Italy will keep the same number of its peacekeepers in South Lebanon, Italian Defense Minister Mario Mauro said Thursday, as he voiced his country’s readiness to provide military assistance if needed.

If fresh media reports are true, Russia, Syria’s longtime supplier of military equipment, may soon provide Damascus - or already has - with advanced S-300 air defense systems, tipping the balance in the devastating 26-month conflict in the Middle Eastern country. But the “if” is a big one.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress May 14 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Qatar for two AN/AAQ-24(V) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) Systems and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $110 million.

Iran’s Navy will receive cruise missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers, the Director of Iran’s Defense Ministry’s Aerospace Organization said on Sunday.