Author: Mideast discourse

One person is dead and another 26 are wounded, according to Armenian authorities An explosion rocked a shopping plaza in the Armenian capital on Sunday, resulting in several casualties, according to the nation’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. According to the health ministry’s preliminary data, one person has died and another 26 were injured in the blast at the Surmalu shopping plaza in Yerevan. The city administration has said that there are some people stuck under the rubble and that a rescue operation is underway. The ministry said that the explosion in the mall was followed by a fire, with videos…

In response to the continuous crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians, a Palestinian carried out a heroic operation at dawn today in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, injuring nine Israeli settlers. Palestinian media reported that a Palestinian youth shot at a bus carrying Israeli settlers near the al-Buraq Wall, the western wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the town, wounding nine of them. The Palestinian resistance factions affirmed that this heroic and brave operation is a response to the attacks of the occupation forces and settlers and their daily crimes against the Palestinian people and their Islamic and…

At least 35 people were killed and 25 others injured after a huge blaze erupted at a church during a Sunday service. It’s feared many of the victims are children and the death toll could rise as flames tore through the Abu Seifeng Church in Egypt. It’s reported the congregation had just finished prayer when the blaze broke out, Al-Hadath reported. Several ambulances were rushed to the scene in Giza as firefighters battled to extinguish the raging flames. According to local media, many of the victims are thought to be children as there is a nursery inside the church. Shocking pictures…

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had suspended joint operations with the US-led coalition against ISIS cells in Syria’s northeastern region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on August 13. “The SDF suspended joint operations with the international coalition against the terrorist organization, ISIS, six days ago,” the London-based monitoring group said in a report. The decision to suspend counter-terrorism operations with the coalition was taken in protest to recent Turkish drone strikes on northern and northeastern Syria which claimed the lives of some personnel of the SDF. According to the SOHR, 51 Turkish drone strikes targeted SDF-held…

More than two-thirds of the alliance’s members have now agreed to the accession of Finland and Sweden French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday signed the official documents approving the applications of Finland and Sweden to become NATO members. While Macron once called the US-led military bloc “brain dead,” he has switched tack since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. France’s parliament approved the enlargement proposal earlier this month, after the two Nordic nations applied to join the alliance in May. By petitioning the Western bloc for membership, both renounced their prior non-alignment, with Finland officially having been neutral since shortly after…

Iraq announced on Saturday that it had received 50 prisoners who were militants of the Islamic State (IS) captured earlier in Syria. “Through joint understandings and agreements, Iraq received 50 IS members, who are Iraqi citizens, from the Syrian side,” tweeted the Security Media Cell (SMC), a media outlet affiliated with Iraq’s armed forces. The handover of the prisoners was carried out at the Rabia border crossing in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, according to the SMC. “Some of the prisoners are local leaders of the IS and responsible for terrorist attacks,” Tahsin al-Khafaji, spokesman of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command,…

The ambassador of China to Japan, Kong Xuanyou, said Japan has no right to meddle in Chinese internal affairs and should not follow American policy regarding Taiwan. During recent talks with Japanese people from all walks of life, Ambassador Kong elaborated on China’s stance on the Taiwan question, saying that Japan has nothing to do with the current situation across the Taiwan Straits, and China’s countermeasures are targeted at US political provocation and “Taiwan independence” forces. Dancing to the tune of the US would be a huge violation of the one-China principle, the foundation of the relationship between the two countries, he…

Negotiating now would not serve Kiev’s goals, Zelensky’s aide has said Ukraine has ruled out peace talks with Moscow under the existing circumstances, comparing any negotiations to “civilizational catastrophe.” Re-starting talks would not contribute anything to Kiev’s goals, Mikhail Podoliak, an aide to President Vladimir Zelensky, told Ukraine’s Babel news media outlet on Friday. “Today, Ukraine has no motives to hold the talks,” Podoliak said, adding that the “opportunity to win this war is much more important than any situational pause.” Starting dialogue under the present circumstances would only “formalize” the defeat of Ukraine and that of Europe, as well as “European values,” he added. Talks with Russia today will…

Steven Sahiounie , journalist and political commentator Russian President Vladmir Putin and Turkish President Recep Erdogan held a four-hour meeting on August 5 in Sochi which may change the course of the Middle East, and end the US occupation of Syria. Putin asked Erdogan to work with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to resolve the Syrian crisis. Erdogan assured Putin that the Turkish intelligence service is already coordinating with Syrian intelligence. Erdogan explained on the flight back to Turkey, “As long as the two intelligence services are working on the matter, we need Russia’s support, and there are agreements and understandings…

The Kiev regime continues terrorist attacks on infrastructure facilities which are under control of the Russian military, posing threat of disasters. On the night of August 10, the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the Donetsk brewery plant, located in the Kalininsky district of the city. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the DPR reported that 32 people were on the territory of the plant during the shelling. One person was killed, two more were injured. The Kiev’s forces damaged the ammonia pipeline on the territory of the plant. As a result, an ammonia leak affected the area of 2 kilometers.…