Middle Eastern Headlines at 9:06 p.m. GMT
Aid for Gaza will soon flow from pier project just finished by US military, Pentagon says
Latest Stories
The Canadian PressBritish departure means uncertain future for Alberta's massive Suffield military base
CFB SUFFIELD, ALBERTA — A sprawling military training base more than twice the size of New York City in southeastern Alberta appears to be a shadow of its former self while its future use remains up in the air.
- Reuters
Ukrainian drones hit oil facility in Russia's Oryol region
Ukrainian drones carried out an overnight attack on an oil facility in Russia's Oryol region that is a crucial source of fuel supplies for Russian troops, Ukraine's military said on Saturday. The drones hit the Steel Horse production control station, which lies about 170 km (107 miles) from the border with Ukraine, a military statement said. Earlier, Russian regional governor Andrei Klychko said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukrainian drones had struck a fuel infrastructure facility, causing a fire but no casualties.
- CNN
Why Israel captured Syria’s tallest mountain just hours after Assad fell
Israel wasted no time after Bashar al-Assad’s fall to bomb all the Syrian military assets it wanted to keep out of the rebels’ hands – striking nearly 500 targets, destroying the navy, and taking out, it claims, 90% of Syria’s known surface-to-air missiles.
- Business Insider
The F-35 stealth fighter's victory against Iran's air defenses highlights its ability to wage a higher level of war
The F-35 has often been used to strike terror or militant targets. The strikes against Iran give a better picture of what it can do.
- Business Insider
Everything we know about the 'mystery drones' spotted over the East Coast
Dozens of suspected drones have been spotted flying over states on the East Coast of the United States, sparking concern from local officials.
- The Hill
Opinion - US would face a 4-way axis in confrontation with China
Even those who wish to focus solely on a possible conflict with China should recognize that Beijing has allies who almost certainly would come to its aid.
- Business Insider
Ukraine is trying to convince North Korean soldiers to surrender rather than fight alongside Russia
Ukraine has been distributing leaflets via drones and projectiles and making videos urging North Korean troops to desert their Russian allies.
- Business Insider
Satellite images show Iran's drone carriers are nowhere near the US as New Jersey faces a mystery drone problem
US officials have stressed that the strange drone sightings above New Jersey in recent weeks don't appear to be the work of a foreign adversary.
- BBC
Bloody siege ends Myanmar army control of western border
Insurgents seized Myanmar's border with Bangladesh in one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war.
- Reuters
Ukrainian drones hit fuel storage area in central Russia, attack other areas
Video posted on Ukrainian military blogs showed a fire blazing at what was described as a fuel storage facility. The governor of Krasnodar region, Vladimir Kondratyev, said air defences had destroyed Ukrainian drones in several areas of the region south and east of Ukraine.
- Canadian Press Videos
A video shows Timmerman among two men who found him in Damascus countryside
U.S.-based nonprofit group Syrian Emergency Task Force released a video on Thursday showing an American citizen who disappeared seven months ago, Travis Timmerman, sitting with two men who found him in the Damascus countryside.
- CNN
Ukraine replaces commander following Russian advances on key city of Pokrovsk
General Oleksandr Lutsenko has come in for severe criticism recently, amid reports Russian forces are less than two miles from the strategic city.
- The Canadian Press
Ukraine's reformed military procurement agency drives the country's NATO ambitions
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Defense Ministry unveiled a new state agency for its armed forces last year. It was the government's answer to the rampant corruption within the ministry's procurement companies, and meant to be a driver of reform on the elusive path toward NATO membership.
- Reuters
Defence minister orders Israeli troops to prepare to spend winter on Mount Hermon
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered Israeli troops to prepare to stay over the winter on Mount Hermon, a strategic location overlooking Damascus, adding to signs that Israel's presence in Syria is set to continue for a prolonged period. "Due to what is happening in Syria - there is enormous security importance to our holding on to the peak of Mount Hermon," a statement from Katz's office said on Friday. The order suggests that Israeli troops who moved into a buffer zone inside Syrian territory as well as a "few additional points" following the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's government are likely to remain.
- Business Insider
Russia looks to be packing up its helicopters and air defenses at its base in Syria, new satellite images show
Russia's military presence at two key bases in Syria fell into uncertainty after the Assad regime fell last weekend.
- Reuters
Ukraine replaces commander as Russia advances fast in the east
Ukraine's military leadership has replaced the commander overseeing defences in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian forces are making swift advances, a military official said on Saturday. General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, 54, was appointed to head the operational and tactical group Donetsk, replacing General Oleksandr Lutsenko, the official at the General Staff told Reuters. Lutsenko was criticized by Ukrainian military bloggers and some lawmakers for failing to stop Russian troops' relentless push toward the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.
- Reuters
Analysis-China's new tactic against Taiwan: drills 'that dare not speak their name'
Beijing has unveiled a new tactic on Taiwan, the democratic island it claims as its own, officials and experts say: large-scale drills with no fanfare to normalise a heightened military presence and let the U.S. know that China can act whenever it wants. For four days this week, Taiwan went on alert in response to what it said was China's largest massing of naval forces in three decades around Taiwan and in the East and South China Seas. China's military said nothing until Friday when it quoted ancient Chinese tactician Sun Tzu's Art of War, a favourite of the communist republic's founder Mao Zedong.
- Reuters
Russian cargo plane departs Syria for Libya, more flights expected, official says
LATAKIA, Syria (Reuters) -A Russian cargo plane departed from Russia's air base in the Syrian port city of Latakia for Libya on Saturday, a Syrian security official stationed outside the facility said, following rebels' overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad last weekend. The official told Reuters that additional Russian departures from the Hmeimim air base in Syria's coastal Latakia province were expected in the coming days. Increased activity has been observed at the air base throughout the day.
- BBC
What we know about the mysterious drones buzzing over New Jersey
The US government says the flying objects pose no threat to national security, but their origin and intentions remain unclear.
- Euronews
Russia targets Ukraine's power grid in massive aerial attack
Friday’s attack is the latest in a series that has heightened fears that the Kremlin aims to cripple the country’s power generation capacity before the cold winter sets in.View on euronews