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)
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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.



Israel Asks Diplomats to Seek Houthis' Listing as Terrorists

Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Israel Asks Diplomats to Seek Houthis' Listing as Terrorists

Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters hold up weapons during an anti-US and anti-Israel protest in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen designated as a terrorist organization.

"The Houthis pose a threat not only to Israel but also to the region and the entire world. The first and most basic thing to do is to designate them as a terrorist organization," Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in a statement.

The Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what the group describes as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it intercepted a projectile launched from Yemen. It was the third time in a week that fire from Yemen set off sirens in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers on Monday that he had ordered the country's military to destroy the Houthi infrastructure in Yemen.