Washington in Talks with NATO to Provide Turkey Military Aid in Syria

FILE PHOTO: James Jeffrey, the US envoy for Syria, is pictured outside the Boynuyogun refugee camp near Hatay, Turkey, March 3, 2020.REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan
FILE PHOTO: James Jeffrey, the US envoy for Syria, is pictured outside the Boynuyogun refugee camp near Hatay, Turkey, March 3, 2020.REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan
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Washington in Talks with NATO to Provide Turkey Military Aid in Syria

FILE PHOTO: James Jeffrey, the US envoy for Syria, is pictured outside the Boynuyogun refugee camp near Hatay, Turkey, March 3, 2020.REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan
FILE PHOTO: James Jeffrey, the US envoy for Syria, is pictured outside the Boynuyogun refugee camp near Hatay, Turkey, March 3, 2020.REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan

Washington is discussing with its NATO allies what they can offer Turkey in terms of military assistance in Syria's Idlib, officials said on Tuesday.

It's also discussing measures that may be taken if Russia and the Syrian regime breaks a ceasefire, the officials added.

“We are looking at what NATO can do,” James Jeffrey, the US special envoy for Syria, told reporters in a conference call from Brussels where he was holding talks with allies.

“Everything is on table.”

Jeffrey, who was speaking alongside the US ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield, ruled out the use of ground troops should the ceasefire be broken and repeated that Ankara needed to clarify its stance on purchase of the Russian S400 Air Defence System.

Earlier, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was look for "concrete support" from NATO allies in regard to Syria's conflict.

"We expect concrete support from all our allies to this struggle," adding that "NATO is in a critical process in which it needs to clearly show its alliance solidarity" with Turkey.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.