Middle East
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May- 2018 -21 May
Syrian army says Damascus ‘completely secure’ after taking Yarmouk camp from ISIS
Syria’s army said it was in full control of the capital Damascus and its outskirts after ousting Islamic State, marking a major milestone in the seven-year war. “The Syrian army announces today that Damascus, its outskirts and surrounding towns are completely secure,” it said in a statement carried by state media network SANA on Monday, May 21. The development came after troops had captured a key southern portion of Damascus from IS, the statement said, including the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk and the adjacent district of Hajar al-Aswad. “The wheel of our progress on the battlefield will not stop until all Syrian land is purified,” it added. Russian-langauge Russkaya Vesna posted video of Syrian Arab Army troops raising the national flag in the Yarmouk camp, which had been under siege for years. Syria’s war erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad, including in the capital. The following year, the government began losing control of parts of Damascus and placed a crippling siege around Yarmouk, which lies in the capital’s south. The army’s announcement came hours after a tenuous evacuation deal saw hundreds of ISIS fighters and their relatives quit Yarmouk, according to reports. Videos posted on social media on Sunday …
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21 May
US troops unlikely to withdraw from Syria after ISIS defeat in Deir Ezzor
US troops are unlikely to leave Syria after defeating ISIS in Deir Ezzor despite tough talk from President Trump and Turkey's calls for the SDF to leave Manbij, Wladimir Van Wilgenburg reports
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19 May
High-value target captured by SDF isn’t ISIS spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir
Reports that the Syrian Democratic Forces backed by the U.S.-led Coalition against Islamic State captured the group's spokesperson Abu Hasan al-Muhajir in a raid in Eastern Syria are untrue, a spokesperson for the Coalition said
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18 May
US approves $45 million sale of 3,200 bomb bodies to Bahrain
The U.S. State Department approved an estimated $45 million sale of 3,200 general purpose and penetrator bomb bodies to Bahrain
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18 May
Israel builds ‘missile net’ along eastern border to protect new airport
Israel has built a unique "missile net" to defend a new airport, as part of a newly-completed segment of its eastern border barrier, a military official said
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17 May
Denmark to withdraw special forces from Iraq, but capacity-building contingent will stay
Denmark said that special forces assigned to the U.S.-led Coalition will be withdrawn because they have completed their mission, but other troops in capacity building, and radar operation roles will remain
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16 May
Russian navy to ‘permanently’ patrol the Mediterranean armed with Kalibr missiles, Putin says
Russian naval ships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles will patrol off the coast of Syria on a continuous basis in order to ward off terrorist threats, President Vladimir Putin said
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14 May
Israeli forces kill protesting Palestinians in Gaza as US opens embassy in Jerusalem
Israeli forces shot and killed Palestinian protesters along the frontier with Gaza as mass protests erupted against the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem
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10 May
Israel strikes dozens of ‘Iranian military targets’ in Syria overnight
Israel said it hit dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria overnight, including one where a rocket attack on the Israeli army in the Golan Heights originated.
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8 May
Israel blamed for strikes near Damascus after ordering shelters open in the Golan
Israeli forces struck Syria on Tuesday night, shortly after recalling reserve units and ordered shelters open in the Golan Heights
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