Syria

MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. French and Belgian special services are preparing a chemical provocation in Syria in order to accuse Russia’s Aerospace Forces of strikes on civilians, the head of the Russian reconciliation center in Syria, Maj. Gen. Viktor Kupchishin, told reporters on Friday.

MOSCOW, March 27. /TASS/. Syria has requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting after the United States recognized Israel’s sovereignty over Golan Heights, AFP said on Wednesday citing diplomatic sources.

France, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, will appoint the date of the meeting soon.

DAMASCUS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian air defenses responded to Israeli airstrike in Syria's northern province of Aleppo overnight Wednesday, intercepting a number of missiles before reaching their targets, according to the state news agency SANA.

The airstrike targeted the Sheikh Najjar area in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, according to the report, citing a military statement.

Sounds of explosions were heard around the government-controlled area of Sheikh Najjar, which is an industrial zone in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, said the report.

27 Mar 2019; DW: The international community has voiced collective outrage over US President Donald Trump's decision to sign a proclamation affirming US recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights on Monday.

The Tuesday reactions came from all corners of the world, uniting US adversaries and allies alike.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Damascus believes that US President Donald Trump’s move to sign a proclamation recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights is a blatant attack on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported, citing a source in the country’s Foreign Ministry.

"The US President has recognized the Zionist occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights, attacking Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," the source said.

23 Mar 2019; AFP: Kurdish-led forces pronounced the death of the Islamic State group's nearly five-year-old "caliphate" Saturday after flushing out diehard jihadists from their very last bastion in eastern Syria.

Fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces raised their yellow flag in Baghouz, the remote riverside village where diehard jihadists of a variety of nationalities made a desperate, dramatic last stand.

UNITED NATIONS, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A Syrian envoy said Friday that the Syrian Golan will always remain an Arab Syrian territory, reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise tweet that the United States would recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

22 Mar 2019; DW: Russia, Iran and Syria on Friday criticized President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States intends to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied-Golan Heights.

The move comes as Israel has been pushing the Trump administration for recognition and some members of the Republican Party are backing the idea.

Russia, Syrian and Iranian positions

MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump’s statement concerning the Golan Heights is irresponsible, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said, as cited by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

"Syria strongly condemns the US president’s irresponsible statements about the occupied Golan Heights. These statements confirm the United States’ blind commitment to Israel and support of its aggressive ways," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. The United States still refuses to let through buses sent for evacuating refugees from the Rubakan camp in Syria, head of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides Viktor Kupchishin said on Monday.

"Refugees from the Rubakan camp still cannot leave as the US side does not let through buses for evacuating refugees and refuses to ensure security for humanitarian convoys inside the 55-kilometer zone around its Al-Tanf base," Kupchishin said.