Russian troops on the M4

The Daily Brief 2020-09-19

by · AMN

This is a summary of 31 AMN articles on the following subjects: M4, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Tu-160, US, Al Ansar FC, Atwi, Lebanon, DPRK, Belarus, UN, USA, Afghanistan, Taliban, Venus, Iran, Hama, Netherlands, Venezuela, Trump, France, Hezbollah, Iraq, Erdogan, Libya, Egypt, Daraa, Tehran, Crimea, Ccp, China, Socialism, Peacekeeping.

Categories covered in this brief: Middleeast, Syria, World-News, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, North-Africa

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— The AMN Live Team

Table of Contents

Video: Russian and Turkish forces prepare for militant attacks in de-escalation zone

Published 2020-09-19 23:14:12 by Newsdesk in Middleeast, Syria

Due to an increase of attacks against the Russian-Turkish joint military patrol in Syria’s de-escalation zone, both countries trained to face the enemy. On Friday, Russia and Turkey worked out a strategy of joint actions in case one of their convoys gets attacked during a mission. The armies of both countries trained together simulating various scenarios such as reconnaissance of targets, the transport of damaged equipment, first aid and evacuating the wounded. Training exercises such as this one have become necessary, after Ankara failed to ensure the security of the M4 highway as per agreement. https://youtu.be/cr7nn36dwJs

Tags: M4, Russia, Syria, Turkey

Russia’s Tu-160 strategic missile carriers break own world record for non-stop flight

Published 2020-09-19 21:33:30 by Newsdesk in World-News

Two Russian Tu-160 strategic missile carriers have broken their own world record for non-stop flight in their class, spending more than 25 hours continuously in the air, the Russian Aerospace Forces’ commander of long-range aviation Lt. Gen. Sergey Kobylash told reporters on Saturday. “Today, a new record for range and flight duration was set by two long-range flight crews on Tu-160 supersonic strategic missile carriers. The Russian Aerospace Forces pilots were in the air for more than 25 hours and covered more than 20,000 kilometers [12,400 miles],” Lt. Gen. Kobylash said. The previous world record, which was also set by… Read on ->

Tags: Russia, Tu-160

Russian choppers confront US helicopters after new chase in northeast Syria: video

Published 2020-09-19 20:45:02 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:25 P.M.) – In a new confrontation between the Russian and American forces in northeastern Syria, two U.S. helicopters were filmed provoking a Russian patrol that was being carried out by police units in the region. The video clip filmed from the air was circulated on social media and showed two American AH-64 Apache helicopters accompanying the Russian military police convoy while carrying out a patrol in the Al-Hasakah Governorate. This video footage, which has been circulating since September 16, documents the intervention of two Russian Mi-35 and Mi-8 helicopters in the incident, forcing the American Apache to… Read on ->

Tags: Russia, Syria, US

Watch: Special footage of the Syrian Army’s elite 25th Division in action

Published 2020-09-19 20:27:58 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:00 P.M.) – The Anna News Agency released special footage this week of the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) elite 25th Special Mission Forces Division conducting military drills. The rare footage captured the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, who were formerly known as the “Tiger Forces”, carrying out different military drills in preparation for future battles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lWXSig_axY&t=3s

Tags: Syria

Five most powerful Arab armies in 2020: video

Published 2020-09-19 20:16:35 by News Desk in Middleeast, World-News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:45 P.M.) – Earlier this week, RT Arabic released its list of the five most powerful armies in the Arab world. The list began with the Iraqi Armed Forces at number five, with RT pointing out that their troops number 164,000 active personnel and rank 50 globally. The report said the Iraqi Armed Forces’ budget for 2020 was $1.7 billion. At number of four was the Army of the United Arab Emirates, whose forces are estimated to be around 64,000 active personnel and global rank of 45. The 2020 military budget for the UAE was reported to be… Read on ->

Tags:

