Russia May Use Navy to Blockade Syrian Coast
Russia may use its Black Sea Fleet to blockade the Syrian coast according to the force’s former commander and current Duma defense committee head.
Syria
Russia begins Syria air strikes in its biggest Mideast intervention in decades
Russia launched air strikes in Syria on Wednesday in its biggest Middle East intervention in decades, plunging the four-year-old civil war into a volatile new phase as President Vladimir Putin moved forcefully to stake out influence in the unstable region.
Russians, Syrians and Iranians setting up military coordination cell in Baghdad
Russian, Syrian and Iranian military commanders have set up a coordination cell in Baghdad in recent days to try to begin working with Iranian-backed Shia militias fighting the Islamic State, Fox News has learned.
Obama and Putin to meet; Syria and Ukraine vie for attention
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in New York next week at a time of high tension in Europe and the Middle East, but the Kremlin and the White House disagreed on Thursday over the top priority for the talks.
EU leaders claim unity regained, pledge aid for Syrians
EU leaders pledged at least 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for Syrian refugees in the Middle East and closer cooperation to stem migrant flows into Europe at a summit described as less tense than feared after weeks of feuding.
Syrian army starts using new weapons from Russia
The Syrian military has recently started using new types of air and ground weapons supplied by Russia, a Syrian military source told Reuters on Thursday, underlining growing Russian support for Damascus that is alarming the United States.
U.S. to accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees
The U.S. will take in “at least 10,000” refugees from Syria in fiscal 2016, which starts Oct. 1, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Thursday.
Russian troops join combat in Syria
Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday.
Al-Qaida chief calls ISIS illegitimate but remains open to cooperation against US, Shi’ites
Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri dismissed Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as illegitimate but said his followers would join them in fighting the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria if possible.
U.N. says 850,000 to cross sea to Europe this year and next
At least 850,000 people are expected to cross the Mediterranean seeking refuge in Europe this year and next, the United Nations said on Tuesday, giving estimates that already look conservative.
Islamic State takes Syrian state’s last oilfield: monitor
Islamic State fighters have seized the last major oilfield under Syrian government control during battles over a vast central desert zone, a group monitoring the conflict said on Monday.
Israel to build smart fence on Jordan border
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon are set to announce Sunday the start of a multi-billion-shekel effort to construct a sensor-laden fence on the southern border with Jordan, the news site Ynet reported.
Russia ‘is building military base in Syria’
Russia is building a military base in Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s heartland, according to American intelligence officials, in the clearest indication yet of deepening Russian support for the embattled regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Russia stalls on assigning blame for Syria chemical attacks
Russia is holding up Security Council approval to establish a new international body to assign blame for chemical attacks in Syria’s deadly conflict for the first time.
IDF responds after rockets on North with artillery fire at Syria
After rockets were fired from on the northern Israel earlier in day the IDF responded with artillery fire on Syria Thursday, Channel 2 reported.
ISIS calls Erdogan infidel, urges followers to conquer Istanbul
A fighter proclaiming allegiance to Islamic State has appeared in a video urging fellow Turks to rebel against “infidel” President Tayyip Erdogan and help conquer Istanbul, highlighting the threat the NATO member faces as it battles the radical insurgents.
IDF: Iran behind all recent attacks in Golan region
“All of the attacks in the Golan Heights sector since December 2013 have been carried out with Iranian direction,” a senior IDF Northern Command officer told reporters on Sunday.
UN Security Council Backs New Syria Peace Plan
The United Nations Security Council on Monday backed a new push for peace talks in Syria in a measure adopted by Damascus ally Russia and the other 14 member states, AFP reports.
IDF troops prepare for possible incursion into Syria
The IDF has already prepared plans to attack Syria in light of a recent military assessment that Iran has opened a new front against Israel on the Golan Heights.
U.S.-Turkey Deal Aims to Create de facto ‘safe zone’ in northwest Syria
Turkey and the United States have agreed on the outlines of a de facto “safe zone” along the Turkey-Syria border under the terms of a deal that is expected to significantly increase the scope and pace of the U.S.-led air war against the Islamic State in northern Syria, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.