Syrian War Report – October 17, 2019: Syrian Army Entering Kobani And Raqqa On October 16, units of the Syrian Army entered the city of Raqqah for the first time since 2014. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has controlled the city since 2017, when they with help from the United States seized it from ISIS. The Syrian Army reportedly established several observation posts in the area and continued deployment
https://southfront.org/turkish-operation-peace-spring-in-northeastern-syria-explained/ Turkey officially announced that it had launched a military operation in northeastern Syria. Over the past years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other representatives of the country’s leadership have repeatedly announced this idea. However, this time promises were turned into reality. On October 6, the administration of US President Donald Trump released a statement saying that Turkey will soon carry out its “long-planned operation” into northern Syria. According
Syrian War Report – October 9, 2019: SDF Seeks Cooperation With ‘Bloody Assad’ Against Turkey The withdrawal of US troops from the Turkish border has caused a kind of panic among the leadership of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which mostly consist of Kurdish militias. On October 7, the group already speculated that the Syrian Army is preparing to capture the town of Manbij taking an upper hand of the
Yemen War Report – October 2, 2019: Houthis Deliver Devastating Blow To Saudi Arabi In late September, Yemen’s Houthis carried out a large-scale operation against Saudi-led forces on the border with the southern Saudi province of Narjan. According to a spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Houthi Government, the Houthis fully defeated at least 3 brigades of Saudi-backed forces. The Yemeni force killed 500 personnel, injured 2,000 others, destroyed
https://southfront.org/gulf-war-report-houthi-strikes-shut-down-half-of-saudi-arabia-oil-production/ Saudi Arabia continues to suffer consequences of its unsuccessful invasion of Yemen. On September 14, the Armed Forces of the Houthi government carried out a successful strike on facilities of Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Saudi Aramco in Buqayq and Khurais. In an official statement, a spokesperson for the Houthis, Brig. Gen. Yahya Sari, said that the attack, dubbed Operation Deterrent Balance 2, was a response to the Saudi aggression.
https://southfront.org/color-revolution-comes-to-hong-kong/ Written and produced by SF Team: J.Hawk, Daniel Deiss, Edwin Watson; The Hong Kong protests represent a major challenge not only to the authorities of Hong Kong itself, but also to Beijing, due to both their protracted nature and a high level of organization resembling the Kiev Maidan of 2013/14. The Hong Kong rioters have gone so far as to produce and disseminate a veritable urban warfare manual describing in
https://southfront.org/war-report-mighty-israeli-army-abandoned-military-facility-after-hezbollah-atgm-strike/ The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) abandoned their military facility at Avivim in Upper Galilee, which had been targeted by Hezbollah anti-tank guided missile strike. According to a released video, IDF troops left behind at least 2 pieces of military equipment and multiple personal possessions, including ammunition. The escalation at the Lebanese-Israeli contact line happened on September 1 after IDF shelled unidentified targets at Shebaa Farms. After the incident, Prime
Syrian War Report – September 3, 2019: Russia Accuses U.S. Of Sabotaging Idlib Ceasefire https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-september-3-2019-russia-accuses-u-s-of-sabotaging-idlib-ceasefire/ On September 1, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the recent US strike on Idlib province had “endangered the truce” in the area and “violated all previous arrangements.” The defense ministry noted that the air raid led to “multiple casualties and destruction”. On August 31, CENTCOM announced that the US military “conducted a strike against
https://southfront.org/war-report-hezbollah-strikes-israeli-military-vehicle-amid-escalation-in-southern-lebanon/ A large-scale escalation has taken place on the contact line between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. On September 1, the Israeli military launched several shells at unidentified targets in Shebaa Farms, located in the Israeli-occupied area. An Israeli drone also dropped several incendiary grenades at Bestrah in the Lebanese-controlled part of Shebaa Farms. In response to these attacks, Hezbollah destroyed an Israeli military vehicle near the Avivim
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-august-29-2019-militants-attack-in-eastern-idlib-ends-in-disaster/ On August 27, joint forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other militant groups launched an attack on positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near the town of Abu Dali in southern Idlib. Clashes between the SAA and militants erupted in the villages of Tal Maraq, Salmuia, Jaduia, Sham Al-Hawa and Abi Omar. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham employed at least one suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device. Nonetheless, they were
