🇮🇱🇸🇾 Israeli jets have attacked using cruise missiles the Nayrab airport in Syria's Aleppo from the territory of Lebanon on February 12, Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said on Tuesday.

"Two F-16 tactical fighter jets of the Israeli air force launched an air strike with two cruise missiles at Nayrab International Airport in the Aleppo province from the territory of Lebanon without entering Syrian airspace on February 12," the official told a briefing, adding that as a result of the strike three civilian airport employees were injured.

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Plans to create pan-European army theoretical at best

Europe’s lack of virtually all of the components needed to establish some sort of joint European armed force makes all discussions about enacting such a scheme hypothetical at best, says German political analyst and independent journalist Dr. Gregor Spitzen.

“The EU has neither free money nor motivated soldiers, nor a functioning defense industry, nor even capable generals to create such a force,” he said.

According to Dr. Spitzen, even if such military force were created, its “real maximum” would amount to providing disaster relief and helping with vaccination during a pandemic.

“Considering that even European troops within the NATO structure (e.g. the German Bundeswehr) show very limited combat capability during military maneuvers, and the German generals are even more incompetent in commanding military units, there are very serious doubts that individual European armed forces will be able to become a real defense of the peoples of Europe, rather than an unnecessary burden that can only eat up taxpayers' money in peacetime,” he argued.

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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has eliminated more than 10,000 Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip, including many commanders, since the escalation of the Middle East conflict, but much remains to be done to reach the war's objectives, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said.

"So far, we have eliminated over 10,000 terrorists, including many commanders. This is what dismantling Hamas means. Our military achievements, as I previously mentioned, are very high, but there is still a long way to go before we can achieve the war's objectives. We need to eliminate the senior leadership, eliminate more of the enemy's commanders and operatives, return civilians to their homes safely, and bring the hostages home — a supreme mission and moral obligation," Halevi said in a statement published by the IDF on Telegram.

The IDF continues to operate "wherever terrorism exists" and does not intend to stop, Halevi added.

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A US military base sitting on natural oil and gas fields in eastern Syria was shelled three times within one hour, a local Syrian source told Sputnik.

"Within less than an hour, the US base was attacked three times - first two, then three more missiles were fired at it, the US air defences were unable to intercept them. During the third strike, more than 10 missiles were fired and struck the base, causing a fire to break out," the source said.

According to the source, the US military responded to the incident by shelling the attackers' positions. US attack helicopters have since been deployed to patrol the area.

The US armed forces illegally control territories in the east and northeast of Syria in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Al-Hasakah, and Raqqa, where Syria's largest oil and gas fields are located. Damascus has repeatedly called the presence of the US military on its territory an occupation and state piracy for the purpose of blatantly stealing the nation's oil.

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Tucker Carlson's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which the mainstream US media chose to ignore, has been viewed 200 million times on X since February 9.

The video has also been reposted 308,000 times, and more than one million people have "liked" the interview.

The number of views of the video on YouTube has exceeded 16.2 million.

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US President Joe Biden is the only one who can order the US to use nuclear weapons, and he, according to the recent report, has difficulty recalling facts and details, so the risk of an accidental nuclear war caused by the US has recently increased dramatically, Mikhail Popov, the deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to return home from hospital later on Tuesday following medical treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Defense Department deputy spokesperson Sabrina Singh said.

"Secretary Austin is still at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and is in good condition," Singh said during a press briefing on Tuesday. "We anticipate Secretary Austin will be released from the hospital later today."

Austin is still expected to participate in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is scheduled to take place via video link on Wednesday and deliver the opening remarks, Singh added.

Earlier this week, Austin was hospitalized for the second time since January and transferred his powers to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who still retains them.

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A country that possesses nuclear weapons must demonstrate a sense of responsibility and a call of duty in the case of the hospitalization of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Mikhail Popov said.

"It is clear that the Secretary of Defense is not young and probably not an absolutely healthy person, like many US leaders... But in this case, on the contrary, a sense of responsibility and a call of duty should be demonstrated. We are talking about... a state possessing nuclear weapons and constantly claiming to be a global hegemon," Popov said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

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A hardline strategy by the United States after the resolution of the Ukraine conflict could make war with Russia in Europe more likely, the US think tank RAND Corporation said in a report.

“A hardline postwar US strategy in Europe could make conflict with Russia more — not less — likely,” the report stressed on Tuesday.

