February 20, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient
The deal includes Israel releasing two Syrian prisoners in exchange for the release of the young woman who crossed into Syria’s border. Russia has been mediating a prisoner exchange between Israel and Syria, Israeli officials confirmed on Wednesday. The possible prisoner swap was the focus of the secret cabinet meeting …
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February 18, 2021 Eurasia
As the new administration reassesses U.S. nuclear policy, it will be forced to make decisions about the future of the country’s ground-based, nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) arsenal. Many advocates of maintaining the nuclear status quo have argued that it is essential to completely replace America’s aging Minuteman ICBMs with …
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February 18, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient, Turkey
Syria peace negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, which have been delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, resumed by Russia, Turkey and Iran in Sochi port city in the presence of delegations of the United Nations, the Syrian government and Syrian opposition groups. The fifteenth international meeting for peace in …
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February 18, 2021 Eurasia
High-profile regime defector Manaf Tlass will head the Syrian Military Council, according to Zaitun Agency. The head of the Free Officers’ Association, Brig. Gen. Talal Farzat, emphasized in an exclusive statement with Zaitun Media Agency that the idea behind the Military Council is both old and new, as it was …
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February 18, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient
The Russian and US militaries set up an air ‘deconfliction mechanism’ over Syria in the fall of 2015 to reduce tensions and rule out accidental aerial incidents and escalations. Since then, the two countries have largely managed to avoid clashes involving Russian and American forces. But there have been exceptions.
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February 18, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient, Turkey
“After this, there are two options. Either act with Turkey with no ifs or buts, without questioning, or they will be a partner to every murder and bloodshed,” Erdogan said. The United States on Monday sought to defuse a furious diplomatic row with NATO ally Turkey by saying it now …
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February 18, 2021 Eurasia, Middle Orient
The Islamic State organization (IS) kills a large number of regime forces on an almost daily basis in the Syrian Desert, which has turned into a black hole draining the regime forces.
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February 18, 2021 Africa, Eurasia
Sudan’s call for diplomatic intervention is likely to be rejected by Ethiopia. Sudan has recently called for broadening the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to include the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, alongside the African Union (AU) that is currently sponsoring the negotiations …
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February 18, 2021 Africa, Eurasia
Egypt wants to support Sudan in ridding its school curricula of extremism, which was established under former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and following the Muslim Brotherhood’s seizure of power in Sudan. The Egyptian parliament on Feb. 7 called for cooperation with Sudan on revising and ridding its school curricula of …
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February 18, 2021 Eurasia
Whether the United States pulls forces from the Middle East to counter China may well depend on the success of Biden’s diplomacy with Iran Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is keeping a close eye on the US military’s presence in the Middle East as new Pentagon leadership prepares to review the …
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