Syria, Russia Hold Joint Military Drills

File photo of members of the Syrian regime forces. (Reuters)
File photo of members of the Syrian regime forces. (Reuters)
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Syria, Russia Hold Joint Military Drills

File photo of members of the Syrian regime forces. (Reuters)
File photo of members of the Syrian regime forces. (Reuters)

The Syrian regime forces, in coordination with the Russian forces operating in Syria, carried out a “night parachute jump in several stages with full field equipment.”

Syria’s official news agency SANA said that the training was carried out “in cooperation with Russian trainers and air cover,” as part of the coordination and joint training between the Syrian and Russian friendly armies.

Syrian skillful fighters performed their mission with complete success and efficiency in terms of implementing the set plan and reaching the designated places on time in rugged areas, SANA reported.

“The joint drills showed the extent of harmony between the two friendly sides and the great effectiveness in achieving the desired positive results from these exercises.”

Earlier this week, civilians in the coastal city of Tartus said Russian-Syrian military drills were carried out on the city’s beach near the Russian naval base.

They pointed out that these exercises come in line with preparations by the Russian forces to celebrate the “Russian Naval Fleet Day” on the sea corniche in Tartus.

Separately, the Syrian army affirmed Tuesday it is prepared to confront any possible attack by Turkish forces and terrorist organizations on its soil.

This comes in the wake of “intensified provocations by the Turkish regime on Syrian territory during the past two days, as well as the attacks on different areas and some military sites,” a military source revealed.

The regime forces sent new military reinforcements that included soldiers and heavy weapons to Mengh military airport in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

This comes in light of ongoing Turkish military escalations through daily rocket attacks and Turkish threats to launch a military operation.

SANA said Turkey and the organizations it supports “escalated their attacks with heavy artillery and rocket-propelled grenades, along the areas adjacent to the areas it occupies in the countryside of Hasakah, Aleppo and Raqqa provinces.”

Many citizens were injured and material damage was caused to people’s properties and infrastructure in those areas, SANA reported, adding that dozens of families were also displaced.

Meanwhile, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activists reported that a Russian warplane flew over Manbij area in the eastern countryside of Aleppo on Wednesday morning.



UN Force Says Peacekeeper Killed in South Lebanon

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy maneuvers within southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 02 June 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy maneuvers within southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 02 June 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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UN Force Says Peacekeeper Killed in South Lebanon

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy maneuvers within southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 02 June 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy maneuvers within southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 02 June 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said Thursday that a peacekeeper was killed and two others wounded when shelling hit their base in the country's south the previous night.

"A UNIFIL peacekeeper died early this morning from critical injuries sustained when mortar shells struck his position," a statement from the force said, adding that an investigation had been launched.


Somalia Capital Rocked by Gunfire and Fighting Overnight

Heavy gunfire shook Somalia's capital overnight and smoke rose over the city on Thursday. AFP
Heavy gunfire shook Somalia's capital overnight and smoke rose over the city on Thursday. AFP
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Somalia Capital Rocked by Gunfire and Fighting Overnight

Heavy gunfire shook Somalia's capital overnight and smoke rose over the city on Thursday. AFP
Heavy gunfire shook Somalia's capital overnight and smoke rose over the city on Thursday. AFP

Heavy gunfire rocked Somalia's capital overnight, with smoke rising over the city and armed forces deployed on the streets on Thursday, AFP journalists reported, after clashes erupted between rival political factions ahead of planned protests.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud plunged Somalia into a fresh political crisis in mid-May after announcing a one-year extension of his term, which had been due to expire on May 15.

The opposition and regional leaders have rejected the move and demonstrations against it were due to take place in Mogadishu on Thursday.

But as opposition leaders came to the city ahead of the protests on Wednesday, clashes broke out and continued sporadically through the night, according to AFP journalists and witnesses in the area.

"We did not sleep throughout the night because of sporadic gunfire," said Xalimo Salad, a resident of Mogadishu's Howl Wadaag district adding that "more intense gunfight broke out" on Thursday morning.

"We have seen federal government forces deploying reinforcements," he said.

Police said they were conducting a "large-scale security operation" against "heavily armed militias who launched mortar attacks on some neighborhoods of the capital".

Former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said he had been attacked by government forces on Wednesday after relocating from his base in the heavily fortified green zone around the airport to his city residence, in order to take part in the protests.

In a post on social media on Thursday he said the president's forces had "directed a sustained and indiscriminate military assault with the apparent objective of killing me".

There was no immediate word on casualties as of Thursday morning, and by 9:30 am the fighting had subsided as the government and opposition entered negotiations, according to sources.

A security analyst, who asked not to be named, confirmed to AFP the violence had spread since last night and had "escalated this morning".

"Mortars and heavy caliber weapons being used, civilian casualties in some areas," he said.

International observers have expressed concern, with the US embassy in Mogadishu calling the violence "reckless" and urging dialogue.

A joint statement from the EU and UN missions and British embassy said the clashes were "deeply concerning".

- Overnight violence -

Late Wednesday, an AFP journalist filmed panicked residents in the Howl Wadaag district near his home, with loud gunshots heard in the background.

Witnesses told AFP they saw armed opposition forces clashing with Somali police.

Gunfire was also reported near the residence of former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, close to the popular Lido Beach area, according to witnesses.

The president has been attempting to move Somalia towards democratic elections, replacing a system based around clan elders.

Mohamud argues he was given an extra year in the presidency when a new constitution was passed by parliament in March that set the framework for polls.

But with the country deeply divided between rival clans, and much of it under the control of insurgent group Al-Shabaab, there has been little progress on organizing elections beyond a few localized pockets.

Opposition and regional leaders have strongly opposed Mohamud's plan, seeing it as an attempt to centralize power.


Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Deal: Complete Cessation of Hezbollah Attacks, Creation of Pilot Zones

(L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)
(L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)
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Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Deal: Complete Cessation of Hezbollah Attacks, Creation of Pilot Zones

(L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)
(L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)

Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday agreed to a new ceasefire following talks mediated by the United States. Under the agreement, Hezbollah is to stop all attacks on Israel and withdraw its fighters from the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

In a joint statement, the US, Israel and Lebanon said “the ceasefire is contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector.”

Israel and Lebanon agreed with US guidance “to swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones” in which the Lebanese army “will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors.”

“These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” the statement said, adding that both sides “rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage.”

Hezbollah has yet to comment on the ceasefire. Before it was announced, the group said it had conducted two drone and rocket attacks on Israeli troops inside Lebanon that it said took place just after midnight local time on Wednesday.

In their statement, “Israel and Lebanon reaffirmed that they have no hostile intent toward one another and committed to continuing direct negotiations to build confidence, resolve all outstanding issues, and work toward a comprehensive agreement between the two countries.”

The US reaffirmed that any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached directly between the two governments, brokered by Washington, and not through any separate track.

As for Israel, it said that its security and respect for its territorial integrity can only be achieved through Hezbollah’s disarmament and the dismantlement of its infrastructure across Lebanon.

In the statement, “Lebanon reaffirmed the necessity for mutual respect of internationally recognized borders, the urgent need for full implementation of the cessation of hostilities, underscoring the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty.”

It stressed commitment to enhancing the capacity of the Lebanese army, with US support, to assert effective control across the country.