Contents tagged with Syria

  • Russian Defense Minister meets with Iranian President in Tehran

    Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday in Tehran, as reported by the Iranian television channel Press TV.

    In the meeting, Russia and Iran agreed to increase military cooperation against the background of the escalation of the Syrian crisis, in which both parties actively support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    According to Press TV, Rouhani outlined Iran’s position in regard to the Syrian crisis, and highlighted several possible solutions …

  • Amnesty International: Russia is guilty of war crimes in Syria

    Amnesty International says that Russia is guilty of some of the most “egregious” war crimes it has seen in decades.

    The human rights organization told Sky News that over the last week Russian aircraft in Syria have deliberately carried out airstrikes against civilians and rescue workers trying to evacuate the wounded, especially in the city of Aleppo.

    The Director of Amnesty International’s Program on Crisis Response, Tirana Hassan, said that airstrikes on schools, residential areas, and …

  • Saudi Arabia: Russia’s support for Syrian government will have serious consequences

    The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would have serious consequences, as reported by Deutsche Welle. “We informed the Russians that by taking the side of the Syrian President and Iraq, they will become participants of religious war. It is very, very dangerous,” the Head of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in an interview with a correspondant from Süddeutsche Zeitung. …

  • Syrian Opposition Regains Territory from Government Forces with Counteroffensive

    According to the Anadolu Agency, the Syrian opposition went on the counter-offensive in order to regain control over villages that were lost two weeks ago. The press service cited Turkmen oppositional sources that indicated that the Syrian opposition has regained control over some settlements near Turkmandagy in northern Syria.

    In particular, the Syrian opposition moved towards the villages of Kurudzh, Sarraf, Kuldzhuk and Karaman in the province of Lazkiye. According to the press service, 14 …

  • Medvedev Warns of a 'Permanent War'

    The Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, warned against any ground operations in Syria because, according to him, it could lead to the beginning of a new global war. The head of the Russian Government made this statement in his interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt on the eve of the Munich Security Conference.

    “As a rule, all ground operations lead to permanent warfare. Look what is going on in Afghanistan and a number of other countries. I didn’t even mention poor Libya,” …

  • Syrian opposition seeks surface-to-air missiles to defend against Russian airstrikes

    Representatives of the Syrian opposition who rely on the support of Saudi Arabia have called on western allies to supply surface-to-air missiles to defend against Russian military aircraft, Reuters reported. As stated by the Press Secretary of High Negotiations Committee (HNC) of the Syrian opposition, Salem al-Muslat, air defense systems "would solve the Syrian problem" and would protect the civilian population "from any kind of air strikes, including Russian." He also stressed that such …

  • Merkel 'shocked' by Russian air strikes in Syria

    German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has reminded all that the UN Security Council resolution on Syria calls for an end to indiscriminate attacks and in particular, attacks from the air.

    Merkel also condemned the Russian bombings in Syria which have forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee.

    She went on to say that she was “terrified” by the results of the air strikes and suggested that they violated the UN Security Council resolution that was signed by Moscow in December.

    Speaking in …

  • Russian airstrikes kill 10 in Aleppo

    Bombers of the Russian Air Force have carried out airstrikes on opposition-controlled residential quarters in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

    Ten civilians were killed, the majority of whom were children.  An additional 20 people were wounded.  This was reported to the Anadolu Agency by the representative of the General Directorate of Civil Defence, Ibrahim Leys.

    According to him, the areas of Salihin, Kellese and Huluk came under attack.  The wounded were taken to field hospitals.  Civil Defense …

  • Russian Foreign Ministry: UN Secretary General is biased against Russia in its role in Syria

    The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has accused the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, of being biased and of having a lack of objectivity with regard to his assessment of Moscow’s role in the resolution of the Syrian conflict.  Zakharova’s comments were published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

    According to Zakharova, “a campaign has been launched through a number of foreign media platforms discussing the role of Russia in the Syrian …

  • Syrian Opposition: Russia is not interested in a political solution to the conflict in Syria

    In the wake of the UN Special Envoy for Syria’s announcement  that Syrian peace talks in Geneva would be delayed until February 25th, Syrian opposition leader Bassma Kodmani blamed Russian aggression for the postponement. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Kodmani told correspondent Naomi Conrad that it is clear that Russia is not interested in a political solution to the conflict that has ravaged Syria for nearly 5 years.

    “Were the Russians preparing all along to discredit the US in this …