1 july 2019
An Israeli missile aggression against Syria's Homs and the suburbs of Damascus has killed a number of civilians, including a kid, the official news agency SANA reported.
State media put the number of victims at four. Many others have also been injured in the Israeli aggression, the report by SANA said.
The Syrian air defense earlier said its forces had shot down three missiles launched by Israeli warplanes on Sunday night from Lebanese airspace towards some Syrian sites.
SANA quoted a military source as saying that the aggression targeted military sites in Homs and the suburbs of Damascus.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also claimed that the strikes had targeted a research center and a military airport west of the city of Homs.
Following the explosions near Damascus, Israeli jet fighters reportedly flied at low altitudes in the Lebanese airspace.
The Israeli regime launches airstrikes on the Syrian territory from time to time. Such aggressive moves are usually viewed as attempts to prop up terrorist groups suffering defeats at the hands of Syrian government forces.
Israel used to be very careful with its operations over Syria after Russia equipped Damascus with the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles in October 2018.
However, US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize the “Israeli sovereignty” over the Syrian territories of Golan Heights has seemingly emboldened Tel Aviv to launch new aggression on the Arab country.
At least 15 dead in Israeli attack on Syria
Former Israeli intelligence chief warns Iran may react brazenly following successful downing of U.S. drone in the Gulf of Oman last week, that did not prompt an American military response
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports nine Syrian and foreign pro-government militia members among the dead as well as six civilians in multiple israeli attacks on targets around Homs and Damascus as well as the Syrian border with Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes fired missiles from Lebanese airspace targeting military positions in the central province of Homs and suburbs of Damascus, said Syrian state news agency SANA, adding that Syrian air defense forces opened fire toward the Israeli missiles.
SANA said the dead included a baby and that other children were among the wounded in the town of Sahnaya, southwest of Damascus.
The Syrian London based Observatory for Human Rights reported Israeli jets and naval gunships attacked at least ten Syrian government targets among them a research facility and Hezbollah bases near the Syrian- Lebanon border and that fires broke out as a result of the attack.
Lebanese Al Mayadeen television reported one of the targets hit was the town of Al-Kiswah near Damascus where that had been targeted by Israel in the past and contain weapons depot.
Israel does not usually comment on reports concerning its strikes in neighboring Syria, though it has recently acknowledged striking Iranian targets there.
On June 12, Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian army position in the country's south.
For years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.
Former intelligence chief and Director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) told Ynet Monday, that the attack attributed to Israel demonstrates Russian understanding of Israel's security concerns in Syria.
Yadlin also highlighted the fact that Iranian and Hezbollah forces are still entrenched in the Damascus area despite earlier Russian promises to remove them.
Asked about what if any Iranian response can be expected, Yadlin noted that Iran may be more brazen now, following their successful downing of a U.S. military drone in the Gulf of Oman last week, and the failure of the United States to react militarily.
Israel should in any case be prepared for an Iranian response, he said and expressed the hope that an escalation in tensions can be averted.
The Israeli intelligence company ImageSat reported Sunday the Russian made S-300 batteries were already operational near the town of Masyaf in northern Syria where according to media reports, Israel had attacked in the past.
Meanwhile an object believed to be part of a Russian made missile hit northern Cyprus overnight, Turkish Cypriot foreign minister Kudret Ozersay said on Monday.
"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed," Ozersay said in a social media post.
The object hit a mountainside north of the capital Nicosia.
State media put the number of victims at four. Many others have also been injured in the Israeli aggression, the report by SANA said.
The Syrian air defense earlier said its forces had shot down three missiles launched by Israeli warplanes on Sunday night from Lebanese airspace towards some Syrian sites.
SANA quoted a military source as saying that the aggression targeted military sites in Homs and the suburbs of Damascus.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also claimed that the strikes had targeted a research center and a military airport west of the city of Homs.
Following the explosions near Damascus, Israeli jet fighters reportedly flied at low altitudes in the Lebanese airspace.
