Turkey launches major operation against suspected Kurdish militants [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Twenty-five Turkish soldiers were killed and others were injured in explosions at ammunition depots in a military camp in central Turkey's Afyon region. This comes as the Turkish air force is carrying out raids on areas suspected of being strongholds of Kurdish gunmen near the southeastern border with Syria and Iraq.

Reporter, Female #2
Violent explosions are rocking the Turkish city of Afyon near the Aegean Sea area in the center of the country. Dozens of Turkish soldiers were killed and injured by explosions and the raging fires that reached the surrounding forests and some nearby homes.

Reporter, Female #2
The Turkish army said the explosion took place in an arms and ammunition depot belonging to the armed forces, adding that it caused the death of 25 soldiers and lightly injured others. It also said the number of injured could increase. The killing of such a large number of soldiers pushed Turkish authorities to quickly deny any criminal or political causes behind the incident. Forestry and Water Minister Veysel Eroglu said the explosion occurred due to a technical error in the depot, and that there aren't any criminal or political causes for it.

Reporter, Female #2
The mayor of the city, Irfan Balkanlioglu, issued a statement denying any criminal and political causes by indicating that the explosions took place as a categorization and reorganization of weapons and ammunitions was taking place in the depot.

Reporter, Female #2
On the other side of Turkey, security sources announced that the Turkish army is carrying out a military operation with the use of fighter jets and heavy artillery on sites suspected of being affiliated to Kurdish gunmen near the southeastern border with Syria and Iraq. Security sources also indicated that 2,000 soldiers and dozens of F16 fighter jets and Cobra helicopters are being used in the assault. They added that so far the attack has been concentrated on the Katu Mountain in the southeastern Sirnak region. This tense security situation in Turkey comes after a recent escalation of violent acts between the Turkish army and fighters from the Kurdish Workers' Party. The party's fighters have intensified their military attacks on government and security installations, as Ankara has escalated its political and military campaign against the party.

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Arab League calls for ceasefire resolution on Syria as civilians' plight grows [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
In addition to calling for offering the Syrian people all types of support to defend themselves, the Arab League's 138th regular meeting of foreign ministers called for issuing an immediate ceasefire resolution on Syria under Chapter 7 of the UN charter. In its closing statement, the Arab League viewed the crimes and massacres committed by Syrian forces as crimes against humanity. Our correspondent Tawfiq Ahmad reports from Cairo.

Reporter, Male #2
Strong condemnation of the ongoing violence, killings, and ugly crimes committed by the Syrian authorities against the civilians: That was the most notable outcome of the Arab League's meeting of foreign ministers, who described these massacres as crimes against humanity. As for challenges facing the international community, the Arab League is betting on solving the Syrian crisis through an international mobilization.

Guest, Male #3 (Nabil al-Arabi, Arab League Secretary-General)
Until the Syrian government changes its position, and until the Security Council takes action, sadly, I don't think there will be a solution to the Syrian problem. Syrian blood is being shed every day, and you can't imagine what all those dealing with this issue are feeling. This issue touches the conscience of every citizen in the Arab world.

Reporter, Male #2
The Arab League called for offering all forms of support needed by the Syrian people to demand themselves, and the League indicated that it believes that a political solution is the safe recourse to ending this crisis.

Guest, Male #4 (Adnan Mansour, Lebanese Foreign Minister)
It is not possible to shorthand one party on the Syrian scene, or anywhere else, at the expense of another party. The solution must come from inside Syria through political dialogue, and nothing but political dialogue. And the further away we get from a political dialogue, the longer we extend the crisis and the bloodshed.

Reporter, Male #2
The Arab League is also seeking to find agreement at the Security Council to issue an immediate ceasefire resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN charter so it is binding to all parties. Contacts, negotiations, and intensive meetings are ongoing to end the Syrian crisis but to no avail as the Arab League ruled out a military solution, limiting the key to the negotiations table that is rejected by the revolutionaries in Syria. Tawfiq Ahmad, Dubai TV, Cairo.

