The Daily Brief 2019-03-03

This is a summary of 15 AMN articles on the following subjects: Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Quneitra, Idlib, Saraqib, Egypt, Latakia, Hama, Ecuador, Guaido, Maduro, Venezuela, Afrin, Russia, US, Iraq, Rukban, Euphrates, ISIS.

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Categories in this brief: Lebanon, Middleeast, Syria, North-Africa, World-News, Iraq

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Table of Contents

• Update: Syrian air defense on high alert as Israeli warplanes emerge along Lebanese border
• Breaking: Israeli forces attack Syrian Army troops in Al-Quneitra
• Syrian Army offensive will target key town in northeast Idlib: source
• Oscar winner Rami Malek accused of 'corrupting Egyptians' by official
• Syria returns to Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union after 8 years (VIDEO)
• HTS special forces launch big assault in northern Latakia
• Syrian Army, Russian officially preparing to launch massive offensive in northwest Syria
• Breaking: Guaido leaves Ecuador to return to Venezuela
• [Graphic 18+] Many jihadist corpses left behind after failed attack in northern Hama (VIDEO)
• Turkish-backed rebels kill several Kurdish fighters in Afrin
• Russia is seeking to prevent military intervention in Venezuela: official
• Scores of Syrian Army soldiers and militants killed in deadliest battle of the year
• US used decommissioned F-117 stealth bomber during Syria, Iraq campaigns: report
• US forces block convoys sent to Rukban Camp — Russian MoD
• Watch: US drop white phosphorous on ISIS in east Syria

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Update: Syrian air defense on high alert as Israeli warplanes emerge along Lebanese border

Published 2019-03-03 23:55:20 by News Desk in Lebanon, Middleeast, Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:40 P.M.) - The Syrian air defense units have been placed on high alert this evening after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an attack on their positions in the Al-Quneitra Governorate. Speaking to Al-Masdar from the capital city of Damascus, a Syrian Army officer said that their air defense units have been placed on high alert after Israeli warplanes were spotted along the Lebanese border. The officer said the Israeli warplanes were concentrated at the Golan Heights-Mount Hermon axis, but the jets did not enter Syrian airspace. It is not clear whether or not the Israeli... Read on ->

Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Syria

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Breaking: Israeli forces attack Syrian Army troops in Al-Quneitra

Published 2019-03-03 23:26:15 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:20 P.M.) - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a number of tank shells towards the Syrian Arab Army's (SAA) defenses inside rural Al-Quneitra, a source told Al-Masdar News from southwest Syria. According to the military source, the Israeli Defense Forces fired the tank shells towards a Syrian Army garrison near the town of Hader in Al-Quneitra. The source added that the situation in southwestern Syria could escalate in the coming hours should the Syrian Arab Army choose to respond to the attack from the Israeli Defense Forces. In the past, when the Syrian Arab Army and their... Read on ->

Tags: Quneitra, Syria

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Syrian Army offensive will target key town in northeast Idlib: source

Published 2019-03-03 23:02:00 by Leith Aboufadel in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:40 P.M.) - The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is preparing to launch a major offensive in the northwestern region of Syria in the next two weeks, a military source told Al-Masdar News on Sunday. According to the source, the Syrian Arab Army's Tiger Forces and their allies are preparing to clear the 20-kilometer-deep demilitarized zone that stretches across the Idlib, Hama, Aleppo, and Latakia governorates. Initially, the source said the Syrian Army was targeting the northern countryside of Hama and nearby Al-Ghaab Plain. However, the source has since informed Al-Masdar that the Syrian Arab Army is preparing to... Read on ->

Tags: Idlib, Saraqib, Syria

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Oscar winner Rami Malek accused of 'corrupting Egyptians' by official

