Author: Mideast discourse

North Korea seems to have test-fired two cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, a South Korean military official said, as South Korean President held a press conference to mark the 100th day since taking office. In his Liberation Day speech two days earlier, President Yoon Suk-yeol laid out the details of his “audacious initiative” meant to help the North improve its economy in the event it takes denuclearization steps. The North’s first known launch of a cruise missile since January also came a day after South Korean and American military troops kicked off preliminary drills just ahead of…

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The multilateral Vostok 2022 exercises will start in two weeks in eastern Russia Chinese troops will be among the foreign participants at a multilateral military exercise in Russia called Vostok 2022, China’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Wednesday. The People’s Liberation Army will send personnel to Russia, expecting the event to “deepen pragmatic and friendly cooperation with the militaries of the participating countries, enhance the level of strategic coordination among the parties, and enhance the ability to deal with various security threats,” a statement said. Beijing noted that current regional and international tensions did not affect its decision. Vostok 2022 will take place…

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The arms provided to Kiev have not had a significant effect on Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, the defense minister says Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine has served to dispel the myth of Western ‘superweapons’, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during an international security conference on Tuesday. Speaking at the forum, part of the ongoing Army 2022 expo near Moscow, Shoigu claimed that the weapons provided to Kiev have not had a significant effect on the battlefield, as has been claimed by the West. “Initially, it was about the supply of Javelin anti-tank systems and some unique drones. More recently,…

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Turkey became the first NATO country to buy S-400 air defense systems from Moscow in 2017 A contract has been signed to deliver a second regiment of the S-400 missile system to Turkey, with the production of some components to be localized there, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS), Dmitry Shugayev, told TASS on the sidelines of the Army-2022 international forum on Tuesday. “A corresponding agreement has already been signed. Among other things, it will allow for the production of some components of the [S-400 Triumf] system to be localized,” he said. Shugayev said with confidence…

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4th technical talks between Ankara, Washington on F-16 jets sale to be held in US A Turkish military delegation headed to the US on Monday for talks on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye. “In order to carry out the F-16 procurement and modernization as soon as possible, the technical delegation of the Ministry of National Defense went to the US to hold talks upon the invitation of the US,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement. The ministry added that so far, three meetings have been held in Türkiye in Dec. 2021 and in Feb. and…

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Syrian and Lebanese officials met in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday to discuss ways to facilitate the monthly return of 15,000 Syrian refugees. Syrian Minister of Local Administration and Environment Hussein Makhlouf held a meeting with visiting Lebanese Minister of the Displaced Issam Charafeddine, during which they touched upon measures taken by Syria to secure a safe and quick home return for the refugees based on a timeline set by both countries, Syrian state news agency SANA reported. “Lebanon and Syria agree on the necessity to facilitate the return of all refugees to their homeland, not just 15,000 monthly,…

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The Shabwa Defense Forces, backed by the Giants Brigades, seize control of the Nada and Al-Mizan site, northwest of the Shabwa governorate. Media sources close to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council said that the Shabwa Defense Forces, backed by the Giants Brigades, tightened control over the oil and gas-rich Shabwa province. Last week, clashes escalated near Ataq Airport and the government complex in the Shabwa governorate between Al-Islah party military forces and other Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council forces according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent. Our correspondent added that confrontations have been ongoing for three consecutive days between the Shabwa Defense Forces and the Giants Brigades,…

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Civilian infrastructure was damaged following explosions at an ammo depot, the military has said The incident on Tuesday morning that resulted in explosions at a military site in northern Crimea was an intentional act, an update by the Russian Defense Ministry claims. Describing its response, the ministry said it was “taking necessary measures to eliminate the consequences of the sabotage.” The explosions caused damage “to a number of civilian objects, including power lines, a power station, a railroad and several residential houses,” the statement said. The site hit by the apparent attack is located near the village of Mayskoye in the Dzhankoy area…

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The United States continues to act without regard for other countries’ security and interests, leading to an increase in nuclear risks, according to a statement published on Telegram on Monday by the Russian embassy in Washington. “Today, the United States continues to act with no regard to other countries’ security and interests, which does contribute to an increase in nuclear risks. The US steps to further engage in a hybrid confrontation with Russia in the context of the Ukrainian crisis are fraught with unpredictable escalation and a direct military clash of nuclear powers,” the embassy warned, according to TASS. “This is…

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The Russian president drew the attention of the conference participants to the fact that the NATO bloc is moving to the East, bolstering its military infrastructure, including the deployment of missile defense systems and increasing offensive forces’ attack capabilities The collective West is purposefully destroying the European security system, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his address to participants and guests of the Moscow Conference on International Security. “The so-called collective West is purposefully destroying the European security system, putting together more and more new military alliances,” Putin said. “The US and its vassal states grossly interfere in the internal…

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