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Syrian forces resume shelling of Aleppo amid reports of food shortages [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The Syrian Coordination Committee reported the killing of 67 people today, including 41 in Damascus. Confrontations between Syrian government forces and the armed opposition continued in many areas, particularly in Damascus, its countryside, and the city of Aleppo. Opposition members are saying that Aleppo's neighborhoods are being subjected to ongoing shelling, in addition to a lack of food supplies. This, as the Syrian Revolution's General Commission documented on Wednesday the killing of 224 people; most of them died in Aleppo.

Reporter, Male #2
Yet another bloody day in different parts of Syria after battles intensified in Damascus, its countryside, Aleppo and its surroundings, Deir az-Zour, and al-Bukamal, according to a news agency.

Guest, Male #3
The destruction in Babbila was caused by the indiscriminate shelling of the town.

Reporter, Male #2
In Damascus, the Syrian Observatory said clashes took place in Jubla, and the al-Kadam and al-Asali neighborhoods, in Zamalka and Deir al-Asafir. The Yarmouk camp witnessed clashes during which heavy machine guns and mortar shells were used. It was later announced that two planes were hovering over the camp and targeted some centers and buildings. It was also reported that a protest took off from al-Jauna Street in al-Yarmouk to denounce the massacres carried out by the regime against civilians, according to the Coordination Committees.

Reporter, Male #2
The observatory said that violent clashes took place at a regime checkpoint near a gate leading to the Sayeda Zeinab shrine in the countryside of Damascus. In al-Tadamon neighborhood, activists posted images online, saying they show the liberation of Ummahat al-Momineen Mosque where signs of tampering, destruction, and devastation were visible. In Aleppo, clashes and shelling continued, as warplanes hovered over the region then bombarded a number of neighborhoods in the city, notably in al-Shaar, Bustan al-Qasr, and Masaken Hanano, where a large number of people were reportedly killed.

Reporter, Male #2
Syrian TV broadcast a report about the progress of military operations in Aleppo, and held interviews with the commanders.

Guest, Male #4
We are in the area of Sheikh Sayd; we will completely cleanse this area, and we will crush them.

Guest, Male #5
God willing, we will restore safety and security to the citizens and to the nation.

Reporter, Male #2
In Homs, the Observatory announced that clashes were renewed in the town of Qala'at al-Hosn. Activists posted videos showing members of the Free Army seizing a Chiklah armored vehicle as the shelling of al-Rastan was resumed.

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Iraq denies claims of allowing in weapons from Iran to Syria [Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq]

Presenter, Female #1
The Iraqi government reiterated that it will not allow the transfer of weapons from Iraq to any side of the Syrian conflict regardless of their source. In a statement issued to the Center Brief for the Iraqi Media Network, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said that Iraq will not allow the shipment of any type of weapon to Syria. Al-Dabbagh added that his government is working to strengthen efforts to reach a peaceful solution in Syria, and is supporting the new UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.

Presenter, Male #1
For his part, the Iraqi prime minister's media advisor, Ali al-Moussawi, said that there's no proof that Iran violated the special agreement prohibiting the transfer of arms from Iran to Syria via the Iraqi airspace or territory. In a statement issued to the Center Brief for the Iraqi Media Network, al-Moussawi said that Iraq received assurances that Iran is abiding by the special agreement, and that the Iraqi government has no proof to believe otherwise. Al-Moussawi added that his government is willing to investigate any claim if based on physical evidence.

Presenter, Female #1
The government's high commission overseeing the return of Iraqis from Syria and the housing of Syrian refugees said that 29,000 Iraqis have returned to the country via al-Walid and al-Qaim border crossings. Salam al Khafaji, the deputy minister of Iraq's Migration and Displacement, told the Center Brief for the Iraqi Media Network that the number of Iraqis who entered Iraq via al-Walid and al-Qaim has reached 23,308, and that the number Iraqis airlifted from Syria stands at 6,113.

