erbil rocket strike
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said attempts to blame Tehran for the attack are “suspicious.” Iran’s government Tuesday denied involvement in Monday night’s rocket strike that killed one person and injured nine in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Read More » -
20 February
Is HTS reining in or expanding jihadist network in Idlib?
Ansar al-Tawhid recently attacked a Russian operations room in the south of Idlib governate, killing and injuring several soldiers on the site, raising questions about the group’s identity and affiliations.
Read More » -
20 February
Militia attacks on US forces in Erbil challenges Iraqi government
A rocket attack on a US base in northern Iraq is putting pressure on the Iraqi government and challenging the Biden administration’s policy in Iraq. At exactly 9:30 pm local time on Feb. 15, several rockets were launched on US coalition forces located inside Erbil’s international airport from the southern …
Read More » -
20 February
Damascus scrambles for more control in southern Syria
As the Russian-brokered Tafas agreement in the western countryside of Daraa between the Syrian regime and the Central Committee enters into force, the regime is now seeking to take over the towns outside its control in southern Syria before the upcoming 2021 presidential elections.
Read More » -
20 February
Egypt arrests relatives of American activist Mohamed Soltan
The latest arrests come three months after Egypt released Soltan’s cousins from arbitrary detention. Egyptian security forces have raided the homes of Egyptian-American activist Mohamed Soltan’s relatives and arrested two of his cousins in what his US-based advocacy group Freedom Initiative described as a “campaign of retaliatory aggression.”
Read More » -
20 February
PLA Navy commissions final Type 056A corvettes specialized in coastal defense
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy recently commissioned its last batch of Type 056A corvettes specialized in coastal defense, with the total number of the Type 056 series reaching 72, as analysts predicted on Wednesday that China could then shift focus to produce more larger warships as part of …
Read More »