Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• US sets up new military base in Syria's oil-rich Dayr al-Zawr: Report Press TV 09 May 2020 -- The United States has reportedly established a new military base in Syria's oil-rich eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr after bringing in reinforcements to the war-torn Arab country.
• Afghan President Orders Probe Over Drowning Of Afghan Migrants Blamed On Iran Radio Farda 09 May 2020 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday, May 8, ordered a "thorough" probe into the drowning of several migrants after Iranian border guards allegedly forced them into a river last week.
• Congressmen Raise Questions About Taliban's Commitment To February Agreement RFE/RL 09 May 2020 -- The top members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee say an increase in violence in Afghanistan has raised questions about the Taliban's commitment to an agreement it signed with the United States in February.
• Afghan Government Releases 1,000 Taliban Members - Security Council Sputnik 09 May 2020 -- The Afghan government has released 1,000 members of the Taliban movement and expects the group to respond by setting free government security forces personnel and speeding up the preparation of direct talks, the Afghan National Security Council said on Saturday.
• Afghan Protesters Killed in Clashes With Police VOA 09 May 2020 -- Officials in central Afghanistan said Saturday clashes between aid-seeking protesters and police have killed at least four civilians, including a journalist, and injured 14 others.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US seeks to solace Saudis after Patriot pullout announcement Press TV 09 May 2020 -- The Trump administration has sought to solace Riyadh after announcing the withdrawal of a number of its Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries and troops from Saudi Arabia.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• US blocks vote on UN bid for global ceasefire over reference to WHO Press TV 09 May 2020 -- The United States has blocked a vote on a United Nation's bid for a global ceasefire during the coronavirus pandemic over reference to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• US Prevents Voting on UNSC Resolution on COVID-19 Pandemic - Diplomatic Source Sputnik 09 May 2020 -- The United States prevented voting on a UN Security Council resolution focusing on the global fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a diplomatic source at the United Nations said on Friday.
• Japan Protests After Chinese Ships Enter Territorial Waters Near Disputed Islands, Reports Say Sputnik 09 May 2020 -- Japan has filed a diplomatic protest against China over violations of its maritime border by Chinese patrol vessels near the disputed Senkaku islands, known in China as the Diaoyudao islands, Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday.
• Saudi-led coalition liable for possible leakage from stranded decaying oil tanker off Yemen: Ansarullah Press TV 09 May 2020 -- The spokesman for Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement has held the Saudi-led coalition fully responsible for a possible oil leakage from a deserted decaying tanker moored in the Red Sea , which could result in a potential environmental disaster.
• Idlib Terrorists Shell Outskirts of Syria's Latakia - Reports Sputnik 09 May 2020 -- Earlier this month, militants of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* terrorist organisation shelled the Kafr Nabl town in the Syrian province of Idlib, according to the Russian Defence Ministry's centre for the Syrian reconciliation.
• UN: Syria Armed Groups Use Global Focus on COVID to Escalate Fighting VOA 09 May 2020 -- The U.N.'s top human rights official is warning that armed groups in Syria are using the global focus on COVID-19 to regroup and escalate fighting in the country.
• Hamas slams US envoy to Israel for recognizing Israeli 'right' to annex West Bank Press TV 09 May 2020 -- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has lambasted recent pro-occupation statements by the US ambassador to Israel, who reaffirmed Washington's full support for the annexation of the West Bank and said the Tel Aviv regime had a "right" to do so.
• Several Fires Break Out as Jet Fuel Storage Facility Attacked at Mitiga Airport in Libya Sputnik 09 May 2020 -- Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, Libya has been forced to suspend its activities several times over the past several months due to shelling amid a confrontation between warring factions in the conflict-torn nation.
• UN condemns deadly shelling on civilian areas of Libyan capital UN News 09 May 2020 -- The UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has condemned several recent attacks on civilian areas of the Libyan Capital, Tripoli, which have reportedly caused deaths and injuries.
• Libyan Rival Forces Clash; Tripoli Airport Sustains Damage VOA 09 May 2020 -- Mitiga Airbase, Tripoli's main civilian and military airport, came under rocket attack by forces loyal to eastern military commander Gen. Khalifa Haftar Saturday, with some of its infrastructure and several passenger jets sustaining heavy damage.
• Ethiopian Military Admits Downing Aid Plane in Somalia Over Suicide Attack Fears Sputnik 09 May 2020 -- A plane carrying relief aid was downed in Somalia by Ethiopian troops who confused it with a militant aircraft on a suicide mission, media said Saturday.
• UN: Somalia Faces Dire Threats From Conflict, Natural Disasters, COVID VOA 09 May 2020 -- The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees is appealing for strong International support to help millions of Somalis facing a growing number of catastrophic threats from conflict, natural disasters and the potential spread of COVID-19.
• Seven killed in Afghanistan's Ghor as protest over food aid distribution turns violent Press TV 09 May 2020 -- Seven people have lost their lives when protesters, angry over alleged unfair distribution of food aid, clashed with police in Afghanistan's western province of Ghor, a report says.

