SDC Calls for Ending ‘Turkish Occupation’ in Northern Syria

A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)
A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)
TT

SDC Calls for Ending ‘Turkish Occupation’ in Northern Syria

A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)
A fighter from Deir al-Zor military council which fights under the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holds the council's flag in the village of Abu Fas, Hasaka province, Syria (Reuters)

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) urged the United Nations, US and Russia to end the “Turkish occupation" of cities and towns in northern Syria and help remove the intruders from the houses of original inhabitants.

The Council issued a statement marking the first year of the Turkish offensive into northern Syria, known as “Operation Peace Spring.”

The statement described the Turkish army as the “killing machine” which destroys Syrian cities and commits crimes against humanity. It urged the international community and human rights organizations to launch an independent investigation into the violations committed against civilians in Raqqa.

It also stated that a probe should be launched into the assassination of the secretary-general of Future Syria Party, Hevrin Khalaf, indicating that perpetrators should be tried before international courts and be held accountable for war crimes.

The Council stressed the need to secure the safe return of the forcibly displaced people to their areas.

Meanwhile, several Arab tribes and dignitaries held a meeting in Abu Hamam, in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, urging the US, the International Coalition and the Deir Ezzor Civil Council to release all innocent detainees held by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The meeting, chaired by Sheikh Nasser Osman al-Sabaat, appealed to the international community to support the health and education sectors, provide services and rebuild destroyed infrastructure. They warned that they’d resort to protests and sit-ins if their demands were not met.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) announced that two bombs exploded in the desert of al- Mayadin, in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, near a military checkpoint of al-Abbas Brigade, which is backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The bombs killed two of the Brigade members and injured seven others, bringing the death toll of Iranian militants in Syria since March of last year to 142, according to the Observatory.



Israel Conducts More Ground Raids in Southern Lebanon, Strikes Beirut Suburbs

Rubble is scattered at the site of an Israeli overnight airstrike that targeted a house in the town of Ablah in Lebanon's Bekaa valley on October 5, 2024. (AFP)
Rubble is scattered at the site of an Israeli overnight airstrike that targeted a house in the town of Ablah in Lebanon's Bekaa valley on October 5, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Israel Conducts More Ground Raids in Southern Lebanon, Strikes Beirut Suburbs

Rubble is scattered at the site of an Israeli overnight airstrike that targeted a house in the town of Ablah in Lebanon's Bekaa valley on October 5, 2024. (AFP)
Rubble is scattered at the site of an Israeli overnight airstrike that targeted a house in the town of Ablah in Lebanon's Bekaa valley on October 5, 2024. (AFP)

The Israeli military said on Saturday that special forces were carrying out ground raids against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, destroying missiles, launchpads, watchtowers and weapons storage facilities.

The military said troops also dismantled tunnel shafts that Hezbollah used to approach the Israeli border.

Israeli airstrikes also hit areas in eastern Lebanon, according to state media. At least six people were killed, according to Lebanon’s state National News Agency (NNA).

Some 1,400 Lebanese, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, have been killed and some 1.2 million driven from their homes since Israel escalated its strikes in late September aiming to cripple Hezbollah and push it away from the countries’ shared border.

On Tuesday, Israel launched a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon. Nine Israeli troops have been killed in close fighting in the area in the past few days, which is saturated with arms and explosives, the military said.

Beirut’s southern suburbs was hit by 12 Israeli airstrikes early Saturday, including one that badly damaged a large hall Hezbollah has used to hold ceremonies, said NNA.

Later in the day, more strikes hit the area, from which tens of thousands of people have fled over the past two weeks.