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Israeli attacks on Syria “unacceptable”: Erdogan
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the recent Israeli airstrikes on a research center near the Syrian capital as “unacceptable.”
Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling party on Tuesday that “no excuse can justify” the Israeli act of aggression against Syria.
“The airstrike Israel carried out on Damascus is completely unacceptable. There is no rationale, no pretext that can excuse this operation,” Erdogan said.
Turkish premier, whose country supports militants fighting against the Syrian government, also said that the Israeli attacks provided what he called a “golden opportunity” for President Bashar al-Assad to cover up massacres… Continue reading
Armed tribesmen abduct 2 Egyptians in southern Yemen:
Armed tribesmen in the southern Yemeni Province of Abyan have abducted two Egyptian engineers working for a local cement factory, security officials say. “Tribesmen armed with assault rifles intercepted a pick-up truck carrying the Egyptian engineers and took them by force to an unknown location,” a security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Monday.
The official added that the tribesmen have asked Yemeni authorities to release a jailed member of their tribe held in the central prison in Abyan.
On Tuesday, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the abduction of the two engineers saying the Egyptian… Continue reading
UK ‘confirms’ use of chemical weapons in Syria after secret MI6 op – report
The UK Ministry of Defense has claimed that chemical weapons were used in the Syrian conflict. Forensic evidence was collected after scientists analyzed soil smuggled out of the country in a secret British operation, the Times reported.
The sample was reportedly extracted from a neighborhood on the outskirts of Damascus in March by MI6 agents operating within Syria, the Australian reported at the time.
The soil was then smuggled out of Syria and handed over to UK Ministry of Defense’s chemical and biological research department.
Military scientists said the soil contained traces of “some kind of chemical weapon,”… Continue reading
Jailed for Facebook ‘like’: Palestinians endure Middle-East-wide ‘social media crackdown’
In the last week, two Palestinians have been sentenced to prison terms for online libel and slander of politicians. Meanwhile, an arrest order has been issued for a popular Egyptian satirist, raising fears of a crackdown on freedom in the region.
The Magistrate’s Court in Salfit, West Bank, sentenced a 29-year-old Anas Ismail to 6 months in jail, on charges of “libel and slander against former communications minister” as he was found guilty of “Liking”hostile messages towards the politician on Facebook.
One of the posts demanded the dismissal of the politician and another phrase demanded accountability… Continue reading
Kurdish rebel group declares ceasefire with Turkey
The 30-year-long Kurdish insurgency could be close to an end, after the acting leader of the separatist PKK movement officially announced an end to hostilities.
“We declare a ceasefire starting on March 23. If the Turkish Parliament and government do the legal groundwork for a commission, we could withdraw from Turkey,” said PKK field commander Murat Karayilan in a video message broadcast during the Nevruz festival celebrations in Bonn, Germany.
Turkey and PPK had been negotiating since October last year, but a statement from imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan on Thursday, in which he spoke of “fraternity”… Continue reading
CIA trains and spies for Syrian rebels – report
Some Syrian rebel groups get training and intelligence straight from CIA officers, US officials told media. The helping hand is meant to bolster the secular opposition against both governmental troops and Islamist forces.
The CIA’s increased involvement in Syria is part America’s greater engagement in the war-torn country, according to The Wall Street Journal. The spy agency has selected some small rebel units from the Free Syrian Army to receive combat training and fresh intel they can act upon, the newspaper says, citing unnamed US officials and rebel commanders.
The training is provided by the CIA, working together with British,… Continue reading
Iran will destroy Israel cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa if attacked – Supreme leader
Iran’s most powerful authority, Ayatollah Ali Khemenei, said the Islamic Republic would raze the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa “to the ground” if Israel launched a military strike against it.
“At times the officials of the Zionist regime [Israel] threaten to launch a military invasion, but they themselves know that if they make the slightest mistake the Islamic Republic will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground,” Ayotollah Ali Khamenei said during an address on live state television.
Obama said Thursday time is running out for a diplomatic solution.
“Iran must know that time is not unlimited.… Continue reading
Syrian warplanes strike Lebanon border
Syrian planes have bombed a Lebanese border town in eastern Bekaa Valley, the first such attack during the country’s ongoing crisis, according to a Lebanese army source.
The warplanes entered 1 kilometer into Lebanese airspace and struck the town of Kerbet Younan in the Wadi al-Khayl region of Arsal, where the majority of Sunni Muslim residents support Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, and fired four rockets at a remote section of the border with Lebanon, according to Reuters.
Conflicting reports have emerged over whether Lebanese territory was hit in the airstrike.
“Syrian planes bombed the border between… Continue reading
US seeks to expand assassination drone attacks to Syria: Report
The CIA is considering a secret contingency plan to expand the US assassination drone strikes to Syria, former and current American officials say. The officials said the Counterterrorism Center, which runs CIA’s drone operations in Pakistan and Yemen, has recently tasked some of its agents to collect further intelligence on the situation in Syria, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.
The targeting officers, who are based at CIA headquarters in Langley, have formed a unit with US intelligence agents in Iraq, to examine purported threats against “the US’ interests in Syria,” the report said.
The unit… Continue reading
France, UK to arm Syria militants: Paris
France and the UK will send weapons to the militants in Syria despite an arms embargo which forbids the EU states from such an action, France says. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday that Paris and London are planning to ask for the date of the next EU meeting on the Syria arms embargo to be moved up, adding that they will arm the militants even if an agreement is not reached.
During an interview with France Info radio, Fabius said that Paris and London request “the Europeans now to lift the embargo so that the resistance… Continue reading