Presenter, Male #1
The parliament's defense and security committee unveiled a Saudi-Qatari plot aimed at clearing the region from weapons and establishing the so called "new Middle East." The committee's deputy chief, Iskander Witwit, told the Center Brief for the Iraqi Media Network that the smuggling of weapons to the central and southern provinces is not a mere rumor, but is based on precise intelligence pointing to the presence of arms dealers sponsored by the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The dealers are reportedly buying weapons with the aim of clearing the region from arms and smuggling some of them to the Syrian opposition in a bid to establish the so-called "new Middle East."

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Pro-Israel lobby exposed at US Democratic National Convention [Press TV, Iran]

The Democratic National Convention is underway in the US city of Charlotte. Delegates have addressed a number of issues, such as food security for Americans, and an amendment put to vote to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Both the Republican and Democratic conventions are places to attract both voters and major influential lobby groups, of which Zionist interests, notably AIPAC, play a major part.

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Scores killed after refugee boat capsizes off Turkish shore [Press TV, Iran]

In Turkey at least 58 people have been killed after a boat carrying immigrants sank off the country's western coast near the town of Ahmetbeyli. The vessel was carrying more than 100 people when it hit rocks and capsized. Local sources say that they boat was trying to reach Europe.

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Israeli forces kill six Palestinians in Gaza Strip [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Six Palestinians were martyred, and a number of others were injured by Israel's shelling of different parts of the Gaza Strip.

Presenter, Female #1
Three were martyred this morning after Israeli tanks shelled Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. The other three were martyred after midnight by an air raid on the al-Breij camp in the Gaza Strip.

Reporter, Male #2
Shocked by the news of the martyrdom of her two children, she immediately rushed to the scene. In this border area of Beit Hanoun, brothers Akram and Ihab al-Zanin, and Tarek al-Kafarna were killed by Israel's artillery shelling.

Reporter, Male #2
Recovering the martyrs' corpses from this site posed a challenge for the Israeli occupation forces. The greatest confrontation was from these women. They raised white sheets and stormed the area after Israeli soldiers prevented ambulances from reaching the site. The deposed government in Gaza considered the escalation a grave threat, but said it would not impact the cohesiveness of the internal front.

Guest, Male #3 (Islam Shahwan, Deposed Government's Interior Ministry Spokesman)
They aim to disrupt the internal situation. We are ready for all emergencies, and we have emergency plans in place. We will announce their launch at the right time, and the Zionist enemy will bear the full responsibility for the repercussions of this brutal escalation.

Reporter, Male #2
We are also witnessing a new wave of escalations; it's not the first, and it will not be the last. Israeli aircraft raided members of the resistance in the center of the strip after a series of night raids over the past days.

Reporter, Male #2
The Israeli military says these raids are a response to rockets launched from the strip. As for the Palestinians, they say the raids aim to reshuffle the cards, and transfer the tension and confrontation to Hamas and the groups that are not fully complying with the pacification on the ground. Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera, Gaza, Palestine.

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Palestinian Islamic and national blocs meet to end division [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
Following a call from the Democratic Front, national and Islamic blocs held a meeting in the city of Gaza aimed at ending Palestinian division and achieving national reconciliation.

Reporter, Male #2
A popular conference was held amid mass pressure to implement reconciliation proposals and agreements. The meeting by Palestinian factions and blocs in Gaza was called for by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It aimed to pressure both Fatah and Hamas to move forward with reconciliation and to end division.

Guest, Male #3 (Saleh Zeidan, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine)
During this meeting, the importance of holding popular conferences in both Gaza and the West Bank was reaffirmed, and also abroad whenever possible, to mobilize popular pressure to end the division. It was agreed for the Preparatory Committee of the Popular Conference to resume its work to escalate public pressure with the aim of implementing the agreements signed by all parties.

