Subject: Israel shoots down Syrian fighter jet, raising fears of military escalation
From: "Foreign Policy" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2018 08:43:53 -0500 (CDT)

Israel Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet, Raising Fears of Military Escalation

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07/24/2018

07/24/2018

TOP NEWS

Israel Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet, Raising Fears of Military Escalation

The Israel Defense Forces released a statement confirming that Israel shot down a Syrian fighter jet that had entered Israeli airspace, raising fears of heightened military escalation in the region. The Sukhoi jet had entered two kilometers into Israeli airspace before it was intercepted by two Patriot missiles.

The incident is part of a series of provocations that risk further destabilizing Syria and bringing Israel into direct conflict with Iran and its proxies. On Sunday, Syrian and Lebanese reports alleged that Israeli fighter jets had attacked targets in western Syria.

Israel worries that greater Iranian encroachment near the Golan Heights, a disputed territory along the Israeli-Syrian border, could pose a threat to its security. Israel has been engaging in negotiations with Russia, the Syrian government’s most powerful ally in the conflict, to reduce Iran’s presence in Syria in a bid to avoid a broader conflict.

United States; U.S. President Donald Trump said he is in discussions with incoming Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador about doing something “very dramatic, very positive for both countries” with regards to a renegotiation of NAFTA. Mexico is reportedly redoubling its efforts to seal a NAFTA agreement with the United States and Canada before September. López Obrador, however, raised doubts about Trump’s claims when he revealed that he was not aware of any deal Trump was referring to.

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AFRICA

•  Chinese President Xi Jinping continues his visit to Africa this week, with stops planned in South Africa, Rwanda, Senegal, and Mauritius in a bid to position China as a partner in African industrialization.

•  Eritrea has reportedly limited its conscripted national service to no longer than 18 months, raising hopes that the indefinite conscription policy that has led many young men to flee the country may be ending.

•  Nigeria’s People Democratic Party, the main opposition party, has agreed to change its name as part of a rebranding drive ahead of the 2019 elections.

AMERICAS

•  U.S. President Donald Trump, in an unprecedented move, is considering stripping six former national security officials of their security clearances following their criticisms of his press conference with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland.

•  Argentina’s president, Mauricio Macri, said Monday he will allow military involvement in fighting crime, terrorist threats, and other internal security issues, leading to a harsh rebuke from human rights activists, who reminded the president of the country’s repressive policies under the military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983.

•  Brazil and China are set to take their trade in agricultural goods and other products “to new levels,” according to China’s ambassador to Brazil.

ASIA

•  A hydroelectric dam collapsed in Laos, causing a flash food which has left hundreds missing.

•  China moved to introduce deeper tax cuts and step up efforts to issue special bonds in a bid to buffer its economy from the negative shocks of a trade war with the United States.

•  Fuel prices in North Korea appear to be declining, suggesting that United Nations sanctions are being undermined.

EUROPE

•  At least 60 people have died in wildfires in Greece’s Attica region near Athens in the country’s worst fire disaster in more than a decade.

•  German Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss Syria and the conflict in Ukraine.

•  The Tour de France has temporarily stopped due to farmers’ protests and police use of tear gas, which left several riders in need of medical treatment.

MIDDLE EAST

•  Iran’s foreign ministry warned that it would react with equal countermeasures if the United States moved to block all of its oil exports.

•  Turkey’s central bank decided to leave its policy rate unchanged, defying market expectations and causing the lira to plunge against the U.S. dollar.

•  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “massacring Syrians and Kurds.”

- By Humza Jilani

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