Published 2019-03-03 22:07:45 by News Desk in North-Africa

The 37-year-old Hollywood star shot to fame playing a lead role in the wildly popular television series “Mr. Robot”, racking up several prestigious awards, namely a Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and some more. The 2019 Oscar winner for Best Actor, Egyptian-born Rami Malek, has been vehemently accused of ruining the moral values of the Arab country. “I was surprised by the Egyptian media’s celebration of Rami Malek, because the role played by Rami Malek in the film is far from his real character. He is trying to [spread] homosexuality among the youth”, Egyptian MP Mohamed Ismail, secretary of the Housing Committee in the House of... Read on ->

Tags: Egypt

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Syria returns to Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union after 8 years (VIDEO)

Published 2019-03-03 21:50:29 by News Desk in Syria

A Syrian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Hammouda Sabbagh arrived in Amman for the 29th conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) on Sunday, marking the first time that Syria had attended the conference since the eruption of the Syria conflict in 2011. The two-day meeting, held under the theme of 'Jerusalem - the eternal capital of the Palestinian state,' was attended by parliamentary speakers from 16 Arab countries and representatives from the parliaments of other states.     Video credit: Ruptly

Tags: Syria

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HTS special forces launch big assault in northern Latakia

Published 2019-03-03 21:26:30 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:10 P.M.) - The jihadist rebels launched a big assault in the northern countryside of the Latakia Governorate this evening. Led by their special forces, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham began their assault by heavily shelling the Syrian Arab Army's positions in the Turkmen Mountain of the northern countryside of Latakia. According to a military source in Latakia, the special forces of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham then stormed the Syrian Arab Army's positions in a bid to overwhelm their troops at the Turkmen Mountains. As a result of these clashes, the Syrian Arab Army and Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham both suffered a... Read on ->

Tags: Latakia, Syria

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Syrian Army, Russian officially preparing to launch massive offensive in northwest Syria

Published 2019-03-03 21:03:45 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:30 P.M.) - The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian military are preparing to launch a massive offensive in the northwestern region of Syria, a source in Damascus told Al-Masdar News on Sunday. According to the military source, the Syrian Arab Army, alongside the Russian Air Force, are preparing to storm and capture the 20 kilometer-deep deescalation zone that is situation between the Hama, Aleppo, Idlib, and Latakia governorates. In particular, the Syrian Army's first major targets in northwestern Syria will be the towns of Morek and Al-Latamnah in northern Hama and the Al-Ghaab Plain that is situated... Read on ->

Tags: Hama, Idlib, Syria

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Breaking: Guaido leaves Ecuador to return to Venezuela

Published 2019-03-03 20:20:32 by News Desk in World-News

BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:00 P.M.) - The Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has reportedly left Ecuador to return to home country. According to flight observer Manu Gomez (Twitter: @GDarkconrad), Guaido departed from the Salinas Airbase in Ecuador to return to Venezuela. https://twitter.com/GDarkconrad/status/1102262073856274435 Guaido's return to Venezuela comes just days after he made several visits to neighboring South American countries to gain support for his campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Tags: Ecuador, Guaido, Maduro, Venezuela

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[Graphic 18+] Many jihadist corpses left behind after failed attack in northern Hama (VIDEO)

Published 2019-03-03 19:53:23 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:40 P.M.) - Several corpses belonging to the jihadist rebels were left behind enemy lines on Sunday after their failed attack against the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) troops in northern Hama. According to a report from the Syrian Ministry of Defense, the Syrian Arab Army foiled a heavy attack that was launched by the jihadist group Tanzim Ansar Al-Tawheed on the Massasneh axis of northern Hama. The report said more than 20 members of Tanzim Ansar Al-Tawheed were killed during the battle, including a number of foreign combatants. However, the battle in northern Hama would also be incredibly... Read on ->

Tags: Hama, Syria

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Turkish-backed rebels kill several Kurdish fighters in Afrin

