Russian warships arrived at the Syrian port city of Tartus on Sunday, January 8. A senior Iranian lawmaker says the presence of Iranian and Russian naval forces in Syria’s coastal waters is a clear warning to the US to refrain from any possible military adventurism. “The United States should take Iran’s warning about [refraining from any possible] military intervention in Syria seriously,”... 

There are no signs of an end to the violence in Syria, Iran’s key ally in the region, with the West keen to change the Tehran-friendly regime. A noose is being drawn, but experts fear it may leave Iran compelled to act. ­Since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, Iran and Syria have developed all sorts of ties. The Islamic Republic supplies arms, ammunition and military technology to the Syrian security... 

An unmanned Hawk drone. A new report reveals that the US military has dispatched a number of unmanned military and intelligence drones for operations in Syrian skies. US drones are monitoring “the Syrian military attacks against opposition forces and civilians,” NBC News reported citing unnamed US defense officials. According to the report, Washington hopes to use the overhead evidence and communications... 

Iranian Warship An Iranian flotilla has arrived in a Syrian port to provide maritime training to the country’s navy, media reports. It’s only the second time Iranian warships have sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The ships have docked in the Syrian port of Tartus some 220 kilometres from the capital. They are due to take part in a joint training exercise with Syrian navy which... 

US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess says Iran will not initiate a war but will respond to any attacks. A senior US intelligence official has admitted that if attacked, Iran will respond but is unlikely to initiate or provoke a conflict. “Iran can close the Strait of Hormuz at least temporarily, and may launch missiles against United States forces and our allies... 

Nikolai Makarov Russia’s top military boss says an attack against Iran, which the west suspects of developing nuclear weapons, could begin as early as summer. Thus far, tensions between Tehran and the west have been confined to the battlefield of heated rhetoric. Russia’s highest ranking military officer, however, predicts it may be just a matter of time before the verbal grenades get real. The... 

The regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria is expecting up to 15,000 Iranian troops to help maintain order in the country’s provinces, a Chinese newspaper reports. Iran has yet to confirm or deny the news. According to the central Chinese daily Renmin Ribao, the Iranian special task troops are due to be deployed in Syria’s key provinces. The Syrian opposition announced earlier that commander of Iran’s... 

One of the spiritual leaders of Egypt issued a fatwah (law, regulations) which banned Muslims from driving Chevrolet vehicles. According to the new law, Muslims must not drive Chevrolet cars because the logo of the company is a Christian cross. The religious law, which bans the use of the cars made by one of the world’s best-known automotive company, raised many eyebrows in Egypt. Many Egyptians... 

US F35 The White House is saying “no” to arming opposition and other military involvement in the Syrian conflict – for the moment. Pentagon and US Central Command launched a review of US military capabilities in case that “no” turns a “yes.” ­The backdoor for military action was ajar with State Department, spokesman Victoria Nuland saying that US never takes any option off the table,... 

Iran test firing some of its missiles. The news media in Israel this evening reports foreign embassies are organizing contingency plans for the evacuation of their nationals and diplomats and are requesting gas masks from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Diplomats and their families are worried about a missile strike that may prompt a mass evacuation of Israeli citizens with passports. The European Union... 

A plane being unloaded at Rafiq Hariri International Airport in the Lebanese capital city, Beirut. Lebanon’s security officials say a suspicious cargo containing huge amounts of US dollars, guns, special passports and credit cards have been seized upon arrival in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, from the US and Brazil. The items, packed in a number of chests and delivered via airmail, were discovered... 

Syria could get another chance at a diplomatic escape route from its continuing political crisis as the Russian delegation has arrived on Tuesday to hold talks with President Assad. A last-ditch delegation to Damascus bearing a personal message for Bashar al-Assad from President Medvedev has been welcomed by thousands of people lining the streets of the Syrian capital. Russian FM is holding talks... 

UK foreign secretary William Hague speaking in Parliament on Monday The United States has shut down its embassy in Syria. The announcement comes amid mounting reports of lethal government attacks. The UK has followed the suit, summoning their ambassador from Damascus. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says the British ambassador has been recalled from Syria for consultations. The Secretary has also... 

A senior Iranian military official says Tehran will attack any country used by “enemies” to launch a military strike against his country. The statement comes amid growing tensions between Iran and the West. ­”Any spot used by the enemy for hostile operations against Iran will be subjected to retaliatory aggression by our armed forces,” the deputy head of Iran’s elite... 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned ministers from his center-right Likud political party to avoid making statements on a possible military attack against Iran, saying such remarks could be damaging to Israel. “The chatter causes extensive damage, puts Israel on the front line and impedes the sanction efforts,” Ynetnews quoted Netanyahu...