Turkish-Russian Meeting to Discuss De-escalation in Northern Raqqa

Syrian security forces man a checkpoint in Homs in 2011.  (AFP/File)
Syrian security forces man a checkpoint in Homs in 2011. (AFP/File)
TT

Turkish-Russian Meeting to Discuss De-escalation in Northern Raqqa

Syrian security forces man a checkpoint in Homs in 2011.  (AFP/File)
Syrian security forces man a checkpoint in Homs in 2011. (AFP/File)

Russian and Turkish officers held a meeting in Ain Issa, north of Raqqa, to discuss the recent escalation by Turkish-backed factions in the area.

Reliable sources told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) that ten Russian armored vehicles, carrying Russian officers and soldiers, set off from the area of Ain Issa and headed to the silos of Shirakrak in the same area.

Observatory sources also said that the relatives of the two civilians, who are still under the rubble of a demolished house in Jahbal, accompanied the Russians to Shirakrak to address this issue with the Turkish side to pull the two men from under the rubble.

In the same context, SOHR sources said that four Turkish-backed militiamen were killed and others were injured in clashes, following an ambush by SDF members on the outskirts of Jahbal village in Ain Issa countryside. This attack came after a group of Turkish-backed militiamen were stationed in the village’s northern part.

On the other hand, Turkish forces fired flares on conflict zones, along with clashes with SDF on these frontlines.

In the meantime, Russian forces and their Turkish counterparts conducted a joint patrol in villages west of the city of Ain al-Arab “Kobani”. The patrol consisted of 11 armored vehicles, four Turkish vehicles, and seven Russian armored vehicles, as well as two Russian helicopters.



EU's Borrell Urges Pressure on Israel, Hezbollah to Accept US Ceasefire Proposal

File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS
File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS
TT

EU's Borrell Urges Pressure on Israel, Hezbollah to Accept US Ceasefire Proposal

File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS
File photo: EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell attend the plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 16, 2024. Urs Flueeler/Pool via REUTERS

The European Union's foreign policy chief called on Sunday during a visit to Beirut for pressure to be exerted on both the Israeli government and on Lebanon's Hezbollah to accept a US ceasefire proposal.
Speaking at a news conference in Beirut, Josep Borell also urged Lebanese leaders to pick a president to end a two-year power vacuum in the country, and he pledged 200 million euros in support for Lebanon's armed forces.
US envoy Amos Hochstein traveled to the region earlier this week in pursuit of a deal to end months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has erupted into full-on war.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.