Free Republic

(CNN) - Alleged Israeli airstrikes in central Syria on Sunday night struck a facility claimed by the West to have produced chemical weapons, according to a local resident. The strikes killed at least 18 people and injured 37 others, state-run Syrian news agency SANA said Monday, citing the director of Masyaf National Hospital. SANA reported that there had been several explosions in the central Tartous and Hama governorates, including in the Masyaf countryside. A Masyaf resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons, described to CNN hearing several explosions late Sunday night. “About half an hour before midnight, multiple airstrikes targeted...

Explosion strikes Turkey's capital; casualties reported By Jason Hanna and Hamdi Alkhshali, CNN Updated 1:16 PM ET, Wed February 17, 2016 turkey ankara explosion damon phoner_00010401 (CNN)An explosion rocked the Turkish capital of Ankara on Wednesday evening, killing five people and injuring 10 others, Turkey's semiofficial Anadolu news agency reported, citing Ankara Gov. Mehmet Kiliclar. The explosion happened as a convoy of military vehicles was passing by, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported. Video aired on CNN Turk showed large flames reaching toward the night sky from an area on the ground. Lights from numerous emergency vehicles flashed nearby. Who is...

Iraqi forces battling to wrest Tikrit from ISIS are now in control of the city, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday on Iraqiya TV. Al-Abadi, who is also the top military commander, said on state television that the city was liberated. Tikrit had been under ISIS control since June. The push into Tikrit comes days after a series of U.S.-led airstrikes targeted ISIS targets around the city. The airstrikes made it possible for the Iraqi forces to move through the city. Troops reported finding dozens of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings as they combed the city. At a Cabinet...