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https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-june-11-2018-syrian-army-repels-series-of-isis-attacks-on-al-bukamal/ Last weekend, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies repelled another series of ISIS attacks on the town of al-Bukamal at the Syrian-Iraqi border. ISIS used several suicide bombers and car bombs to break the SAA defense but failed to capture any key positions. In clashes that took place from June 8 to and June 10, about 35 pro-government fighters were killed, according to pro-opposition sources. In turn,
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-june-6-2018-ypg-forces-withdraw-from-manbij/ Units of the Syrian Army’s 11th Armoured Division have been delpoyed in the northern part of the Syrian-Lebanese border where they are set to replace Hezbollah fighters. The area of Qusayr has been one of the key Hezbollah footholds in western Syria. It is unclear if it will be abandoned. According to some pro-government sources, Russian military police units are also withdrawing from the border area. The situation over
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-june-5-2018-roadmap-for-manbij-explosion-near-us-french-military-base/ On June 4, the US State Department officially acknowledged that Turkey and the US had endorsed a roadmap for the northern town of Manbij. The announcement came after a meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo in Washington. Manbij is currently controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Kurdish YPG and YPJ forces are the core of the SDF. Ankara sees them
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-31-2018-9200-locals-from-eastern-ghouta-join-syrian-army/ More than 9,200 locals from the Eastern Ghouta region near Damascus have joined the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and several pro-government groups since the liberation of the area on April 14, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on May 30. Under the reconciliation agreement reached in the area, 18-42 y.o. men got a six-month period to settle their legal status and join the SAA if they have not
https://southfront.org/israel-carries-out-massive-strike-on-gaza-locals-protest-against-us-backed-forces-in-syria/ Tensions between the local population and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are growing. Protests against the SDF have recently erupted in the cities of Manbij, Hasakah and Raqqah. The predominantly Arab local population protested against behavior and policies, including forced conscription, implemented by the SDF. Forces of the US-led coalition were even forced to intervene into the situation in Raqqa in order to stop infighting between the Kurdish
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-28-2018-su-57-stealth-fighter-carries-out-strikes-in-syria/ Four Russian military advisers have been killed and three others have been injured in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor in a shelling carried out by militants, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on May 27. According to the statement, militants attacked an artillery battery of pro-government forces assisted by Russian military advisers. Two Russians were killed on the scene. Two others died from wounds in hospital.
TheSaker.is is the Saker’s place; it is our mothership, where The Saker (and our other writers) keep a sharp eye on the state of the vineyard and translate for us so eloquently the heavings and movings, the threats and upheavals of our world. Saker.Community is our place where we can tend the vineyard and tend ourselves. The Moveable Feast Cafe will stay exactly as it is, where the atmosphere supplies
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-25-2018-israeli-us-strikes-on-government-forces-what-is-going-on/ Late on May 24, Israeli warplanes carried out several strikes on the al-Dabaa airbase in the southwestern Homs countryside, according to pro-government sources. The Syrian Air Defense Forces (SADF) responded to the attack by launching at least 2 S-200 surface-to-air missiles, according to local activists. The General Command of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) said in an official statement that the Israeli Air Force had targeted an airbase in
https://southfront.org/conflict-in-eastern-ukraine-can-soon-turn-into-open-war/ This week the military situation in eastern Ukraine has once again escalated as forces loyal to the Kiev government have advanced on positions controlled by defense forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DRP) near the city of Gorlovka. Gorlovka is the DPR-controlled town, located north of the DPR capital of Donetsk. Its pre-war population was about 256,000 people. On May 21, pro-Kiev troops, backed up by artillery and machine
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-24-2018-army-to-start-new-operation-in-response-to-isis-attacks/ The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Liwa al-Quds have repelled an ISIS attack on their positions west of al-Mayadin in the province of Deir Ezzor killing at least 8 terrorists. According to pro-government sources, there are currently about 1,500 ISIS members and commanders operating in the Homs desert. The increased activity of these terrorists may trigger an SAA military operation in order to fully eliminate them earlier than it
