Russia Deploys Jets to US-Held Regions in Syria's East

Russian helicopters at Qamishli airport on Saturday. (Russian and Kurdish media)
Russian helicopters at Qamishli airport on Saturday. (Russian and Kurdish media)
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Russia Deploys Jets to US-Held Regions in Syria's East

Russian helicopters at Qamishli airport on Saturday. (Russian and Kurdish media)
Russian helicopters at Qamishli airport on Saturday. (Russian and Kurdish media)

The Russian military sent fighter helicopters and jets to Qamishli airport in the region east of the Euphrates River in Syria's east, where American forces and their allies, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), are deployed.

The development took place amid reports that Turkey was preparing to launch an offensive in northeastern Syria.

Six Russian helicopters carried out surveillance flights along the Syrian-Turkish border on Saturday.

An informed military source from the SDF said the Syrian army and Russian forces have reinforced their positions in the cities of Hasakeh and Qamishli and nearby areas.

American forces, meanwhile, deployed patrols in northeastern Syria, inspected the border and listened to the locals' concerns over the possible Turkish operation.

Turkey's current and future military operations on its southern borders do not target its neighbors' sovereignty but are necessary for Turkish security, the country's National Security Council (MGK) said on Thursday.

The MGK statement followed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's declaration on Monday that Ankara would soon launch new military operations on its southern borders to expand 30-km (20-mile) deep safe zones and combat what he described as terrorist threats there.

"Operations being carried out now and in the future to remove the terrorism threat on our southern borders do not target our neighbors' territorial integrity and sovereignty in any way," it said after a three-hour meeting chaired by Erdogan.

Any operations were expected to target northern Syria, where Turkey has launched several incursions since 2016, mainly targeting the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Erdogan reiterated on Saturday that Turkey was not seeking to undermine the sovereignty of its neighbors, but it will also "not allow anyone to violate Turkish territories."

A YPG spokesman said Saturday the forces were taking Turkey's threats seriously and they were ready to defend their gains, forces and people. "We will resist to the end," he vowed.

He stressed that the forces have committed to the de-escalation agreements and ceasefire reached between Washington, Moscow and Ankara in 2019.

"We withdrew our forces to avoid a war, but are on alert for any attacks," he added.

Moreover, he stressed that any Turkish attack on the regions east of the Euphrates would not be possible without the agreement of international forces.

"We are in daily contact with Moscow and Washington, but we are relying on our forces instead of international ones," he remarked.

Russia and the US are guarantors of the de-escalation agreements with Turkey, so they should assume their responsibilities, he urged.



Production Suspended at Iraq’s Khor Mor Gas Field After Drone Attack

The Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq, November 27, 2025. (Reuters)
The Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq, November 27, 2025. (Reuters)
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Production Suspended at Iraq’s Khor Mor Gas Field After Drone Attack

The Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq, November 27, 2025. (Reuters)
The Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq, November 27, 2025. (Reuters)

Production ‌was halted on Sunday at Iraq's Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, after a drone attack hit the field, sources said.

Two sources in the region's electricity ministry said production at the field was suspended after a single drone strike hit the LPG storage tank, causing a fire that was still raging. Two security sources said smoke was seen rising from the field.

Employees at the field were evacuated ‌to shelters ‌inside the facility following the attack, the ‌two ⁠ministry sources said.

Iraq's ⁠prime minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Ali al-Zaidi, said the attack did not result in casualties, based on an initial assessment.

A joint statement by the region's natural resources and electricity ministries described the attack on the field as a "terrorist attack," saying they ⁠are working on minimizing its impact.

There was no ‌claim of responsibility for ‌the attack.

The gas field provides supplies for regional power generation.

Some ‌2.8 gigawatts of power generation in the Kurdistan region ‌was lost following the attack, the region's electricity ministry said in a statement.

Joint field operator Dana Gas had previously shut down the main production facilities at the field in July ‌due to credible security threats and regional tensions before restarting production later in the ⁠same month.

Iraq ⁠has been among the countries most affected by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the strait remains disrupted as ships continue to face attacks in the area.

Baghdad has been striving to balance its ties with neighboring Iran and the US amid the military escalation between the two countries.

However, Tehran has launched attacks against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq, while Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq launched attacks against Gulf neighbors earlier in the conflict.


US Asks Iraq to Shut Most Iran Border Crossings, Iraqi Foreign Minister Says

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Asks Iraq to Shut Most Iran Border Crossings, Iraqi Foreign Minister Says

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)

The US Treasury has asked Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran except for two as part of Washington's policy of ‌increasing economic ‌pressure on Tehran, Iraqi ‌Foreign ⁠Minister Fuad Hussein ⁠said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

One of the exceptions is in the Kurdistan region.

"There ⁠are many official ‌and ‌unofficial border crossings with Iran, ‌and closing all ‌of them would be difficult and would affect our economy. The Americans ‌are still demanding the closure of the crossings, ⁠and ⁠we are currently in discussions with them," Hussein said.

Last month, Iraq closed the busy Sheeb border crossing with Iran to review security and install detection equipment to stop smuggling.


Yemen Army Makes New Gains on Battlefronts

A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)
A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)
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Yemen Army Makes New Gains on Battlefronts

A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)
A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)

The Yemeni arena has witnessed a coordinated military escalation across multiple fronts over the past few hours, stretching from the southwestern governorates of Lahj and Taiz to Marib and Al-Jawf in the north.

The flare-up coincided with a wave of Houthi missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia, including the capital, Riyadh, alongside the Eastern and Southern Regions, as ongoing Yemeni government military operations point toward a broadening confrontation.

Yemeni military sources said that the air force executed a precision airstrike targeting a meeting of prominent Houthi field commanders in the Al-Maqatirah district of northern Lahj. The strike was launched after intelligence assets tracked the commanders' movements and pinpointed the meeting location.

The final toll of human casualties resulting from the strike, as well as the identities of the commanders present at the targeted site, remain unclear.

The strike took place amidst escalating military operations across the Lahj fronts, particularly in areas intersecting the Al-Maqatirah, Al-Mudharabah, and Tur Al-Baha districts.

Over recent days, these zones have witnessed intense clashes and retaliatory attacks, driven by Houthi attempts to advance toward strategic positions and supply routes linking the Lahj and Taiz governorates.

Government forces had previously announced the recapture of strategic positions on the Al-Mudharabah front following fierce clashes with the Houthis. The fighting involved intensive attacks launched by members of the militia against military sites before government forces managed to repel them and force the attackers to retreat.

On Saturday, the Yemeni army carried out 875 military operations against the Houthis, encompassing artillery strikes, ambushes, and targeted attacks on positions, gatherings, and reinforcements.

The campaign resulted in the neutralization of 130 Houthi members and the destruction or damage of some 50 military vehicles and equipment, including rocket launchers.

The attacks were executed across multiple fronts, focusing on the group's positions, reinforcements, and combat capabilities with the participation of ground units supported by air and artillery assets.

Meanwhile, government forces continued their maneuvers in Al-Jawf and other areas as part of ongoing confrontations to recapture military sites and secure liberated zones.

The escalation extended to the Marib fronts, where government forces announced the downing of a Houthi reconnaissance drone, coinciding with the thwarting of simultaneous ground attacks launched by the group against military positions in the Taiz and Lahj governorates.

Yemeni army artillery targeted Houthi military vehicles and barracks on the northern front of Marib following the downing of a drone on the Mas front. Military sources stated the operations are intended to curb the group's surveillance, reconnaissance, and troop-monitoring capabilities.