Special to WorldTribune.com Russia’s withdrawal from Syria “should not be taken at face value,” a former senior Israeli military official said. While President Valdimir Putin announced the pullout earlier this week, Moscow has decided to maintain major combat platforms in Syria, including the S-400 air and missile defense system. “We should remember the difference between […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Israeli President Reuven Rivlin told Russian counterpart Valdimir Putin that Israel will not allow Iran and Hizbullah to operate on the Israel-Syria border. The two met in Moscow on March 16 after Putin announced Russia’s withdrawal from Syria. Rivlin laid out Israel’s “red lines” in Syria, telling Putin the presence of any […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Anti-Assad regime rebels, jihadists and activists received a huge morale boost with the surprise withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria. Moscow’s move is also seen by the opposition as a major blow for the Damascus regime. “Our morale is sky high. The regime will not be able to survive alone,” said Raed al-Elewi, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com After the surprise announcement of its intent to withdraw from Syria, Russia on March 15 sought to reassure Israel that the two countries’ coordination on Syria would remain intact. Israel wants assurances that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s anti-Israel allies Iran and Hizbullah would continue to be restrained after Moscow’s pullout. “We will […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Russia has halted Iran’s order of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system, a report said. The move was made after Russian President Vladimir Putin consulted with Israeli officials who protested the sale, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida. In discussions with Putin, Israel said it feared that at least some of the S-300 […]
Special to WorldTribune.com U.S. President Barack Obama’s policy in Ukraine of threatening Russian President Valdimir Putin but taking no substantial action has failed miserably, lawmakers and analysts say. Two years after protests toppled Ukraine’s pro-Moscow government, Obama’s policy languishes amid Putin’s heavy-handed determination, the headline-stealing conflicts in Syria and Iraq and wavering support from European […]
Special to WorldTribune.com An entire district of the Syrian city of Aleppo was destroyed by Russian cluster bombs in attacks the UN said were “blatant violations of international law.” Video of the Feb. 15 attack was recorded and shows Russian warplanes dropping the cluster bombs on the city. Reports from the scene say the attacks […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Russian warplanes are using an Iranian air base to launch attacks on anit-Assad regime rebels in Syria, according to a report. “The Iranian armed forces appear to be allowing Russian aircraft to use their military airfields in support of combat operations over Syria,” said a report by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Russia’s leadership countered more optimistic U.S. claims, reporting that Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) is far from “contained” in Syria. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the terror group is expanding its influence and now controls 70 percent of Syria, contradicting the recent comments by U.S. President Barack Obama that ISIL […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Tensions between Turkey and Russia increased on Dec. 6 when a Turkish TV station broadcast photos of what it said was a Russian soldier holding a rocket launcher on his shoulder as his ship passed through Istanbul. “For a Russian soldier to display a rocket launcher or something similar while passing on […]