ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A screenshot from the video A firefight has been reported in the Georgian city of Tbilisi where security forces storm a multi-storey apartment building. Georgia’s state security service said a unidentified number of suspects holed up in one of the apartments opened fire on the troops that were conducting the  operation in the area. According to reports, at least 1 suspect was detained and at least one security officer was shot in the head during the operation. The officer is in a critical condition. “According to the preliminary information they are not Georgian nationals and they are members of a terrorist organisation,” Nino Giorgobiani, the deputy head of administration at Georgia’s state security service, commented the situation. “It is important to note, that Georgia’s counter-terrorism department has been conducting negotiations with them for several hours about surrendering but they rejected it.” The situation remains tense.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool) Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir  has denied  there are relations between Riyadh and Tel-Aviv, in an apparent response to Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz making the first public disclosure of such ties. Steinitz,  a member of Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu’s security cabinet,  gave the first official confirmation  of long-rumored secret contacts when he told Army Radio on November 19 that “ties are developing” with Riyadh and other Arab or Muslim states. Last week, the Israeli military chief, Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot,  told  to the Saudi newspaper Elaph that Israel was ready to share “intelligence information” with Saudi Arabia, saying their countries had a common interest in standing up to Iran. Jubeir  told  Egypt’s CBC television station on November 20: “There are no relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. There is the Arab peace initiative, which shows the road map to reach peace an

Colombia sent a letter to the Venezuelan foreign ministry on November 21 protesting the incursion of a military helicopter and troops from that nation over the border, the latest in a series of similar incidents that have drawn criticism from Colombia, Reuters  reported . According to a statement issued by Colombia’s foreign ministry, the incident occurred on November 15 and 16 near the town of Tibu in Norte de Santander province. “The events have already been protested by the foreign ministry and there has been a meeting arranged between the foreign ministers to analyze what happened and request that measures be taken to prevent a recurrence,” the statement said. According to the ministry, during their incursion Venezuelan military forces illegally detained several people and stole from them, having caused damage to several private properties and farms. Forays by Venezuelan troops into Colombia have increased in recent years, heightening diplomatic tension between the govern

A source close to the Saudi royal family told the British Daily Mail newspaper that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is planning to step down and to hand over the Saudi Crown to his son Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. However, according to the source, King Salman will keep the title of “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” that’s traditionally linked with the “King” title in Saudi Arabia. “Unless something dramatic happens, King Salman will announce the appointment of MBS as King of Saudi Arabia next week… Salman will play the role of the queen of England. He will only keep the title Custodian of the Holy Shrines,” the source told the Daily Mail. No one ever tried to separate the two titles in the history of Saudi Arabia, mainly because this could lead to future problems within the royal family. The “King” title represent the political power. The “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” represents the religious power in Saudi Arabia.

The Project 09552 (Borei-A-class) nuclear-powered submarine Prince Vladimir was floated out in Russia’s Severodvinsk on November 17. Borei-class submarines are a series of strategic missile-carrying underwater cruisers.The subs have been developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering. According to reports, the submarine measures 170m long and 13.5m wide and a draft of 10m. Oleg Kuleshov / Rubin Design Bureau Oleg Kuleshov / Rubin Design Bureau Oleg Kuleshov / Rubin Design Bureau Oleg Kuleshov / Rubin Design Bureau Oleg Kuleshov / Rubin Design Bureau Oleg Kuleshov / Rubin Design Bureau

Click to see the full-size image On November 17, an ISIS official revealed to the ISIS-linked newspaper al-Naba’a that 8 suicide bombers and a VBIED of ISIS attacked the Deir Ezzor Airport south of the city of Deir Ezzor on November 12. According to the official, the ISIS fighters clashed with the airport guards and stormed the airport, before blowing up themselves, and their VBIED inside it. Click to see the full-size image The official claimed that the ISIS suicide attackers destroyed 3 fighter jets and 2 helicopters of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) during the attack. The official went on and claimed that 54 soldiers and 4 officers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) plus 5 Russian experts were killed in the attack. On November 12, Syrian pro-government sources confirmed that the Deir Ezzor Airport was attacked by ISIS. However, according to the sources, only 2 SAA soldiers were killed and 2 other were injured in the attack. Pro-government sources claimed back then, tha

express-k.kz Originally appeared in Russian at VPK-NEWS One may say that the political and military situation in the Asian Pacific is a calm before the storm. The race to prepare everyone to an armed conflict between the “free world” and the “communist totalitarian regime” in Pyongyang that was propagated by the western media has reached its peak. The US are concentrating their forces in Southeast Asia in order to strike at the military and industrial objects in North Korea. Three carrier strike groups (CSG) are awaiting orders in the Sea of Japan: USS CVN-68 Nimitz, USS CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt and USS CVN-76 Ronald Reagan. They are accompanied by three air wings. That comes up to 72-108 F/A-18E jets with 36 older F/A-18C Hornet jets for Navy support. The CSGs include up to 18 Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers, with 540 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. The Sea of Japan is also being patrolled by USS Michigan (SSGN-727) and USS Florida (SSGN-728) cruise missile submarine