Hardline policies, such as further military buildup in Europe, are unlikely to be necessary to effectively deter a Russian attack on a NATO country, the corporation emphasized. Such policies could increase the risk of conflict with Russia, the report highlighted.

A “longer, more violent” conflict in Ukraine could have long-term and irreversible negative consequences for US interests, the corporation warned. The US has policy options to encourage Russia and Ukraine to pursue a ceasefire sooner rather than later, the report insisted.

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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the Department of Defense said in a statement.

"Following consultation with medical staff, Secretary Austin was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center today at approximately 3:30 pm," the statement said on Tuesday.

The statement said that Secretary Austin is recovering well and has resumed his full functions and duties at 5 pm today day.

"On the advice of his doctors, Secretary Austin will recuperate and perform his duties remotely from home for a period before returning to work at the Pentagon later this week," the statement added.

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“[Ukraine] can literally not afford to lose any more young people because then there will be no one left to have children,” international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda told Sputnik’s Fault Lines on Tuesday.

Nonetheless, Ukraine has to go forward with the mass connoscription plan if it wants to replace its massive losses, particularly in Avdeyevka, according to the analyst.

“However bad you think [Avdeyevka] is, it’s much worse,” Sleboda emphasized, saying that newly-appointed Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky is repeating Ukraine’s failed strategy in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and is doubling down on the increasingly encircled city.

Sleboda noted that even without the latest connoscription law being adopted, Ukraine is already forcing men to the front, focusing on small villages in Western Ukraine rather than Kiev and other big cities “to try to limit the potential for political protests,” he explained.

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❗️ An explosion and subsequent fire occurred on the main line of a gas pipeline in the central Iranian city of Borougen, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported, citing the emergency services of the republic.

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Moldova has saved $553 million by buying gas from Russian gas giant Gazprom between November 2021 and November 2022, Vadim Ceban, the head of Moldovan gas company Moldovagaz, said on Tuesday.

The director of Moldovagaz said in January that Gazprom could again become the sole supplier of gas to the republic from May if it offers a favorable price. Moldovan Energy Minister Victor Parlicov said Moldovan authorities were ready to buy gas from Gazprom if the Russian company offered a better price.

"For all those interested in the details of signing the contract for natural gas supply between Moldovagaz JSC and PJSC Gazprom in October 2021, once again, using figures, I will clearly explain the advantages of this deal. It is not a higher mathematics — you can simply compare the indicators of the exchange price with the price provided by Gazprom. Due to this difference, the savings for the period from November 2021 to November 2022 amounted to $553 million," Ceban said on Telegram.

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An explosion and a subsequent fire occurred at the main line of the Iranian gas pipeline in the city of Borujen, but no casualties were reported, Iranian news agency Mehr reported on Wednesday, citing the country's firefighters.

A loud sound of the explosion and the fire caused by it occurred on the pipeline's Line 65 between Halvai Pass and Boldaji Highway in Borujen, the report said.

The report also quoted Borujen Mayor Fatah Karemi as saying that the fire will continue "until the remaining volume of gas in the pipeline is completely burned out."

The mayor added that the gas supply from Borujen to other regions of Iran was suspended, and rescue and fire brigades were at the site of the fire.

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❗️ The US House of Representatives passed a resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his alleged failure to secure the United States’ borders from illegal immigration, making him the second sitting Cabinet secretary ever to be impeached.

House lawmakers passed the resolution to bring articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in a vote of 214-213 on Tuesday, after the effort failed in a vote last week.

The resolution accuses Mayorkas of willful and systemic refusal to comply with and enforce immigration laws.

"If Secretary Mayorkas truly wished to do his duty by the American people, he would start enforcing our laws and demand the Biden Administration take the actions House Republicans have clearly laid out to secure the border in HR 2. As it stands, Secretary Mayorkas has demonstrated no intention to begin complying with our laws and defending our communities," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a statement on the resolution.

Last week, the effort failed to pass the US House of Representatives, in part because Scalise was absent from the vote, due to receiving treatment for blood cancer. The measure now heads to the Democrat-majority Senate, which will hold an impeachment trial against Mayorkas.

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US President Joe Biden said in a statement that the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is a "baseless" and "blatant act" of unconstitutional partisanship.

"History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games," Biden said on Tuesday. "Sadly, the same Republicans pushing this baseless impeachment are rejecting bipartisan plans Secretary Mayorkas and others in my administration have worked hard on to strengthen border security at this very moment — reversing from years of their own demands to pass stronger border bills. "

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