Lebanese soccer star dies of bullet wound to the head

Published 2020-09-19 19:31:51 by Newsdesk in Middleeast

Three times Lebanese champion, Mohamed Atwi, succumbed of his injuries after he was hit by a bullet fired into the air during a funeral of a Beirut explosion victim last month. The incident, which occurred on August 21st, required Atwi to undergo an emergency surgery which lasted for around five-hours. Atwi had to be put into an artificial coma, but died despite his conditions stabilizing last Friday. The 32-year-old Midfielder has won the Lebanese championship three times with Al Ansar FC, a club he stayed loyal to for more than ten years. Atwi’s family demands a full investigation into his… Read on ->

Tags: Al Ansar FC, Atwi, Lebanon

Russia Has no information on N.Korea preparing submarine missile launch – Foreign Ministry

Published 2020-09-19 18:57:42 by Newsdesk in World-News

Russia has no information suggesting North Korea is preparing to conduct submarine launches of ballistic missiles, Pyotr Ilyichev, the head of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik on Saturday. Earlier this month, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies claimed that North Korea was preparing a test of a medium-range submarine-launched ballistic missile, citing satellite images of a North Korean shipyard. “We have no such information. Such analytics in delicate matters should be approached with caution, as it often carries a purposeful political charge,” Ilyichev said. The diplomat said any “drastic” steps by… Read on ->

Tags: DPRK, Russia

Meddling in Belarus’s affairs via UN inadmissible, help only at Minsk’s request – Moscow

Published 2020-09-19 17:05:13 by Newsdesk in World-News

Third countries should refrain from soliciting interference in Belarus’ internal affairs via the United Nations and other tools unless asked for assistance by Minsk itself, Pyotr Ilyichev, the head of the Department of International Organizations at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik on Saturday. “Unfortunately, in the context of Belarus, we see a familiar picture: Western countries, trampling on the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, are trying to use the post-electoral situation [in Belarus] to promote their own narrow interests,” Ilyichev said. In doing so, the diplomat said third countries were using “habitual instruments, including illegal unilateral sanctions.” “For… Read on ->

Tags: Belarus, Russia, UN

Putin says Russia had to create Hypersonic Weapons after US’ pullout from ABM Treaty

Published 2020-09-19 16:44:44 by Newsdesk in World-News

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Russia was forced to create hypersonic weapons after the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty) in 2002. “The withdrawal of the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 forced Russia to start developing hypersonic weapons. We had to create these weapons in response to the deployment of the US strategic missile defense system, which was capable to actually neutralize, reset our entire nuclear potential in the future,” Putin said during a videoconference with Gerbert Yefremov, the Honorary director and designer general of Russia’s rocket and missile… Read on ->

Tags: Russia, USA

Airstrikes on Taliban base in Afghanistan’s northeast leave 30 civilian casualties

Published 2020-09-19 16:24:43 by Newsdesk in Middleeast

A twin airstrike on a Taliban base in the northeastern Afghan province of Kunduz has left 30 civilian casualties, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday. “One airstrike was carried out in the Nikpai area of the Khanabad district of Kunduz, and when people gathered in the area another attack took place in which up to 30 civilians were killed and wounded,” an eyewitness told Sputnik. According to another witness, the airstrikes left 12 civilians killed, including children, and 18 others injured. The witness added that seven Taliban militants had been killed and two others had been injured as a result… Read on ->

Tags: Afghanistan, Taliban

Russia plans to send mission to Venus: Tass

Published 2020-09-19 16:14:39 by News Desk in World-News

Russia plans to send its own mission to Venus in addition to the planned joint mission with the USA “Venera-D,” head of Russian space corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Tuesday during the HeliRussia-2020 exhibition. “Resuming Venus exploration is on our agenda. Firstly, we have the “Venera-D” project in cooperation with the Americans. We are also considering our own mission to Venus. We think that Venus is a Russian planet, so we shouldn’t lag behind. Projects of Venus missions are included in the united government program of Russia’s space exploration for 2021-2030,” he said. Scientific Director of the Russian… Read on ->

Tags: Russia, Venus

Russia, Turkey register no ceasefire violations in Syria over past day – Russian Military

