Russian military ‘drills’ point to imminent final clash in Syria

Russia’s navy announced it will open ‘large-scale drills’ in the Mediterranean on Saturday in the latest sign that a major Syrian government offensive against one of the last rebel strongholds in the country is imminent — a development that the United Nations warns could trigger a fresh refugee crisis in the Middle East nation’s 7-year-old civil war.

Saudi FM seeks more sanctions on Iran

Saudi FM Adel Al-Jubeir said during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that ‘we have come to an agreement with Russia regarding continued coordination concerning regional developments. We made it clear that we support additional sanctions on Iran.’

NATO Confirms Russian Naval Buildup Off Syria, Calls for Restraint

NATO confirmed a large-scale Russian navy buildup in the Mediterranean Sea off Syria on Tuesday. ‘The Russian Navy has dispatched substantial naval forces to the Mediterranean, including several ships equipped with modern cruise missiles,’ NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu confirmed to Haaretz in a statement.

Russia to hold biggest military drills since Cold War

Russia will flex its military muscles and hold the biggest war games since the Cold War era next month, including almost 300,000 troops and 1,000 aircraft, the Russian defense ministry said Tuesday, leading NATO to warn of a ‘more assertive Russia.’

Turkey’s Erdogan to visit Iran on Sept. 7

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will visit Iran on Sept 7, his office said on Monday, on a trip expected to include a three-way summit with Russian and Iranian leaders.

Russian military braces for massive war games in the east

Russia’s military forces in the country’s east were put on high alert Monday ahead of massive war games that also involve China and Mongolia, the largest show of power in nearly 40 years, the Russian defense minister said.

Bolton: Putin said he can’t force Iran out of Syria, but wants it gone

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the United States that his country would like Iranian forces to withdraw from Syria but cannot force them out, US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said on Wednesday, despite Israeli calls for Iran to leave immediately.

Facebook takes down 652 accounts linked to Russia, Iran

Facebook has identified and banned hundreds of accounts, groups and pages engaged in misleading political behavior, a far larger discovery than a ‘sophisticated’ effort it reported three weeks ago with great fanfare.

Britain urges US, Europe to ‘go further’ in countering Russia

New British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday (Aug 21) will urge the United States and European countries to do more to call out Russia’s ‘malign behavior’ and keep Vladimir Putin in check, notably by implementing tough sanctions.

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