Turkey Bolsters Idlib Observation Posts

 US forces in Hasaka (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US forces in Hasaka (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Turkey Bolsters Idlib Observation Posts

 US forces in Hasaka (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US forces in Hasaka (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Turkey dispatched its largest military reinforcements to Syria's Idlib during the past months amid heavy strikes that targeted the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Ain Issa.

Since February, the number of military vehicles that arrived in the de-escalation zone rose to more than 10,835 Turkish trucks.

This includes tanks, personnel carriers, armored vehicles and mobile bulletproof guard booths and military radars.

Last week, Turkey also sent a military column via Kafr Losin crossing, north of Idlib, consisting of more than 20 vehicles.

The forces carried logistical equipment and concrete blocks that headed towards military posts.

Also on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it has monitored the entry of another three military columns of Turkish forces, including 60 new vehicles.

According to SOHR, the number of military vehicles that entered Syrian territory since the start of the new ceasefire has reached 7,500, in addition to thousands of Turkish soldiers.

The entry of new Turkish military reinforcement on Sunday coincided with ongoing artillery shelling by Syrian regime forces on areas in the countryside of southern Idlib.

Also, Turkish forces shelled Sunday SDF positions in the countryside of north Raqqa. Several missiles fell on a checkpoint in Ain Issa, injuring two members of the Kurdish-dominated Asayesh security forces.

SOHR told Asharq Al-Awsat that in the past few days, Turkish forces set up what it described as “smaller than a military base and larger than a military zone,” in the village of Tamamih, about 2 km from Ain Issa, which is under the SDF control.

The Turkish forces began to set logistic and construction equipment, it nited.

Meanwhile, the US army also enhanced its position in the countryside of the Hasaka governorate, as a new military convoy of the International Coalition crossed into Syria from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, via Al-Waleed border crossing. The convoy includes 35 trucks carrying military and logistical supplies. It headed to military bases in the Hasakah countryside.



Israel Seals off the Occupied West Bank

Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Seals off the Occupied West Bank

Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians walk by the closed Deir Sharaf checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Israel closed all checkpoints to the Israeli-occupied West Bank Friday as the country attacked Iran, a military official said Friday.

The move sealed off entry and exit to the territory, meaning that Palestinians could not leave without special coordination.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military recommendations.

Around 3 million Palestinians live in the West Bank under Israeli military rule.

With the world’s attention focused on Gaza, Israeli military operations in the West Bank have grown in size, frequency and intensity.

The crackdown has also left tens of thousands unemployed, as they can no longer work the mostly menial jobs in Israel that paid higher wages.

Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran on Friday that targeted its nuclear program and military sites, killing at least two top military officers and raising the prospect of an all-out war between the two bitter adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq.

The strikes came amid simmering tensions over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and appeared certain to trigger a reprisal. In its first response, Iran fired more than 100 drones at Israel. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside its airspace, and it was not immediately clear whether any got through.

Israeli leaders cast the attack as necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that.