Islamic State "attempts to infiltrate Syrian army defenses" near airportAugust 1, 2018 - 11:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Islamic State (IS) launched a surprise attack in the northern countryside of the Al-Sweida Governorate on Tuesday, July 31 night, which targeted the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions near the Khalkhalah Airport, Al-Masdar News reports. According to the pro-government National Defense Forces (NDF), the Islamic State terrorists attempted to infiltrate the Syrian Army’s positions to the south of Khalkhalah Airport after entering the area from the Badiya Al-Sham region. However, despite surprising the Syrian Arab Army near Khalkhalah Airport, the Islamic State terrorists were ultimately unable to reach the strategic installation after several hours of fighting. The Islamic State does not often launch attacks in the area, but due to their recent string of losses in southwest Syria, the terrorist group has become desperate to expand their presence inside the country. In addition to launching an attack near the Khalkhalah Airport, the Islamic State also attempted to advance near the Safa Canyon in the northeastern part of the province. Intense clashes are still ongoing in northeast Al-Sweida, as the Islamic State attempts to recapture several areas they lost in June. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |