Anti-aircraft missiles were reportedly launched to repel an attack targeting the Syrian capital
Syrian air defenses responded to a reported missile attack targeting the capital, Damascus, early on Wednesday, as sirens sounded off in Israel. The Israeli military claimed that the alarms went off after one of the anti-aircraft missiles launched from Syria exploded.
Footage has emerged on social media purportedly showing Syrian air defenses intercepting missiles launched towards the city.
Video purportedly showing Syrian anti-aircraft missiles launched during Israeli airstrikes in the Damascus area tonight. #Israelpic.twitter.com/gLF6iCR7YO
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 08 (IPS) – The internet and digital technology have allowed children and young people to connect, exchange knowledge and information, and truly turn the world into a global village.
Representatives of the International Olympic Committee said the risk of catching COVID-19 within the bubble at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing is far less than it is outside.
(Image credit: Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images)
Taiwan missile upgrades pose a threat to China’s “sovereignty and security,” officials say
Beijing strongly condemned a possible $100mn deal between the US and Taiwan, aimed at improving and sustaining its missile system.
During a Tuesday press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the US government should immediately ditch its plans to sell military equipment and services to Taiwan.
He urged Washington to respect the “one China” principle and stressed that an arms deal between the US and Taiwan is a threat to China’s sovereignty and security interests, as well as ties between China and the US.
“China will take appropriate and forceful measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty and security interests,” he stated, as quoted by Reuters. While asked about concrete measures China could take, he told the reporters to “wait and see.”
On Monday, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it had approved and delivered the required certification for a sale of $100mn worth of equipment and services to Taiwan in order to “sustain, maintain, and improve” its Patriot Air Defense System. The agency said the sale would “help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability” in the region.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry highly welcomed the decision, saying that the island would strengthen its national security and deepen its cooperation with the United States “in the face of China’s continued military expansion and provocative actions.”
China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has repeatedly accused ‘secessionists’ of ramping up tensions by receiving military aid from abroad. Like most countries, the US has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but acts as its biggest backer, and provides the island nation with varios means of defense.
The US sold weapons systems, including missiles, sensors, and artillery with a total value of $1.8 billion, to Taiwan in 2020. As a response, Chinese officials sanctioned US weapons companies, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense, and Raytheon. However, what form these sanctions had taken was not disclosed to the media.
