Lavrov: Russia-Turkey Deal on Idlib No Threat to Syria’s Territorial Integrity

SARAJEVO, September 21. /TASS/. The Russian and Turkish military have coordinated the specific borders of the demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib Governorate, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “The Russian and Turkish military coordinated the specific borderline of the demilitarized zone earlier, so the process for implementing the Sochi agreement [between the Russian and Turkish…

Putin-Erdogan Deal on Idlib

Elijah J. Magnier | @ejmalrai Much scepticism surrounds the fate of the city of Idlib following the deal concluded between the two presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that led to the suspension of the long-awaited military operation against the jihadists and their allies. Only a few details of the deal have been revealed, enough…

Israeli-French Gamble in Syria Backfires Spectacularly

Robert Bridge By initiating an attack on the Syrian province of Latakia, home to the Russia-operated Khmeimim Air Base, Israel, France and the United States certainly understood they were flirting with disaster. Yet they went ahead with the operation anyways. On the pretext that Iran was preparing to deliver a shipment of weapon production systems…

Kurds Ask 44 Countries, Including US, UK, France and Germany, to Take Responsibility for Hundreds of Jihadists

Sputnik-Middle East Kurdish fighters, who have driven out Daesh militants from Syria’s north, claim they have captured the nationals of 44 countries, including the UK, the USA, France and Germany. Citing a lack of resources to hold them in detention, the SDF has pushed for their repatriation. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led militant…

Russia and US Work Closely to Withdraw Refugees From Rukban Camp

MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Ministry is closely working with the United States on evacuating refugees from the Syrian camp Rukban bordering Jordan to the territory controlled by the Damascus government, the ministry’s representative Nikolai Burtsev said on Thursday. “The US side suggests settling the Rukban problem through evacuating the refugees to the territories…

Russian MoD Refutes Claim Il-20 Hit Due to Failure in Friend-Foe Identification

Sputnik-Middle East It is inconceivable that the Israeli command centers and the F-16 pilots couldn’t see the Russian plane, which was approaching the runway from an altitude of five kilometers. Nevertheless, they deliberately staged this provocation, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said, adding that Israel’s actions are viewed as hostile in Russia. Each…

Shaaban: War on Syria Refuted Claims of Objectivity and Neutralism of Western Media

20 September، 2018 Damascus, SANA Presidential Political and Media Adviser Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban stressed that the war on Syria refuted what has been promoted by Western media with regard to its credibility and objectivity and its adoption of the freedom of media and neutralism. During an intellectual symposium held by Culture Ministry under the title…

Russian Military Police Patrol Golan Heights After Downing of IL-20

Sputnik-Middle East Russian military police have been deployed to de-escalation zones across Syria since late 2016 to help maintain security in the war-torn country amid the ongoing operations by the Syrian military and its allies to clear Syria of a collection of mostly jihadist militants. Russian troops and personnel from the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria have…

Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova on the Situation in Syria

Syria update The situation in Syria is a mix of positive and negative factors. For the first time during the years of crisis, elections to local governments were held in Syria on September 16 with 5,300 polling stations opened across the country. This is a major and long-awaited event for that country, and a good…

Syrian-Russian Victory Over NATO the Only Way to Avenge Israeli-French Strikes

Tony Cartalucci Western and Russian media sources have reported an alleged joint Israeli-French strike on Syria on September 17. The attack included Israeli warplanes and French missile frigates operating in the Mediterranean off Syria’s coast. Amid the attack, a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft with 14 service members aboard disappeared. The attack immediately prompted commentators, analysts,…

The Survival of Israel Outside the Framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Poses a Serious Threat to the Region

Vienna-Sana Arabic Translated by Internationalist 360° Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, stressed that the survival of Israel with its nuclear capabilities beyond the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency represents a serious threat…

Special Envoy for Syria Advocates Creation of Constitutional Committee as Security Council Delegates Hail Russian-Turkish Accord on Idlib Buffer Zone

Editorial Comment: In this context, I would like to draw attention to today’s remarks made by the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, VA Nebenzi: “I want to say to Staffan: do not use the Security Council to put pressure on the guarantors. They already do more for the political process than any…

Russian Ministry of Defense Warns Israel There Will be Consequences for Actions that Caused the Fatal Crash of Il-20

Today in Moscow, under the leadership of the head of the military department of Army General Sergei Shoigu, a regular meeting of the Collegium of the Russian Ministry of Defense was held. Before proceeding to discuss the thematic issues on the agenda, the Minister of Defense informed that yesterday, in the search for ways to…

France Shares the Blame for the Il-20 Tragedy

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. France is partly to blame for the crash of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft in Syria and the death of Russian military servicemen, military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok told reporters. “The French Navy’s frigate, The Auvergne, did not make the best contribution to the air situation, creating additional difficulties for Syrian air defense…

Latakia Residents Recall Moment of Israeli Missile Attack

Local residents of the Syrian coastal city of Latakia gave their account of Monday night’s Israeli missile attack, footage filmed in Latakia on Tuesday reveals. Ammar Altounji recalls “very big explosions” in the direction of “technical industries” and explosions “in the middle of the sea.” “Israel has targeted us more than once in the past…

Russia, USA, Israel, Iran and Syria: A Continuous Struggle to Trigger or Avoid War

Elijah J. Magnier | @ejmalrai The Syrian defence system shot down by mistake a Russian Ilyushin IL-20M 90924 surveillance plane in Syria with 15 servicemen on board on Monday evening, the day after an Israeli F-16 destroyed an Iranian military cargo plane on the Damascus airport runway killing the second pilot. Simultaneously with the downing of…

Russian Ministry of Defense: New Security System to be Established in Idlib

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Work on a new security system in the Syrian Idlib de-escalation zone began on Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a ministry board meeting. “Our Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Mr. Erdogan held talks yesterday as part of efforts to resolve the situation in the Syrian Idlib de-escalation…

Syria Welcomes Agreement on Idleb Announced in Sochi

18 September، 2018 Damascus, SANA Syria has welcomed the agreement on Idleb Province announced yesterday in the Russian city of Sochi, stressing that it was an outcome of intensive consultations between it and the Russian Federation with complete coordination between the two countries. An official source at Foreign and Expatriates Ministry told SANA on Tuesday…