WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, April 16, 2018 to 08:00 GMT, April 17, 2018:

Syria response to missiles

Syria says its air defenses have responded to separate missile attacks on the country’s two military airbases. The Syrian army’s air defense system is said to have shot down the missiles, which were meant to target the al-Shayrat airbase in Homs province. In a separate attack, the military reportedly intercepted three missiles heading toward the al-Zamir airbase in the Damascus countryside. The Pentagon has denied involvement in the attacks. The developments come about a week after another military base came under a missile attack in the countryside of the western city of Homs. The missiles reportedly flew over the Lebanese airspace before reaching Syria. US media later quoted American officials as saying that Israel carried out a missile strike last week that reportedly killed 14 people.

OPCW to probe Syria case

The Russian representative at the global chemical arms watchdog says it is highly likely that the alleged chemical attack in Syria was stage by British intelligence services. Alexander Shulgin said that Western countries led by the United States don’t want any investigation because they already made their decision by launching attacks on Syria. He said that the US, Britain and France are afraid that the investigation team proves their false allegation. This comes as experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons are set to travel to the Syrian city of Douma on Wednesday to investigate the allegation. The US and its allies claim that Syria used chemical agents in Douma two weeks ago that killed dozens of people. Damascus and Moscow however deny any such attack.

Sit-ins in Turkey

Supporters of Turkey's main opposition party have organized sit-ins across the country to protest the state of emergency that was declared after a failed coup attempt in 2016. The demonstrations were held in all of Turkey's 81 provinces. That’s as the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to extend the emergency for a seventh time. In Istanbul, hundreds of CHP supporters staged a protest near Taksim Square after police blocked their access to the city's main square. The opposition Republican People's Party accuses the government of misusing its emergency powers to bypass parliament, erode democracy and go after government critics. The Turkish government insists the unusual powers it acquires during a state of emergency are needed to deal with ongoing security threats.

EU disagreement on Iran sanctions

The European Union has failed to agree on new anti-Iran sanctions as Britain, France and Germany seek to appease US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to pull out of the landmark Iran nuclear deal. London, Paris and Berlin proposed sanctions against Tehran over its ballistic missile program and its alleged role in regional conflicts, particularly Syria and Yemen. The three EU members hoped that the expansion of sanctions could help convince Trump not to follow through on his threat to walk away from the nuclear agreement ahead of a May 12 deadline. Any decision on Iran sanctions requires unanimous support from all EU members but Italy and Sweden opposed the draft. Iran has repeatedly dismissed Western allegations about its regional presence, saying it is offering help to countries in the region based on their requests.

US anti-Russia sanctions

US President Donald Trump puts off slapping Russia with more economic sanctions until Moscow takes measures viewed as provocative by Washington. An unnamed White House official said Trump was concerned that imposing more sanctions would affect possible agreements with Russia over issues such as fighting terrorism. US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Sunday that Washington was preparing new sanctions on Moscow over its support for Damascus. Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesman has slammed any new US punitive measures, calling them an attempt by the US to create an unfair economic competition. Dmitry Peskov accused the US of seeking to push Russian companies out of global markets in violation of international law and the rules of the World Trade Organization.

Iran border attack

Iranian forces have foiled an attack to take a border outpost in the south-eastern part of the country, which left three security forces dead. The attack by terrorists happened on the Mirjaveh border with Pakistan. It also left three soldiers injured. According to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, the terrorists were trying to capture the outpost, but faced a strong response by Iranian border guards. Three gunmen were also killed in the fighting that erupted in the early hours of Tuesday.

Hezbollah slams attack on Syria

A senior official from Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah has described the latest US-led attack against Syrian government positions as fruitless. Sheikh Naim Qassim said the targets had come under attack several times before. He said the fact that the US warned Russia of the location and time of the attack shows it does not have any plan for a larger operation. The senior Hezbollah official noted that the US knows such a move will be against its interests. He said the attack was launched at the instigation of Saudi Arabia, because it wants to add fuel to the fire in Syria. He also referred to an Israeli attack on the T4 Airbase in Syria that left several Iranian military advisors dead. Sheikh Qassim said the strike will not go unanswered.

Palestinian prisoners' plight

Israel has issued some 50,000 administrative detention orders against Palestinians since 1967. An advocacy group has released the figure on the occasion of Palestinian prisoners’ Day. The Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs says the number of administrative detention orders has increased sharply since 2002. It also says about 430 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails under such orders. The advocacy group has called on rights organizations to pressure the regime to end the illegal policy. Israel’s administrative detention law allows it to imprison Palestinians for renewable six-month periods without trial or charge. Meanwhile, anti-Israeli protesters are preparing to mark Palestinian prisoners’ Day by staging solidarity rallies across occupied territories.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk