ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A damaged vehicle of the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is removed after an explosion in the northern Gaza Strip March 13, 2018. Source: MOHAMMED SALEM/ REUTERS An improvised explosive device exploded on March 13 morning near a convoy carrying Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in the Gaza Strip. Hamdallah was unharmed but several people were lightly wounded in the incident. Later on the same day, however, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke with Hamdallah and the two agreed that Israel and its collaborators had been responsible for the attack. General Tawfiq Abu Naim, head of Gaza’s Interior Ministry, will lead the investigation into the incident. The Interior Ministry said several suspects had been arrested. A manhunt is still ongoing.

The Syrian Arab Army has seized coin machines used by ISIS to produce own coins in the village of Al-Hasrat in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Defense Ministry reported on March 13. The ministry also released a video showing machines and coins seized in the area. According to the video, the machines had been likely produced in Turkey and then trafficed into Syria. Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image

On March 13, the US threatened to strike Syrian government forces in the Damascus countryside.   On March 14, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it will act in response if lives of the Russian servicemen are endangered.  In terms of the actual failure of diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, the threat of a direct armed conflict between Russia and the United States is becoming more and more of a reality. In simulating a possible armed conflict between the Armed Forces of the involved countries, we can state with some confidence that it will commence with a series of provocative actions. Possibilities include air strikes of “unknown aircraft” on civilians, the use of chemical weapons, destruction of humanitarian convoys, “shooting” at military aircraft or ships of the coalition forces, and possibly even encompassing their complete destruction. The United States and Western countries will undoubtedly accuse the Syrian or Russian Armed Forces of any such action in