Russia, Turkey extend deadline to clear Syria’s demilitarized zone
Russia and Turkey agreed Thursday to allow opposition groups more time to exit Syria’s western Idlib province as they work to establish a demilitarized zone, the United Nations said.
Syria
Saudi Arabia transfers $100 million to U.S. on day of Pompeo visit to discuss missing journalist
The United States received a payment of $100 million from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the same day Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Riyadh to discuss the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a State Department official confirmed Wednesday amid global calls for answers in the case.
Israel, US send secret delegation to Ukraine to train against S-300
Israel and the United States sent a secret military delegation to Ukraine to test the Russian-made S-300 missile defense system, which Moscow recently provided to Syria, Hadashot TV news reported Monday, citing Syrian and Russian news outlets.
ISIS ‘far from defeated’ despite territorial losses, Joint Chiefs chairman warns
The Islamic State remains ‘far from defeated,’ one of the nation’s top generals warned Tuesday, seeming to break with President Trump’s assertion that the terrorist group was ’99 percent’ beaten after four years of U.S.-led military action in Syria and Iraq.
ISIS fighting to the death in Syria, frustrating US-backed final offensive
Islamic State fighters trapped in Syria are putting up fierce resistance, using civilians as human shields, setting deadly booby traps, and hiding in underground tunnels, all the while frustrating efforts by U.S.-backed Syrian fighters to deal a final blow to the terrorist caliphate.
Middle East Christians Risking All, Preaching in Deadly Muslim Areas
Christians are continuing to share the Gospel even in highly dangerous areas in the Middle East where the Islamic State terror group remains on the minds of the people.
Iran spent $16B to destabilize Middle East, US State Department says
The U.S. State Department recently published an unprecedented report detailing the financial resources Iran invests in destabilizing the Middle East.
Netanyahu: World ‘Must Recognize’ Israel’s Sovereignty in Golan, No Iranian Presence
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran is attempting to establish a military presence on the border with Israel along the Golan Heights.
Russia says it provided Syria with 24 advanced S-300 launchers for free
Russia provided the advanced S-300 air defense system to Syria’s military free of charge, transferring three battalions with eight launchers each to the Assad regime, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported Monday.
Netanyahu, Putin to meet for first time since crisis
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet shortly for the first time since relations were badly strained following last month’s Syrian downing of a Russian intelligence plane.
Israel can beat Russian-supplied S-300 air shield in Syria: minister
An Israeli official played down on Wednesday the Russian upgrading of Syria’s air defenses, saying the newly supplied S-300 missile system could be defeated by Israel’s stealth fighters and possibly destroyed on the ground.
Pompeo: Russian delivery of S-300 to Syria a ‘serious escalation’
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday the Russian delivery of the S-300 air defense system to Syria was ‘a serious escalation.’
Russia completes delivery of S-300 air defense system to Syria
Russia said Tuesday it had completed delivering its S-300 advanced anti-aircraft system to Syria, weeks after it blamed Israel for the downing of one of its spy planes by a less-sophisticated Syrian air defense missile.
Israeli official: S-300 delivery to Syria ‘a complex challenge’ for Israel
A senior Israeli official said that Russia’s decision to provide advanced anti-aircraft systems to Syria posed a serious challenge for the Jewish state, but added that Israel was working on ways to prevent the development from becoming a major threat to the country’s security.
How seriously should Israel take Syria’s Golan Heights threat?
Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem addressed the UN General Assembly on Saturday with a focus on what the regime intends to do about the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. He declared that Damascus aims to recapture the territory from Israel after Syrian regime forces have retaken areas opposite the Israeli border during a recent Russian-backed offensive.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launches missiles into Syria over parade attack
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Monday it launched ballistic missiles into eastern Syria targeting terrorists it blamed for a recent attack on a military parade.
Iran: Israel will ‘regret’ further attacks on Syria
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has said Israel will be sorry if it continues to attack Syria’s army and its allies.
Trump officials make clear troops won’t leave Syria anytime soon
Six months after US President Donald Trump said he wants US troops out of Syria, his top officials are hammering home what has become increasingly obvious: the US isn’t going anywhere.
Netanyahu: We’ll keep hitting Iran in Syria even with S-300s
The IDF will continue to strike at Iranian targets in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, one day after Russia announced plans to bolster that country’s defenses by transferring the advanced S-300 anti-missile system there within two weeks.
‘Major mistake’: Israel, US warn Russia against giving S-300 missiles to Syria
Both Jerusalem and Washington warned Russia on Monday evening against its declared intention to provide the Syrian military with advanced surface-to-air missiles within two weeks, saying the move would further destabilize the region and increase already high tensions.