ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The Hezbollah media wing in Syria has announced the return of approximately 1,000 Syrian refugees from the Al-Nour refugee camp located in Jurod Arsal in Lebanon to their homes in Assal al-Ward village in Western Qalamoun in Syria. Fifty Syrian families returned to Assal al-Ward village on June 10. Lebanese Army has provided security to refugees during their way. According to the plan, 500 Syrian refugee families will return from Lebanon to their home in Syria, and the plan is believed to have been coordinated by Hezbollah. This week, Hassan Nasrallah, Leader of Hezbollah, has threatened ISIS and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the area of Grod Arsal. “Those in Jurod Arsal are a threat to all, including the Syrian refugees camps, because they are like ISIS that were in Mosul” and added:”It’s time to end this threat”. He said adding that the last chance to reach a compromise and said that he hoped to “Take advantage of the opportunity of compromises. Otherwise, we will face the f

Marking the first time Sweden country has ever lodged a complaint against a head-of-state, this week five members of parliament (MPs) from the Scandinavian country officially  accused  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of genocide. The MPs’ complaint alleges Erdogan has committed war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity against the Kurdish majority in Turkey’s southeast region since a truce between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and government forces  fell apart  in 2015. The official complaint was  filed  in the Swedish International Public Prosecution Offices. If that department decides to move forward with an investigation, warrants could be issued for the arrest of Erdogan and several other Turkish officials, such as Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. MP Carl Schlyter  says  he likes the idea of Erdogan potentially having limited freedom of movement in his part of the world and hopes neighboring countries will follow suit: “If [Mr Erdogan] is hinde

The Turkish General Directorate of Security issued an official statement saying that security forces have carried out a wide operation against ISIS in 29 Turkish provinces. During the operation, Turkish security forces arrested 233 suspects of being members of terrorist organizations, , including 25 foreigners, according to the statement of the General Directorate of Security of Turkey. Among the places stormed by Turkish Security Forces a school suspected of belonging to ISIS and indoctrinating children and teens under the age of 18. The statement added that 5 suspected members of the ISIS terrorist group were killed after clashes with the Turkish Security Forces in Konya, central Turkey. According to Anadolu Agency, Turkish security forces in the state of Izmir in western Turkey stopped suspects who were planning terrorist operations on the night of July 15, the first anniversary of the failed coup attempt against Erdogan. During the campaign, security forces seized ISIS fla

The Qatari Defense Ministry announced on July 12  the arrival of the fifth batch of Turkish Army troops to Qatar. “Following the arrival of this reinforcement and its joining the Turkish forces currently in Doha (Tariq Bin Ziyad Mechanic Battalion military camp), It began its training activities in the framework of joint military cooperation between the State of Qatar and the brotherly Republic of Turkey,” the ministry said in its Twitter account. Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Asheq contacted Saudi Defense Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and both sides announced that they had discussed bilateral and military relations. At the same time one of the demands of Saudi Arabia and its allies to Doha is the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Qatar. In a separate development, Turkish Economy Minister Nihad Zibekji announced that Ankara have sent 197 cargo planes, 16 trucks and one vessel to Qatar to meet its daily needs since the outbreak of the crisis last mo

By Tyler Durden   Amid the constant media outrage over everything  Trump, Trump, Trump , some might have forgotten that in the political rollercoaster over the past 12 months, there were numerous other high-profile individuals involved, including not  only former DOJ head Loretta Lynch , whose every interaction with the Clinton campaign is about to be probed under a Congressional microscope, but the man who some say started it all: former FBI Director James Comey. First loved by the Democrats when he personally absolved Hillary Clinton of any sins regarding her (ab)use of her personal email server, then furiously loathed when he reopened the FBI probe into Hillary Clinton one week before the election, then finally getting into a feud with President Trump which cost his him job, Comey ultimately admitted to leaking at least one memo which contained personal recollections of his conversations with the president, in hopes of launching a special probe into the president's allege

The current crisis surrounding Qatar represents the most severe conflict among Gulf Arab states since the end of the Cold War. While these oil-rich, autocratic OPEC members have historically been at the most allies of convenience united by common fears (USSR, Saddam Hussein, Iran, etc.), their mutual mistrust has arguably never escalated to the point of demanding to what amounts to a complete surrender by one of its members. Several interesting features of this crisis immediately jump out. First of all, the breaking off of diplomatic relations by Saudi Arabia and several other major regional powers including Egypt, and depriving Qatar of the ability to use land and air transport routes through or over the territory of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, including Egypt came suddenly and without any warning. There was no ongoing visible dispute between Qatar and any of its neighbors, no major recent provocative policy moves. This suggests it was a premeditated and planned move b

FILE IMAGE The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) are attempting to separate Jobar and Zamalka areas in eastern Damascus countryside. They have advanced along the M5 highway and claimed capturing some buildings in the process. Clashes have also continued in Ayn Tarma. Faylaq Al-Rahman and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are two militant groups opposing the SAA and the NDF in the area.

FILE IMAGE A Russian military adviser, Nikolay Afanasov, has been killed as a result of mortar shelling from militants in Hama province, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday. The captain was tasked with training Syrian ground forces. He was granted a state decoration posthumously. According to official statements, 34 Russian military servicemen have been killed since the start of the operation in Syria. Meanwhile, according to some sources, a notable number of Russian private military contractors also operate in the country. A total number of casualties among them is unknown.