Tag Archives: civil war

Six Yemeni soldiers were killed when a convoy carrying the country’s defense minister was hit by a landmine explosion on Wednesday, but the minister was unharmed, government sources said. Muhammad Ali Maqdashi, defense minister for the internationally recognized government of Yemen, was visiting a frontline area of Sirwah. It is …

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Wednesday it targeted facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco in Jizan on the Red Sea in response to “escalating air strikes” but there was no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabian authorities. State oil giant Aramco declined to comment on the report. Houthi military spokesman Yahya …

I’ve written previously about Ammar Al-Masry’s novels Shadows of Atlantis and Throne of Atlantis, so it only seems fair to write about the third and supposedly final instalment in the New World series, Heart of Atlantis (2019). I’d finished reading the novel the previous year but held out on writing …

Turkey’s bill allowing troop deployment in Libya marks a dangerous escalation in the North African country’s civil war and severely threatens stability in the region, a joint statement by Greece, Israel and Cyprus said late on Thursday. “This decision constitutes a gross violation of the UNSC resolution…imposing an arms embargo …

Iraq’s prime minister condemned on Friday the U.S. killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and said it would “light the fuse” of war. The United States killed Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force and architect of Iran’s spreading military influence …

Dr. Haytham Mouzahem, head of Beirut Centre for Middle East Studies talks to International Affairs Review on the current situation in Syria and the Turkish military operations and the implications for the region.   Please walk us through what is happening right now in north east Syria. Turkey has been invading areas …

America’s On-Off relationship with Turkey once again took a 180 degree turn as President Trump moved several dozen US Special Forces from the Turkish-Kurdish controlled Syrian border so Turkish military forces could enter Syria in what Turkey calls “Operation Peace Spring.” The Kurds, key US allies in defeating ISIS in …

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister said on Thursday he discussed regional security and military cooperation with senior U.S. government officials at a time of heightened tension with Iran following last month’s attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Saudi Arabia and the United States blamed common foe Tehran for the Sept. 14 …

U.S. President Donald Trump has approved sending American troops to bolster Saudi Arabia’s air defenses after Saturday’s attacks on the kingdom’s oil facilities, which Washington has blamed on Iran, the Pentagon said on Friday. The Pentagon said the deployment would involve a moderate number of troops and would be primarily …

The United States, Britain and France may be complicit in war crimes in Yemen by arming and providing intelligence and logistics support to a Saudi-led coalition that starves civilians as a war tactic, the United Nations said on Tuesday. U.N. investigators compiled a secret list of possible international war crimes …

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched drone attacks on the airport of Abha in southwest Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, the Houthis’ al-Masirah TV said on Twitter on Tuesday. There was no mention of the attack in Saudi Arabia’s official media and Saudi officials could not immediately be reached for …

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Aden on Sunday in support of the Yemeni government after southern separatists effectively took over the port city, fracturing the alliance that had been battling the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. The infighting, which broke out on Aug. 8 to control the port city which serves as …

A senior United Arab Emirates official called for calm on Wednesday after clashes erupted between southern separatists and presidential guards in Aden, the seat of Yemen’s government. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter that communication and dialogue, not violence, was needed. “Escalation is not …

Yemen’s Houthis launched drone attacks on the airports of Abha and Najran, and the King Khalid airbase, in Saudi Arabia, the group’s Al-Masirah TV said on Monday. There was no mention of attacks on Saudi official websites or media. Al Masirah cited a Houthi military spokesman. Source: Reuters

Russia’s air force helped the Syrian army to repel attacks carried out by militants in the Idlib province on Sunday, TASS news agency reported on Monday, citing a senior defense ministry official. Militants carried out two attacks on Syrian government forces’ positions using tanks and armored vehicles on July 28, …

Yemen’s Iranian-aligned Houthi militia attacked Abha airport in Saudi Arabia on Thursday with drones, the group’s Al Masirah TV said, citing a military spokesman. Source: Reuters

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that new U.S. proposals for a safe zone in northern Syria fall short and Turkey was running out of patience as Washington appears to be stalling in efforts to seal an agreement. U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey held talks in …

Five people were lightly wounded after one of two rockets thought to be fired from within Syria landed on a house in a Turkish border town on Monday night, the provincial governor’s office said. The Defence Ministry said on Twitter that Turkish forces had responded to the rocket fire and …

On a yearly basis, Yemen’s Socotra experiences a ruthless south-west monsoon season ripping through the archipelago’s lands, leading to the closure of its air and sea ports. This year, fruit plantations developed by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation have survived May’s hurricane-strength winds, enabling Socotran farmers to develop …

Air strikes on a popular market and residential neighborhoods killed at least 32 people and wounded dozens on Monday in an attack on one of the main opposition-held cities in northwestern Syria, rescuers and residents said. The raids, believed to be carried out by either Syrian or Russian jets, targeted …

Pope Francis has expressed concern for the humanitarian situation in northwestern Syria and urged a negotiated end to years of fighting, in a letter delivered on Monday to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Vatican said the letter was handed over by Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, who heads the Vatican …

