DefenceTalkSix Hezbollah fighters were killed Sunday in an Israeli air strike on the Syrian side of the Golan, including the son of assassinated senior commander Imad Mughniyeh. The deaths were announced after an Israeli security source told AFP that an Israeli helicopter conducted a strike against “terrorists” near Quneitra, on the Syrian side of the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/six-hezbollah-fighters-killed-in-israeli-strike-62022/

DefenceTalkThe number of U.S. troops expected to train Syrian opposition forces “could approach” 1,000, Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters today in a press briefing. While the final number is still being worked out, training could begin as early as spring, Kirby said. The deploying troops would include trainers as well as […]https://www.defencetalk.com/up-to-1000-u-s-troops-to-train-syrian-opposition-62001/

DefenceTalkA team of camouflage-clad Iraqi soldiers lines up near the door of a one-storey house north of Baghdad with rifles ready, preparing to enter and search it. For now, there are no militants inside, and American and Iraqi instructors are on hand to tell them how to position themselves, where to look when they enter […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-trains-iraqis-for-house-to-house-battle-against-is-61839/

DefenceTalkIslamic State jihadists are having to spend more effort defending key supply lines in Iraq due to US-led air strikes and pressure from local forces, the Pentagon said Friday. The IS group’s supply routes into Iraq from neighboring Syria have become a central focus of combat, with Iraqi government and Kurdish forces — along with […]https://www.defencetalk.com/is-forced-to-defend-supply-lines-in-iraq-us-61841/

DefenceTalkARLINGTON, Va: Officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced today the laser weapon system (LaWS) – a cutting-edge weapon that brings significant new capabilities to America’s Sailors and Marines – was for the first time successfully deployed and operated aboard a naval vessel in the Persian Gulf. The operational demonstrations, which took place […]https://www.defencetalk.com/navy-shipboard-laser-operates-in-arabian-gulf-61130/

DefenceTalkAyatollah Ali Khamenei told Iranian navy officials on Sunday to improve their capability for combat, irrespective of political negotiations which may be taking place. “Given our vast maritime borders and the enemy’s huge investments in this area, our armed forces should continuously improve their (combat) readiness, irrespective of political calculations,” Iran’s supreme leader told assembled […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iranian-leader-tells-armed-forces-to-stay-ready-for-combat-61085/

DefenceTalkA pair of frontrunners have emerged to take charge at the Pentagon after President Barack Obama announced the departure of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. If former under-secretary Michele Flournoy gets the nod, she would be the first woman to hold the role, and neither she nor former deputy secretary Ashton Carter have served in uniform. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/frontrunners-emerge-for-top-pentagon-job-61073/

DefenceTalkSaudi Arabia and France sealed an agreement Tuesday for Riyadh to finance the delivery of $3 billion worth of French weapons to the Lebanese army, which has come under mounting jihadist attack. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius hailed the conclusion of the deal, first announced last December, as a major boost to the Lebanese army’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-france-seal-3-bn-weapons-deal-for-lebanon-army-60960/

DefenceTalkAfter more than two months of air strikes, a US-led coalition has prevented the fall of a northern Syrian town to Islamic State jihadists but is still struggling to halt the group’s advances on other fronts, experts say. Since the air war on the IS militants began on August 8, the United States and its […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-struggles-to-turn-the-tide-in-war-against-is-60859/

DefenceTalkOne bundle of weapons and medical supplies airdropped by U.S. forces to Kurdish fighters in Syria most likely fell into enemy hands, a Pentagon spokesman said today. The pallet was among 28 that were dropped by U.S. forces Oct. 19 to resupply Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/one-airdrop-to-kurds-fighting-in-kobani-intercepted-60817/