NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT SUNDAY 3/1/2020

             LATE NEWS FROM SYRIA TONIGHT

Turkish backed jihadist forces reported advancing in southern Idlib tonight in the face of fierce resistance from the Syrian army.

And early Monday local time a Turkish position coming under Syrian artillery fire in southern Idlib with injuries reported.

These stories are available via the "Southfront" website.....SOUTHFRONT

News from earlier today is below...

Two Syrian aircraft shot down by Turkish forces in the "Greater Idlib region" today.    That's the word from the Syrian Arab News Agency controlled by the government......TASS NEWS REPORT

Russia denying a report from the jihadist opposition in Syria claiming that one of its SU-24 combat aircraft was shot down in Syria.

Syria saying that it shot down six Turkish drones today   This news from a Syrian source quoted by Russia's Tass News Agency.....LINK

Syria reported launching a major ground operation today to retake the town of Saraqib from the Turkish and jihadist forces.....SOUTHFRONT STORY

Turkey says it began a military operation ("Operation Spring Shield")  in northwestern Syria last Thursday (February 27th) that has destroyed Syrian military equipment and killed more than 2,000 thousand  Syrian soldiers.     The BBC offers up its version of events in Syria.....BBC NEWS STORY

Late today the Russian military warning that it cannot guarantee the safety of any Turkish aircraft over Syria...TASS NEWS REPORT

With his analysis of the situation in and around northwestern Syria is retired US Army Colonel Patrick Lang, former Middle East military attache, intelligence official and Arabic instructor at West Point,  among other things.......SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS BLOG

Turkish authorities have detained the bureau chief of Russia's Sputnik News Istanbul following publication of an article about Syrian territory given to Turkey 80 years ago.  The journalist was later released and other Sputnik journalists in the Turkish capital of Ankara were questioned by authorities and released today.

The groundwork is being laid for a meeting of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the end of the coming week.    The meeting to take place in Moscow.

Greece is fighting what one official has described as an "onslaught" of migrants unleashed by Turkey towards Europe in conjunction with its military operations supporting Al Qaeda and other opposition jihadists in Syria.

The Greeks have held back 10-thousand migrants at their land border with Turkey using tear gas but at least 500 migrants using boats have made it to Greek islands in the Aegean Sea...BBC NEWS STORY

TONIGHT THERE'S WORD THAT ROCKETS HIT NEAR THE US EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD.  THE AREA DESCRIBED AS A BASE THAT HOUSES US FORCES....DEUTSCHE WELLE NEWS STORY

THE ROCKET ATTACK COMING HOURS AFTER THE PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE IN IRAQ MOHAMMED ALLAWI WITHDREW HIS CANDIDACY FOR THE POST ACCUSING POLITICAL PARTIES OF OBSTRUCTING HIS PATH TO POWER.   PARLIAMENT FAILED TO APPROVE HIS CABINET TWICE IN RECENT DAYS.,,,,REUTERS NEWS REPORT

WORD TONIGHT THAT NORTH KOREA FIRED TWO "UNIDENTIFIED PROJECTILES" EASTWARDS INTO THE SEA MONDAY LOCAL TIME.....SOUTH KOREA YONAHP NEWS AGENCY REPORT

Chinese medical assistance has arrived in Iran to combat the coronavirus...PRESS TV IRAN NEWS STORY   Iran imposing emergency measures including a warning that "hoarding" during the "virus scare" could lead to the death penalty.....PRESS TV IRAN NEWS STORY

Here in the US Nike closing its corporate headquarters in Oregon for deep cleaning amid concern over the coronavirus....BUSINESS INSIDER STORY...A second coronavirus death reported in the US tonight in the state of Washington, the same state where the first death was reported yesterday.   12 confirmed cases in Washington state.

In France concern about Covid-19 closing the famed Louvre museum.....AFP NEWS AGENCY STORY.....TONIGHT 130 cases of coronavirus are suspected.

From Italy Sunday evening word that there are now 1,694 cases in the country and 34 deaths....TASS NEWS STORY

And there are 36 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United Kingdom.

Israelis going to the polls  Monday to vote after an intense and nasty campaign in the last days that promises to be nasty right through the voting tomorrow.

The electoral authorities in Israel ordering removal of billboards saying "Don't Waste Your Vote".   They are apparently propaganda to suppress third party conservative votes in Israel and herd voters towards supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party.

Likud trying to win the election with Prime Minister Netanyahu set to face trial on corruption charges March 17th.

More from Israel's Haaretz on the political situation in its weekly podcast......LINK

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani says his government made no commitment to release thousands of Taliban prisoners as stated in the peace deal between the US government and Taliban signed yesterday.....VOICE OF AMERICA NEWS STORY

Politics here in the USA and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, dropping out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

That's the way it really is Sunday March 1st, 2020.