Mes: septiembre 2019

(CBS/AP) BEIRUT – Bashar Assad attended the swearing-in of his new defense minister Thursday, according to footage shown on Syrian state TV, the first sign of the president since an audacious rebel attack the day before struck at the heart of his regime and killed three senior officials. Government forces struck back against rebels with attack helicopters and shelling in a fifth straight day of clashes in Damascus. The inability of the military to control the clashes in the capital against lightly armed rebel forces and the deadly bombing of a high-level security meeting a day earlier made Assad’s hold on power look increasingly tenuous. Speculation is rampant as to Assad’s whereabouts, CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward reported on “CBS This Morning” Thursday. Some opposition members said left Damascus for the heartland of his Alawite tribe in the coastal city of Latakia, Ward reports. That claim seems unlikely, however, given that Assad’s security apparatus is in Damascus and a move to Latakia would appear as the president conceding his capital and backing away from the fight. One thing is certain, Assad finds himself in an uncomfortable position, Ward reports. He no longer knows who he can trust, and the rebel Free Syrian Army is touting the deadly bomb attack as a major triumph, even calling it the beginning of the end for the Assad regime. Special Section: The Arab...

(AP) TEHRAN, Iran – War games this month showcased missiles with improved accuracy and firing capabilities, Iranian media reports said Friday, an apparent response to stepped up Western moves against Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards conducted the exercise in the central desert, firing ballistic missiles including a long-range variety meant to deter an Israeli or U.S. attack. The targets were models of foreign military bases, and the stated goal was to show that Iran’s missiles can hit Western bases and Israel. The U.N. Security Council has imposed several rounds of economic sanctions on Iran, 부천콜걸 aimed at persuading Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program. The sanctions have hit Iran’s economy, but its leaders have refused to scale down the nuclear program. In the latest step, The European Union put a ban against purchase of Iranian oil in force on July 1. EU purchases accounted for 18 percent of Iran’s oil exports. U.S. piles more sanctions on IranIran tests missiles, renews Hormuz closure threat as EU oil embargo kicks inIran seeks “win-win” on nuke talks Several Iranian news websites reported Friday that 90 percent of the missiles hit their targets and said this showed their increased accuracy. Another achievement, the reports said, was Iran’s capability of firing multiple missiles within seconds. The media reports said this would create a challenge for the U.S. or Israel to intercept...

(AP) WASHINGTON – An active duty Army colonel testified Tuesday that the three-star general who headed the training mission in Afghanistan made him retract a request for an investigation into corruption and horrible conditions at a U.S.-funded Afghan military hospital. Col. Mark Fassl, who was inspector general for the training command, said he was shocked when Lt. Gen. William Caldwell cited the then-upcoming 2010 congressional elections and asked, “How could we … make this request with elections coming? He calls me Bill.” Photos show alleged neglect at U.S.-funded Afghan hospital Fassl said he believed this was a reference to President Barack Obama. Two retired colonels who worked with the training command also told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that Caldwell did not want an inspector general’s investigation of the Dawood National Military Hospital. One said in his statement that the hospital had “Auschwitz-like conditions.” Caldwell is now head of U.S. Army North Command and senior commander of Fort Sam Houston in Texas. North Command spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks said, “I am sure that Lt. Gen. Caldwell would welcome the opportunity to respond to any inquiry, and I’m confident that once the facts are presented and examined, all allegations will be proven false.” Congressional officials said Caldwell could be called to testify in a future hearing. Fassl said that Caldwell “was visibly upset we had made the (Department...