War

Tensions are rapidly escalating between the US and Russia following last week two fly-bys when first a Russian Su-24 "buzzed" the US missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, and just days later flew within 50 feet of a US recon plane also flying over the Baltic Sea, which some interpreted as a Russian warning to Poland. The U.S. quickly responded and complained vocally to Russia (even if Obama did not mention the incident during his phone call with Putin immediately following the incident).

As Iran pledges to continue support for the Syrian government, they have also warned that a US plan to deploy more troops to Syria will worsen the crisis. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday: “We have announced from the start of the Syria crisis that any foreign intervention in Syria without coordination with its government will further escalate the crisis“ Press TV reports: President Barack Obama will announce plans on Monday to send up to 250 more military personnel to the war-torn country, US administration officials have said.

Last week’s confrontation between Russian fighter jets and a U.S. destroyer in the Baltic Sea has taken the shine off the U.S. Navy’s aura of invincibility. Russia Insider reports: Russia Warns US Military: ‘We Will Take All Necessary Measures’ If you were wondering what the immediate U.S. response would be to the embarrassing incident that took place in the Baltic Sea last week between Russian fighter jets and a U.S. destroyer, the answer is absolutely nothing.

Israeli authorities have released their youngest prisoner, a 12-year-old Palestinian girl convicted for plotting an attack on a West Bank settlement with a knife. The school girl was detained in February and allegedly confessed to an attempted stabbing attack in a plea bargain with Israeli military prosecutors.  The Telegraph reports: There were 438 Palestinian minors imprisoned for security-related offences in February 2016, up from 170 last September, according to Israel Prison Service figures quoted by Israeli daily Haaretz.