ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” launched a new offensive in the Hama Governorate’s southeastern countryside on Monday, targeting the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) controlled villages of Al-Rumliyah and Al-Madajin inside the Al-Salamiyah District.  However, despite the sheer force behind this assault in southeastern Hama, the Jabhat Al-Nusra militants attacking these villages were repelled rather quickly by the Syrian Armed Forces, thanks in large part to the assistance from the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF). According to a military correspondent in Damascus City, the Syrian Arab Army’s 47th Brigade of the 11th Tank Division and the National Defense Forces (NDF) reported no casualties during the Nusra assault on Monday.  Jabhat Al-Nusra, on-the-hand, suffered a dozen casualties during their failed offensive in southeastern Hama. The Jihadist groups operating in the Hama Governorate have recently stepped up their military activity after several rebel controlled villages reco

On Monday morning in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces” – backed by the Desert Hawks Brigade and Liwaa Imam ‘Ali (Iraqi paramilitary) – continued their ground operations in the vicinity of Palmyra (Tadmur), striking several sites under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).  The Syrian Armed Forces began their assault in Palmyra’s northern countryside on Monday, where they attempted to advance towards the Brigade 550 headquarters from the Ancient Palmyra Quarries that were recently contested prior to the government’s progress along the Al-Bayarat front. Southwest of Brigade 550, the Tiger Forces attacked ISIS’ first line of defense at Al-Dawah, resulting in a fierce battle that lasted for most of the day.  Despite the lack of progress at Al-Dawah, the Syrian Armed Forces were able to impose full control over Point 853 in Jabal Hayyal after a violent battle with the ISIS terrorists entrenched around the

MOSCOW: A first group of Russian military planes Tuesday left Moscow's base in Syria heading for home after President Vladimir Putin's shock order to withdraw most of his forces from the war-torn country, the defense ministry said. "The first group of Russian planes has flown out of the Hmeimim air base for their permanent bases on the territory of the Russian Federation," the ministry said in a statement, adding that they included Su-34 bombers and a Tu-154 transport plane. The ministry said that aircraft would leave the air base in groups made up of one transport plane carrying technical personnel or equipment accompanied by Russian warplanes. "Each group in this format will fly according to a prearranged route to the border of the Russia Federation and after crossing it all the planes will fly on independently to their own bases," the statement said. Putin had Monday stunned the West by ordering the withdrawal of the main part of Russia's forces in Sy

By Moon Of Alabama Syria's Idleb province is held by Jabhat al-Nusra, aka al-Qaeda in Syria, and Ahrar al Sham with a sprinkling of "moderates" added to the mix. While Nusra and Ahrar have support from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the "moderates" are supported by the CIA which provides them with anti-tank weapons. When in 2013 these groups stormed government held positions in Idleb, Nusra, Ahrar and Islamic State Jihadis were leading the fighting and employed suicide bombers. Their attacks were supported by electronic warfare measures from Turkey which disabled the Syrian Army's communication. The CIA "moderates" were integrated as anti-tank teams using their U.S. supplied weapons in support of the Jihadi offense. The U.S. supported groups in Idleb are currently grouped under the moniker "Division 13" or "Brigade 13". The cessation of hostilities in Syria means that all these "moderates" in Idleb province have time

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he was instructing his armed forces to start pulling out of Syria, over five months after he ordered the launch of a military operation that shored up his ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. Putin, at a meeting in the Kremlin with his defense and foreign ministers, said Russian military forces in Syria had largely fulfilled their objectives and ordered an intensification of Russia's diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal in the country. But the Russian leader signaled Moscow would keep a military presence: he did not give a deadline for the completion of the withdrawal and said Russian forces would stay on at the port of Tartous and at the Hmeimim military airport in Syria's Latakia province. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had telephoned Assad to inform him of the Russian decision. The move was announced on the day United Nations-brokered talks between the warring sides in Syria resumed in Geneva. "The ef

Should the United States have to fight another major conflict with a great power in the near future, some of the weapons the Pentagon will field are the stuff of science fiction. Or, rather, they used to be. As noted by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, some of those weapons will include laser platforms on warships and fighter jets; wheeled robots that can fire tank-melting missiles; and soldiers that are armed with rifles that transform each of them into snipers. While many of these weapons are still under development, some are just now being fielded, and that is especially true of laser weaponry, which has been under development by the Pentagon for decades. In addition to new weapons, the way the Pentagon wages war will be “more networked that ever, with bullets that provide the ability to detect and destroy foes with ruthless precision, limiting American casualties,” the paper reported. In other words, nothing like World War II, Vietnam or even the first Gulf War. Will critics say many

The Russian government has issued a stark warning to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that his bellicose rhetoric regarding preemptive nuclear strikes on South Korea and the United States could be laying the legal groundwork under international law for a preemptive military strike on his country instead. In a statement issued by the Russian foreign ministry, Moscow said that threats by Pyongyang to deliver “preventative nuclear strikes” are also creating tensions among North Korea’s few remaining allies, which includes Russia. “We consider it to be absolutely impermissible to make public statements containing threats to deliver some ‘preventive nuclear strikes’ against opponents,” the Russian foreign ministry said in response to North Korea’s threats.The Russian foreign ministry statement is also critical of Washington and Seoul for launching the largest joint military drills yet to be held on the peninsula, The Guardianreported. “Pyongyang should be aware of the fact that in this way

The global arms trade is huge. While it’s hard to pin down an exact value of arms transfers, VisualCapitalist's Jeff Desjardins notes the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that the number was at least $76 billion in 2013, with the caveat that it is likely higher. The volume of transfers have been trending upwards now for roughly 15 years. Volume of Arms Transfers Courtesy of: SIPRI But where are these arms going? The answer, as VisualCapitalist's Jeff Desjardins explains, is that they are increasingly going to militarize the Middle East, which has increased imports of arms by 61% in 2011-2015, compared to the previous five year period. The Syrian Civil War now entering its sixth year, and it’s clear that conflict is stopping no time soon in the Middle East. As a result of this and the various proxy wars, complicated relationships , and a continuing threat from ISIS, neighboring countries in the region have loaded up on arms. That’s why Saudi Arabia,