Published 2020-09-19 16:07:13 by Newsdesk in Middleeast, Syria

Neither side of the Russian-Turkish commission which is monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire in Syria has reported any violations over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. “The Russian side of the representative office of the joint Russian-Turkish Commission on issues related to violations of the truce recorded no ceasefire violations. The Turkish part of the commission did not record any instances of firing,” the ministry said in its daily bulletin. The Russian military did not hold any humanitarian operations in Syria in the given period, the Defense Ministry added. Russian officials also confirmed that… Read on ->

Tags: Russia, Syria, Turkey

Israel’s coming to Gulf region poses threat: IRGC Navy commander

Published 2020-09-19 16:03:33 by News Desk in Iran

BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:45 P.M.) – The commander of the naval forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Brigadier General Ali Reza Tungsiri, said that the Gulf region should be free of foreign presence and Iran could conduct joint maneuvers with the Gulf countries. Tungsiri told the ISNA newspaper, “The Gulf states should not make a foothold for Israel in the region, because that will cause them harm … Israel’s coming to the Gulf region will not be in the interest of the Gulf countries and will pose a threat to Iran.” Tungsiri stressed that Iran will not initiate any war, “but… Read on ->

Tags: Iran

Syrian Army takes on ISIS terrorists in eastern Hama: video

Published 2020-09-19 15:40:17 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:30 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been carrying out a combing operation against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) sleeper cells inside the Hama Governorate. Units from the Syrian Arab Army, along with the National Defense Forces (NDF), have targeted several Islamic State hideouts in the Khanasser countryside and eastern region of Hama, inflicting heavy damage on the terrorist positions. Video footage of the combing operation was captured by the Syrian field reporter, Abu Sham, who showed the SAA troops gathering and tracking the terrorist forces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKrN6_xmRl4

Tags: Hama, Syria

Syria responds to upcoming Dutch lawsuit against Bashar Al-Assad

Published 2020-09-19 14:56:40 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:40 P.M.) – On Saturday, Syria accused the Dutch government of using the International Court of Justice to serve the United States’ political agendas. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted an official source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry as saying, “In response to the announcement by the Dutch Foreign Minister of his country’s intention to file a lawsuit against President Bashar Al-Assad for what he described as (human rights violations), the Dutch government has accepted its role as the servant of the United States.” “It insists once again on using the International Court of Justice in The… Read on ->

Tags: Netherlands, Syria

US military strengthens forces inside Syria as new equipment arrives: report

Published 2020-09-19 14:40:03 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:20 P.M.) – On Friday, the U.S. military announced that it was boosting its military presence in northeastern Syria despite previous efforts to limit its forces there. The spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, Bill Urban, said in a statement, as reported by Monte Carlo Al-Doualiya, that their leadership deployed the Sentinel radar system, intensified the sorties of American fighters over their allied forces and deployed Bradley combat vehicles to reinforce American troops in the area controlled by the U.S. military and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). A U.S. official, who asked not to be identified, stated that the… Read on ->

Tags: Syria, US

Iran vows ‘appropriate response’ to sabotage attack on nuclear facility

Published 2020-09-19 14:21:11 by News Desk in Iran

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:00 P.M.) – Iran’s permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kazem Gharib Abadi, said that the explosion that occurred at the Natanz nuclear facility some time ago was an act of sabotage by the enemies. This came in a speech delivered by Abadi on Thursday, during the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in which he reviewed his country’s positions on safeguarding their facilities. With regard to the sabotage at the Natanz facility, Abadi warned of such a dangerous adventure, stressing Iran’s right to an “appropriate response” to these threats,… Read on ->

Tags: Iran

Largest Venezuelan oil tanker now flying Russian flag

Published 2020-09-19 13:56:26 by News Desk in World-News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:40 P.M.) – In May, the largest Venezuelan oil tanker reportedly raised the Russian flag and renamed the vessel, “Maxim Gorky”, according to the EQUASIS shipping database. Since 2013, the ship had been operating in Venezuela under the name Ayacucho, but on May 1, 2020, it was renamed Maxim Gorky. The tanker has been operating under the flag of the Russian Federation since June 1 of this year, the maritime traffic site revealed. According to the documents of the Russian International Register, at the end of May the tanker was registered in the Russian Federation, and the Russian… Read on ->

