International Coalition Brings Military Equipment to Northeast Syria

US soldiers patrol the countryside of the oil-rich town of Rumeilan in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
US soldiers patrol the countryside of the oil-rich town of Rumeilan in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
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International Coalition Brings Military Equipment to Northeast Syria

US soldiers patrol the countryside of the oil-rich town of Rumeilan in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, on June 7, 2023. (AFP)
US soldiers patrol the countryside of the oil-rich town of Rumeilan in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, on June 7, 2023. (AFP)

The International Coalition forces sent new military equipment to their bases in the Hasakah countryside in northeast Syria, a war monitor revealed Monday.

The equipment included dozens of trucks, armored vehicles loaded with military equipment and vehicles likely to be missile launchers, in addition to trucks carrying logistical materials.

“The Coalition continues to strengthen its bases in Syrian territories by land and air,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.
Headquartered in London, the war monitor said the military reinforcements consist of 25 trucks carrying fuel tanks, sealed boxes and logistic equipment.

They were sent on Sunday from the Kurdistan-Iraq region, passed through Al-Waleed border crossing and then headed towards the military bases in the Hasakah countryside.

There are nine US bases in Syria: One in al-Tanf, two in Deir Ezzor's countryside, and six in Hasakah.

Meanwhile, SOHR sources said a security meeting was held at Al-Baqer Brigade villa in the suburbs of Al-Jourah neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city, within areas controlled by regime forces and Iranian militias, amid tightened security.

The meeting was attended by second-ranking leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, in addition to security and military officers in the Syrian regime forces, the commander of the Iran-backed Usud al-Uqaydat militia, Hashem al-Sattam, leaders of Liwaa Al-Baqir, Fadi Al-Afees and Nawaf Al-Bashir, and commander of the National Defense militia, Firas Al-Iraqiyah.

The meeting discussed means to enlist local affiliates from Deir Ezzor city, aged between 18 and 45, in the ranks of the Iranian-backed militias, in exchange for financial and security offers, including a monthly salary instead of a salary paid every three months.

Also, all members would be offered security cards that exempt them from arrests or probing.

The sources told SOHR that these measures aim to compensate for the shortage of members in the ranks of the militias, after a recent decision to move all Iraqi, Lebanese and Iranian militia members from Deir Ezzor to Damascus.

On July 17, the Observatory reported that Iranian militia leaders in Deir Ezzor are leaving to Damascus.
According to the sources, the leaders will conduct security meetings to assess their military situation in Deir Ezzor and their combat readiness to deal with the US bases east of the Euphrates.



Israel Surprises Khan Yunis… Netanyahu to Address US Congress

22 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians flee the eastern part of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
22 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians flee the eastern part of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Israel Surprises Khan Yunis… Netanyahu to Address US Congress

22 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians flee the eastern part of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
22 July 2024, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinians flee the eastern part of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abdullah Abu Al-Khair/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

The Israeli army on Monday surprised the residents of Khan Younis with a new ground military operation, more than three months after withdrawing from the southern Gaza city.

The Israeli army in a statement claimed the attack in eastern Khan Younis resulted from intelligence information indicating Hamas was attempting to regroup.

Eyewitnesses and journalists in Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Israeli army issued on Monday new evacuation orders to residents in Khan Younis.

Thousands of Palestinians were seen fleeing southern areas of the territory before the Israeli army launched a large-scale attack and quickly sent tanks back into the greater Khan Younis area.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington upon an invitation from the US Congress to address a joint session on Tuesday.

Netanyahu has tried to mitigate the impact of his visit amidst a US political crisis following President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race.

“Israel remains America's indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East,” he told reporters before taking off.

On Thursday, an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha to discuss new demands for a Gaza truce and hostage-prisoner exchange.

But on Monday, several leading rabbis of the right-wing religious Zionist community came out against a hostage deal with Hamas.