Hezbollah seizes much of IS enclave on Syrian-Lebanese border – Nasrallah
Hezbollah has captured much of an Islamic State pocket on Syria’s side of the border with Lebanon in a joint offensive with the Syrian army, its leader said on Thursday.
Syria
Netanyahu to Putin: Iran continues to threaten our existence
Netanyahu told Putin that Iran’s takeover of the Middle East and their stronghold in Syria present a threat to Israel, the Middle East, and the entire world.
Iran Caught Shipping Soldiers to Syria on Commercial Flights in Violation of Nuclear Deal
New photographs obtained by congressional leaders show Iran shipping militant soldiers to Syria on commercial airline flights, a move that violates the landmark nuclear agreement and has sparked calls from U.S. lawmakers for a formal investigation by the Trump administration, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
Iran extends reach with fight for land link to Mediterranean
Thousands of Iranian-backed fighters in Syria’s central desert region are advancing east, bringing Tehran closer to its goal of securing a corridor from its border, through Iraq and all the way to the Mediterranean and providing it unhindered land access to its allies in Syria and Lebanon for the first time.
Netanyahu says he will discuss Iranian presence in Syria in Putin meeting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to discuss the Iranian presence in Syria when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said Tuesday.
New Bishop for Syrian Christians Brings Hope Following Genocide, Over 330,000 Deaths
Syriac Orthodox Christians in the northeastern city of Hasakeh celebrated on Saturday the inauguration of Archbishop Maurice Amseeh, giving the community a bishop for the first time in four years, since the last one left the country.
New report details Iran’s growing influence in Syria
Growing Israeli concern over Iran gaining an ever increasing foothold in Syria has been impossible to miss lately, as evidenced by the prime minister’s statements along those lines. Mossad Director Yossi Cohen also alerted the government to the fact that Iran’s influence in Syria in particular and the region in general is growing stronger by the day.
Lebanon, Hezbollah and Syria launch two-pronged attack on ISIS
Lebanese troops launched an offensive against the Islamic State (IS) group Saturday close to the Syrian border where the extremists have been active for several years.
Iran building missile factory in Syria
A report on Channel 2 on August 15 provided images of a military construction site from an Israeli satellite near Qalaat Marqab. The report said this is likely a factory to build long-range missiles. The area the factory is constructed in near the border of the Tartus and Latakia governorates is one that is closely linked to other military facilities of the Syrian regime and its allies. These include a Russian naval base at Tartus and Khmeimim air force base to the north, which is also allegedly used by Russia and the Iranians.
U.S.-Backed Forces Steadily Advancing in Raqqa Despite Desperate ISIS Tactics
U.S.-backed forces have advanced roughly 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa over the past week, pushing back Islamic State militants in a grueling offensive to seize the terrorist group’s last significant stronghold.
Israel held secret talks with Russia, US over ‘safe zones’ in Syria: report
Secrets talks over ‘safe zones’ in Syria were held between Israel, the United States and Russia in early July, Haaretz reported Wednesday.
Syrian rebels fear Bashar Assad benefits from Trump-Putin truce
Daraa is the fourth and most recent area of Syria covered by “de-escalation agreements” — a series of cease-fire arrangements brokered since May by the U.S., Syria’s Sunni Muslim neighbors Jordan and Turkey, Iran’s Shiite Islamic Republic, Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Russian backers. Mr. Trump has repeatedly pointed to the cease-fire accord he and Mr. Putin reached in their lengthy G-20 meeting, in part to bolster his argument that engaging with Moscow can deliver real-world results despite the deep doubts of the Washington foreign policy establishment.
Hezbollah says seizes strategic valley from militants at Syria-Lebanon border
Hezbollah said its forces seized a strategic valley from Sunni Muslim militants on Monday, the latest advance in an offensive to oust jihadists from their last foothold along the Syria-Lebanon border.
Trump ends CIA arms support for anti-Assad Syria rebels
The Trump administration has decided to halt the CIA’s covert program to equip and train certain rebel groups fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, two U.S. officials said, a move sought by Assad ally Russia.
Israel may need to take out Iranian bases in Syria
Israel may need to take military action to prevent Iran or Hezbollah from setting up permanent bases in Syria, former National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror said on Monday.
Fighting intensifies between US-backed Syrian forces and IS in Raqqa
Intense clashes have broken out between US-backed Syrian fighters and Islamic State militants in the heart of Raqqa – the extremist group’s self-styled capital.
To undercut Iran, Russians pressure Assad to cut Syria’s longtime ties to Hezbollah
The Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and the Syrian government have enjoyed a close, fruitful relationship for nearly 40 years. But six years into the Syrian civil war, there are signs that battle fatigue and diverging strategic visions are fraying their alliance.
Russia Military Uses New War Weapon to Fight ISIS in Syria
Russia’s air force has struck positions held by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Syria from more than 600 miles away using its most modern cruise missile technology.
U.S.-backed Syrian groups take Raqqa district from Islamic State
A U.S.-backed Syrian coalition of Kurdish and Arab groups advanced against Islamic State in the jihadists’ Syrian capital of Raqqa on Sunday, taking the al-Qadisia district, they said.
Israel Retaliates After Rockets Land in Israel For the Third Time in Three days
Israel will not tolerate any violation of its security on any front, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday shortly after the IDF retaliated against Syria for the firing of 10 projectiles onto the Golan Heights.