Israel hits the Hamas

1 Syria

The head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties, Rear-Admiral Alexander Shcherbitsky, stated that the Command of the Russian troops in Syria reserves the right to respond to the terrorist attacks that threaten the Russian servicemen and the Syrian civilians. The Rear-Admiral said that the terrorists are shelling the positions of the Syrian government forces, and they are trying to attack the Russian airbase «Khmeimim» with UAVs and MLRS. The high command of the Russian troops and the Syrian troops are forced to take measures to neutralize the terrorist threat. «The illegal presence of the American forces on Syrian territory across the Euphrates River serves as the main factor of the social and political instability. It prevents the development of a dialogue between the various parties of the Syrian conflict, and the restoration of the peaceful life» — the ‘TASS’ news agency quoted the rear admiral. He underlined that a tense situation is developing in the south of the Idlib DMZ. “The Turkish command is taking measures to eliminate the terrorists along the M4 highway. Turkey has failed so far to create a ‘security corridor’. In this regard, the next joint Russian-Turkish patrol is being constantly postponed” — Shcherbitsky explained. Our military reporter, Alexander Kharchenko, comments on the situation.

2 Israel — The Gaza Gaza

The IDF press service reported that the IDF attacked a military facility of the radical movement ‘Hamas’ in the Gaza Strip, in response to the launch of explosive balloons on the Israeli territory. «During the day, several balloons with attached explosives were launched at the Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. In response, a fighter jet and an Israel Defense Forces aircraft hit a Hamas military facility that was used for the underground activities in the north of the Gaza Strip» — the message explained. The Radio ‘Kan’ reported that the balloons caused 3 fires in the uninhabited area in Israel — some damage took place. There were no reports on victims.

3 Lebanon

The ‘CNN’ reports while citing the e-mail correspondence and the court records, that the Lebanese ministries of transport and justice, as well as other agencies of the country, have been advised against the long storage of the ammonium nitrate cargo in the port of Beirut. The ‘CNN’ quoted a statement from the Lebanese law firm ‘Baroudi & Associates’, which represents the crew of the cargo ship ‘Rhosus’ that delivered the ammonium nitrate to Beirut. The lawyers reported that back in July of 2014 they sent letters to the port administration and the Lebanese Ministry of Transport. Their letters «warned of the danger of the substances on board». It was reported that in the same month, the law firm received a letter from the general director of the land and sea transport, in which he stated that he had sent an official request to the Ministry of Justice to take the necessary measures «to prevent the ship from sinking, and from the harmful effects of the cargo on the port». The Lebanese ministries of justice and transport, and the port administration, didn’t comment on the reports from the ‘CNN’.

4 Lebanon

Sergei Vorontsov, the head of the operational group of the Russian Emergency Ministry, currently stationed in Beirut, told to the ‘TASS’ news agency that on Friday 25 people in the Lebanese capital are awaiting the medical aid from the Russian doctors. Earlier, an air-mobile hospital of the «Tsentro-spas» detachment from the Russian Emergency Ministry began operating in Beirut. The hospital operates both in a round-the-clock stationary mode, and on an out-patient basis, from 08:00 to 20:00. The head of the hospital department of the ‘Tsentro-Spas’ detachment, Aleksey Skorobulatov, specified that the doctors mainly help people with cut and infected wounds, and people that were injured during the explosion. The Russian rescuers are helping to clear the rubble in the port of Beirut. The bodies of several victims of the explosion were found so far. According to the latest data — at least 149 people died, and about 5,000 were injured. The Lebanese Red Cross Society reports that the number of the missing people is still unknown.

5 Syria — Lebanon

The UN Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs reported that the UN is looking for the new ways to deliver the aid to Syria and Lebanon due to the destruction of the port in Beirut. “Most likely the humanitarian aid will be redirected to the port of Tripoli, but it has a smaller capacity. This may have consequences for some supplies” — the message explained. It was specified that the Beirut airport remains open to the passenger and cargo flights. The UN Deputy Secretary General, Farhan Haq, mentioned while talking about the humanitarian aid for Syria that the UN «is considering various alternative ports, including ports of Cyprus and Turkey».