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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Trump says Soleimani killing 'to stop war' as Iran tensions soar Global Times 04 Jan 2020 -- US President Donald Trump on Friday insisted he was not seeking war with Iran, as Washington deployed additional troops to the Middle East in the wake of the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Iraq.
• U.S. prepares for Iran's retaliation following Soleimani killing People's Daily 04 Jan 2020 -- The United States is preparing itself for any possible retaliation from Iran after a U.S. strike killed a top Iranian commander, a move that was concerned about by countries around the world and even questioned by some U.S. lawmakers.
• Rockets, mortar shells hit Iraq's Balad Air Base, Baghdad's Green Zone: Sources Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- The Green Zone of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, home to the US embassy, and the Balad Air Base, where US troops are stationed, have come under mortar shell and rocket attacks, respectively, police sources say.
• US-led coalition, Iraqi military deny airstrike north of Baghdad Global Times 04 Jan 2020 -- The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) militant group and the Iraqi military on Saturday denied any airstrike north of Baghdad.
• Iraq Military Says No Strike Took Place in Taji, North of Baghdad – Report Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Earlier in the day, Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) issued a statement, claiming that a two-car convoy of PMF medics has been hit in a new airstrike in northern Baghdad.
• Iraq's PMU denies strike on fighters as US mounts attacks on anti-terror group Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has denied a fresh US airstrike targeted its fighters as the United States steps up attacks on the counter-terrorism paramilitary group in the Arab country.
• Rocket Attacks Hit Baghdad's Green Zone, Balad Base Hosting US Troops Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Tensions are running high in the Middle East as Iran promised a decisive retaliation against the United States following the killing of Iranian top military official Qasem Soleimani.
• Iraq Restricts US Military Operations After Soleimani Killing – Military Spokesman Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has denied a fresh US airstrike targeted its fighters as the United States steps up attacks on the counter-terrorism paramilitary group in the Arab country.
• US suspends purported training of Iraqi forces: Germany Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- The United States has suspended the purported training of Iraqi forces in the Arab country amid fears of fresh violence following the assassination of a top Iranian military commander, a senior German officer says.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Leyte Gulf Returns to Norfolk From 9-Month Deployment NNS 04 Jan 2020 -- The Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) returned to Norfolk Naval Station Jan. 4, marking the end of a nine-month deployment to the U.S. 6th and 5th Fleet areas of operation.
• US Navy Cancels Joint Exercises in Morocco, Redeploys Troops to Middle East – Reports Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- The US Navy has cancelled planned joint exercises with the Moroccan military amid raised tensions following the operation in Iraq that killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) elite Quds Force, media reported on Saturday.
• NATO Suspends Training Missions in Iraq as Tensions Run High Over Killing of Iranian Commander Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Experts and analysts have been speculating over what the potential blowback for America and the Middle East could be following Washington's targeted assassination of one of Iran's top statesmen. One unforeseen consequence that appears to already be unfolding is the impact that it could have on the fight against Daesh.
• US Annonces Resumption of Military Training to Pakistan After Trump Rules Out Providing Security Aid Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- The United States suspended military training to Pakistan in 2018, in a bid to force Islamabad to help Washington take decisive action against militants in Afghanistan. The International Military Education and Training Programme (IMET) is worth around $2.4 million.
• How Much Is The Russian Military Helping Turkmenistan? RFE/RL 04 Jan 2020 -- There are some indications that Russia might be doing more than simply warning Turkmenistan about the threats spilling across its border with Afghanistan.
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo's Call with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu US Dept. of State 04 Jan 2020
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo's Call with Bahraini Crown Prince Al Khalifa US Dept. of State 04 Jan 2020
• Secretary Michael R. Pompeo's Call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu US Dept. of State 04 Jan 2020

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Syrian Army Seizes Al Tah Village in Idlib Province Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Al Tah is located 45 kilometres (28 miles) away from the province's capital.
• Haftar calls on 'all Libyans' to take up arms against Turkish troops Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Libya's self-styled commander Khalifa Haftar has called on people to take up arms to fight Turkish troops, who are to be sent to the country as part of a security deal with the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli.
• Any Foreign Interference to Deepen Conflict in Libya – Deputy Spokesperson for UN Chief Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Any foreign support to warring parties in Libya will only escalate the conflict in the country, the deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general said amid the Turkish plans to send troops to the war-torn north African nation.
