Russia Accuses US of Setting up ‘Terrorist Reserve’ in Eastern Syria

US troops in Jordan. (AFP)
US troops in Jordan. (AFP)
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Russia Accuses US of Setting up ‘Terrorist Reserve’ in Eastern Syria

US troops in Jordan. (AFP)
US troops in Jordan. (AFP)

Russian deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin accused on Saturday the United States of transforming a region near the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border into a “terrorist reserve.”

“We can only be concerned with the 55-kilometer safe zone near al-Tanf village on the Syrian-Iraqi border, which has effectively seen the establishment of a terrorist reserve,” he told Russia 24 television.

He said that “the terrorists there are being armed and trained in plotting attacks that are launched from this reserve.”

He accused the US special forces of overseeing these preparations.

Moreover, the Russian official said that Americans were preventing the entry of humanitarian aid into the al-Rukban refugee camp, which is located near al-Tanf.

“This had led to a catastrophic deterioration in the humanitarian situation there,” said Fomin.

The Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria had previously revealed that the US military had closed off a 55-kilometer zone around its al-Tanf base. This has consequently left some 50,000 refugees without access to aid.

The RT television reported that Moscow had proposed to Washington cooperation to help deliver humanitarian aid to the displaced.

The US-led coalition had agreed to the suggestion, but claimed that the Syrian authorities had not confirmed their readiness to grant access to humanitarian convoys, it added.



Israel Ready to Negotiate Permanent Gaza Ceasefire during 60-day Truce, Netanyahu Says

09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Israel Ready to Negotiate Permanent Gaza Ceasefire during 60-day Truce, Netanyahu Says

09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
09 July 2025, US, Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking with the press at the US Capitol in Washington. Photo: Douglas Christian/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will likely have a ceasefire agreement with Hamas to release more Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group. 

Netanyahu said 50 hostages were still being held captive by Hamas. Of that figure, he said, only 20 are believed to be alive. 

"I want to take them all out. We now have a deal that supposedly will get half of the living and half of the dead out," Netanyahu said in an interview on Newsmax show "The Record with Greta Van Susteren" that aired on Thursday. 

"And so we'll have 10 living left and about 12 deceased hostages, but I'll get them out, too. I hope we can complete it in a few days." 

On October 7, 2023, Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's retaliation has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. 

The two sides have had two ceasefires - one in November 2023 and another in January 2025- since the fighting started. 

Netanyahu said Israel and Hamas will likely have a 60-day ceasefire, which the two sides could use to try to end the conflict. 

Hamas said on Wednesday there were several sticking points in the ongoing ceasefire talks including the flow of aid, withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and "genuine guarantees for a permanent ceasefire." 

Netanyahu's interview with Newsmax comes as he wraps his third visit to Washington since President Donald Trump took office in January. 

Speaking of Trump, the Israeli leader said his country has never had "such a friend, such a support of Israel, the Jewish state in the White House." 

Last month, the US joined Israel in striking Iran, a move that Trump has said "obliterated" three of Iran's nuclear sites. 

When asked about a damage assessment, Netanyahu said, "Within months, they could have produced atomic bombs."