Syrian Regime Captures Maarat al-Numan in Idlib

Buildings hit in air strikes by pro-regime forces in Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. (AFP)
Buildings hit in air strikes by pro-regime forces in Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. (AFP)
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Syrian Regime Captures Maarat al-Numan in Idlib

Buildings hit in air strikes by pro-regime forces in Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. (AFP)
Buildings hit in air strikes by pro-regime forces in Maaret al-Numan in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. (AFP)

Syrian regime forces took control of a town south of Idlib city on Tuesday in a significant advance for Bashar Assad as he seeks to recapture opposition-held territory in the country’s northwest, a war monitor and state media said.

Assad’s campaign to regain Idlib province, the last opposition bastion in a nearly nine-year-long war, has sparked a new exodus of thousands of civilians toward the border of Turkey, which backs some insurgent groups fighting Assad.

Syrian state broadcaster al-Ikhbariya said regime forces entered Maarat al-Numan, 33 km (20 miles) south of Idlib city, on Tuesday and were combing its districts while advancing further into the town. The state news agency SANA said later the forces had “liberated most of the town’s districts”.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said via WhatsApp that regime forces “took full control” of Maarat al-Numan, the second largest town in Idlib province, after entering it backed by Russian air strikes.

The renewed fighting comes despite a Jan. 12 ceasefire deal between Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides of the conflict. Turkey already hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees and fears millions more could soon cross the frontier.

Maarat al-Numan is located on the main highway in Idlib linking the capital Damascus with Aleppo in northern Syria.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Turkish forces would retaliate “in the strongest way, without hesitation” against any attack on its observation posts in Idlib province by Assad’s forces.



Trump Says He Hopes for Gaza Deal within a Week

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
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Trump Says He Hopes for Gaza Deal within a Week

US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn upon arrival at the White House in Washinton, DC, on July 13, 2025 after attending the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he hoped talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will be "straightened out" this week.

The US is backing a 60-day ceasefire with a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and talks to end the conflict. Trump told reporters, "We are talking and hopefully we're going to get that straightened out over the next week."

On Sunday, Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 32 people, including six children at a water collection point, while the Palestinian death toll passed 58,000 after 21 months of war, local health officials said.
Israel and Hamas appeared no closer to a breakthrough in indirect talks meant to pause the war and free some Israeli hostages after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Washington visit last week. A sticking point has emerged over Israeli troops ' deployment during a ceasefire.
Israel says it will end the war only once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something it refuses to do. Hamas says it is willing to free all the remaining 50 hostages, about 20 said to be alive, in exchange for the war's end and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.