• LNA Chief Haftar Announces All-Libyan Mobilization to Resist Foreign Forces Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced earlier the beginning of a decisive battle in his campaign to capture Tripoli, which has been underway since last April and has resulted in fierce fighting on the outskirts of the Libyan capital.

News Reports

• Rodong Sinmun on Basic Idea, Basic Spirit, of 5th Plenary Meeting of 7th Central Committee of WPK KCNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Rodong Sinmun on Saturday says in an article that the basic idea, the basic spirit, of the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is to conduct the offensive for a breakthrough head-on, not to wait for the situation to turn better.
• Zarif: Americans committed miscalculation in martyring Gen Soleimani IRNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that the US has committed a miscalculation by martyring IRGC Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Soleimani.
• Americans to face consequences not just today, but in coming years: President Rouhani ISNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Iran's President praised the self-sacrifices and devotion of Martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and said, "Martyr Soleimani will be everlasting in the history of Iran and freedom-seekers around world".
• Iran condemns Germany's backing for US brutal, illegal actions ISNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned supportive positions attributed to the German government regarding the US assassination of senior Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani.
• Gen. Soleimani's assassination to have consequences: Zarif ISNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif in a phone call with UN Secretary General António Guterres stressed that martyrdom of IRGC commander Major General Qassem Soleimani will have consequences which are under no one's control and US terrorist regime is accountable for all consequences.
• US shall bear full responsibility for all consequences of its provocative moves: Iran's envoy to UN ISNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Iran's ambassador to the United Nations stressed that the assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani and his companions, by any measure, is an obvious example of State terrorism and, as a criminal act, and thus entails the international responsibility of the United States.
• Zarif's statement on Gen. Soleimani's assassination ISNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif has released a statement on the US assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani.
• We'll force US Navy out of Persian Gulf soon: Iran's chief admiral Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- US forces and allies will soon be forced out of the Persian Gulf waters, where they have been seeking to establish a foothold for years, says Iran's navy commander.
• US will pay heavy price for assassinating General Soleimani: Rouhani Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States is accountable for any consequences of its act of terror against Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), stressing that Washington will pay a heavy price for its recent terrorist move.
• IRGC: Strategic revenge to end US presence in region Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says the strategic revenge that will follow the United States' assassination of senior IRGC commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani will surely end Washington's regional presence.
• Iran will be patient in planning crushing anti-US response: IRGC commander Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- A senior commander in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has said Tehran will be "patient" in setting the right "time and place" for its response against Washington's assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani.
• US assassinated Soleimani while he was guest of Iraqi govt.: Iran's judiciary Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili says the US assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani is a flagrant violation of international law as he was targeted while being in Baghdad as a "formal" and "high-profile" guest of the Iraqi government.
• Iranian media react to Quds Force chief assassination Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- One day after the assassination of Iranian Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the dailies across the country reacted to the tragic loss of one of the most admired figures in Iran, a man regarded as a "hero" and a symbol of national and religious pride.
• Soleimani assassination tantamount to war on Iran: UN ambassador Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Iran's ambassador to the United Nations says the United States' recent assassination of the Islamic Republic's senior commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani is tantamount to waging a war on the Iranian nation.
• Iranian Commander Warns 35 US Positions in Mideast, Tel Aviv are Within Tehran's Reach – Report Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- The report comes in the aftermath of the murder of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian military commander who was killed in Baghdad on Friday in an airstrike authorised by US President Donald Trump.
• US Has 'Started Military War' Against Iran by Assassinating Soleimani - Iranian Envoy to UN Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi told the CNN broadcaster in an interview that the United States "started a military war" against the Islamic Republic by killing Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force.
• As Iran Looks to Hit US Interests, it May Turn to Africa VOA 04 Jan 2020 -- Africa could emerge as a venue for confrontation between the U.S. and Iran as Tehran threatens to retaliate after the U.S. airstrike that killed the Iranian Quds Force commander, General Qassem Soleimani.
• White House Adviser: Soleimani Planned December 27 Attack That Killed American Contractor Sputnik 04 Jan 2020 -- US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien told reporters Friday that Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike the previous day, had planned the December 27 attack on a US base in Kirkuk, Iraq, that killed a US contractor.
• Soleimani's Killing an Earthquake With 'Reverberations Around the Globe' VOA 04 Jan 2020 -- The U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian commander at Baghdad's airport in Iraq has created an earthquake that will have "reverberations around the globe," according to Jason Brodsky, policy director of the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran.