https://southfront.org/war-report-israel-carries-out-strikes-on-syria-lebanon-iraq/ The situation in the Middle East is once again escalating. On August 24, Israeli warplanes bombed what the Israeli military described as ‘Iranian targets’ near the town of Aqraba south of the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Syrian air-defense forces intercepted several hostile missiles. However, the rest of them hit the target. According to claims by the Israeli side, the targeted positions were used by the Qods Force of Iran’s
Syrian War Report – August 14, 2019: Syrian Army Reached Khan Shaykhun Government forces are developing their advance in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone. The Syrian military has deployed a new batch of reinforcements, including battle tanks from the 4th Armoured Division, to the frontline. According to pro-government sources, these reinforcements will take part in the ongoing Syrian Army offensive in northwestern Hama and southern Idlib. On
Syrian War Report – August 8, 2019: Army Makes Fresh Gains In Battle For Northern Hama On the morning of August 7, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces advanced on positions of radical militants in northwestern Hama. During the day, units of the SAA and the Tiger Forces liberated the villages of Arbeen and al-Zakah. Government troops also cut off the supply line between the militant-held towns
Syrian War Report – August 6, 2019: Syrian Military Vows To Resume Operations Against Militants The new ceasefire agreement designed to cease hostilities in northwestern Hama and southern Idlib has just collapsed. On August 3, the leader of Hay’at Tahir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra), Abu Mohammad al-Julani, announced that his group would not withdraw “a single fighter or a weapon” from the demilitarized zone and vowed to recapture the areas,
https://southfront.org/apocalypse-later-trumponomics-on-the-eve-of-2020-presidential-election/ Written and produced by SF Team: J.Hawk, Daniel Deiss, Edwin Watson; Voiceover by Coby B By way of introduction, it should be noted that the US economy is showing many signs of a classical bubble, starting with the incredibly over-valued US stock market. Only slightly more than a decade ago, at the peak of the real estate bubble, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) barely managed to clear the 14,000 mark,
Based on the analysis prepared by Dennis M. Nilsen, PhD exclusively for SouthFront The Qods Force is the irregular warfare unit of Iran’s Corps of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enghelab-e Eslami). Created during the Holy Defense to augment the capabilities of the Sepah to include irregular warfare, it has since become one of the chief means of expanding Iranian ‘soft power’ within the Middle East and throughout
https://southfront.org/gulf-conflict-report-prospects-of-war-between-iran-and-us/ The situation in the Middle East is heating up once again. On July 19, an unknown aircraft carried out a strike on positions of the Popular Mobilization Units at the Al-Shuhada base in the northern Saladin province north of Baghdad, Iraq. Pro-Israeli sources speculated that several Iranian-backed fighters and members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed or injured in the attack. They further claimed that the targeted
Russia Shutters Georgian Democracy Democracy is in danger once again. The treacherous Putin regime is pressuring Georgia with sanctions, prohibiting flights between the countries and putting it under duress. Naturally, the Russian bear showed its totalitarian face by answering with pressure, a democratic protest of civic society. The pretext for the protests, which have rocked Georgia since June 21st was a visit by a member of the Russian Parliament and
Syrian War Report – July 13-17, 2019: Waiting For New Idlib Offensive The situation in northwestern Hama and along the entire contact line around the Idlib de-escalation zone has remained stable but tense during the past week. The Syrian Arab Army, the Tiger Forces and their allies have repeatedly engaged in local clashes with Hayat Tahir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and other radical groups. However, no side has undertaken any
https://southfront.org/houthis-new-missiles-combat-drones-revealed/ On July 7, Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis) held a military exhibition displaying their new weapon systems, including the Quds-1 cruise missile, the Badr-F precision-guided tactical ballistic missile, and Samad-1, Samad-3 and Qasef-2K unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Quds-1 cruise missile was the staple of the show. Previously, it was believed that the missile was derivative from the Iranian Soumar cruise missile, developed from the Soviet Kh-55
