NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT WEDNESDAY 3/4/2020  US PROVIDING AMMUNITION EQUIPMENT FOR TURKISH-AL QAEDA ALLIANCE IN SYRIA, CONSIDERING AIR DEFENSE SUPPORT

"We're willing to provide-for example-the President mentioned this-ammunition.....Turkey is a NATO ally.  We have a very, very big foreign military sales program. much of the Turkish military uses American equipment...We will make sure the equipment is ready.  As a NATO partner we share information intelligence..and we are going to ensure they have what they need there."

The US Representative for Syria James Jeffrey speaking Wednesday as he toured Turkey's Hatay Province on the border with Syria.

The US getting involved on the side of Turkey and its jihadist allies including Al Qaeda in northwestern Syria who are fighting Syrian government troops supported by Iranian backed Hezbollah forces and the Russian Aerospace Forces (Air Force).

The US also committed to humanitarian aid for the region with President Trump and other US officials portraying the latest chapter in the Syrian Civil War that began in 2011 as a humanitarian crisis with Iran, Russia and Syria threatening to massacre civilians.

And US Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield says the US is considering a request for air defense support from the United States.

The story as published by the "Irish Independent"......LINK

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN DISCUSSED THE SITUATION IN NORTHWESTERN SYRIA TODAY WITH HIS COUNTRY'S SECURITY COUNCIL....TASS NEWS STORY.......TOMORROW PUTIN MEETS THE TURKISH PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERODGAN IN MOSCOW.

Russia's Defense Ministry says that terrorists in northwestern Syria are merged with Turkish soldiers in "observation posts" and that the Turks have moved in military equipment that is the equivalent of a mechanized division.......TASS NEWS STORY

RUSSIA SAYS THAT THE HTS (HAYAT TAHRIR AL SHAM)  AL QAEDA AFFILIATED GROUP IN SYRIA MADE AN ATTEMPT TO STAGE A CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK IN NORTHWESTERN SYRIA TODAY.....SOUTHFRONT REPORT......TASS NEWS REPORT

TONIGHT SYRIA SAYS ITS AIR DEFENSES WERE ACTIVATED JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT TO SHOOT DOWN MISSILES FIRED FROM AN ISRAELI AIRCRAFT......SYRIAN ARAB NEWS AGENCY REPORT

Greece releasing a video from its border with Turkey said to show Turkish police firing tear gas in the direction of Greece to drive migrants out of Turkey......RT NEWS STORY

The US military launching an airstrike in Afghanistan following Taliban attacks in the aftermath of last weekend's signing of a peace deal between the US and Taliban......BBC NEWS STORY

In Israel 99 percent of the vote counted in Monday's election but still more votes to be counted from those in quarantine for coronavirus (some 5,000).      Questions about the purity of the vote also raised at some locations.    Parties of the "Right" getting 58 seats and of the "Left" getting 55 seats with Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), the party of Avigdor Lieberman, holding seven seats.

The Likud Party at 36 seats, the Blue and White at 33 and the Joint List from Israel's Arab community at 15 seats......ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS STORY

The fallout from Super Tuesday among Democrats with billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropping out of the race.    Bloomberg endorsing former Vice-President Joe Biden.

In the US the coronavirus causing declaration of a state of emergency in California.

The House approving eight billion dollars in spending to deal with Covid-19.   The Senate set to vote tomorrow.

Italy closing all schools and universities until March 15th.   Today the death toll from coronavirus raised to 107 with 2,706 cases reported in the country.

The coronavirus story being followed on the BBC News blog.........LINK

For now that's the way it really is Wednesday March 4th, 2020.