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-23-2018-biggest-isis-attack-near-palmyra-in-past-few-months/ On May 22, ISIS attacked positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near the T3 pumping station, near the city of Palmyra, in the province of Homs. The attack started with the explosion of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Then, ISIS infantry stormed the SAA positions. However, the advance was repelled. According to pro-government sources, at least 16 SAA soldiers were killed, 14 others were injured and a
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-22-2018-damascus-is-secured-daraa-is-next/ Late on May 21, Russian air defense systems, allegedly a Pantsir-S short to medium range system, launched at least four missiles at “unidentified” targets over the Khmeimim air base in Syria, according to local sources. Later, the Russian military revealed that one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had been shot down. No damage or casualties occurred as a result of the incident. A similar incident took place on April 24
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-21-2018-syrian-army-liberates-southern-damascus-as-isis-withdraws/ The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies are about to re-establish full control of the southern Damascus countryside. The SAA has already liberated the entire district of al-Hajar al-Aswad and the rest of the area from ISIS. On May 19, the SAA and the remaining ISIS militants reached a temporary ceasefire in the area. On May 20, a number of buses entered the area hinting that ISIS was
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-17-2018-army-liberates-rastan-pocket-advances-in-southern-damascus/ The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies have captured most of ISIS positions in the northern part of the al-Hajar al-Aswad district in southern Damascus. The ISIS defense collapsed following a successful attack by the SAA on the al-Quds Mosque. At the same time, the Syrian Air Force has carried out more strikes on ISIS positions in al-Hajar al-Aswad and in the Yarmouk refugee camp. The ISIS-linked news
https://southfront.org/israel-u-s-prepare-for-further-attacks-on-syria/ In 2018, the Syrian war entered into a new phase of the conflict marked by the increased tensions among key powers involved in the standoff. The collapse of ISIS’ self-proclaimed Caliphate, which used to be a main formal enemy of both the US-led bloc and the Syrian-Iranian-Russian alliance, has sharpened the contrast between the goals of the two sides. The Damascus government, Iran and Russia seek to solve fully
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-16-2018-syrian-army-liberates-dozens-of-villages-in-rastan-pocket/ Syrian forces have re-established control of the area east of the M5 highway in the Rastan pocket in northern Homs now that militants have withdrawn from the area. According to pro-government sources, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies are now in control of over 30 settlements located there. At the same time, the evacuation of militants from the pocket is still ongoing. On May 15, 73 buses
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-15-2018-palestinian-israeli-conflict-fuels-syria-crisis/ At least 59 Palestinian protesters were killed and 2,771 were injured by Israeli forces near the so-called security fence in the Gaza Strip during the May 14 demonstrations denouncing the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. Various sources provide conflicting numbers of people involved in the protests, but all of them agrees that there were at least 35,000-40,000 people at the security fence and in the nearby area.
Alexander Khaldey translated by Scott Humor The slew of comments on new appointments to the Cabinet of Ministers of Russia continues. The comments of most analysts are nothing but puzzling. Infamous satirical literary provocateur Kozma Petrovich Prutkov once wrote that any expert resembled a dental abscess, due to its one-sidedness. In fact, the expert is not a narrow specialist, but someone who understands what is happening far more than
https://southfront.org/regional-security-threats-and-global-chessboard/ The situation in Eastern Ukraine may undergo a dramatic transformation due to the end of the so-called “anti-terrorist operation” (ATO) on April 30, and the subsequent “reformatting” of military operations in Eastern Ukraine, which could spell either an escalation or, rather to the contrary, the resumption of the peace process that has been moribund since the second round of Minsk Accords signed in the early months of 2015. US
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-may-8-2018-rastan-pocket-deal-ka-52-crash/ An evacuation of militants and their supporters has started in the Rastan pocket in northern Homs. On May 7, 62 buses carrying out a batch of militants left the area towards the northern town of Jarabulus currently controlled by Turkey and its proxies. A second batch is set to leave the area on May 8. According to local sources, about 3,000 persons are set to be evacuated. Prior to