• Wang Yi and Iranian FM discuss deadly US strike over the phone Global Times 04 Jan 2020 -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed the US airstrike in Iraq in a phone call on Saturday.
• China: US' risky behaviors escalate tensions in region IRNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that the US' risky behaviors have both violated international norms and escalated tensions in the region.
• Russia sympathizes with Iran on martyrdom of Gen Soleimani IRNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed his condolences on the assassination of the IRGC commander Lieutenant-General Qasem Soleimani by the US.
• Afghanistan calls for solving Iran-US tensions IRNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani reacted to the assassination of the IRGC's Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani.
• Pakistan army chief calls for maximum restraint following General Soleimani's assassination IRNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) stressed the need for maximum restraint and constructive engagement following the assassination of IRGC Quds force commander Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani by the US, a military statement said.
• World leaders urge Iran to calm down after assassination of general Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Leaders of the international community are scrambling to de-escalate a situation created following the assassination of a senior Iranian military commander in Iraq by the American forces.
• Qatar urges de-escalation in regional tensions after Soleimani's assassination Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani urges a peaceful solution to ease tensions and restore peace to the region following the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in a US airstrike in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
• Axis of resistance to respond decisively to Gen. Soleimani's assassination: Top Hezbollah official Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- A high-ranking official with the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement has strongly condemned the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, emphasizing that the response of the axis of resistance to his targeted killing will be decisive.
• Analysis: A Beneficiary Of The U.S.-Iran Crisis Could Well Be Russia RFE/RL 04 Jan 2020 -- Senior Russian officials have publicly condemned the U.S. killing of Iran's most powerful military commander, joining foreign leaders in warning that it will lead to an escalation of tensions in the already unstable Middle East region.
• Thousands Mourn Iranian General In Iraq RFE/RL 04 Jan 2020 -- Thousands of people gathered in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq on January 4 to mourn Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and an Iraqi militia leader killed one day earlier in a U.S. air strike in the Iraqi capital that has escalated already heightened tensions in the region and Iran warned has "started a military war."
• Thousands March in Baghdad to Mourn Death of Iran's Top Military General VOA 04 Jan 2020 -- Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Baghdad Saturday to mourn the deaths of Iran's military chief and Iraqi military leaders, who were killed in a U.S. airstrike that has significantly increased tensions in the volatile Middle East region.
• Ayatollah Sistani says US violated Iraqi sovereignty by targeting Soleimani IRNA 04 Jan 2020 -- Iraq's Grand Cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani said in a statement that US violated Iraqi national sovereignty by targeting Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, calling on all parties to exercise self-restraint.
• Assassination of Iranian commander raises fears of turning Iraq into battleground People's Daily 04 Jan 2020 -- The U.S. strike that killed a senior Iranian commander raised fears among Iraqis that their homeland could become the main battlefield in the looming conflict between Iran and the United States.
• Iraq's National Security Council denounces US assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani Press TV 04 Jan 2020 -- Iraq's National Security Council has condemned a US airstrike that led to the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
• Xinjiang refutes CNN report on 'destruction of Uygur tombs' People's Daily 04 Jan 2020 -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region fully respects the rights of ethnic groups and has taken a series of measures, including allocating specific areas for public cemeteries, to protect their rights, a regional spokesperson told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Friday.
• New liaison office head to usher in new period in HK: expert Global Times 04 Jan 2020 -- The State Council, China's cabinet, appointed Luo Huining, former secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, as the new head of liaison office of the central government in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which, according to analysts, signals the central government's determination of ushering in a new period for the city gripped by continuous protests.
• Serbian President Cancels Visit To Montenegro Amid Religious Dispute RFE/RL 04 Jan 2020 -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has canceled an upcoming visit to Montenegro amid a dispute over a new Montenegrin religious rights law.
• Cash Shortage Hurts Investment in Vietnam VOA 04 Jan 2020 -- Businesses in Vietnam face a cash shortage that is preventing as much as $24 billion that could be invested in the nation's $250 billion economy, according to a study by PwC Vietnam.
• U.S. Designates Iraqi Shi'ite Militia As Foreign Terrorist Organization RFE/RL 04 Jan 2020 -- The United States has designated Asaib Ahl Al-Haq as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), saying the Iraqi militia is a proxy for Iran.
• Belarus, Russia Officials Reach Deal To Reopen Oil Deliveries RFE/RL 04 Jan 2020 -- Oil executives say they have reached agreement to restart Russian crude-oil supplies to Belarus following a cutoff over transit fees on January 1.