US Boosts Efforts to ‘Unite Kurds’ in Eastern Euphrates

William Roebuck meets Kurdish party leaders | SDF Press
William Roebuck meets Kurdish party leaders | SDF Press
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US Boosts Efforts to ‘Unite Kurds’ in Eastern Euphrates

William Roebuck meets Kurdish party leaders | SDF Press
William Roebuck meets Kurdish party leaders | SDF Press

The US has intensified meetings with leaders from the Kurdish groups in Syria to ‘unite’ the Kurds and establish a joint civil administration and a Kurdish delegation to take part in international talks on the Syria crisis.

US Ambassador William Roebuck, who is currently the Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, met this month with leaders from the Democratic Union Party and the Movement for a Democratic Society.

Roebuck also convened with the presidency of the Kurdish National Council and commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi.

Also two days ago, he had two separate meetings with representatives of the Kurdish National Alliance in Syria and the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party.

Sources close to the matter revealed that the meetings discussed progress with the initiative to unite Kurdish parties following the Turkish attack and seizure of Tel Abyad and Ras al Ain.

For his part, Abdi expressed optimism while some sources ruled out any possibility of reaching a final agreement between the two parties.

Sources added that sovereign positions will likely be handled by the Democratic Union Party and the Movement for a Democratic Society. Also, a joint military command will be formed and a map will be prepared showing the deployment of fighters in certain zones.

Moreover, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that US forces conducted a military patrol, setting off from Tal Baydar base in rural Al-Hasakah and touring the area of Al-Derbasiya. The Observatory stated that the US forces intend to take the task of protecting oil fields and pipelines in eastern Euphrates away from the “Self Defence Forces” and put SDF fighters in charge.



Five Injured in Israeli Drone Strike in Southern Lebanon

File photo: Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)
File photo: Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)
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Five Injured in Israeli Drone Strike in Southern Lebanon

File photo: Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)
File photo: Smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during Israeli bombardment. (AFP)

An Israeli drone strike targeted at dawn on Friday a gas station in southern Lebanon and injured five individuals.

The gas station located along the road leading to the town of Hula in southern Lebanon was hit with three missiles and left five people injured, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

Despite a November 27 ceasefire that sought to halt more than a year of conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israel has continued to conduct near-daily strikes in Lebanon.

The Israeli military has said it was behind other attacks that it said killed Hezbollah members.