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The Russian military has claimed that the Syrian air defences, whose most modern weapon is a three-decades-old Russian-supplied anti-aircraft system, shot down 71 of 103 missiles fired by the US and its allies, the UK and France, a claim denied by the Pentagon. As further details began to emerge about the sites targeted by the US-led strikes, Col Gen Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military said the strikes had not caused any casualties and that Syrian military facilities suffered only minor damage. It was not possible to verify the claims. The most up-to-date system that Moscow has supplied to the...

Washington (CNN)A survivor of a Syrian chemical attack in 2013 wants to buy President Donald Trump a beer to share his experience on the conditions in the country. Kassem Eid, who told CNN's Ana Cabrera he lived under two years of siege and bombardment by the Syrian government, said he was glad the President has attempted to do something for the Syrian people. "I just want to tell Mr. Trump directly: I'm a Syrian refugee who survived chemical weapons attacks, who lived under two years of siege and bombardment by the government," Eid said. "I would love to, like, buy...

he Defense Ministry declared that Eli resident Yaron Gispin's death in 2009 was terrorism and not a suicide. In 2009, Gispin was found dead in a deserted area near his hometown of Eli, where he lived with his wife and six children. Police had determined that his death was a suicide, noting that he was shot with his own pistol. The decision to classify Gispin's death as a suicide distressed his wife Iris, who launched a protracted legal and battle to convince authorities that he had been killed. According to Iris, Gispin had not had any financial difficulties and did...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) has called on the Israeli government to show "restraint" amid what has now been weeks of protests by Hamas terrorists who have swarmed the Israeli border and stoked violence. "I am deeply concerned about the deaths and injuries in Gaza," Warren was quoted as saying. "As additional protests are planned for the coming days, the Israel Defense Forces should exercise restraint and respect the rights of Palestinians to peacefully protest." The quote is likely to rankle the pro-Israel community, which has become increasingly strained with the Democratic Party as lawmakers such as Warren adopt a...

The South African Air Force has been offered enhanced capabilities for its Gripen fighter aircraft with a suit of new advanced systems developed by Israeli company Rafael. The Israeli company's offers a concept that it claims can bring fighter aircraft to a an advanced 4.5 generation standard by upgrading the different systems. The concept is being evaluated by the Indian Air Force for its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fighter aircraft. The upgrade suit that according to Rafael can enhance the fighter aircraft's capabilities to a 4.5 generation standard includes the Rafael BNET which is an advanced IP Mobile Ad-hoc Network...

Russian president and Israeli prime minister were at angry cross-purposes in their phone conversation on Wednesday, April 11. Vladimir Putin warned Binyamin Netanyahu to discontinue Israeli strikes in Syria because they may rock the Assad regime [backed by Moscow] and insisted on Israel respecting Syrian sovereignty and security. By this warning, Russia clamped down on the freedom the Israeli air force had hitherto enjoyed in Syrian air space for striking hostile elements, primarily Iran and Hizballah. Netanyahu shot back, according to our sources, that Israel cannot possibly desist from action over Syria, since this would leave Iran at liberty to...

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem slammed US Special Envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt for saying that Hamas should relinquish control of Gaza. "American envoy Jason Greenblatt's attack on Hamas and its leadership, and its demand that the movement surrender its weapons, are a continuation of the American partnership with the occupation, with aggression against our people," Maariv cited Kassem as saying. "This provides coverage for its crimes, use the terms of the occupation itself, and prove his participation in the Israeli propaganda apparatus, which justifies the continuation of the cruel Israeli siege on Gaza." Kassem's words come in response...

Classified report will bust myth that millions of Palestinians need UNRWA, sources say Congress is pressuring the State Department to release a long classified report on Palestinian refugees that insiders say could change the calculus on how the United States approaches the situation and allocates millions in taxpayer funds to a key United Nations agency, according to sources and a congressional letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Dozens of members of Congress have already signed on to an effort to force the release of this State Department publication, which sources say was originally classified by the Obama administration in...

JERUSALEM — Israel's government on Wednesday publicly confirmed for the first time that it had carried out an audacious 2007 strike against a reactor in Syria that could have produced nuclear weapons fuel, lifting a decade of secrecy surrounding the episode. The country's leaders used the occasion to warn that, if necessary, Israel would not hesitate to launch similar strikes again. "The government of Israel, the IDF and the Mossad prevented Syria from developing a nuclear capability," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces and the country’s spy agency. "Israel's policy has been and remains consistent...

US President Donald Trump has promised a "forceful" response to the alleged chemical attack in Syria, as Western leaders consider what action to take. "We have a lot of options militarily," he told reporters. He added that a response would be decided "shortly". Mr Trump said the US was getting some "good clarity" on who was responsible for the incident in Douma on Saturday. Medical sources say dozens were killed in the alleged attack but exact numbers are impossible to verify. Mr Trump also discussed the incident with French President Emmanuel Macron late on Monday, and both leaders expressed a...