Guest, Male #4 (Khadr Habib, Islamic Jihad)
This meeting of Islamic and national forces at the Democratic Front's office comes in the context of successive meetings tackling the status of the division. Popular pressure is necessary to end the division, and important ahead of a popular conference that pressures both sides of this division.

Reporter, Male #2
Despite the absence of the two major reconciliation poles from the meeting, the initiative was welcomed by both sides, as Fatah confirmed the importance of a popular movement to end the division.

Guest, Male #5 (Fayez Abu Eita, Fatah Movement)
We welcome all efforts exerted to fulfill national reconciliation and to end this repugnant division, and we welcome any popular conference or popular pressure to fulfill this reconciliation. But, truthfully, it is time for the Palestinian masses to speak out about the issues hindering the implementation of the reconciliation agreement.

Reporter, Male #2
Meanwhile, Hamas stressed the importance of rectifying the wrong track, taken because of the division, calling on all factions to help the two movements reach agreements that unify both halves of the nation.

Guest, Male #6 (Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas Movement)
What is needed is to correct all the wrong paths taken because of the division that harms the interests of the Palestinian people, the law, and also the Palestinian citizen. So I don't think putting pressure on Palestinian parties will help end the division. But, Palestinian factions and the Palestinian people must help Hamas and Fatah so the obstacles facing the reconciliation can really be lifted.

Reporter, Male #2
A meeting by the Palestinian factions was held to activate the reconciliation file while both sides of this division, Fatah and Hamas, were absent. It aimed to pressure them both through the popular and factional fronts in hopes that the meeting will be a catalyst for the stagnant reconciliation issue and can return it to the right path.

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Palestinian Authority seeks non-member status at UN after failed statehood bid [IBA, Israel]

Arab nations have endorsed a call to back a planned Palestinian move to seek non-member status at the United Nations later this month. The decision was taken during an Arab League meeting in Cairo. Palestinians currently have "observer status." Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will make the upgrade request on September 27 during a meeting of the UN General Assembly. Palestinians have also gained the support of other Islamic states and the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement. The PA was thwarted last year in its attempt to become a full member of the UN, which would have required the approval of the Security Council. The new request to raise their status needs only a majority vote in the 193-member General Assembly.

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Fatah security officer gunned down in Jenin [IBA, Israel]

A Palestinian security officer has been gunned down by unknown assailants in the West Bank city of Jenin. He was attacked around midnight while driving home, and was shot six times. The 41-year-old was deputy head of the Preventive Security Service in Jenin, and a member of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party.

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Israeli Counterterrorism Bureau issues travel advisory for High Holy Days [IBA, Israel]

As the High Holy Days approach, Israel's Counterterrorism Bureau has issued a travel advisory to Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Thailand, which is in addition to a standing warning against traveling to the Sinai. Israel has asked government authorities in these countries to beef up security around Israeli tourist areas in these locations. The bureau also added that travelers should avoid going to Turkey or Azerbaijan.

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Trial of accused Iran spies continues in Azerbaijan [IBA, Israel]

In Azerbaijan, the trial of 22 Azeri citizens suspected of spying for Iran and plotting attacks on Israeli and Western embassies and the British oil company BP resumed in the capital Baku. The hearing is closed to the public and media. Authorities arrested nearly two dozen suspects earlier this year alleged to have links with Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

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Israel speculates over leak that shut down Security Cabinet meeting [IBA, Israel]

Reverberations continue in Israel following the abruptly-adjourned meeting of the Security Cabinet in the midst of discussions on Iran's nuclear program over a leak. However, it is difficult to determine exactly what was leaked; some sources reported a difference in opinion between Mossad and IDF intelligence over the timeline of Iran's nuclear efforts, but it was also reported that the main leak was caught by the military censor and not published. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet arranged for another forum that will have the authority to discuss and decide on any military strike against Iran's program, and has not commented on the leak or on the calls for polygraph tests for the cabinet members.