WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, February 10, 2017.

Iran rejects Israel claim

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has rejected Israeli claims that it had intercepted an Iranian drone allegedly launched from Syria. Bahram Qassemi also said the Israeli claims of Iran’s interference in downing its military jet are too absurd to even be discussed. He stressed that Syria has the right to self-defense in response to Israeli airstrikes. Lebanon has also said it will complain to the United Nations Security Council over Israel’s use of its airspace to target Syria. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry has denounced Israel’s aggressive policy that threatens regional stability. It’s also voiced support for Syria’s legitimate right to respond to Israeli aggression.

Turkish Syria offensive

The Turkish president says one of the country’s military helicopters has been downed in northern Syria, during an offensive against Syrian Kurdish militants there. The incident happened in Raji, northwest of Afrin. Speaking in Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not mention the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units directly, but said those responsible will pay. A spokesperson for the Kurdish militants, also known as the YPG, has confirmed that their units targeted the chopper. Turkey launched a military offensive on Afrin in January to uproot the YPG from the region. Ankara considers the group an extension of an outlawed group called the Kurdistan Workers’ Party active in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey.

Pounding militants in Egypt

The Egyptian army is conducting attacks on militant targets in northern and central Sinai for the second consecutive day. The military says Egyptian warplanes hit terrorist gatherings and hideouts through the night. The strikes reportedly targeted weapons warehouses and logistics support areas. Egyptian ground forces and police also conducted raids inside cities in Sinai to seize militants. Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has been the scene of an insurgency that has killed hundreds of people since 2013. Only last November, a brutal attack on a mosque in the northern region left over 300 people dead and many others injured. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who is seeking re-election in March, has ordered the armed forces to end the insurgency within three months.

Responding to aggression

The Syrian air defense has responded to a new wave of Israeli attacks near the capital Damascus following earlier raids on the Arab country’s central region. Syrian media have reported sounds of explosions in the Damascus countryside. Israel claims a dozen Syrian and Iranian targets were hit in the new raids. The attacks came hours after Syrian forces struck Israeli warplanes as they were conducting raids against army positions in central Syria. Israel has confirmed the downing of one of its F-16 jets but the Syrian side says more than one warplanes were hit by the anti-aircraft fire. Damascus also said that a military site was hit in the previous Israeli strike. According to Israeli media, one of the pilots of the downed jet is in critical condition. The developments come after Tel Aviv alleged that an Iranian-made drone entered the occupied Golan Heights which it says was intercepted.

Turkey arrests

Turkish police say they have detained 31 suspected Daesh terrorists in Istanbul who were preparing to launch an attack. According to Turkish media, police raided six addresses in three districts of the city. All of those arrested are said to be foreign nationals. Officers also seized digital materials and documents during the raids. Ankara stepped up operations against Daesh suspects at the end of 2017. That was right before the first anniversary of a New Year gun attack on a nightclub in Istanbul in which 39 people were killed. Daesh had claimed responsibility for that shooting. It was one of a series of attacks believed to have been carried out by Daesh in Turkey in recent years.

Koreas’ relations

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a meeting in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The invitation comes as the two Koreas have held unprecedented talks recently on sending joint teams to the Winter Olympic Games underway in the South. Earlier, the South Korean president sat down with senior officials from Pyongyang, including Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader. The meeting was held after they attended the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Seoul hopes to use the games as an opportunity to restore regular communication with Pyongyang and resolve the standoff over the North’s missile and nuclear programs.

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