ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A B-52 strategic bomber. © Tim Chong / Reuters US President Donald Trump on November 7  warned  North Korea that the US was prepared to use the full range of its military power, but urged Pyongyang to “make a deal” to end the nuclear standoff. During a visit to Seoul, Trump said that while “we hope to God” not to have to resort to the use of full US military might, he said: “We cannot allow North Korea to threaten all that we have built.” Trump also urged North Korea to “do the right thing” and added that: “I do see some movement,” though he declined to elaborate. “It really makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal,” Trump said after talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has supported diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang. “We demand that North Korea ceases nuclear developments and returns to negotiations,” Moon Jae-in  said  after talks with Trump, adding that Washington and Seoul agreed to continue exerting pressure on Pyongyang to achieve th

Photo: TASS/Sergey Savostianov The Caspian special operations unit will transport and evacuate special forces units on high-speed boats. According to  Izvestiya , Caspian Flotilla has formed a new special operations unit, dedicated to conducting shore operations, such as covertly transporting and evacuating reconnaissance teams, covering them with fire and conducting raids. The unit will take care of security of sea bases and coasts. The unit will be equipped with Raptor high-speed patrol boats and Tachyon drones. According to the experts, the unit doesn’t have a military-political use. The unit was created as an extension of the Russian Navy, as “coastal” special operations units can be a useful asset in special operations taking place on sea. The Raptor high-speed patrol boats are to be delivered to the unit until the end of the year. Tachyon drones will be used for covert landing on shores and for discovering enemy saboteurs under water. The unit’s personnel is current

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said Iran supplying rockets to militias in Yemen is an act of “direct military aggression”, could be considered an act of war. Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s comments were published after Saudi Arabia intercepted a ballistic missile north-east of Riyadh on November 5, launched by the Iran-allied Houthi militia which controls large parts of neighboring Yemen. The supply of rockets to the Iran-allied rebel Houthi movement could “be considered an act of war against the Kingdom,” state news agency  SPA  on November 7 quoted Prince as saying in a call with British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson. In reaction to the missile, Saudi Arabia would temporarily close all Yemeni ground, air and sea ports while investigating how the missiles were smuggled in. Yemen’s national airline, Yemenia, subsequently cancelled all flights to the country. Iran also called some attention in regards to the 2015 nuclear agreement.  The Jerusalem Post  claims that Iran may not be

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 north of Donetsk an

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 quoted the 79-year-old eyewitness

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 signals a new ro