The Israeli regime launches airstrikes on the Syrian territory from time to time. Such aggressive moves are usually viewed as attempts to prop up terrorist groups suffering defeats at the hands of Syrian government forces.
Israel used to be very careful with its operations over Syria after Russia equipped Damascus with the advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles in October 2018.
However, US President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognize the “Israeli sovereignty” over the Syrian territories of Golan Heights has seemingly emboldened Tel Aviv to launch new aggression on the Arab country.
At least 15 dead in Israeli attack on Syria
Former Israeli intelligence chief warns Iran may react brazenly following successful downing of U.S. drone in the Gulf of Oman last week, that did not prompt an American military response
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports nine Syrian and foreign pro-government militia members among the dead as well as six civilians in multiple israeli attacks on targets around Homs and Damascus as well as the Syrian border with Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes fired missiles from Lebanese airspace targeting military positions in the central province of Homs and suburbs of Damascus, said Syrian state news agency SANA, adding that Syrian air defense forces opened fire toward the Israeli missiles.
SANA said the dead included a baby and that other children were among the wounded in the town of Sahnaya, southwest of Damascus.
The Syrian London based Observatory for Human Rights reported Israeli jets and naval gunships attacked at least ten Syrian government targets among them a research facility and Hezbollah bases near the Syrian- Lebanon border and that fires broke out as a result of the attack.
Lebanese Al Mayadeen television reported one of the targets hit was the town of Al-Kiswah near Damascus where that had been targeted by Israel in the past and contain weapons depot.
Israel does not usually comment on reports concerning its strikes in neighboring Syria, though it has recently acknowledged striking Iranian targets there.
On June 12, Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian army position in the country's south.
For years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.
Former intelligence chief and Director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) told Ynet Monday, that the attack attributed to Israel demonstrates Russian understanding of Israel's security concerns in Syria.
Yadlin also highlighted the fact that Iranian and Hezbollah forces are still entrenched in the Damascus area despite earlier Russian promises to remove them.
Asked about what if any Iranian response can be expected, Yadlin noted that Iran may be more brazen now, following their successful downing of a U.S. military drone in the Gulf of Oman last week, and the failure of the United States to react militarily.
Israel should in any case be prepared for an Iranian response, he said and expressed the hope that an escalation in tensions can be averted.
The Israeli intelligence company ImageSat reported Sunday the Russian made S-300 batteries were already operational near the town of Masyaf in northern Syria where according to media reports, Israel had attacked in the past.
Meanwhile an object believed to be part of a Russian made missile hit northern Cyprus overnight, Turkish Cypriot foreign minister Kudret Ozersay said on Monday.
"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed," Ozersay said in a social media post.
The object hit a mountainside north of the capital Nicosia.
22 june 2019
The photo taken on June 21, 2019 shows the wreckage of a US spy drone shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) the previous day.
A senior British official says a Saudi intelligence chief has lobbied the UK to conduct limited strikes on Iranian military targets after US President Donald Trump allegedly cancelled such raids.
The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Friday that the Saudi intelligence chief had called for Iran strikes during his visit to London alongside Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.
The Saudi request, however, fell on deaf ears, he said, adding, "Our people were skeptical." The Saudi intelligence chief was told a plain "no" in response to his plea, the British source said.
According to the source, the Saudi official had tried to link Iran to the June 13 attacks against oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, but his British counterparts were "not impressed" with the evidence provided by the official.
At the weekend, the Saudi intelligence chief will head to Jerusalem al-Quds to engage in similar anti-Iran lobbying efforts with Israeli officials and hawkish US National Security Adviser John Bolton, he added.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an intruding US surveillance drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan.
The following day, the elite military force put into display the wreckage of the American spy drone, which had been retrieved from Iran's territorial waters.
The unmanned US aircraft had been taken down by Iran's indigenous Khordad 3 air defense system after it breached the country's airspace and began gathering intelligence and spying.
