Russia said it is sending advanced missile defense systems to the Syrian government, a move the United States warns would be a “major mistake.” The Russian Defense Ministry said it would deliver sophisticated S-300 air defense systems to Syria within the next two weeks. Earlier in the Syrian civil war, Russia suspended a supply of S-300s after Israel expressed concern. But Moscow will now go ahead with the shipment, saying, “The situation has changed, and it’s not our fault.” Last week, Syria accidentally shot down a Russian military plane during an Israeli airstrike.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a Syrian missile shot down a Russian military aircraft with 15 people on board late Monday. Russia blamed Israel for the “intentional provocation.” The ministry said a Syrian surface-to-air missile accidentally struck the Russian Il-20 aircraft while engaging four Israeli fighter jets in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia late Monday. All 15 Russians on board the aircraft died in the strike.

About 90 elderly South Koreans on Monday crossed into North Korea to reunite briefly with family members separated from them during the Korean War. Buses carrying the South Koreans arrived at the North’s Diamond Mountain resort, as agreed upon by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a summit in April. South Korea has repeatedly requested more frequent reunions between separated family members as those affected age into their 80s and 90s. The North has only agreed to brief, one-time reunions.

At least 50 people died in an airstrike Thursday by the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition in the rebel-controlled region of Yemen, according to local media. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that the strike hit a civilian bus in the northern Saada governorate and at least 29 children were among the dead. Approximately 77 people were injured, reported Yemen’s rebel Al Masirah television. Coalition spokesman Col.

The Syrian government is bombarding the town of Nawa, determined to retake the largest opposition holdout in the country’s southwest. At least a dozen people died and more than 100 were wounded in the densely populated town. The government launched at least 350 missiles on Nawa and surrounding areas after talks to cede the town failed Tuesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan on Tuesday rejected claims that the United States was open to negotiating with the Taliban to end the country’s 17-year war. The Taliban has repeatedly rejected direct talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, asking instead to talk with U.S. negotiators. “The United States is not a substitute for the Afghan people or the Afghan government,” mission commander Gen. John Nicholson said in a statement.

Syrian officials on Thursday raised the country’s flag over the southern city of Daraa, where the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad that led to the country’s seven-year civil war began. Syrian state television said officials mounted the flag at the ruins of the city square. Anti-government protests began in the city during the 2011 Arab Spring, and Assad’s government responded with a military crackdown. Ahmad Masalmeh, an activist formerly in Daraa, said many rebels in the city accepted the government’s amnesty offer. Those who refused the deal will face exile, he said.