Rare Israeli Attack On Syria’s Palmyra Launched From US-Controlled Airspace Huge Israeli airstrikes rocked the outskirts of the central Syrian city of Palmyra on Wednesday, with regional reports saying the attacks were launched by Israeli jets utilizing US-controlled airspace over Al-Tanf military base in eastern Syria.  “Israeli warplanes launched a number of missiles from the airspace of the [US] base in the Al-Tanf area on the Syrian–Iraqi–Jordanian border, in the far southeastern countryside of Homs, targeting the vicinity of the city of Palmyra,” Sputnik’s correspondent reported. Getty Images Israeli attacks on Palmyra are rare, if not unheard of, given how deep into central Syria and the eastern desert the town lies. Al-Tanf base is located a little over 200km from Palmyra. The border base has been occupied by US forces for many years now. Syrian state SANA has cited a large casualty count, reporting at least 36 dead and over 50 wounded. SANA reports, “At approximately 1:30 p.m. today, the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of al-Tanf area, targeting a number of buildings in Palmyra City in the Syrian Desert, led to the martyrdom of 36 people, the injury of more than 50 others, and significant material damage to the buildings and the surrounding area.” Palmyra before the war attracted tourists from across the globe as it is known for its ancient Roman ruins, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The iconic ruins and temples were partially damaged when the remote outpost was overrun by the Islamic State terror group in 2015, and many Syrian Army personnel were killed trying to defend it. Syrian government forces with the help of Russian aerial support were able to get Palmyra back from ISIS by March 2016. Russia and Syria have long accused American forces based out of Al-Tanf of training terrorists

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on November 19 that Ukraine used six U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles in its attack on the Bryansk region overnight, claiming Russian forces managed to shoot down five of the missiles and damage one. According to the ministry, fragments from the damaged ATACMS fell on a military target, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished. The ministry also said there were no casualties. Hours earlier, the Russian RBK news agency quoted an informed source within Ukraine’s military as saying Kyiv had used ATACMS missiles for the first time, targeting an object in the city of Karachev in Russia’s southwestern Bryansk region, successfully damaging the facility. Kyiv did not officially confirm the reports, but President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, when asked about them, said only that “Ukraine has long-range capabilities, including domestically produced long-range drones…and now we have ATACMS as well.” AFP quoted an unnamed senior Ukrainian official as saying that the strike “was carried out by ATACMS missiles.” The timing of this operation, coinciding with the 1,000th day of Russia’s invasion, carries symbolic weight. By further demonstrating its capacity to retaliate with precision and range, observers believe Ukraine seeks to shift the strategic calculus of the war, showing Russian territory is not immune from direct attacks. Ukraine for months has been striking inside Russia with its drones, often with precise attacks. ATACMS, however, are more powerful and faster and therefore tougher to shoot down. The reported U.S. permission on ATACMS expands the type and increases the number of Ukraine’s long-range options. The same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an updated nuclear doctrine. This revision allows for the consideration of nuclear weapons use if Russia faces a conventional missile assault supported by a nuclear power. The

This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Dozens of staff at a popular North Korean restaurant in the Chinese city of Dandong are returning to North Korea to face punishment after one of them temporarily escaped from her job, residents in China told Radio Free Asia. There are several North Korean restaurants in Dandong, which lies just across the Yalu River border from Sinuiju, and the young waitresses that Pyongyang sends over to staff them are the main draw. Not only do they serve tables, they also sing and dance to keep the diners entertained. However, most of the money they earn is sent to the North Korean government in the form of “loyalty funds” and these women are known to live in very poor conditions, sometimes even sleeping in small rooms inside the restaurants. Though they are in a foreign country, Pyongyang likes to keep absolute control over their access to the outside world, and monitors their every move, sometimes even forbidding them to leave the restaurant. Earlier this year, one of the women at the Ryugyong restaurant went missing for a while, but then she returned. In response, Pyongyang recalled all the waitresses working there, a Dandong resident told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “I went to the Ryugyong restaurant today during the day and found that there were no North Korean waitresses working in the restaurant,” he said. “There were only Chinese employees.” He said the Ryugyong is popular because it is very large compared to the other North Korean restaurants in the city and it is ornately decorated. “But the most impressive thing that drew people in were the pretty North Korean women wearing colorful hanbok coming out to greet customers at the front door,” he said,