NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT MONDAY 3/2/2020

(LIMITED SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH LATE MONDAY EVENING)

Russian military police have been deployed in the northwestern Syrian town of  Saraqib according to the Russian military in Syria ...TASS NEWS REPORT

The town of Saraqib in eastern Idlib is again in the hands of the Syrian military after Turkish and allied Al-Qaeda-jihadist forces are said to have fled.   The Syrian government side says that elite "Tiger Forces" re-entered the town early this morning.

Saraqib was taken by the Turkish-jihadist forces in a lightning offensive last Thursday.   The town is along the strategic M 5 highway that connects Aleppo with other parts of Syria.

Late today Syrian forces reported advancing westwards from Saraqib.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowing to keep the migrants flowing into Europe today.  Erdogan throwing open his country's western borders in conjunction with the launch of military operations in Syria last Thursday.   In a televised speech Erdogan said in part.

"Hundreds of thousands have crossed, soon we will reach millions" 

Erdogan had agreed previously with the European Union to control the flow of migrants but is now using them to force Europe to support his Syrian military operations....DEUTSCHE WELLE GERMANY NEWS STORY ENGLISH (EMBEDDED VIDEO)

Erdogan also speaking of his desire for a "cease-fire" and appealing to Iran and Russia to understand that Turkey has accepted 3.7 million refugees from Syria in recent years.   Erdogan expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday to discuss the situation in Syria.

In Afghanistan the Taliban say they will again resume attacking forces of the Afghan government.  The announcement coming just days after the signing of a peace agreement with the United States.

More from BBC News......LINK

Coronavirus in the USA with six now dead in Washington state.

The official word from Iran today that 66 are dead and over 1500 infected.....REUTERS STORY PUBLISHED BY TURKEY'S YENI SAFAK

In North Korea a flight of foreign diplomats and their families leaving the country as the government maintains a quarantine limiting the activities of foreign nationals in the country......TASS NEWS REPORT

On Tuesday morning in South Korea the number of recorded cases in the country rising by 477 to 4,812..

The coronavirus story is being tracked by the BBC in a blog today....BBC NEWS BLOG CORONAVIRUS 3/2/2020

AN ISRAELI HELICOPTER STRIKE ON A VEHICLE IN SOUTHERN SYRIA TODAY.   THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SAY THAT THEY WERE DEALING WITH AN 'ATTEMPTED SNIPER ATTACK'....ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES TWITTER

Its election day in Israel.

Speaking to reporters Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged "Go Vote" and said this regarding the coronavirus:

"The coronavirus thing is completely under control.  People can vote with complete confidence..." Netanyahu warned against any 'fake news'.....LINK

THERE ARE SPECIAL POLLING STATIONS FOR THOSE UNDER QUARANTINE IN ISRAEL BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS.

The United Torah Judaism Party said its filing complaints because of phone calls telling people they've already votedsnd don't need to go to a polling place.....LINK

The Israel Beiteinu Party says one of its supporters arrived a polling station to be told they had already voted.  Vote forgery is suspected.

As of mid-day voter turnout was reported high the highest in 21 years.  56.3 percent of voters had voted by 6 PM local time.

The polls closed at 10 pm tonight, 3 pm Eastern US time.    The projection is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud will win 37 of the 120 seats with former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz's Blue and White at 34 seats.

The coalition supporting Netanyahu will fall short of a majority with only 59 of the 120 seats in the Knesset (Parliament).

The vote count is now underway with just over one-sixth of the vote counted as of 11 pm Eastern US time, 6 am Tuesday Israel time.

To follow the election results here are three different news links from Israel:

HAARETZ

YNET NEWS

ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS

Politics here in the USA with the wagons circling ahead of tomorrow's Super Tuesday contests in 14 US states.     Former Democrat Presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar lining up behind former Vice-President Joe Biden who's on the attack against Bernie Sanders who's expected to do well tomorrow.

Also getting in the line another former Democrat candidate for President, Beto O'Rourke, with his endorsement for Biden.

The British military is stepping up its involvement in Africa with hundreds of troops set to deploy to help train local forces fighting Islamic terrorism in the "Sahel" region of nations in and around the Sahara Desert.   

The BBC offers up its version of the story.....BBC NEWS STORY

That's the way it really is Monday March 2nd, 2020.