United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock called out Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for only paying a “modest proportion” of the hundreds of millions of dollars they pledged five months ago to a humanitarian appeal for Yemen. Both countries each promised $750 million at a U.N. …

Saudi vice minister of defense Khalid bin Salman stressed Saudi support for a political solution in Yemen in a meeting with U.N. special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Monday. The vice minister said in a tweet that he met with the special envoy to “emphasize our commitment to the …

Saudi Arabia’s military in Yemen has moved in to secure two strategic Red Sea ports and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait after its leading ally the United Arab Emirates substantially reduced its presence there, four sources familiar with the matter said. The UAE has drawn down its numbers in some parts …

The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has re-opened a fishing slipway in in Bab al-Mandab District of Dhubab Governorate, after completing the rehabilitation and refitting operations. The ERC Representative on the Red Sea Coast, said the UAE-funded facility, part of a UAE plan to establish and rehabilitate 24 fishing slipways, would …

Eastern Libyan authorities and U.S. security firm Guidry Group plan to finalize an agreement to develop a major port in the east of the troubled oil producer, both sides said. Talks have been going on for about a year to build a port in Susah, which would mark a rare …

In implementation to the directives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), the Council organises a humanitarian initiative to collect toys for Yemeni children. Reem Abdullah …

The United Arab Emirates, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, is scaling back its military presence there as worsening U.S.-Iran tensions threaten security closer to home, four western diplomatic sources said. The UAE has pulled some troops from the southern port of Aden and Yemen’s western …

Yemen’s Houthi movement launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded 21 others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV earlier said that the Iran-aligned movement had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the …

Britain broke the law by allowing arms sales to Saudi Arabia that might have been used in Yemen’s war, a court ruled, after activists said there was a clear risk the weapons could be operated in violation of human rights legislation. While the court’s decision does not mean Britain must …

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis struck a power station in Saudi Arabia’s al-Shuqaiq city, in the southern province of Jizan, with a cruise missile, their Al Masirah TV said on Wednesday, but there was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities. U.S. officials said they were aware of reports of a missile strike …

With the support of the UAE, a project to increase water production capacity was launched yesterday in Mocha, on Yemen’s Red Sea Coast. It will serve more than 30,000 residents of the city and neighbouring areas. Mohammed Al Junaibi, Director of Humanitarian Affairs for the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, in …

The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation yesterday signed an agreement with the Electricity and Energy Ministry of the Republic of Yemen to implement a power plant in Aden at a cost of US$100 million. The agreement is part of the continuous programme implemented by the UAE to support the …

The United Arab Emirates has delivered a shipment of medicines to the Yemeni Ministry of Health. The shipment included medicines for treating chronic diseases as well as other medicines to combat the spread of malaria. The move is part of the emergency response campaign launched by the UAE to relief …

A group of UAE Armed Forces Commanders visited on Tuesday the UAE forces operating as part of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen to congratulate them on Eid al-Fitr. The Commanders conveyed the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid …

Those who thought that the US was doomed to stay in Syria indefinitely (as was mentioned by the Pentagon last week) were surprised when the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article saying that the US military had been ordered to leave Syria as soon as possible. The WSJ revealed …

by Areej Zaher*   They fled their homeland escaping terror, violence and raging fire, seeking a better life and affording a safe shelter for their families. However, these Syrian refugees seemed to go from the frying pan into the fire! Things didn’t go well for them as they had planned, …

By Areej Zaher* War and violence affected all, especially women and children. Whether it was internal, cross-border conflicts, religious or political, civilians will be caught in the firing line. And as a result, women will face life-threatening challenges. War can bring violence, sexual violence, abandonment, detention, physical injury or even …

Turkey is uneasy about U.S. plans to set up “observation posts” in Syria along parts of its border with Turkey, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday the United States was setting up the posts to help keep the focus on clearing …

Iraqi forces have killed 15 Islamic State militants inside a tunnel during a search operation in the northern Sunni-majority Salahuddin province, the military said on Wednesday. Islamic State, which once occupied a third of Iraq’s territory, has been largely defeated in the country but has continued to carry out ambushes, …

Russia, Turkey, and Iran will hold the next round of talks on Syria on Nov. 28-29 in Kazakhstan, Kazakh foreign minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said on Monday. Delegations of the Damascus government and the Syrian rebels are also set to attend, Abdrakhmanov told reporters. Source: Reuters

The United States’ support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia is a “big mistake”, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said late on Saturday, adding that the issue had strained ties between the NATO allies. Turkey has been infuriated with Washington’s support for the YPG, which it views as an extension …

At least forty people, mostly women and children were killed on Saturday in the latest wave of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against the last remaining Islamic State-held pocket in Syria near the border with Iraq, the militants and some local residents said. Asked about reports of air strikes in the Buqan …

The Trump administration hopes that the U.S.-backed fight against Islamic State in its last foothold in northeastern Syria will end within months but American forces will remain to ensure the “enduring defeat” of the militant group, a top U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday. Ambassador James Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative …