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A handout picture released on February 20, 2018 shows wreckage of a plane that crashed near a mountain peak two days earlier in Iran's Zagros mountain range. (Photo by AFP)

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, February 20, 2018.

Iran plane crash

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says the wreckage of the ill-fated passenger plane has been spotted in Zagros Mountains. IRGC helicopters found the wreckage on the third day of search operations for the ATR-72 twin-engine turbo-prop plane. The aircraft crashed en route from Tehran to the city of Yasuj on Sunday. It went off radar with 66 people on board. The cause of the incident is not known yet.

Lebanon warning

Lebanon’s army has warned Israel against any act of aggression on the country’s territory. The Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces says the military will use all available means to confront any potential Israeli hostility. General Joseph Aoun categorically rejected any infringement on Lebanon's sovereignty and its right to exploit all its economic resources. Tensions are running high between Beirut and Tel Aviv over an Israeli border wall and exploitation of offshore energy projects near disputed waters. Israel has been building a wall along the Lebanese border since 2012. Beirut says part of the wall is a threat to its energy projects. Tel Aviv has denied this, saying the construction will go ahead as planned.

South Korea-US war games

South Korea says it is holding talks with the U-S on joint war games that were delayed until after the Pyeong-chang Winter Olympics to ensure the security of the games. South Korean Unification Minister, Cho Myong-gyon, told the parliament that the drills will be held, but the timing is not clear. Meanwhile, the South Korean defense minster says the announcement will be made before April. The decision to delay the drills convinced North Korea to hold first talks with the South in two years to de-escalate tensions. During the talks, North Korea agreed to send its athletes to the Winter Games. Pyongyang also welcomed a proposal to co-host the 2021 Asian Winter Games with the South. But the North warned that it will not sit idle if the joint military exercises go ahead. North Korea considers the annual maneuvers as a hostile move by the US.

Turkey Syria operation

The Turkish president says Ankara will lay siege to Syria’s northwestern border region of Afrin, which has been the scene of a Turkish military operation for weeks. Rejep Tayyip Erdogan says the blockade will be enforced on Afrin’s center. Earlier, Turkey’s top diplomat said the Syrian army is yet to enter the region. Ankara has said that it will counter pro-government forces. Damascus has said its forces were heading to some border positions following a deal between Syrian Kurds and the government. Last month, Turkish troops crossed Syria’s northwestern border on the pretext of battling Kurdish militants in the Afrin district. Ankara considers the militants a threat to its security, but Damascus condemns the operation, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.

Israel corruption probes

Israeli police have named two close associates of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who were arrested as part of a corruption inquiry. Police say the two are Netanyahu’s former spokesman, Nir Hefetz, and the premier’s former director of the communications ministry, Shlomo Filber. They are accused of lobbying for regulations that were worth hundreds of millions of dollar to telecom company Bezaq. That was in return for favorable coverage of Netanyahu in a telecom firm’s highly popular subsidiary. Netanyahu himself, who already faces two bribery and fraud charges in a separate case, is expected to be questioned over the matter.

Battle for Afrin

The Turkish army has attacked pro-Syrian government forces that have just arrived in the Kurdish-held Afrin region. Popular Forces also known as NDF entered Afrin through the al-Ziyara crossing point north of the town of Nubl. The forces as well as media crews were then shelled by Turkish forces. Kurdish YPG fighters who are fighting both the Turkish army and its allied militants have announced that the NDF forces were deployed to Afrin to help them fend off Turkey’s attacks. Meanwhile, the Turkish army and its allied Syrian opposition militants are also advancing in Afrin. They’ve reportedly taken over a key road linking Azaz to Afrin. Turkish forces are also in control of nine more villages in the region.

EU-US trade showdown

The European Union says it will defend its interests if the US goes ahead with plans to impose tough trade sanctions against it. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas says Brussels will take appropriate measures to defend its industry and stands ready to react swiftly in case EU exports are affected by any US sanctions. He, however, noted that the EU is not in a trade war with Washington and both sides would win if they played by the rules. The US Commerce Department has recommended imposing heavy tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from China, Russia and Europe. Trump has until mid-April to decide about the proposed restrictions. The US president campaigned on an economic platform, promising to put America First by protecting local manufacturers from foreign competition.

Germany coalition deal

Members of the German Social Democratic party have started voting to decide whether to enter another grand coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel. SPD leaders promised to give the party members the chance to approve the agreement after facing strong resistance to enter coalition with Merkel. SPD lawmaker Heiko Maas urged passing the agreement. He told members it contains many Social Democratic successes including safe pensions, better training, free day-care or massive relief for low-earners. That voting that started on Tuesday will conclude on March 2. The results are expected two days afterward. Should the agreement be rejected, Merkel will face forming a minority government or calling new elections.


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