Infuriated by the move – which preempted NATO’s own plans to take the airport and dig in, NATO Forces in Europe C-in-C Wesley Clark ordered alliance forces to block the landing area, “overpower” and “destroy” Russian forces.

“We were [looking at] a possibility…of confrontation with the Russian contingent, which seemed to me probably not the right way to start off a relationship with Russians who were going to become part of my command,” Jackson said in later interview.

“Because of what is happening around them, most suffer from the horrors of war and psychological disorders, and many need specialized support."

"This morning, peacekeepers at a position near Kafer Kela observed an IDF Merkava tank firing at their watchtower. Two cameras were destroyed, and the tower was damaged. Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position. We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times," the statement said.

“China’s nuclear triad includes silo-based missile systems, sea-based ballistic missiles and cruise missiles carried by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s strategic bombers. All of these systems are being improved according to a specific algorithm, with some already updated and in service with China’s strategic nuclear forces,” veteran Russian military observer Alexei Leonkov told Sputnik on the 60th anniversary of China’s first nuclear test.

In the air, China is preparing to take delivery of the Xian H-20A – a new “flying wing bomber design which will serve as the main carrier of its cruise missiles,” including the Chang Jian-10A, Leonkov says.

“According to the country’s nuclear doctrine, China will launch a retaliatory strike in the event of external aggression. After they improve their missile attack warning system, a [new] reciprocal strike doctrine will likely be adopted, because China today is hard at work on the technology of maneuvering hypersonic warheads for ballistic missiles,” the observer said, pointing to unveiling of the Dongfeng-17 road-mobile medium-range missile carrying the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle in October 2019.