IDF launches surprise air exercise, as it reportedly strikes sites in Syria
The Israeli military launched a surprise air force exercise simulating war in the north late Sunday night, as Israeli jets reportedly struck Iran-linked sites in Syria.
Syria
Israeli airstrikes said to hit targets near Damascus
Israeli airstrikes targeted a number of sites in southern Syria after midnight Sunday, the country’s state media reported, in the latest in a series of attacks attributed to the Jewish state.
UN Security Council fail to agree joint declaration on Syria
The United Nations Security Council was unable to reach agreement on a joint declaration about the devastating war in Syria after yet another round of UN peace talks on Tuesday, i24News reports. It was hoped a new declaration would revive the grid-locked peace talks.
Israel, US launch joint air defense exercise ‘Juniper Falcon’
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the United States European Command (EUCOM) this week launched a joint air defense exercise, dubbed “Juniper Falcon,” focused on the threat from ballistic missile attacks, the two armies announced Thursday.
Report: Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Syria
Syrian state television said Wednesday evening the country’s air defenses responded to “Israeli aggression” in what appears to be an attack on Hezbollah targets in the area.
Syria: Are water supplies being weaponized by Turkey?
Around 1 million people in the Kurdish-governed region of Al-Hasakah in Syria’s northeast have again had their water supply cut off — as they have around 20 times in the past 12 months.
ISIS claims responsibility for Baghdad suicide attacks killing at least 32
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing in Baghdad this week that killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 100.
Syrian media reports Israeli airstrikes near western city of Hama
Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes near the western city of Hama in the predawn hours of Friday morning.
Syrian and Israeli officials reportedly had a Russia-brokered meeting last month
The Asharq Al Awsat Arabic international newspaper reported Sunday that Russia hosted a meeting for Syrian and Israeli officials at the Russian airbase in Hmeimim, Syria last month, Jewish Press reports. Neither Damascus nor Jerusalem has confirmed the report.
Ex-Intel Chief Yadlin: Recent Israeli Airstrikes in Syria Broader, More Deadly
Israeli airstrikes in eastern Syria early Wednesday were “extensive, deep in Syrian territory, targeting a wide variety of targets connected to Iran and its proxies,” explained Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin on Twitter after the attacks.
At least 57 killed in airstrikes targeting Iran-backed forces in Syria
Israel carried out a series of airstrikes in eastern Syria early Wednesday, targeting Iran-backed forces and killing at least 57 fighters and wounding many others, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
Both the US and Russia bolster military presence in Syria ahead of Biden inauguration
Both the US and Russia have sent military reinforcement to Syria in recent days, in separate moves apparently timed to coincide with the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden on January 20, AMN reports.
US official: Target of Syria airstrikes was used for Iran’s nuclear program
Airstrikes near the Syria-Iraq border early Wednesday targeted sites used for Iran’s nuclear program, a senior US intelligence official told AlJazeera Wednesday.
Syria says Israeli airstrikes hit sites near Iraq border
Israeli airstrikes after midnight Tuesday targeted a number of sites near the Iraqi border, Syrian media reported.
Report: IDF Dropped Warning Leaflets Addressed to Syrian Officer Ahead of Strike
One day after Syrian state media outlets reported Israeli airstrikes in the south of the country, a website aligned with Syrian opposition forces published an image of a warning leaflet ostensibly dropped by the Israeli Defense Forces.
Cuba re-added to U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism
The outgoing Trump administration, in one of its last foreign policy acts, is putting Cuba back on the official list of state sponsors of terrorism, reversing an Obama-era decision that aimed to normalize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the communist island.
Thousands of Refugees Stuck in Bitter Balkan Winter
The United Nations says thousands of migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty urgently need proper shelter and care in Bosnia-Herzegovina after weeks outdoors in the freezing cold. With authorities declining to open more adequate facilities, many are now sleeping in unheated tents or rough near the northern town of Bihac.
Syria claims “enemy” Israel conducted airstrikes near Damascus
Syrian media outlets have said Israel carried out a number of targeted airstrikes around Damascus late Wednesday night, the Times of Israel reports. Following standard policy about commenting on operations in Syria, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
Alleged Israeli airstrike reported in southern Syria
An alleged Israeli airstrike targeted locations in southern Syria as explosions were heard in the skies over Damascus on Wednesday night, according to Syrian state media SANA.
Explosion in Lebanon injures at least 10 people
At least 10 people were injured when an explosion erupted in a warehouse holding gas canisters in Lebanon Sunday, France24 reports. The wounded were rushed to the hospital by Lebanese Red Cross rescuers who had been sent to the site of the explosion near Lebanon’s border with Syria.