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. [...]

Polish President Andrzej Duda has apologized to Jews who were kicked out of the country in the anti-Semitic campaign of 1968. At the same though, Duda asserted that Warsaw bears no responsibility for the country’s past. [...]

Russia's Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet is specifically designed for air superiority and attack roles. Two such planes were reportedly spotted in the skies above Syria earlier this week. Two more Russian fifth generation Su-57 stealth fighters have arrived at Syria's Hmeymim Airbase, Sputnik Arabic reported, referring to local media outlets. [...]

Commenting on President Putin recently touting advanced Russian weapons and lawmaker Alexander Sherin signaling Moscow's readiness to stand up for its partners, including Ankara, Turkish military expert Beyazit Karatas told Sputnik that these statements indicate that Ankara does not need NATO's deterrence systems. [...]

The Russian Defense Ministry has responded to the US accusations that Russia allegedly violates the UN Security Council resolution on the ceasefire in Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta. False US claims on "hospital bombing" in Ghouta came after Syrian troops repelled pro-US groups, the Russian Defense Ministry said. [...]

Israel's resumed efforts to crack down on Iran could be fueled by Benjamin Netanyahu's looming bribery investigation, geopolitical analyst Gilbert Mercier told Sputnik. As tensions are escalating between Ankara and Damascus over Afrin, Mercier suggested that it would be a strategic mistake on the part of President Bashar Assad to protect the Kurds. [...]

Major General Qassem Soleimani, senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, has provided the country's Foreign Ministry with documents proving US collaboration with Daesh beyond a shadow of a doubt, Iranian media has reported. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, special advisor on international affairs to Iran's speaker of parliament, said he had a meeting with Soleimani and received t [...]

Exclusive: Selective outrage over civilian suffering in Syria – hyping Syrian government abuses while downplaying the effects of U.S.-led Coalition air strikes – undermines the legitimacy of human rights advocacy, argues Jonathan Marshall. Few things threaten the legitimacy of human rights advocacy more than partisans invoking it selectively to promote one side in a violent conflict. Tha [...]

With the so-called “Western military strategy” having been a failure, Iraqi leaders are now looking to Russia in a bid to improve the country’s defenses. The Iraqi government is interested in buying the S-400 air  defense system from Russia to defend the country’s airspace, the head of the parliament’s defense and security committee, Hakim al-Zamili, has said. [...]

The US-led coalition carried out airstrikes on Monday to impede the advance of pro-Damascus forces towards Syria’s oil-rich city of Deir ez-Zor, the Anadolu agency reported, citing local sources. Both Syria and the US have yet to comment on the fresh reports. [...]

It’s no coincidence the US is warning against chemical weapons use by Damascus, while the most likely source of an attack would be rebels, to trigger a response against the Syrian government, says former US diplomat Jim Jatras. Amid calls for a ceasefire in eastern Ghouta, Syria, figures in Western media are accusing President Bashar Assad of launching a chemical gas attack. [...]