Israeli officials have rallied behind the IDF after calls at home and abroad for an independent probe into its use of force against Palestinian protesters at the border of the Gaza Strip on Friday. Violence erupted during demonstrations on ‘Land Day,’ an annual Palestinian protest against Israeli settlements. [...]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a blistering attack on Benjamin Netanyahu, calling his Israeli counterpart the “leader of a terrorist state” following the deadly shooting of protesters in Gaza. Erdogan made the comments at his party’s congress in southern Turkey. Addressing the event, the president slammed Netanyahu’s criticism of Turkey’s military operation in Syria. [...]

Syrian forces continue to discover new evidence about the types of weapons, facilities, and tactics used by Islamist militants during their occupation of East Ghouta. The Syrian military found the Israeli-made weapons in the town of Harasta, about 10 kilometers from central Damascus, according to a Press TV report citing Syrian state television. [...]

The Israeli defense minister hailed the US’ hefty contribution to the missile defense program, thanking Washington for its $705 million in aid – $558 million more than Israel’s initial request. “I am pleased to announce that the US Congress has approved a record amount for missile defense: $705 million in 2018,” Avigdor Liberman tweeted. [...]

The Syrian Army and its allies have liberated dozens of villages, towns and farms from jihadist terrorists in Eastern Ghouta, once considered the jihadists’ main bastion in the war-torn country. Government forces, while combing liberated neighborhoods in the town of Ain Tarma in the Eastern Ghouta suburb, located nine miles east of Damascus, have discovered a tunnel network running under houses [...]

Known as one of the most effective jammers in the world, the Russian helicopter-based radio electronic warfare system Rychag-AV is capable of protecting the entire vehicle by "blinding" all enemy warplanes and missiles within several hundred kilometers. A photo of what looked like the Russian Mi-8MTPR-1 helicopter equipped with the radio electronic warfare system Rychag-AV in Syria has emerge [...]

We are currently witnessing truly remarkable developments in Syria, as the country’s army and allies liberate more districts of Eastern Ghouta. Almost 80,000 people have been evacuated, with more still streaming out. [...]

Chemical weapon production facilities have been discovered in the areas liberated from militants in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry says. More than 40 tons of chemical weapons were abandoned by retreating militants in the war-ravaged country, the ministry said on Wednesday. [...]

The 2003 US invasion of Iraq had devastating consequences not only Iraq itself, but for the region as a whole. Speaking to Sputnik, Iranian political scientist and diplomat Seyed Hadi Afghani recalled how the US invasion undermined the security of Iraq's eastern neighbor, and set the stage for the rise of Daesh.* [...]

This is not the first episode involving the attaché, who has been summoned by Austria's Foreign Ministry, as he had previously posted a photo of his grandfather in a Nazi uniform with a swastika on social media. Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl has summoned Juergen-Michael Kleppich, an attaché from the country's embassy in Israel, "to clarify the circumstances and to submit to a legal pr [...]

With scores of Syrians still leaving the Damascus suburbs of Eastern Ghouta via humanitarian corridors, the mainstream media continues to issue allegations about the fate of all those who fled the area. Eastern Ghouta resident Abdel Rahman Awad has rejected reports by many world and regional media outlets claiming that those civilians who flee Eastern Ghouta are then killed or bombed by the Syr [...]

While Afrin is falling into the hands of the most brutal forces in the world the Battle for Damascus looms. Russia has issued a warning to the US that it will defend its soldiers that are stationed in Damascus. Vowing to take out the delivery vessels that target Damascus. Also in Belarus the military has been order to check its readiness for military confrontation. Citizens of Syria fleeing Eas [...]

Moscow believes that the threats to Damascus to use force against Syria are unacceptable, Russia's permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Alexander Shulgin has said on Wednesday after US envoy's to UN statement about readiness to act militarily on Syria. [...]

Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, commander of US Central Command Joseph Votel has specifically touched upon the situation in Syria and Russia's role there. Army general Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command has admitted that Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces are prevailing in the war in Syria. [...]

Russia will speed up the delivery of its S-400 air defense systems to Turkey at the latter’s request, says Russian presidential aide Vladimir Kozhin. Talking to TV channel Rossiya 24, Kozhin, aide on military and technical cooperation to the president of Russia, said that Russia plans to start shipping the systems in early 2020. [...]

Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Syria need to team up in order to clear terrorists from Syria, Turkish political analyst Bora Bayraktar told Sputnik, adding that the US military buildup in the region, as well as the threat of the creation of independent Kurdish entities, allow for new regional alliances to blossom. [...]

Representatives from the US, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and Jordan reportedly met behind closed doors in Washington in January to draw up their new strategy for the Middle East. Ankara is alarmed by reports of about a secret plan to redraw the map of the Middle East and carve up Syria into zones of influence, former Turkish ambassador to France and Libya, Uluc Ozulker, has told Sputnik. [...]

The industrial zone is a key project for Moscow in Egypt, which will enhance bilateral economic relations and is a part of the Russian trade ministry's larger strategy. The Egyptian government approved the creation of a Russian industrial zone in Port Said, situated near the Suez Canal on March 7, MENA news agency reports. [...]

Ankara’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air-defense systems was prompted by the reluctance of its NATO allies, primarily the US, to sell advanced weaponry to Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said. [...]