Middle East

Lebanon Threatens to Strike Israeli Airport if Military Conflict Erupts – Report
Lebanon's Defence Minister Elias Bou Saab has warned that the Lebanese Air Force will strike Israel's Ben Gurion airport in the event of a military conflict between the two states, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing Hezbollah's al-Manar news site. [...]
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S-400 a Pretext to Exclude Ankara From US F-35 Program – Retired Turkish General
US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus has warned Turkey about the “very negative consequences” their acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense systems will have if it goes ahead. The purchase of the surface-to-air missile defence systems will seriously affect the defence relations of the United States and NATO with Turkey, she said. [...]
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Turkey And Iran Ditch The Dollar, Putin Smiles And Trump Cries – Economic Collapse Will Be Gradual!
The relationship between the US and Turkey has taken another gigantic hit. It appears Turkey has joined the other powerhouses of the Eastern world (Russia and China) by preparing for economic warfare against the US in the near future. Turkey And Iran Ditch The Dollar, Putin Smiles, And Trump Cries The Collapse of the American Empire? How the United States Created Vladimir Putin [...]
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If Tehran wants to fight, that’ll be the official end of Iran, Trump warns
US President Donald Trump has threatened Tehran that it would "the official end" if it fights in a tweet as Washington builds up its military presence close to Iran. It’s unclear what triggered the US leader as all the Iranian officials were saying in recent days is that they want to avoid a military confrontation with the US. [...]
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Sides Interested in Douma Attack REVEALED as ‘Unpublished OPCW Report’ Leaked
The Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media has recently published what they say is a never-before-seen report by the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission on the alleged chemical attack in Syria’s Douma on 7 April 2018, showing that the entire incident was a false flag. [...]
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Trump’s Artless Iran Dealing
President Trump is reportedly waiting for the Iranians to get on the phone and start talking business to resolve the dangerous looming military crisis in the Persian Gulf. Step One was for the US to pile on the threats of an “unrelenting” assault on the Islamic Republic. Step Two is for the US president to dangle an overture for dialogue with Tehran in order to avert war. [...]
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Israeli NSO Group Linked To WhatsApp Spyware Attack Hit With Amnesty Lawsuit
Earlier this week, Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced it had rushed to patch up a security hole in its messaging service, which it believed had been exploited by the Israeli-owned NSO Group. [...]
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EU vows to trade with Iran, denounces US decision not to extend waivers to purchase Tehran’s crude
A year after President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal, its European signatories, who still honor the agreement, have expressed concern over the US decision not to extend waivers on oil trade with Tehran. [...]
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Turkey Interested in Other Russian Weaponry Apart From S-400s – Official
The contract for Turkey to procure Russian air defence systems has been vehemently opposed by Washington, who is trying to convince Ankara to ditch it threatening the country with sanctions and freezing deliveries of F-35 fighters. [...]
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Russia Hails Turkey’s Push for S-500s Amid Ankara’s Adherence to S-400 Deal
In March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Ankara’s commitment to its deal with Russia on the purchase of S-400 missile systems, adding that Turkey may subsequently look into buying S-500 systems. [...]
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Turkey to Benefit if it Buys Russian Jets Instead of F-35 – Political Strategist
The United States on Monday announced its decision to halt shipments of F-35-related equipment due to Ankara's plans to purchase Russia's S-400 missile defence system. Turkey, a US-NATO ally, has been planning to purchase 100 F-35 fighter jets from the US. Sputnik discussed this with Oliver Steward, a political strategist from the UK. [...]
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US Losing Global Leadership Role to Russia, China and Iran, German Media Claims
Earlier, speaking at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, US Vice President Mike Pence boasted about "renewed American leadership on the world stage," while talking up sanctions against Russia, tough tariffs against China, 'confrontation' with Iran, and US intentions to withdraw from the INF Treaty. [...]
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US Faces ‘Test of Power’ in Trying to Enforce Iran Sanctions – Ex-EU Consultant
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo face an uphill struggle to force other nations to abandon their oil trade with Iran, former European Union consultant Paolo von Schirach told Sputnik. [...]
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US Hopes Strangling Iran’s Oil Trade Sparks Insurrection – Ex-UK Ambassador
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US government is ending sanctions waivers for Iranian oil importers to provoke a violent insurrection or establish a casus belli for an external invasion, former UK Ambassador Peter Ford told Sputnik. [...]
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‘Declare war on Lebanon, take out Syria’s S-300s’: Outgoing Israeli general on handling neighbors
Israel has the full arsenal needed to take on Hezbollah in Lebanon and eliminate the Iranian threat in Syria, the outgoing IDF Northern Command chief boasted, warning Damascus against using S-300s to protect its sovereignty. [...]
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Trump May Recognise West Bank as Israeli Land After Jerusalem & Golan – Analyst
The Israeli elections on 9 April resulted in the victory of Benjamin Netanyahu, who was officially appointed as the country's prime minister on 17 April. Speaking to Sputnik, Israeli publicist Avigdor Eskin shared his opinion on what to expect from the Netanyahu cabinet in the near future. [...]
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Israel run by Netanyahu’s ‘rightwing racist government’, Bernie Sanders says
Democratic 2020 hopeful Bernie Sanders called the government of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “racist” during a CNN town hall. Another blue candidate, Beto O’Rourke, used similar wording to blast the Israeli leader. [...]
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Israeli PM Netanyahu says he’ll name Golan settlement after Trump
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will name a settlement in the Golan Heights after Donald Trump, in a show of gratitude for the US president's decision to recognize the region as Israeli territory. [...]
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Mogherini Reiterates EU’s Non-Recognition of Israel’s Sovereignty Over the Golan
The statement follows a warning by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem that Damascus hasn't ruled out a military solution to the Golan Heights issue, which came to the fore in late March when US President Trump recognised Israel's sovereignty over the Golan. [...]
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Netanyahu thanks Trump for designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ‘terrorists’
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the US decision to label Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a “terrorist organization” for allegedly financing and promoting terrorism in the region. [...]
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Pentagon Working on Secondary Supply Sources for Turkish-Made F-35 Parts
The US Defence Department is searching for new sources to replace Turkish-made F-35 aircraft parts after Washington suspended activities associated with Turkey's F-35 operational capability, Pentagon spokesperson Charles Summers said in a statement. [...]
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US suspends F-35 deliveries to Turkey over Russian S-400s purchase – Pentagon
The United States has stopped shipping equipment related to the F-35 fighter jet to Turkey. Washington’s move comes after Ankara insisted on purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system. [...]
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