Syria Opposition Factions Kill 15 Regime Loyalists after Russia Air Strike

A fighter with the Turkey-backed Faylaq al-Sham faction in Syria shoots in the air during the funeral of 10 of the faction's fighters killed in a Russian air strike. (AFP)
A fighter with the Turkey-backed Faylaq al-Sham faction in Syria shoots in the air during the funeral of 10 of the faction's fighters killed in a Russian air strike. (AFP)
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Syria Opposition Factions Kill 15 Regime Loyalists after Russia Air Strike

A fighter with the Turkey-backed Faylaq al-Sham faction in Syria shoots in the air during the funeral of 10 of the faction's fighters killed in a Russian air strike. (AFP)
A fighter with the Turkey-backed Faylaq al-Sham faction in Syria shoots in the air during the funeral of 10 of the faction's fighters killed in a Russian air strike. (AFP)

Pro-Turkish Syrian opposition factions have killed at least 15 Moscow-backed Syrian regime fighters in retaliation for Russian strikes that left dozens dead among their ranks, a war monitor said Tuesday.

Moscow's air strikes Monday hit a training camp of the Faylaq al-Sham faction near the Turkish border in Syria's last major opposition bastion of Idlib, killing 78 fighters and wounding 90 more.

The National Liberation Front (NLF), an umbrella group of Ankara-backed opposition fighters based in Idlib that includes Faylaq al-Sham, vowed retaliation.

Faylaq al-Sham is an extremist group that has acted as Turkey's proxy during several Turkish military campaigns on Syrian soil and has also been the source of pro-Ankara mercenaries sent to fight in Libya and in the Caucasus over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said 15 pro-government fighters were killed over the past 24 hours in NLF bombardment on regime-held areas in the south and east of Idlib, as well as parts of the adjacent Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces.

NLF spokesman Naji Mustafa told AFP: "The NLF immediately responded" by targeting regime positions, especially in the south of Idlib province and north of Hama province.

"The retaliation is ongoing and will be fierce," he said.

Monday's strikes were the bloodiest surge in violence since a Russian-Turkish truce came into force almost eight months ago in northwest Syria.

That deal stemmed a Russia-backed regime offensive on the bastion that had killed more than 500 civilians and displaced almost a million people in one of the worst humanitarian crises of Syria's nine-year war.

NLF spokesman Mustafa accused the Russians of scuppering the months-long ceasefire with Monday's air strikes.

Also on Tuesday, fighters loyal to Damascus fired back on opposition factions in the south of Idlib and Hama province, the Observatory said.

At least one opposition fighter was killed on the edges of the town of Saraqeb in Idlib, according to the war monitor.

The last major opposition stronghold covers around half of Idlib province as well as slivers of adjacent provinces.

It is dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a coalition led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, but other factions including the NLF are also present.

Syria's war, which broke out after the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011, has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions at home and abroad.



Hamas Says it's Open to Gaza Truce but Stops Short of Accepting a Trump-backed Proposal

A Palestinian girl stands atop the rubble of the Al-Aimawi family’s home that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Al-Zawaideh, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A Palestinian girl stands atop the rubble of the Al-Aimawi family’s home that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Al-Zawaideh, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Hamas Says it's Open to Gaza Truce but Stops Short of Accepting a Trump-backed Proposal

A Palestinian girl stands atop the rubble of the Al-Aimawi family’s home that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Al-Zawaideh, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A Palestinian girl stands atop the rubble of the Al-Aimawi family’s home that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Al-Zawaideh, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but stopped short of accepting a US-backed proposal announced by President Donald Trump hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.

Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The US leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire, and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war.

Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war — something Israel says it won't accept until Hamas is defeated. He said that a deal might come together as soon as next week.

But Hamas' response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting, according to The AP news.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said that the militant group was “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement.”

He said Hamas was “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war.”

A Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because he wasn't authorized to discuss the talks with the media.

Disagreement on how the war should end Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any deal.

Hamas said in a brief statement Wednesday that it had received a proposal from the mediators and is holding talks with them to “bridge gaps” to return to the negotiating table to try to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Hamas has said that it's willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.

Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do.

An Israeli official said that the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory. The mediators and the US would provide assurances about talks to end the war, but Israel isn't committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said.

The official wasn't authorized to discuss the details of the proposed deal with the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It wasn't clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10.

Israel has yet to publicly comment on Trump's announcement. On Monday, Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with top US officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters.

Trump issues another warning On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that Israel had "agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War.”

“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he said.

Trump’s warning may find a skeptical audience with Hamas. Even before the expiration of the war’s longest ceasefire in March, Trump has repeatedly issued dramatic ultimatums to pressure Hamas to agree to longer pauses in the fighting that would see the release of more hostages and a return of more aid for Gaza’s civilians.

Still, Trump views the current moment as a potential turning point in the brutal conflict that has left more than 57,000 dead in the Palestinian territory.

Gaza's Health Ministry said the death toll passed the 57,000 mark Tuesday into Wednesday, after hospitals received 142 bodies overnight.