In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said that he had initially approved military strikes against Iran, but pulled back just 10 minutes before the attack.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran would take the US drone incursion to the UN and show that Washington is "lying" about the downing of its unmanned aircraft in international waters. tweet
Zarif had earlier rejected the US claim of Iran’s involvement in the tanker attacks as part of “sabotage diplomacy” being pursued by Trump and his hawkish allies, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Friday, Trump spoke with bin Salman over the phone about Iran, according to the White House.
Tensions have been running between Iran and the US in recent weeks, with Washington stepping up its provocative military moves in the Middle East.
Tehran believes Washington has a hand in a set of suspicious regional incidents in recent weeks, such as the tanker attacks, in a bid to pin the blame on Iran and put more pressure on the country.
A senior British official says a Saudi intelligence chief has lobbied the UK to conduct limited strikes on Iranian military targets after US President Donald Trump allegedly cancelled such raids.
The official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Middle East Eye news portal on Friday that the Saudi intelligence chief had called for Iran strikes during his visit to London alongside Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.
The Saudi request, however, fell on deaf ears, he said, adding, "Our people were skeptical." The Saudi intelligence chief was told a plain "no" in response to his plea, the British source said.
According to the source, the Saudi official had tried to link Iran to the June 13 attacks against oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, but his British counterparts were "not impressed" with the evidence provided by the official.
At the weekend, the Saudi intelligence chief will head to Jerusalem al-Quds to engage in similar anti-Iran lobbying efforts with Israeli officials and hawkish US National Security Adviser John Bolton, he added.
On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an intruding US surveillance drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan.
The following day, the elite military force put into display the wreckage of the American spy drone, which had been retrieved from Iran's territorial waters.
The unmanned US aircraft had been taken down by Iran's indigenous Khordad 3 air defense system after it breached the country's airspace and began gathering intelligence and spying.
In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said that he had initially approved military strikes against Iran, but pulled back just 10 minutes before the attack.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran would take the US drone incursion to the UN and show that Washington is "lying" about the downing of its unmanned aircraft in international waters. tweet
Zarif had earlier rejected the US claim of Iran’s involvement in the tanker attacks as part of “sabotage diplomacy” being pursued by Trump and his hawkish allies, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Friday, Trump spoke with bin Salman over the phone about Iran, according to the White House.
Tensions have been running between Iran and the US in recent weeks, with Washington stepping up its provocative military moves in the Middle East.
Tehran believes Washington has a hand in a set of suspicious regional incidents in recent weeks, such as the tanker attacks, in a bid to pin the blame on Iran and put more pressure on the country.
21 june 2019
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
Russia says the United States is deliberately stoking dangerous tensions around Iran and pushing the situation to the brink of war.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday called on Washington to weigh the possible consequences of a conflict with Iran, the RIA news agency reported.
The Russian diplomat touched on a report in the New York Times, saying it showed the situation was extremely dangerous.
The US paper reported on Friday that President Donald Trump had approved military strikes against Iran for downing an intruding American spy aircraft, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night.
Trump initially issued a series of cataclysmic threats, insisting that the RQ-4 Global Hawk was flying over international waters when it was taken down by an Iranian missile.
However, the GPS coordinates released by Iran put the drone eight miles off the country’s coast, inside the 12 nautical miles from the shore, which is Iran's territorial waters.
US envoy, Saudi defense official discuss Iran
Following the downing of the RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday.
"Pleased to meet with United States Special Representative for Iran Mr. Brian Hook to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts and continuous escalation that threaten the region’s security and stability," the Saudi minister tweeted.
He said he had affirmed Riyadh's support for the US' "maximum pressure campaign" on Iran, and discussed what he called "Iranian attacks" on Saudi Arabia.
Khalid bin Salman was referring to attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, which the US and some of its allies blame on Iran, but Tehran has denied any involvement in.
Russia says the United States is deliberately stoking dangerous tensions around Iran and pushing the situation to the brink of war.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Friday called on Washington to weigh the possible consequences of a conflict with Iran, the RIA news agency reported.