Tags: Russia, Venezuela

Russia responds to Trump’s revelation about potentially assassinating Bashar Al-Assad

Published 2020-09-19 13:35:27 by News Desk in Syria, World-News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:20 P.M.) – Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s revelation about wanting to assassinate Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad after Washington accused his government of carrying out a chemical weapons attack. “We recently heard about plans to assassinate the president of a sovereign state, President Bashar Al-Assad,” Nebenzia said during the U.N. Security Council session on Friday. “How is this not a policy of regime change?” Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations stressed that “the unilateral sanctions, which are unlawful in and of themselves, which are used as a… Read on ->

Tags: Russia, Syria, Trump

French Foreign Ministry denies Hezbollah is storing ammonium nitrate inside France

Published 2020-09-19 13:19:20 by News Desk in Lebanon

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:00 P.M.) – The French Foreign Ministry said that there is no evidence to suggest that the armed wing of Hezbollah is storing chemicals for making explosives in France. “As far as we know, there is nothing concrete confirming such a claim in France today,” French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnès Von Der Mühll told reporters on Friday. This statement came after comments from the U.S. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, Nathan Sales, for which he claimed Hezbollah was storing these chemicals in Europe. Sales had said earlier that Hezbollah was smuggling and storing chemical materials, including ammonium nitrate, which… Read on ->

Tags: France, Hezbollah, Lebanon

Iraqi military to potentially revive T-62 tanks

Published 2020-09-19 13:06:10 by News Desk in Iraq

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:45 P.M.) – The Iraqi Army plans to reintroduce the Soviet-era T-62 tank to its forces, a new report from the Russian newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, said this week. Citing evidence at a repair facility near the Taji Military Base, the Russian newspaper said the T-62 tank is being worked on so that it can be reintroduced into the Iraqi Armed Forces. The report said that due to financial restrictions, the Ministry of Defense has not been able to acquire new equipment, so the army is now working to restore their older equipment. Initially, they brought back the T-55… Read on ->

Tags: Iraq

Turkey’s Erdogan is upset over Fayez Al-Sarraj’s resignation in Libya

Published 2020-09-19 12:35:58 by Newsdesk in North-Africa

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:20 P.M.) – Reuters quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that Turkey was upset with the resignation announcement made by the President of the Libyan Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, stressing that there is no objection to dialogue with Egypt. On Friday, the Turkish President said that Turkey was “disturbed by reports that the Libyan  President Fayez al-Sarraj wants to resign by the end of October.” Speaking to reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan said, “The coup will defeat Haftar (Libyan army commander Khalifa Haftar) sooner or later.” Erdogan added: “We have no objection… Read on ->

Tags: Erdogan, Libya, Turkey

IRGC commander threatens to target everyone responsible for Qassem Soleimani’s assassination

Published 2020-09-19 12:20:00 by News Desk in Iran

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:00 P.M.) – The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said in a statement this week, “the U.S. president believed we will assassinate his ambassador in South Africa in exchange for assassinating Qassem Soleimani, but we tell him that we will target everyone who had a role in the assassination.” Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, pointed out that his country “monitors the interests of enemies everywhere and they will be a target of our strength if necessary.” He continued, “I tell Trump that our revenge on Qassem Soleimani is inevitable and realistic. We… Read on ->

Tags: Iran

Egypt reveals border guard rescued 11 Turkish nationals in eastern Mediterranean

Published 2020-09-19 11:48:51 by Newsdesk in North-Africa

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:30 A.M.) – Major General Ayman Shehata, commander of the Egyptian border guards, revealed that his forces had rescued 11 Turkish nationals from drowning in a maritime search and rescue patrol. Shehata explained that the rescue operation took place in 2019 after the sinking of the Turkish fishing boats in the Abu Ramad area, and they were pulled out of the water and medical and health care was provided to them, according to Al- Watan. “One of these crew members was feeling tired because of the incident, so we rescued them. We checked on them. Then they were… Read on ->

