Syrian and Russian forces mull new offensive in Idlib: reportJuly 5, 2019 - 12:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian military command are in talks about a new offensive in northwestern Syria, an army source in Damascus said, Al-Masdar News reports. According to the source, the Russian-Turkish peace talks have completely collapsed in northern Syria, with Moscow resuming their heavy airstrikes on the militant forces in the Idlib, Latakia, Aleppo, and Hama governorates. The source said the Russian Air Force sent a powerful message to the Turkish military on Wednesday when their jets destroyed an underground base belonging to the Ankara-backed National Liberation Front inside the town of Madaya in rural Idlib. He added that the Syrian Arab Army and Russian military are planning a big offensive to expand in the Al-Zawiya Mountain region and nearby Al-Ghaab Plain. At the same time, new reports from northwestern Syria are indicating that the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and their Turkish-backed allies are preparing to launch a massive offensive to retake the ground they lost in northwestern Hama. With both sides preparing to launch offensives, the month of July is expected to witness nearly as much violence as May and 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 | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |