‘Settlement Agreement’ Displaces 150 Syrians to Al-Bab in the North

Buses carrying Syrians from the southern countryside of Quneitra to the North. (Horan News)
Buses carrying Syrians from the southern countryside of Quneitra to the North. (Horan News)
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‘Settlement Agreement’ Displaces 150 Syrians to Al-Bab in the North

Buses carrying Syrians from the southern countryside of Quneitra to the North. (Horan News)
Buses carrying Syrians from the southern countryside of Quneitra to the North. (Horan News)

About 150 people from Quneitra, southern Syria, are being displaced to areas under the control of Turkey's loyalists, according to an agreement reached between the opposition and regime and sponsored by the Russian air base in Hmeimim.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that three buses entered Um Batna in the central countryside of al-Quneitra, ahead of evacuating 30 individuals with their families to northern Syria.

The buses will head to al-Bab area in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo.

Local sources told the Observatory that the buses carried the individuals wanted by the authorities for their involvement in “terrorist activities”.

The convoy was accompanied by the Russian military police, headed to Abu al-Zendin crossing in al-Bab located in the Euphrates Shield areas, which are under the control of the opposition factions.

The agreement provides for the displacement of 30 wanted persons with their families, in exchange for ending the blockade, within five days.

The wanted persons asked Brigadier General Talal al-Ali in Sasa security branch to release two young men from their hometown, as part of the agreement, resulting in the immediate release of one of them. The second is set to be freed within few days.

The Horan Free League said that the displacement comes within the framework of the final agreement between the Sasa branch and the notables of the region.

A displaced person asserted that Iran played a role in the recent developments in Um Batna, and that the Iranian militias are working to empty the area of young men to tighten their control over the area near the Golan Heights.

The agreement was struck after an escalation earlier this month when gunmen attacked an Iranian military post in Doha village near the border.

The regime forces responded to the attack with artillery shelling from Tal al-Shaar, which led to the displacement of several people towards neighboring villages.

A blockade was imposed on Um Batna, and forces closed its entrances threatening to enter the village unless 30 wanted young men were handed over to the authorities.



UK PM Tells Netanyahu Peace Process ‘Should Lead’ to Palestinian State

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
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UK PM Tells Netanyahu Peace Process ‘Should Lead’ to Palestinian State

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference on the Southport attacks in the Downing Street Briefing Room in London, Britain, 21 January 2025. (EPA)

UK premier Keir Starmer told Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that any peace process in the Middle East should pave the way for a Palestinian state, Downing Street said.

The two leaders held a call that focused on the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a UK government spokesperson said.

During the conversation, "both agreed that we must work towards a permanent and peaceful solution that guarantees Israel's security and stability", the British readout of the call added.

"The prime minister added that the UK stands ready to do everything it can to support a political process, which should also lead to a viable and sovereign Palestinian state."

Starmer also "reiterated that it was vital to ensure humanitarian aid can now flow uninterrupted into Gaza, to support the Palestinians who desperately need it", the statement added.

Starmer "offered his personal thanks for the work done by the Israeli government to secure the release of the hostages, including British hostage Emily Damari", the statement added.

"To see the pictures of Emily finally back in her family's arms was a wonderful moment but a reminder of the human cost of the conflict," Starmer added, according to the statement.

A truce agreement between Israel and Hamas to end 15 months of war in Gaza came into effect on Sunday.

The first part of the three-phase deal should last six weeks and see 33 hostages returned from Gaza in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.