Tags: Egypt, Turkey

Syrian military commander targeted in new assassination attempt

Published 2020-09-19 11:35:46 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:20 A.M.) – Unknown assailants targeted the car of a commander in the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) 5th Corps, resulting in the latter suffering serious wounds in the Dara’a Governorate. According to a source in the Dara’a Governorate, the explosion occurred near the historical city of Busra Al-Sham in the southeastern part of the governorate. The explosion occurred in front of the judicial complex, marking one of the first times in the last few months that any attack has been carried out in the city of Busra Al-Sham. No group has claimed responsibility for this latest attack; however,… Read on ->

Tags: Daraa, Syria

New explosion reported east of Iranian capital

Published 2020-09-19 11:25:49 by News Desk in Iran

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:00 A.M.) – The deputy governor of Tehran for military and security affairs confirmed that an explosion occurred east of the Iranian capital on Thursday night. The Iranian official said in an interview with the semi-official Young Journalists Club website that the explosion was a result of military training that took place in that area, stressing that there were no reports of any human or material losses. Prior to Thursday’s explosion, Iran has experienced a relatively calm month and a half, especially after a number of blasts occurred between the months of June and July. Among the incidents… Read on ->

Tags: Iran, Tehran

US military deploys Bradley fighting vehicles to Syria: report

Published 2020-09-19 08:54:43 by Newsdesk in Syria

The US-led coalition plans to deploy Bradley fighting vehicles to northeast Syria to protect its troops, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto said in a press release on Friday. US defence officials told NBC News that the deployment is aimed at projecting a show of force to discourage Russian troops from crossing into territory controlled by the coalition. The report said six Bradley fighting vehicles and nearly 100 additional US troops will be deployed to northeast Syria on a 90-day deployment. “CJTF-OIR plans to position mechanized infantry assets, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, to Syria to… Read on ->

Tags: Syria, US

Russian military accuses US of provoking tensions -“US and NATO carry full responsibility for possible escalation”

Published 2020-09-19 05:30:06 by Newsdesk in World-News

The Russian military has accused the United States of provoking tensions in the region, due to increased flights of strategic-bombers and spy planes over the Black Sea. As a result of increased activity of the US Air-Force over Crimea and the Black Sea, Col.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff’s main operational department, warned the United States and said that the “US and NATO carry full responsibility for a possible escalation.” The bombers which flew as close as 11 km near the Russian border, simulated missile strikes at Russian facilities in its southern region, according to the General…. Read on ->

Tags: Crimea, Russia, USA

Chinese Communist Party presents plan to take more control of the private sector

Published 2020-09-19 05:10:04 by Newsdesk in World-News

President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party’s Central Committee have announced a new plan to take more control of the private sector in the country. The 5000-word statement put an emphasis on greater involvement of party members in private companies to ‘rejuvenate’ the nation and boost law abidance and moral standards. “We must also see that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, the scale of the private economy has continued to expand, risks and challenges have increased significantly, the values and interests of the private economy have become increasingly diverse, and the united front work of the… Read on ->

Tags: Ccp, China, Socialism

China’s new white paper on its contribution to UN peacekeeping underpins pursuit of Peace

Published 2020-09-19 03:00:30 by Newsdesk in World-News

The Chinese State Council released on Friday a white paper titled “China’s Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations” to lay out the country’s achievements and expectations with regard to its contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKOs). “China has always resolutely safeguarded the UN-centered international system and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and worked with countries around the world to uphold multilateralism, equity and justice. China takes concrete actions to safeguard world peace and has actively participated in the UNPKOs” the preface to the document read. The… Read on ->

Tags: China, Peacekeeping

US to seek nuclear safeguards for Iran, N. Korea at upcoming IAEA Conference – State Dept.

Published 2020-09-19 00:39:11 by Newsdesk in World-News

US Assistant Secretary of State for Proliferation Christopher Ford will urge members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to adopt a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement for civilian power generation during a September 21-24 policy conference, while pressing for a nuclear-free North Korea and for new limits on Iran’s production of nuclear fuel, the State Department said in a press release. “The US delegation will highlight the ongoing threats posed by the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs,” the release said on Friday. The release restated the US goal of a “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula and criticized Iran over… Read on ->

Tags: DPRK, Iran, USA

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