Israel carried out one of its most intense military campaigns in Syria in over a decade, striking air defense systems, missile depots, and strategic sites in Tartus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the strikes as the “heaviest in years,” with massive explosions registering as a magnitude 3.0 seismic event. Videos on social media captured fireballs and mushroom clouds lighting up the night sky.
Israel and Jordan held secret talks on Friday to coordinate the situation in Syria, according to three Israeli officials cited by Axios.
In a move that worries neighboring countries, Russia launched a massive air strike against western Ukraine on Friday in what Kyiv called “one of the largest attacks” on its power infrastructure since the war erupted in February 2022.
The head of NATO has told member states to prepare for war, describing the current security situation as “the worst in my lifetime.”
Israel announced this week that its airstrikes have destroyed 70-80% of Syria’s military capabilities following the rapid collapse of President Bashar Assad’s regime in Damascus.
Concerned that the recent toppling of Syria’s government will allow Islamic terror groups to fill the power vacuum left by ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, the United States and its regional allies are seeking to ensure that chemical weapons accumulated by the fallen regime do not fall into the wrong hands, Axios reports. Assad notoriously used chemical weapons against his own peopl during the Civil War that has wracked Syria since 2011.
The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Thursday that Iran is rapidly enriching uranium to close to nuclear bomb-grade, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.
Poland’s prime minister suggested Tuesday that peace talks on the war in Ukraine might start within weeks and said Warsaw wants to play a leading role in ending Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War Two.
Following the ouster of Syria’s despotic President Bashar al-Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamic rebel forces on Sunday, the United States announced it will maintain a presence in the country and take steps to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, Reuters reports.
Israel struck more than 100 targets in Syria in less than 12 hours on Monday, a war monitor said, after the Israeli military admitted it crossed into Syrian territory to protect the Jewish nation amid concerns about chemical weapons.
Amid the West’s ongoing concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program and suspected intentions to build an atomic bomb, Iran on Friday announced it successfully launched its heaviest-ever payload into space using a domestically manufactured rocket, DW reports. A payload is the cargo or mission equipment that is carried into space on a rocket.
Israeli Air Force jets struck dozens of targets across Syria on Sunday, neutralizing weaponry at risk of falling into hostile hands amid the rapid collapse of the Assad regime. Israel also secured the Syrian side of Mount Hermon to expand the demilitarized buffer zone and strengthen key defensive positions along the border.
Syria’s 50-year Assad dynasty abruptly ended this weekend when a lightning 10-day rebel offensive overran government-held territory and seized Damascus with little resistance. Bashar al-Assad, who ruled for nearly 25 years, fled by plane to an unknown destination as rebels took the capital.
Israel rushed to send reinforcements to the Golan Heights as they border Syria, where Islamic rebels rapidly gain territory, threatening long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power.
Israel’s military said Friday it had “eliminated” a mastermind of aerial attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed by Hamas and other air strikes targeting Israeli forces.
As Syria’s army struggles to fend off the surprise insurgency launched last week by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Iran-backed militias entered the country on Sunday to lend support to the Syrian forces, Reuters reports. The insurgents first attacked Syria’s second-largest city of Aleppo and then moved into Idlib and Hama province.
The United States announced on December 2 a new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against the Russian invasion launched in February 2022, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reports.
Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon blamed each other for the deadliest clashes since their ceasefire came into effect last week, adding to global fears that the region will remain embroiled in armed conflicts.
Iran held a key national military ceremony Sunday amid mounting concerns it could have an atomic bomb soon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, for the first time, publicly suggested bringing Ukrainian territory he controls under the NATO military alliance umbrella while all Russian-occupied areas could remain under Moscow’s control until a diplomatic settlement is reached.