Middle East

First Train Carries Passengers Through Terrorist-Free Aleppo (VIDEO)
The video shows a passenger train making its first journey through the city of Aleppo for the first time in four and a half years. The war had left the railway service disrupted. However, as the city is returning to normal life, the train carried its first passengers through the newly liberated Aleppo. [...]
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Syrian Draft Constitution Proposed by Russia Envisages Presidential Rights
Russian constitutional proposals for Syria that were presented to the opposition at the Astana talks envisage that the president is elected for seven years and for no more than two consecutive terms, the document obtained by Sputnik, reads. [...]
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Why Russia Conducts Anti-Daesh Airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor
Moscow's aerial operation in Deir ez-Zor will help to prevent militants from overrunning the Syrian Arab Army base and the key city in eastern Syria in the short term, but the operation will have an impact on other parts of the country, particularly the north, analysts told Sputnik. [...]
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Game Change: Syria, Interrupted
The recapture of Aleppo by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies marks a turning point not only in the conflict in Syria, but also in the dynamic of international conflict. For the first time since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the rolling imperial engine of regime change via American-led military intervention has been stopped in its tracks. [...]
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Rep. Gabbard calls on US govt to stop ‘supporting terrorists’ after meeting Syria civilians & Assad
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has called on the US to put an end to the “illegal war” she believes it wages in Syria after visiting Damascus and Aleppo. During her trip, she spoke with civilians, religious leaders, opposition leaders, and President Assad. [...]
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Trump says he’ll order ‘safe zones’ for Syria, regrets not ‘taking’ oil out of Iraq
US President Donald Trump said he’ll establish “safe zones’ within Syria for people fleeing terrorism, risking becoming even more involved in the crisis. He also believes the US should have “taken the oil” from Iraq as it pulled its troops out in 2011. [...]
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Israel Has No Plans to Impose Sanctions on Russia – Israeli Ambassador to Moscow
Israel will not impose sanctions against Russia, even under US pressure, Israeli Ambassador to Moscow, Harry Koren said Tuesday. "There are no such plans… Israel is very sensitive to the issue of sanctions, because we are threatened every time with sanctions.   [...]
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What May Be Behind Pentagon’s Denial of Providing Daesh Coordinates to Russia
The Russian Aerospace Forces have conducted airstrikes in Syria based on intelligence provided by the US-led coalition, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The Pentagon later denied that cooperation took place.   [...]
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Russian Long-Range Bombers Launch Strikes on Daesh Arms Depots in Deir ez-Zor
Six Russian long-range Tu-22M3 bombers launched airstrikes on Daesh arms and ammunition depots in Syria's Deir ez-Zor, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.   [...]
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Russia, Iran, Turkey agree to establish mechanism to support Syria ceasefire & Geneva talks
Russia, Iran and Turkey have announced they will establish a trilateral mechanism to support the ceasefire in Syria. In a joint statement issued at the end of talks in Astana, they said the Syrian opposition should take part in Geneva peace talks on the issue. [...]
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Russian, Turkish Air Forces conduct first joint anti-ISIS op in Syria
Moscow and Ankara are carrying out their first joint military operation against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the Syrian province of Aleppo, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced. [...]
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Lost legacy: How Barack Obama deliberately destroyed the US-Russia relationship
Since becoming the US Commander-in-Chief in 2008, Barack Obama charted a thinly veiled anti-Russia course that many failed to anticipate or appreciate due to the media-generated hype of “hope and change” that accompanied his rise to power. [...]
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Russia seeks invitation for US to Syria peace talks in Astana, Iran ‘against’
Iran says it rejects any participation by US representatives at the scheduled Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he believes US and UN representatives should be invited to the meeting. [...]
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Aleppo’s Liberation ‘Delivers a Heavy Blow to US and its Allies’
The liberation of Aleppo by the Syrian Army delivers a "heavy blow" to all terrorist groups which have been fighting in the country for over four years, according to Argentine journalist Leandro Albani. Leandro has worked as a reporter in the Middle East for the magazine Sudestada and websites such as Resumen Latinoamericano and Marcha.org. [...]
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‘As if she was Mother Teresa herself’: Russia’s Churkin snubs US Power’s speech at UNSC
Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin hit back at his US counterpart, Samantha Power, at a UN Security Council meeting, saying that she was not Mother Teresa and represents a country with a long record of violations. Power and Churkin both spoke at a UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo in New York City on Monday. [...]
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The Two Things China Really Wants in Syria
Earlier this month, Chinese Admiral Guan Youfei visited Syria. Few details were made available on the specifics of Beijing's cooperation agreement with the Syrian military, but the pact itself represents a landmark shift both in the military sense and from the perspective of international geopolitics, says French political analyst Thierry Meyssan. [...]
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Austrian far-right Hofer wants to suspend naturalization of Turks, says ‘Auxit’ still possible
Far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) presidential candidate Norbert Hofer has called for a ban on naturalization of Turkish residents in Austria until dual citizenship issues are resolved and said that his country could still leave the EU if Turkey joins the bloc. [...]
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Washington’s Conundrum in Syria: Russia, Iran and China Team Up
China’s recent announcement of an increase of its humanitarian support for the Syrian people and that it would provide additional training to the Syrian forces comes as a “headache for the US,” according to the American media. “As if the multi-party war in Syria weren’t complicated enough, it now appears that the People’s Republic of China has decided to take a more active role in t [...]
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Lawmakers, Peace Groups Team Up to Block ‘Disturbing’ US-Saudi Arms Deal
Anti-war advocates are launching an 11th-hour bid to stop U.S. Congress from approving a $1.15 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia in its fight against Houthi rebels in Yemen, which was announced earlier this month.Chief among them are the activist group CODEPINK and U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), [...]
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‘Influential Factor’: Russia Continues to Gain Clout in the Middle East
Russia's current actions in the Middle East show how Moscow can catch the West by surprise, according to Thomas Avenarius, a journalist writing for the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. It seems that the West has been caught by surprise by Russia's current actions in the Middle East, [...]
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Turkey Recalls Ambassador to Austria Over Pro-Kurdish Rally in Vienna
Turkey's foreign minister has recalled its Austrian ambassador for "consultations" in the wake of a rally held in Vienna in support of the PKK. "In response to recent events, we have withdrawn our ambassador from Vienna for consultations and to review our relations with Austria," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. [...]
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Kremlin Presses Turkey for Access to NATO’s Incirlik Air Base, Home to US Nukes
Russian officials have reached out to Ankara to request access to the American-built base as a convenient launch pad for airstrikes in the Syrian theater, but it remains to be seen whether such cooperation will roil NATO’s feathers. Russia has called on Turkey to provide access to NATO’s Incirlik Air Base, the critical launch pad for US and coalition airstrikes in Syria [...]
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