5 Iran-backed fighters said killed in alleged Israeli strikes on Syria sites

Monitor says Israeli missiles hit weapons depots, military positions belonging to Syrian forces, pro-Tehran fighters near Damascus; 11 said injured, including 7 Syrian troops By AFP and TOI staff Today, 11:13 am Five Iran-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile strike south of the Syrian capital, a Britain-based monitoring group said Tuesday. The missile […]

Abbas says ready to return to negotiations with Israel – report

JERUSALEM POST STAFF JULY 21, 2020 07:31 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during a meeting in Ramallah on Monday that he is interested in returning to negotiations with Israel, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. Abbas asked Egypt to help deter Israel from carrying out a promised annexation of parts of […]

Iran-linked sites around Damascus said hit in Israeli strike

Monitoring group says ‘at least six Israeli missiles hit several positions’ near Syrian capital belonging to regime forces, pro-Tehran militias; Syrian media says 7 troops injured By TOI staff and AFP 20 July 2020, 10:30 pm Military sites linked to Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias were targeted Monday in Israeli strikes near Damascus, according […]

EU nations clinch $2.1 trillion budget, virus aid deal after 4 days of talks

Bloc reaches consensus on ‘historic’ fund for countries hit hardest by the pandemic; summit was supposed to last 2 days but extended due to disagreements By Raf Casert and Samuel Petrequin Today, 8:21 am   BRUSSELS (AP) — Weary but relieved, European Union leaders finally clinched an unprecedented 1.82 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) budget and […]

Turkey is not looking for war with Egypt and France in Libya: presidency

/* custom css */ .td_uid_4_5f15bcf67660d_rand.td-a-rec-img { text-align: left; } .td_uid_4_5f15bcf67660d_rand.td-a-rec-img img { margin: 0 auto 0 0; } BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:40 A.M.) – Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Sunday that his country is not pushing for the escalation of tension in Libya, but it will continue to support the right of the legitimate […]

Syria says Israel strikes southern Damascus, sources say Iranian bases hit

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian air defenses on Monday intercepted a new Israeli “aggression” above the capital Damascus, state media said, in the latest wave of attacks that Western intelligence sources have said were Israeli strikes on a major Iranian-backed ammunition depot on the edge of the capital. State television said Israeli missiles had flown over […]

The Hamas-Houthi Plan to Attack Arabs as Well as Israel

by Khaled Abu Toameh July 20, 2020 at 5:00 am These Arabs and Muslims are worried, however, that the Hamas-Houthi alliance would not stop [with eliminating Israel] but also strengthen an Iran-led axis to threaten the stability of Arab countries. For first time, the Houthi movement spoke of possessing information about “vital targets.” The announcement […]

Could War With Iran Be an October Surprise?

Jonah Shepp Over the past few weeks, a series of suspicious fires and explosions have occurred at Iranian civilian and military facilities, including the country’s main missile-production and nuclear complexes. While a few of these incidents might have been accidental, the timing and specific targets suggest that at least some were the result of sabotage […]

Iran executes ‘US and Israeli spy’ as a message to Washington

The timing of the execution, after the wave of mysterious incidents in Iran and after Zarif’s Iraq visit, may be designed to send a message to Iran’s adversaries. SETH J. FRANTZMAN JULY 20, 2020 11:44 “A Mossad spy was hanged,” Iran’s Fars News said on Monday morning. Iran accused Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd of being “linked to […]

North Korea striving to build nuclear-capable missiles that can defeat BMD systems, says CRS report

17 July 2020 by Gabriel Dominguez North Korea’s recent ballistic missile tests suggest that Pyongyang is striving to build a credible nuclear warfighting capability designed to evade ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems in the region, according to a 14 July report published by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS). The report, which was authored by […]

Fire engulfs factory in Iran’s 2nd industrial incident within hours

Witness says blaze takes place near or at Tabriz thermal power plant, but local media says site is cellophane factory; incident comes after morning blast at another power station By TOI staff Today, 5:28 pm   Footage of a large factory fire in northwest Iran was being widely shared on social media Sunday afternoon, just […]

IDF troops ‘take action’ against Lebanese drone that apparently crossed border

Hezbollah-affiliated journalist says Israeli military ‘hijacked’ the device, forced it to ground; army remains mum on details By Judah Ari Gross Today, 10:21 pm   Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel’s military correspondent.   A Lebanese drone apparently crossed the border and entered Israeli airspace on Sunday evening, the Israel Defense Forces said. […]

Report: Indications Show Iran Has Put Some Air-Defense Systems on ‘High Alert’

JNS.org – There are “several” indications Iran has parts of its air-defense system on “high alert” following mysterious explosions occurring throughout the country, reported CNN on Thursday, citing “a US official who is closely tracking developments.” The move means “Iranian surface-to-air missile batteries would be ready to fire at targets perceived to be a threat,” […]