Russia Expands its Presence to Syrian-Jordanian Border

Gunmen settle their status at the center in Nassib. (Getty Images)
Gunmen settle their status at the center in Nassib. (Getty Images)
TT

Russia Expands its Presence to Syrian-Jordanian Border

Gunmen settle their status at the center in Nassib. (Getty Images)
Gunmen settle their status at the center in Nassib. (Getty Images)

Russian troops and the Syrian regime established a center for settling the status of gunmen, the wanted, and military deserters and handing over their weapons in Nassib town.

The agreement, based on the settlement agreement proposed by the state in August, started in Nassib near the Jordanian border in the southern Daraa province.

The center implements the new Russian map agreement for the settlement areas in southern Syria, which includes handing over light and medium weapons in the region.

The previous agreement in 2018 allowed former opposition fighters to keep their weapons.

Local sources in Nassib said a security committee of the regime arrived at the center to implement settlements. It will work with the Russian police and local forces from residents affiliated with the Military Security department.

The agreement includes several areas on the border, which are considered areas of influence affiliated with the former commander of the Yarmouk Army, Imad Abu Zureik.

Abu Zureik has been in charge of these areas within the military-security apparatus since the settlement agreement in 2018.

The Daraa province has witnessed in recent days similar settlement operations, starting from the Daraa al-Balad neighborhood.

Previously, the Ninth Division al-Sanamayn, located north of Daraa, met with the security committee of the regime and the Russian forces in coordination with Abu Zreik, who heads a group working for the military security in these areas.

The meeting included officials from Nassib, Umm al-Mayathen and al-Taibah.

The Nassib crossing is strategically located on the Damascus-Amman International Highway and it recently reopened following an agreement between the Jordanian and Syrian governments.

It is one of the most critical areas of the military security’s influence and boasts a large group of volunteers, who are affiliated with Abu Zureik.

Abu Zureik returned from Jordan after the reconciliation agreement in 2018 and formed affiliated groups working for the military security, namely in Nassib, Umm al-Mayathen and al-Taibah.

Informed sources said the Russian map would include Giza and al-Mutaiyah in the eastern countryside of Daraa. The agreement was reached following a meeting with local notables from Daraa al-Mahatta on Saturday.

They added that the new agreement includes areas adjacent to the Jordanian border, including the police stations within the administrative boundaries of Daraa.



Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
TT

Palestinians in Jenin Observe a General Strike

A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A Palestinian police officer attempts to disperse demonstrators during a protest against clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 21, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinians in the volatile northern West Bank town of Jenin are observing a general strike called by militant groups to protest a rare crackdown by Palestinian security forces.
An Associated Press reporter in Jenin heard gunfire and explosions, apparently from clashes between militants and Palestinian security forces. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed or wounded. There was no sign of Israeli troops in the area.
Shops were closed in the city on Monday, the day after militants killed a member of the Palestinian security forces and wounded two others.
Militant groups called for a general strike across the territory, accusing the security forces of trying to disarm them in support of Israel’s half-century occupation of the territory.
The Western-backed Palestinian Authority is internationally recognized but deeply unpopular among Palestinians, in part because it cooperates with Israel on security matters. Israel accuses the authority of incitement and of failing to act against armed groups.
The Palestinian Authority blamed Sunday’s attack on “outlaws.” It says it is committed to maintaining law and order but will not police the occupation.
The Palestinian Authority exercises limited authority in population centers in the West Bank. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast War, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.
Israel’s current government is opposed to Palestinian statehood and says it will maintain open-ended security control over the territory. Violence has soared in the West Bank following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, which ignited the war there.