News Reports

• Barr under pressure for dropping case against Trump ex-adviser, Flynn Press TV 09 May 2020 -- US Attorney General William Barr is coming under pressure for dropping the case against former national security adviser at the Trump administration, Michael Flynn.
• US Moves to Pull Chinese Equipment From Its Power Grid VOA 09 May 2020 -- An executive order issued last week proposes to "monitor and replace" any U.S. power grid equipment made by the nation's foreign adversaries.
• Russian troops helping Venezuela search for members of failed incursion: Report Press TV 09 May 2020 -- Russian troops are helping Venezuela in its search operation for members of a force, which recently made an unsuccessful incursion attempt there, by operating drones over the Latin American country, according to a report by local news outlet El Nacional.
• 'Critical Shortcomings': French Foreign Spy Agency Angry at Poor Job Applicants, Report Claims Sputnik 09 May 2020 -- DGSE, France's equivalent to the US Central Intelligence Agency or UK's MI6, is tasked with procuring secret political, military and economic information from foreign targets, and over the past decade has almost doubled in size.
• Radical Russian Imperial Movement Expanding Global Outreach VOA 09 May 2020 -- The Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), a white supremacist group based in St. Petersburg, is increasingly expanding its outreach beyond Russia through the establishment of transnational networks with like-minded neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups, experts on the group warn.
• Putin Leads Scaled-Back Russian Events To Mark 75th Anniversary Of Victory Day RFE/RL 09 May 2020 -- President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day calling for unity and a dignified honoring of those killed during World War II, even as the coronavirus pandemic curtailed the pomp the Kremlin had planned for Russia's most important secular holiday.
• US tightens visa rules on Chinese journalists, likely to stoke more tensions Global Times 09 May 2020 -- The US government's new guidelines tightening visa regulations for Chinese journalists will deepen rancor between the two countries, and it is a reflection of the US's "lack of confidence on its own development," noted Chinese observers, adding that the move will trigger further retaliatory measures from Beijing.
• Return capsule of China's experimental manned spaceship comes back successfully PLA Daily 09 May 2020 -- The return capsule of the trial version of China's new-generation manned spaceship successfully returned to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:49 p.m. (Beijing Time) Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
• U.S. lawmakers urge world leaders to back Taiwan's participation in WHO CNA 09 May 2020 -- Leaders of the United States congressional foreign affairs committees sent a letter to 55 countries Thursday, urging them to support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Construction of Hydraulic Power Stations Brisk in DPRK KCNA 09 May 2020 -- The construction of minor hydraulic power stations is progressing apace in the DPRK.
• Leading the World Against Iran's Threats US Dept. of State 09 May 2020 -- Press Statement by Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
• Pundits Say Iran's New Parliament Is Weak, With 'Incompetent' Members Radio Farda 09 May 2020 -- Three weeks ahead of Iran's new parliament starting work, an outspoken conservative pundit and a prominent journalist, Mohammad Mohajeri, has shed light on the political makeup of the new Majles where conservatives of various shades have nearly taken all 290 seats.
• In letter to Guterres, Iran FM calls for UN's 'swift' action against US sanctions, withdrawal from JCPOA Press TV 09 May 2020 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on the United Nations to take a swift action and hold the United States liable for any consequences of its "unlawful withdrawal" from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and its "unlawful" re-imposition of unilateral sanctions against the country.
• US Says All Countries Should Ban Iran's Mahan Air To Avoid Coronavirus And Sanctions Radio Farda 09 May 2020 -- The U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus on Friday called on all countries to keep Iran's Mahan Air out to "avoid coronavirus and sanction risk".
• Zarif Sends Letter To UN's Guterres Saying Ready For Talks 'At All Levels' Radio Farda 09 May 2020 -- Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has sent a letter to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres saying the Islamic Republic "is ready for talks at any level to ensure the full implementation" of the 2015 nuclear agreement.
• Who is Iraq's new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi? Al Arabiya 09 May 2020 -- After five months, and two failed attempts to form a government in Iraq, the country has a new Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Khadhimi – a former intelligence chief and journalist.
• Belarus Pushes Aside COVID-19 Fears To Hold Victory Day Parade RFE/RL 09 May 2020 -- Thousands of people jammed the center of the Belarusian capital to watch soldiers and military units march as part of celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany, celebrations that took place despite serious concerns about the coronavirus.
• HRW: Saudi prince held incommunicado after enforced disappearance Press TV 09 May 2020 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Saudi authorities detained Prince Faisal bin Abdullah Al Saud more than a month ago and have since kept him incommunicado.
• Malawi Top Court Upholds Presidential Election Re-Run VOA 09 May 2020 -- Malawi's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by President Peter Mutharika and the Malawi Electoral Commission and upheld the order for a re-run of the presidential election held a year ago in which Mutharika won a second term.