ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A screenshot from the video A new video appeared online October 12 confirming that the Syrian Arab Army and its allies have reached  the al-Siyasah Bridge north of Deir Ezzor city . The bridge is a key facility located north of the ISIS-held part of Deir Ezzor city. The area had been serving as a supply line to ISIS units operating inside Deir Ezzor. Now, this supply line will be cut off.

A photo from the scene. Source: https://twitter.com/cucha1985/status/918425016185819136 On October 12, a Spanish pilot died when his fighter jet crashed near the Los Llanos airbase in Albacete following the participation in a National Day military parade in Madrid. The Spanish Defense Ministry officially confirmed the incedent and the death of pilot but did not provide additional details. It added that the incident is under investigation.

On October 9, ISIS members attacked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) in northern Hama and seized a number of villages near the important village of Rahjan.For some observers this situation looked strange because ISIS and ISIS-affiliated groups had been rarely seen in maps and news reports about the situation in Idlib, southern Aleppo and northern Hama.He revealed that about 900 ISIS militants remain in Idlib province. Sulayman said that paying money to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leadership, ISIS was able to supply its members in the “opposition-held area”. A part of ISIS forces in Idlib province is members of Jund al-Aqsa that has pledged allegiance to ISIS.Separately, Islamic World News also reported that about 200 militants affilated with ISIS sneaked from eastern Salamiyah to northern Hama in September 2017. These militants were members of the Davood Brigade and Jund al-Aqsa. A notable number of ISIS members still remains surround

A new political Atlas of the World released in Pyongyang had Crimea be a part of Russia, the Russian Embassy in North Korea posted on its official Facebook  page . “The publishing house “Scientific Encyclopedia” released a new political Atlas of the World. We noticed that the Crimean peninsula (pages 240-242) has already been painted in Russian colors. As we explained in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, the republic respects the results of the referendum held in Crimea on the entry of the peninsula into the Russian Federation, considers its results to be legitimate and fully compliant with international legal norms,” the embassy said in their statement. According to the statement, Pyongyang has called Crimea “an integral part of Russian Federation” at the UN vote. North Korea also recognizes the Kuril Islands as Russian territory. On October 2, North Korea  opened  its second internet connection with the outside world via Russia. Previously the Internet access i

On October 12, 30 vehicles of the Turkish Army including armored vehicles entered Syria’s Idlib province via the Atme border crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border, according to Syrian opposition groups. Syrian opposition activists claimed that the Turkish Army convoy was escorted by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) fighters. However, these claims are not confirmed yet. The Turkish Army likely started its deployment between the Atme border crossing and Darat Izza town in the northern Aleppo countryside. The Turkish Army deployment suggest that there is an agreement with HTS. Furthermore, it appears that the upcoming Turkish Army military operation could be aimed against the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Afrin city in the northern Aleppo countryside. The Turkish Army deployment comes hours only after Turkish National Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said at the European defense mi

The US has  announced  that it’s offering a total of $12 million in rewards for the capture of two senior Hezbollah members, saying the Shia group is plotting attacks inside the US. The announcement comes as Washington contemplates canceling the Iran nuclear deal. A $7-million bounty applies to Talal Hamiyah, head of Hezbollah’s external operations. Another $5 million is being offered for Fuad Shukr, the group’s senior military official, accused of masterminding a 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 US Marines. “It’s our assessment that Hezbollah is determined to give itself a potential homeland option as a critical component of its terrorism playbook,” US National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen said, citing recent arrests of alleged Hezbollah operatives in New York and Michigan. “And that is something that those of us in the counter-terrorism community take very, very seriously.” The State Department designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist

KCNA/REUTERS North Korea may conduct a new missile test on October 18, the beginning of China’s 19th Party Congress, as an opportunity to act out amidst the growing tensions in the region. “The Kim regime usually uses these sorts of occasions to demonstrate some show of strength — in this current climate a missile test is a likely result,”  said  Dr Genevieve Hohnen, lecturer in politics and international relations at Edith Cowan University. Last month, Beijing announced its intention to restrict trade with North Korea on several key items, including textiles, seafood and petroleum products, in compliance with the U.N.’s latest resolution. As such a missile test would be a show of strength, intended to make North Korea’s big neighbor to decisively pick a side. This might prove especially prudent, considering the fact that US Navy destroyer  sailed  near islands claimed by China in the South China Sea on October 10, to which Beijing reacted negatively, calling it a “provoc

Bulgarian and NATO navy ships take part in a Bulgarian-NATO military navy exercise in the Black Sea, east of Sofia [Getty] NATO launched a new multinational force in Romania on October 9 to counter Russian presence in the Black Sea,  Reuters  reports. The force is to be built around a Romanian brigade of up to 4,000 soldiers, supported by troops from nine other NATO countries. It’s going to complement a separate deployment of 900 US troops who are already in place. Apart from Romania, Poland is the biggest troop contributor. Bulgaria, Italy and Portugal will train regularly with the force in Craiova, and Germany is also expected to contribute. The plans include additional air support from Italy, Canada, and Britain to give the force greater capabilities. “Our purpose is peace, not war,” Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told the NATO Parliamentary Assembly of alliance lawmakers, which is meeting this year in Bucharest. The establishment of the force comes following Russi