Embassy statement claims there is 'no evidence of any chemical attack in Douma' after Israel accused Bashar Assad's government of 'crimes against humanity' ... The Russian Embassy in Israel on Tuesday said the Israeli condemnation of what Moscow called a "fake chemical attack" in Syria was "a hasty conclusion." Israel on Monday strongly condemned the chemical attack in eastern Ghouta and accused the Syrian government of "crimes against humanity." "The Embassy notes with concern a hasty conclusion made in Israel in regard to the fake chemical attack in Douma, a suburb of Damascus, on April 7, 2018," read the embassy...

The violent aspect of the worrisome radicalization of the Turkish diaspora with a heavy dose of nationalist and Islamist ideology has been personally driven by President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, who publicly rewards mischief and unashamedly glorifies vigilante behavior among expatriate communities. As a result, the Turkish president is setting up a very dangerous path for many to follow on the violent trajectory while unleashing beasts to wreak havoc in host countries.Just this week, ErdoÄŸan personally called Turkish national Yusuf Ãœnsal, who was detained by German police for his interference in a protest in Stuttgart against the Turkish governmentÂ’s military offensive...

First off, by waiting to strike, the U.S. keeps Syrian air defense forces in a state of very high readiness and forces Assad to continue guessing whether the U.S. knows where his high-value assets have been relocated. At the tactical level (front line Syrian military units) and strategic level (Assad and his commanders), the U.S. approach here means significant stress and abundant fear. This matters because effective military force and strategy is largely determined by the ability of individuals to operate effectively. But if individuals are fearful and exhausted, their operability will suffer. Even if marginally, this mitigates the threat...

When the U.S. takes military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad for his chemical weapons attack last Saturday, Russia is unlikely to retaliate. Two factors underline why. First off, the Russians do not want to associate themselves with what Assad has done. Putin doesn't like the public relations aftermath he is now suffering. In turn, while Putin is employing his standard distraction-deception-threat strategy in an attempt to shield Assad from blame, his eye is on other agendas. Notably, avoiding new sanctions targeting Moscow and ensuring that the upcoming soccer World Cup — which Putin sees as critical to attract much-needed...

Israel’s defense minister said Tuesday that a Palestinian journalist who was shot dead by Israeli troops on the Israel­-Gaza border was a Hamas operative, although the media production company he founded had recently been vetted for a U.S. government grant. Yaser Murtaja, the co-founder of Ain Media, was shot as he filmed protests at the border fence Friday. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that Murtaja, who used drones to film in the course of his work, was giving drone footage of Israeli positions to Hamas, was the equivalent of a captain in the group’s military wing and had been on...

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed Russia over a deadly chemical attack on Syrian civilians, saying the country's hands are "covered in blood." "The Russian regime, whose hands are all covered in the blood of Syrian children, cannot be ashamed by pictures of its victims," Haley said during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday. "We must not overlook Russia and Iran's roles in enabling the Assad regime's murderous destruction," she continued.

Pan-European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol on Tuesday warned airlines to exercise caution in the eastern Mediterranean due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria in next 72 hours. Eurocontrol said that air-to-ground and/or cruise missiles could be used within that period and there was a possibility of intermittent disruption of radio navigation equipment. Russia and the United States tangled on Tuesday at the United Nations over the use of chemical weapons in Syria as Washington and its allies considered whether to strike at President Bashar al-Assad's forces over a suspected poison gas attack last weekend. "Due consideration...

US President Donald Trump’s “major decision” on Syria is contingent on the rallying of sufficient air and naval strength and allied participation. Military sources report that the only US warship immediately available for the promised US military response to Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons in Douma is the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook, which sailed from Larnaca Monday, April 9, on its way to the eastern Mediterranean. The USS Iwo Jima strike group, which visited Haifa last month, is now cruising in the Arabian Sea, days away from the scene, whereas the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group...

With all eyes on Israel’s southern front where Hamas is desperately trying to conceal the fact it has run out of military options in its never ending war against the Jewish State, Hezbollah and the pro-Assad axis seem to be gearing up for the long anticipated confrontation with the IDF. Iranian and Israeli media reported last week that the pro-Assad coalition is preparing for an offensive against Islamist rebel groups in the Kuneitra and Daraa provinces in southern Syria. The pro-Assad axis, which includes Hezbollah and other Shiite militias, has reportedly deployed tanks and heavy artillery on the Syrian Golan...

Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is an internationally-recognized human rights crime—but those being impacted are harshly punished for not only acts of resistance, but even mere advocacy for their rights. Getting detailed facts about Israel’s imposition of Military Law in the West Bank, Abby Martin visits the the Ramallah offices of Addameer—the most prominent prisoners’ rights organizations in Palestine—for a shocking investigation into the use of Israeli jails and arbitrary laws as a weapon. Chronicling this history of resistance and repression from the First Intifada through the 2015 uprising, this episode shows what brutal lengths the Israeli occupation will...