Russia Carries Out Raids Near Turkish Base in Northern Syria

Smoke rises from a Russian strike in northern Syria on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Smoke rises from a Russian strike in northern Syria on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Russia Carries Out Raids Near Turkish Base in Northern Syria

Smoke rises from a Russian strike in northern Syria on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Smoke rises from a Russian strike in northern Syria on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Russian warplanes launched raids near a Turkish base in the countryside of Aleppo, northern Syria, after Ankara announced the killing of a soldier in a bombing by Kurdish forces.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the killing of one of its soldiers as a result of a missile attack in the northern countryside of Aleppo, within the area known as the “Euphrates Shield”, which is under Turkey’s control.

A leader in the Syrian National Army said the raids were the third of their kind within weeks.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin by phone on Thursday, a number of bilateral and regional issues, including developments in Syria and the situation in Idlib.

The phone call came a week after the two leaders met in Sochi, where they discussed the Syria and the tense situation in Idlib. They stressed their commitment to previous agreements and understandings in this regard.

In the same context, the spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey, Omer Celik, warned that any attack by the Syrian regime forces or any tension that occurs in the Idlib governorate would lead to new waves migrants and humanitarian tragedies.

He added that his country was closely monitoring any violations of the ceasefire signed with Russia on March 5, 2020, and attacks targeting civilians.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.