DefenceTalkUS-led air strikes targeting the Islamic State group killed at least 52 civilians in a village in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Saturday. “Air strikes by the coalition early on Friday on the village of Birmahle in Aleppo province killed 52 civilians,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human […]https://www.defencetalk.com/52-civilians-dead-in-coalition-strikes-in-syria-monitor-64088/

DefenceTalkSaudi Arabia and Egypt are considering holding large-scale military exercises after launching air strikes on Yemeni rebels who have been slapped with a UN arms embargo and sanctions. In a possible sign the Saudi-led air campaign against the Shiite rebels might expand into a ground operation, Cairo said it and Riyadh were mulling the drills […]https://www.defencetalk.com/egypt-saudi-mull-drills-as-pressure-builds-on-yemen-rebels-63866/

DefenceTalkYemeni rebels made new gains in the battleground southern city Aden Sunday as a Saudi-led coalition trying to halt their advance faced growing calls for a humanitarian pause in air strikes. The Red Cross has appealed for an immediate truce to allow families to seek water, food and medical assistance, describing the situation as “dire”. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/yemen-rebels-advance-in-battleground-aden-63739/

DefenceTalkCAIRO: For months, members of the Arab League have been calling for a joint military force to quell the violence engulfing the region. Now that member states have largely agreed, analysts say having the force materialize and preparing it to fight complex modern conflicts may be an insurmountable challenge. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi promised that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/analyst-joint-arab-military-force-poses-perilous-challenge-63703/

DefenceTalkSaudi Arabia and a coalition of regional allies launched air strikes against Huthi rebels in Yemen, the start of a military operation to protect the government, the kingdom’s ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. “The operation is to defend and support the legitimate government of Yemen and prevent the radical Huthi movement from taking […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-arabia-starts-bombing-yemen-63635/

DefenceTalkAmerican lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Monday to urge President Barack Obama to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons to defend itself against Russian “aggression.” The US House of Representatives approved the resolution in a broadly bipartisan 348-48 vote, heaping further pressure on the Obama administration to end its delays in providing weapons and other heavy military equipment […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-house-urges-president-obama-to-send-lethal-arms-to-ukraine-63629/

DefenceTalkNATO allies are scrambling to protect vulnerable Baltic partners from the threat of hybrid warfare, a Russian tactic that officials and experts say is based on deception rather than formal declaration of war. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s use of anonymous “little green men” to slice Crimea away from Ukraine last year sent alarm bells ringing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nato-allies-come-to-grips-with-russias-hybrid-warfare-63595/

DefenceTalkPakistan’s military said it killed 34 militants Wednesday in air strikes on a tribal region near the Afghan border as part of a major offensive against insurgents that began last year. The Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam militant groups are based in Khyber, one of seven autonomous tribal districts along Pakistan’s western border, which became a hideout […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pakistan-kills-34-militants-in-air-strikes-military-63597/

DefenceTalkSyria’s military has shot down a US drone over the coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, state media said on Tuesday. “Syrian air defences brought down a hostile US surveillance aircraft over north Latakia,” the official SANA news agency said in a breaking news alert. The agency gave no further details […]https://www.defencetalk.com/syria-air-defence-shoots-down-us-drone-state-media-63567/

DefenceTalkGerman Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday argued against arming Ukraine during a trip to Washington where support is growing for delivering weapons to help Kiev battle pro-Russian separatists. “I understand that many of you are calling for a more rapid, therefore determined, therefore military-based solution,” Steinmeier said at an event organized by the Center […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-warns-of-dangerous-consequences-to-arming-ukraine-63495/