Source: Ekathimerini Cyprus, Greece and Israel reached on Thursday an interstate agreement on the EastMed pipeline, during the 5th tripartite summit that is being held in the Israeli city of Beer Sheva. As CNA learns, the agreement on the pipeline, which aims to connect Israel, Cyprus and Greece, needs to get the approval of the… Continue reading CYPRUS, GREECE, ISRAEL AGREE ON EASTMED PIPELINE
Month: December 2018
KURDISH FIGHTERS DISCUSS RELEASING ALMOST 3,200 ISIS PRISONERS
Source: NY Times By Hwaida Saad and Rod Nordland America’s Kurdish allies in Syria are discussing the release of 3,200 Islamic State prisoners, a prominent monitoring group and a Western official of the anti-Islamic State coalition said on Thursday, a day after President Trump ordered the withdrawal of all American troops from the country. Top… Continue reading KURDISH FIGHTERS DISCUSS RELEASING ALMOST 3,200 ISIS PRISONERS
TRUMP ABANDONS SYRIA’S KURDS: WILL TURKEY NOW CRUSH THEIR DREAM OF A “SDECULAR UTOPIA”?
Source: Ha’aretz By Alexander Griffing As the war in Syria unfolded and President Bashar Assad pulled his troops out of the Kurdish northeast to quell uprisings in the country’s western population centers, Syria’s Kurds – with U.S. support – took it upon themselves to defeat the Islamic State on their territory. As the Kurds pushed… Continue reading TRUMP ABANDONS SYRIA’S KURDS: WILL TURKEY NOW CRUSH THEIR DREAM OF A “SDECULAR UTOPIA”?
CHINA FLIGHT TESTS NEW SUBMARINE LAUNCHED MISSILE
Source: Free Beacon By Bill Gertz China carried out a flight test of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile last month that will carry multiple nuclear warheads capable of targeting most of the United States, according to American defense officials. The launch in late November was the first time the Chinese military flight tested the Julong-3,… Continue reading CHINA FLIGHT TESTS NEW SUBMARINE LAUNCHED MISSILE
US MILITARY PREPARING FOR A FULL WITHDRAWALL OF ITS FORCES FROM SYRIA
Source: WSJ By Dion Nissenbaum and Nancy A. Youssef The U.S. military is preparing a rapid withdrawal of its forces from Syria, administration officials said Wednesday, a move that marks an abrupt reversal of America’s strategy in the Middle East. As America’s four-year-old military campaign against Islamic State draws to a close, President Trump has… Continue reading US MILITARY PREPARING FOR A FULL WITHDRAWALL OF ITS FORCES FROM SYRIA
TURKEY CLEARED BY US FOR PATRIOT MISSILE DEAL DESPITE S-400 ROW
Source: Defense News By Aaron Mehta Amid an ongoing row concerning Turkey’s decision to buy a Russian air defense system, the U.S. State Department has cleared Ankara to purchase a package of Patriot systems, with an estimated price tag of $3.5 billion. The announcement, posted late Tuesday evening on the website of the Defense Security… Continue reading TURKEY CLEARED BY US FOR PATRIOT MISSILE DEAL DESPITE S-400 ROW
REPORT: CHINA IS DRIVING USE OF ARMED DRONES IN MIDDLE EAST
Source: Ha’aretz The use of armed drones in the Middle East, driven largely by sales from China, has grown significantly in the past few years with an increasing number of countries and other parties using them in regional conflicts to lethal effects, a new report said Monday. The report by the Royal United Services Institute,… Continue reading REPORT: CHINA IS DRIVING USE OF ARMED DRONES IN MIDDLE EAST
BELARUS SAYS NO TO RUSSIAN AIR BASE ON ITS SOIL
Source: Defence Blog Belarus is against establishing a Russian air base on its soil, Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko told at a meeting with media outlets from Russia. Alexander Lukashenko said that the “issue of accommodating” a Russian air base on the territory of Belarus is not on the agenda. “No one needs this base. (No… Continue reading BELARUS SAYS NO TO RUSSIAN AIR BASE ON ITS SOIL
CHINA DISCOVERS SITE FOR AIR BASE IN ANTARCTICA
Source: Defence World Chinese 35th Antarctic research expedition team has recently discovered a huge blue ice area in the Antarctic suitable for the country’s first large permanent airport on the continent. “Blue ice has good bearing capacity, impact resistance and stability,” Xinhua quoted Sun Bo, the leader of the expedition team, as saying Sunday. The… Continue reading CHINA DISCOVERS SITE FOR AIR BASE IN ANTARCTICA
US NAVY ORDERS ADDITIONAL 2 LCS FROM AUSTAL USA
Source: Naval Today The US state department has awarded Austal USA a contract for the construction of an additional two Independence-variant littoral combat ships (LCS) for the US Navy. According to Austal, this brings the total of new LCS orders booked in calendar year 2018 to four ships. For competition reasons the US Navy has… Continue reading US NAVY ORDERS ADDITIONAL 2 LCS FROM AUSTAL USA