The Russian diplomat touched on a report in the New York Times, saying it showed the situation was extremely dangerous.
The US paper reported on Friday that President Donald Trump had approved military strikes against Iran for downing an intruding American spy aircraft, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night.
Trump initially issued a series of cataclysmic threats, insisting that the RQ-4 Global Hawk was flying over international waters when it was taken down by an Iranian missile.
However, the GPS coordinates released by Iran put the drone eight miles off the country’s coast, inside the 12 nautical miles from the shore, which is Iran's territorial waters.
US envoy, Saudi defense official discuss Iran
Following the downing of the RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday.
"Pleased to meet with United States Special Representative for Iran Mr. Brian Hook to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts and continuous escalation that threaten the region’s security and stability," the Saudi minister tweeted.
He said he had affirmed Riyadh's support for the US' "maximum pressure campaign" on Iran, and discussed what he called "Iranian attacks" on Saudi Arabia.
Khalid bin Salman was referring to attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, which the US and some of its allies blame on Iran, but Tehran has denied any involvement in.
President Trump approved military strikes against Iran before dawn Friday but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night, the New York Times reports.
The paper cited military and diplomatic officials as saying that the US president had initially approved attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries.
"The operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off," the Times said, citing what it called a senior administration official.
"Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down," the official said.
The source said that US forces were woken up around 2 am local time "within the hour" of striking, then nothing happened. Plans to attack were said to have still been on by 6:30, even 7 pm EDT.
A Pentagon official told Newsweek that among the US' designated targets was the S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missile system and a Soviet system known to the NATO Western military alliance as SA-3 Goa.
The US military claims this weapon was used by the IRGC to down the Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk drone. However, Iran has officially stated that it used the domestically produced 3rd Khordad transporter erector launcher and radar, a variant of the locally-made Raad surface-to-air missile system.
Trump initially issued a series of cataclysmic threats, insisting that the RQ-4 Global Hawk was flying over international waters when it was taken down by an Iranian missile.
However, the GPS coordinates released by Iran put the drone eight miles off the country’s coast, inside the 12 nautical miles from the shore, which is Iran's territorial waters. tweet
Trump's decision to call of the strike came after intense discussions and debate at the White House among the president’s top national security officials and congressional leaders in the Situation Room, the paper said.
According to The New York Times, Trump’s national security advisers split about "whether to respond militarily" after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone for intruding into its airspace.
Senior administration officials said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, hawkish national security adviser John Bolton and CIA director Gina Haspel had favored a military raid.
"But top Pentagon officials cautioned that such an action could result in a spiraling escalation with risks for American forces in the region," the New York Times said.
According to the Times, congressional leaders emerged from the president’s classified briefing and urged Trump to de-escalate the situation. They called on the president to seek congressional authorization before taking any military action.
“This is a dangerous situation,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly said.
After firing off a volley of belligerent rhetoric, Trump has seemed to be looking for a way to avoid a potentially serious military crisis. Instead of directly accusing the leaders of Iran, Trump said it was an individual in Iran who was responsible for shooting down the drone.
“This is a new fly in the ointment,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau there.
"I think probably Iran made a mistake - I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down," Trump said. tweet
The news of the downing, however, was first announced by Iran which took responsibility for the strike and asserted that the high-altitude American drone was operating over Iranian air space.
In an apparent effort to find a way out of the dilemma, the US president downplayed the incident by emphasizing the aircraft had been unmanned. He claimed that if the drone had had a pilot "it would have made a big difference" to him.
"We had nobody in the drone. It would have made a big difference, let me tell you, it would have made a big, big difference" if the aircraft had been piloted, Trump said.
Meanwhile, sources tell Newsweek that numerous regional US military assets, including the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, have been put on 72-hour standby.
The US Federal Aviation Administration also issued an emergency order prohibiting US operators from flying in an overwater area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions.
Trump is behind all the current escalation. Last year, Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran, over the objections of China, Russia and American allies in Europe.
He has also imposed economic sanctions on Iran, trying to cut off its already limited access to international trade, including oil sales.
