ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Illustrative image: Reuters/Marko Djurica The Armed Forces of Ukraine reactivated in Donetsk by opening fire at Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) army positions and towns near the front on November 5, according to  Anna-news . Two children and one adult were injured, one child killed. A high number of civilians was evacuated. 82mm and 120mm mortars, 122mm and 152mm howitzers, and BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers are reported to have been used.  “2126 shots have been fired by Armed Forces of Ukraine at Donetsk People’s Republic in 24 hours,” DPR representative in the Joint Control and Coordination Center, Ruslan Yakubov, said. DPR forces have retaliated, destroying two howitzer batteries,  according  to DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko. He also added that Ukraine may have attacked because of a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam this week. The ...

Just hours after the death of Prince Mansour bin Muqrin in a helicopter “crash” in the Saudi province of Asir , the Saudi Royal Court announced the death of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd. The second prince was reportedly killed during a firefight with security forces, which were attempting to arrest him. 44-year-old Prince Aziz was the youngest son of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Fahd died in 2005. The death of Prince Aziz was the latest incident in a series of  arrests and crackdowns started by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. According to experts, the Saudi economic and political elite is in a disarray as 32-year-old Bin Salman is destroying the vestiges internal stabiltiy in the country to supress the growing opposition to himself and his father.

Illustrative image The Russian state-run media has accused the United States of evacuating ISIS commanders from the city of Mayadin before  it was liberated by the Syrian Army in October. According to RIA Novosti (a Russian version of Sputnik), US helicopters have evacuated ISIS commanders from the citiy before the launch of the Syrian army’s operation. The outlet  cited an alleged eyewitness to confirm this statement: “American military aviation first made a maneuver in the area […] near a Mayadin farm. Then [ the aviation] launched an airstrike, we tried to hide and saw several US helicopters. There were foreign Daesh [ISIS] commanders on the ground, who were waiting for them next to their headquarters… The helicopters took them outside of Mayadin.” “US aviation… first a sound from it, then a massive strike that was followed by the US helicopters’ flight and transportation of Daesh leaders after which the airstrikes ceased,” the outlet quot...

This video provides a closer look at clshes in Marawi, which had been taking place between May 23 and October 23 while the city was in hands of ISIS-linked militants. The terrorists entered the city on May 23 and seized a large part of it. Philippine forces had been clashing with them until the city was officially declared liberated on October 23. The video below shows a July 16 combat incident in which security serivce members conducted an intense urban combat rescue under ISIS fire.

Written by Gordon Duff with Nahed al Husaini; Originally appeared at Veterans Today Sources across the Middle East are reeling with the resignation of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hariri. Harari’s resignation, ordered by Saudi Arabia and, by our estimation Israel as well, signals a new phase of wars as the “ISIS experiment” draws to a close. former Lebanese PM Hariri Hariri claimed Iran and Hezbollah were planning to assassinate him.  From the UK Guardian: “We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of [his father, the late prime minister] martyr Rafik Hariri. I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life,” he said in a televised speech on Saturday. Hariri said Iran was “losing in its interference in the affairs of the Arab world”, and that  Lebanon  would “rise as it had done in the past” and “cut off the hands that wickedly extend into it”. However, our sources say Hariri’s resignation si...

Hassan Nasrallah On November 5, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said during a televised speech that  Saudi Arabia forced Lebanon Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign . Nasrallah added that the fact that Hariri announced his resignation from Saudi Arabia, and some words in his speech proved that the decision had been taken by Saudi Arabia. “It is clear that the resignation was a Saudi decision that was imposed on Prime Minister Hariri. It was not his intention, not his wish and not his decision,” Nasrallah said in his speech. The Hezbollah leader revealed that Hariri resignation shocked Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri and even the MPs of the Future Movement, which is led by Hariri himself. Nasrallah also stressed that Hezbollah was satisfied with Hariri work as the prime minister and didn’t want him to resign. According to Nasrallah, Saudi Arabia could force Hariri to resign because it was not satisfied with his work in ...

On November 4, The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that a VBIED of ISIS attacked a gathering of Syrian refugees between the CONICO gas facility and the Jafra oil field north of Deir Ezzor city. The SDF said that over 100 civilians were killed and dozens others were injured in the attack. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) also said that ISIS was behind the attack on the civilian refugees. However, the ISIS-linked news Agency didn’t release any info about the attack so far. This is the second attack of ISIS against civilian refugees in eastern Syria. Back on October 12, an  ISIS suicide bomber driving a VBIED targeted a gathering of civilians near Abu Fas area on the al-Hasakah–Deir Ezzor highway killing over 40 civilians . Meanwhile, Kurdish sources claimed that the SDF advanced in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside and captured Sarhit, Shudayha, Younes, Galban and Shaitat oil fields south of the al-Tanak oil field. However, the SDF is yet to confir...

In a shocking development, Saudi press Al Mayadeen reported late on Saturday that prominent billionaire, member of the royal Saudi family, and one of the biggest shareholders of Citi, News Corp. and Twitter – not to mention frequent CNBC guest – Al-Waleed bin Talal,  along with ten senior princes, and some 38 ministers , has been arrested for corruption and money laundering charges on orders from the new anti-corruption committee headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while Royal princes’ private planes have been grounded. Among those fired and/or arrested are the head of National Royal Guards, Miteb Bin Abdullah, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Adel Fakeih, and Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, the Commander of the Saudi Naval Forces. View image on Twitter حسن سجواني    ✔ @HSajwanization # BREAKING  Several Princes & Saudi businessmen are arrested for  # MoneyLaundering  and  # corruption ...