Syria

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. France is partly to blame for the crash of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft in Syria and the death of Russian military servicemen, military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok told reporters.

"The French Navy's frigate, The Auvergne, did not make the best contribution to the air situation, creating additional difficulties for Syrian air defense teams," he said, adding that "the French frigate was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Syria's air defenses were triggered Monday evening by an Israeli missile attack on the coastal city of Latakia, which lasted for an hour and a half, state TV reported.

The state media reports said the air defenses intercepted many missiles before reaching their targets, airing footages showing the air defense missiles beaming in the sky over Latakia and the nearby city of Tartus.

The footages also showed areas that had been struck by the missile attack, which the TV said was carried out from the sea.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States believed that the Russian aircraft that went missing on Monday over the Mediterranean had been mistakenly shot down by Syrian forces, U.S. media reported on Monday citing a U.S. official with knowledge of the incident.

A Russian aircraft with 14 servicemen on board went off radar near the Hmeymim airbase in Syria Monday evening and the Hmeymim airbase has launched a search and rescue operation for the missing aircraft, said the Russian Defense Ministry in a statement.

Damascus, 15 Sep 2018; SANA – The Syrian Arab Army’s air defenses confronted an Israeli missile attack on Damascus International Airport, a military source said on Saturday evening.

The source said that the air defenses managed to shoot down a number of the enemy missiles.

DAMASCUS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- When the Syrian army is preparing for the last major battle against the last major rebel stronghold in the northwestern province of Idlib, the United States, its western allies and Turkey oppose it. Why?

Various rebel groups are located in Idlib, but not all of them are on the same page.

The striking force among all rebel factions is the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, otherwise known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Arabic for the Levant Liberation Committee (LLC).

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has kicked off the final phase of its campaign against the Islamic State (IS) militants, said the Pentagon on Tuesday.

The SDF, with the help of the U.S.-led coalition, initiated ground operations for Phase Three of Operation Roundup on Monday, aiming to clear the remaining IS forces in Iraq and Syria from northeastern Syria, said the Pentagon in a statement.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that it is "absolutely essential" to avoid a full-scale attack on Syria's Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in the country.

"This (A full-scale attack) would unleash a humanitarian nightmare unlike any seen in the blood-soaked Syrian conflict," said the UN chief in a press encounter at UN Headquarters in New York.

DAMASCUS, September 3. /TASS/. Schools in Syria’s governorates hired more than 30,000 new teachers this year. According to Syrian Education Minister Hazwan al-Waz, the move became necessary after schools in the territories liberated from terrorists resumed their work.

"This year, Syria’s Ministry of Education hired 30,000 teachers additionally in those cities, which were liberated from terrorists," he said.

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. It is impossible to end the Syrian crisis because of US meddling, since Washington has been coddling the interests of Israel, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

"The Syrian people and the Syrian government want the crisis to end today. However, it is impossible because of external interference led by the United States," he said, adding, "this interference satisfies the interests of Israel and runs counter to those of the Syrian people."

MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. Russia will hold drills in the Mediterranean Sea on September 1-8 with the involvement of 25 warships and 30 aircraft, the Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

In accordance with the training plan of the Russian Armed Forces, large-scale drills of the grouping of forces (troops) of the Russian Navy and the Aerospace Force will be conducted on September 1-8, 2018 in the Mediterranean Sea under the direction of Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Korolyov," the ministry said.