Earlier this month, the US government ratcheted up the stakes by sending an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers and at least 1,500 troops to the Middle East in a message to Iran.
Iranian officials have said the country is not after a war, but is ready for one.
Iran’s ability to target and destroy the high-altitude American drone, which was developed to evade the very surface-to-air missiles used to bring it down, surprised Pentagon officials.
They "interpreted it as a show of how difficult Tehran can make things for the United States as it deploys more troops and steps up surveillance in the region," the New York Times wrote.
The paper cited military and diplomatic officials as saying that the US president had initially approved attacks on a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries.
"The operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off," the Times said, citing what it called a senior administration official.
"Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down," the official said.
The source said that US forces were woken up around 2 am local time "within the hour" of striking, then nothing happened. Plans to attack were said to have still been on by 6:30, even 7 pm EDT.
A Pentagon official told Newsweek that among the US' designated targets was the S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missile system and a Soviet system known to the NATO Western military alliance as SA-3 Goa.
The US military claims this weapon was used by the IRGC to down the Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk drone. However, Iran has officially stated that it used the domestically produced 3rd Khordad transporter erector launcher and radar, a variant of the locally-made Raad surface-to-air missile system.
Trump initially issued a series of cataclysmic threats, insisting that the RQ-4 Global Hawk was flying over international waters when it was taken down by an Iranian missile.
However, the GPS coordinates released by Iran put the drone eight miles off the country’s coast, inside the 12 nautical miles from the shore, which is Iran's territorial waters. tweet
Trump's decision to call of the strike came after intense discussions and debate at the White House among the president’s top national security officials and congressional leaders in the Situation Room, the paper said.
According to The New York Times, Trump’s national security advisers split about "whether to respond militarily" after Iran shot down a US surveillance drone for intruding into its airspace.
Senior administration officials said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, hawkish national security adviser John Bolton and CIA director Gina Haspel had favored a military raid.
"But top Pentagon officials cautioned that such an action could result in a spiraling escalation with risks for American forces in the region," the New York Times said.
According to the Times, congressional leaders emerged from the president’s classified briefing and urged Trump to de-escalate the situation. They called on the president to seek congressional authorization before taking any military action.
“This is a dangerous situation,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly said.
After firing off a volley of belligerent rhetoric, Trump has seemed to be looking for a way to avoid a potentially serious military crisis. Instead of directly accusing the leaders of Iran, Trump said it was an individual in Iran who was responsible for shooting down the drone.
“This is a new fly in the ointment,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday while meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau there.
"I think probably Iran made a mistake - I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down," Trump said. tweet
The news of the downing, however, was first announced by Iran which took responsibility for the strike and asserted that the high-altitude American drone was operating over Iranian air space.
In an apparent effort to find a way out of the dilemma, the US president downplayed the incident by emphasizing the aircraft had been unmanned. He claimed that if the drone had had a pilot "it would have made a big difference" to him.
"We had nobody in the drone. It would have made a big difference, let me tell you, it would have made a big, big difference" if the aircraft had been piloted, Trump said.
Meanwhile, sources tell Newsweek that numerous regional US military assets, including the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, have been put on 72-hour standby.
The US Federal Aviation Administration also issued an emergency order prohibiting US operators from flying in an overwater area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions.
Trump is behind all the current escalation. Last year, Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear pact with Iran, over the objections of China, Russia and American allies in Europe.
He has also imposed economic sanctions on Iran, trying to cut off its already limited access to international trade, including oil sales.
Earlier this month, the US government ratcheted up the stakes by sending an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers and at least 1,500 troops to the Middle East in a message to Iran.
Iranian officials have said the country is not after a war, but is ready for one.
Iran’s ability to target and destroy the high-altitude American drone, which was developed to evade the very surface-to-air missiles used to bring it down, surprised Pentagon officials.
They "interpreted it as a show of how difficult Tehran can make things for the United States as it deploys more troops and steps up surveillance in the region," the New York Times wrote.