Published 2019-03-03 19:38:11 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:20 P.M.) - The Kurdish-led Afrin Liberation Forces launched a new attack against a group of Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters in the Afrin region on Saturday. According to reports, the Afrin Liberation Front attempted to attack the Free Syrian Army's 3rd Legion along the Deir Mushmush axis in Afrin. However, the Free Syrian Army's 3rd Legion had prior information about the attack, allowing them to prepare their forces to repel any assault by the ALF. The 3rd Legion said they managed to ambush the would-be attackers from the Afrin Liberation Forces, resulting in the death of... Read on ->

Tags: Afrin, Syria

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Russia is seeking to prevent military intervention in Venezuela: official

Published 2019-03-03 19:19:09 by News Desk in World-News

Russia will make every effort to prevent military intervention in Venezuela, Russia’s Federation Council (upper house) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko told a meeting with Venezuela’s Executive Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez, who is paying a working visit to Moscow. "We are very afraid that the United States may stage any provocations to provoke bloodshed and find a reason and pretext for intervention in Venezuela. But we will do our utmost to prevent this," Matviyenko said. Russia is absolutely against any external meddling the affairs of sovereign independent states, she stressed. "I’m sure that you were able to see that Russia feels sympathy with... Read on ->

Tags: Russia, US, Venezuela

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Scores of Syrian Army soldiers and militants killed in deadliest battle of the year

Published 2019-03-03 19:01:26 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:45 P.M.) - A large number of Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers and jihadist rebels were killed during a fierce battle in northern Hama last night. According to a military source in Hama city, the jihadist rebels of Tanzeem Ansar Al-Tuwhid launched a surprise assault on the Syrian Arab Army's positions at the Massasneh axis at 1:30 A.M. (local time). Taking advantage of the poor weather, Tanzeem Ansar Al-Tuwhid attempted to overwhelm the Syrian Arab Army troops at the Massasneh axis. Furthermore, Tanzeem Ansar Al-Tuwhid militants far behind the front-lines provided necessary support by launching several artillery shells... Read on ->

Tags: Hama, Syria

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US used decommissioned F-117 stealth bomber during Syria, Iraq campaigns: report

Published 2019-03-03 18:39:40 by News Desk in Iraq, Syria

The once famous F-117 stealth attack jets were decommissioned several years after one was shot down over Yugoslavia in March 1999 by a Soviet-made S-125 missile defence system and after the F-22 took over some of the F-117's roles, when precision strikes were deemed essential for a mission. Four of the now decommissioned attack jets F-117 Nighthawk were deployed for operations in the Middle East in 2017 due to an "operational need" that emerged, Dutch aviation magazine Scramble reported citing "very reliable information" obtained. According to the magazine, the jets were conducting missions over Iraq and Syria using Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs). One of them was even reportedly forced to make... Read on ->

Tags: Iraq, Syria, US

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US forces block convoys sent to Rukban Camp — Russian MoD

Published 2019-03-03 00:13:35 by News Desk in Syria

The United States has not allowed the transport convoys dispatched to evacuate refugees from the Rukban camp to pass through the Al-Tanf zone controlled by US troops, Lieutenant General Sergei Solomatin, the chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria, told reporters on Saturday. "Despite the fact that the authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic have successfully finished all preparations for refugees’ evacuation from the Rukban camp to the places of pre-war residence, the US turned down a joint request of the Russian and Syrian inter-departmental coordination centers for relocation and accommodation of refuges to allow... Read on ->

Tags: Rukban, Syria

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Watch: US drop white phosphorous on ISIS in east Syria

Published 2019-03-03 00:02:31 by News Desk in Syria

BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:45 P.M.) - Last night, the U.S. Coalition dropped internationally banned white phosphorous on the last Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) enclave in eastern Syria. According to reports from eastern Syria, the U.S. Coalition specifically dropped the white phosphorous on the Islamic State's positions inside the Baghouz camp. Video footage of the U.S. Coalition dropping white phosphorous on the Islamic State's positions was captured by 'Ayn Al-Firat (Eye of the Euphrates) on Saturday: https://www.facebook.com/euphrateseye/videos/344658466152771/

Tags: Euphrates, ISIS, Syria

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