An Iraqi volunteer force flashes the sign for victory during an anti-ISIL operation north-west of the capital city of Baghdad, May 27, 2015. (© AFP)
WW3
WW3 updates: Middle East- Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq.
Russian FM slams unauthorized US raids in Syria
The Russian foreign minister has slammed Washington’s unauthorized airstrikes in Syrian territory as a breach of international law, saying the US follows a dual policy in the battle against the ISIL Takfiri terror group.
Sergei Lavrov stated in a Friday interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel that he questioned his US counterpart John Kerry at a recent meeting at the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi on why Washington conducts airstrikes on ISIL positions in Iraqi territory with the consent of Baghdad, but carries out similar operations in Syria without seeking authorization from the Damascus government in “flagrant violation of international law.”
“I asked US Secretary [of State] John Kerry the reason why [the US] didn’t take the legal way – to receive a mandate for the coalition to get the approval of the Syrian and Iraqi government forces in their fight against IS[IL] – in the situation where the Syrian government is the objective ally in the fight against [the so-called] Islamic State,” said Lavrov.
“The answer was very interesting. I was told: ‘You know, we don’t consider the Syrian regime as a legitimate partner’,” he added.
Describing Washington’s refusal to cooperate with the Syrian government as “short-sighted,”Lavrov then noted that in 2014 the US considered the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad as legitimate during its cooperation in the successful destruction of the country’s chemical stockpile.
“Such double standards have been always characteristic for Americans,” Lavrov further emphasized.
ALSO SEE:
Breaking: The Delta “Deception” Raid On Syria
Secret Pentagon Report Reveals US “Created” ISIS As A “Tool” To Overthrow Syria’s President Assad
Saudi military carried out artillery,rocket attacks on Sa’ada and Hajjah provinces
The Saudi military carried out artillery and rocket attacks on several areas in Sa’ada and Hajjah provinces. Saudi warplanes also targeted a military camp in Ma’rib province. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Earlier, fighter jets targeted a residential area and a school in northern Sa’ada province as well as a mosque, a government complex and a central market in Malahid directorate. More than four-thousand people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Riyadh started its onslaught against Yemen on March 26.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxb2pUtvx2M
4 killed in suicide attack on Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia’s Dammam
The bomb went off outside a Shia mosque in the town of Dammam during Friday prayers. The assailant was disguised as a woman and detonated his bomb in the parking lot after being prevented by guards from entering the mosque. Several people have also been wounded in the attack. This is the second deadly attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s Shia Muslims in a week. Last Friday, a bomb blast targeting another Shia mosque in Qatif region left 21 people dead and two-hundred others injured. Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province has been the scene of anti-regime protests since 2011. Protesters demand reforms, freedom of expression and the release of political prisoners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w04Ln8ieEv4
Saudi warplanes target positions in Yemen’s Sa’ada, Amran, Hajjah
The Saudi war on Yemen rages on with the latest airstrikes hitting multiple regions across the impoverished country.
Saudi fighter jets have carried out four raids on some residential areas in Ma’rib with casualties reported. Two civilians were killed as a hospital and a house were bombed in Bani Hushaysh district in capital Sana’a. Targets in Amran province were also pounded by Saudi warplanes. A military base in the city of Lahij and another one in Hajjah province were struck as well. Fighter jets launched several raids in Sa’ada province during which a telecommunication center and a residential building were hit. More than four-thousand people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Riyadh started its onslaught against Yemen on March 26.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-jV1L_XRak
“Silence of world powers on Yemen war blatant double standard”
Saudi Arabia’s deadly war on Yemen continues relentlessly causing more civilian deaths and destruction.
In their latest attacks, Saudi warplanes carried out several airstrikes on the town of Sahar in northern Sa’ada province. There is still no word on possible casualties. A school was also hit in separate raids in the province. Saudi fighter jets also pounded Yemen’s air force base there. Earlier, dozens of Yemeni civilians were killed and scores wounded as Saudi warplanes targeted a residential area and a military base in Hajjah province. The onslaught on Yemen has left more than four-thousand people dead since March 26.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sypZq9ql93I
Saudi warplanes attacked town of Sahar in northern Sa’ada
Saudi Arabia’s deadly war on Yemen continues relentlessly causing more civilian deaths and destruction. In their latest attacks, Saudi warplanes carried out several airstrikes on the town of Sahar in northern Sa’ada province. There is still no word on possible casualties. A school was also hit in separate raids in the province. Saudi fighter jets also pounded Yemen’s air force base there. Earlier, dozens of Yemeni civilians were killed and scores wounded as Saudi warplanes targeted a residential area and a military base in Hajjah province. The onslaught on Yemen has left more than four-thousand people dead since March 26.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-WvbTqDrSk
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Iraqi forces liberate Sayyid Ghareeb from ISIL terrorists
The Iraqi army, backed by volunteer forces, has liberated the strategic village of Sayyed Ghareeb in Salahuddin province from ISIL terrorists. In an interview with Press TV, the leader of a paramilitary group said the volunteers will continue their push toward Karma and Ramadi. Qais Khazali reiterated his group’s rejection of US intervention in the battle against ISIL in Iraq.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c8b5K4laJA
Army kills over 140 ISIL Takfiris across Iraq
More than 140 terrorists of the Takfiri ISIL group have reportedly been killed in the fresh operations launched by the Iraqi army troops, backed by Shia and Sunni volunteers, in various areas.
A statement issued by Iraq’s Defense Ministry said 45 ISIL terrorists were killed in heavy clashes with the Iraqi forces in an area some 40 kilometers west of the capital Baghdad.
Meanwhile, 38 extremist militants were killed in Salahuddin Province and four in the province of Nineveh, the statement said.
Iraqi forces also arrested 90 Takfiri militants in Salahuddin.
No reference has been made to the death toll among Iraqi forces in the reports.
Elsewhere in Anbar Province, Iraqi army units killed at least 16 ISIL terrorists in the Abu-Shehab neighborhood of the provincial capital Ramadi, 18 in the al-Kurma region and 20 others in the al-Qa’im area.
In another incident late on Thursday, two separate car bombs went off at the parking lots of two hotels in the Iraqi capital, leaving 15 people dead and more than 42 others wounded.
No group or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks.
The latest developments come as the Iraqi army, along with volunteer forces, has stepped up its fight against Takfiri terrorists across the country, especially in the provinces of Anbar and Salahuddin.
During the past few days, Iraqi forces have managed to retake some areas in the two provinces from ISIL extremists, inflicting heavy losses on them.
Iraq has witnessed a spike in violence since the ISIL terror group launched a terror campaign in the north and west of the Arab country in June 2014.
