Clashes in Hama

The ‘SANA’ news agency reported that the Syrian army has repelled attacks on the military positions in the village of At-Tanjar, in the north of the Al-Gab Valley, at the north of Hama province. The terrorists from the »Kharas Ad-Din» and »Hizb At-Turkestani» groups tried to attack the military positions in the village of At-Tanjar with mortars, machine guns and large-caliber weapons. After a strategic retreat — the Syrian army launched a counter-attack. As a result they regained their positions, returned the situation to the initial state, and inflicted damage to the terrorists in manpower and equipment. The ‘SANA’ reported that several Syrian troops were killed in the fierce clashes. Several more were injured.

On Monday the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, expressed his condolences for the accident during the Navy’s exercises that killed 19 sailors — the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s press service reported. The accident took place on the Iranian warship «Konarak» in the Gulf of Oman, on Sunday, during naval exercises near the ports of Jask and Chabahar. The accident killed at least 19 people. 15 were injured. The Iranian mass media reported that the warship could have been hit by a missile, mistakenly launched from a friendly warship during the training.

On Monday, the Libyan air forces that support the ‘Government of National Accord’, bombed an air base of the ‘Libyan national army’, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar — said the official representative of the operation «Volcano of Fury», Colonel Mohammed Kanuno. He was quoted by the «Libya Alahrar TV». The Air Base ‘El-Vatyya’, located 100 km away from Tripoli, was hit by 6 air strikes. The targets were the armored and transport vehicles, and the manpower of the ‘Libyan national army’, stationed on the air base.

The Afghan TV channel »Tolo News» reported that the president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, «ordered the armed forces to switch from the ‘active defense’ to ‘offensive operations’ against the terrorist groups». The Afghan president made such statement during his speech to the nation after the attacks in Kabul and in the province of Nangarhar. The Afghan president underlined that the radical ‘Taliban’ movement «ignores the repeated calls by the Afghan authorities to reduce the violence and to cease fire». None of the extremist groups, operating in Afghanistan, took the responsibility for the recent attacks. The US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, stated that the Afghan authorities and the Taliban should find and bring the perpetrators of the 2 attacks to justice. Michael Pompeo also «strongly condemned the terrible terrorist attacks in Afghanistan».

The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced during a speech in Caracas that new mercenary groups are being trained in Colombia in order to invade Venezuela. The speech of the Venezuelan President was broadcast on the state TV. The Minister of Defense of Venezuela, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, reported that the Venezuelan army captured 39 deserters that tried to enter the country via the border with Colombia. According to the Venezuelan authorities — they were going to take part in the prepared operation for an armed invasion of Venezuela

On Monday, 18th of May, the UN Security Council will discuss the invasion in Venezuela during an emergency meeting, called by a request from Russia — TASS reports while citing their diplomatic source in the UN. «Russia has requested the meeting. It is planned for Monday» — the diplomatic source told to the TASS. Earlier the Venezuelan Permanent Representative to the UN, Samuel Moncada, sent a letter to the chairman of the UN Security Council in which he demanded the UN Security Council to denounce the attempted coup in Venezuela. Constantine Reztsov, specially for ANNA NEWS.