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Ankara Loyalists Gear Up for North Syria Operation

Fighters from Turkey-backed Syrian opposition factions marching, Asharq Al-Awsat
Fighters from Turkey-backed Syrian opposition factions marching, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Ankara Loyalists Gear Up for North Syria Operation

Fighters from Turkey-backed Syrian opposition factions marching, Asharq Al-Awsat
Fighters from Turkey-backed Syrian opposition factions marching, Asharq Al-Awsat

Security developments in northern Syria point to an imminent military operation by Turkey and allied Syrian National Army (SNA) factions. Tensions are skyrocketing between such forces and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“Near daily (SDF) assaults and bombardment of territories under the control of Turkey and (SNA) factions in northern Syria, and the targeting of safe and inhabited areas, has left a single option on the table,” said SNA military expert Brig. Gen. Ahmed Hamadeh.

According to Hamadeh, the remaining alternative left for the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition is to push back by unleashing a “military purge of the areas used to launch the attacks.”

SDF attacks have killed several civilians, Syrian fighters, and Turkish soldiers in northern Aleppo, claimed Hamadeh.

Recently, more than 22 assaults have been launched from SDF bases in northwestern Aleppo against areas run by Turkish-backed forces, such as Afrin and al-Bab.

On June 13, SDF rocket attacks had hit al-Shifa hospital in SNA-controlled Afrin city. The assault was launched from al-Shahbah district in northwestern Aleppo and had killed and injured over 30, including children, women, and humanitarian workers.

Hamadeh underlined that the SDF also launches repeated missile attacks on military sites belonging to the Turkish army and Ankara-backed Syrian opposition factions.

“All of these are pushing the (SNA) and the Turkish side to launch a military operation that would push the SDF further away from the borders of the liberated areas north of Aleppo,” explained Hamadeh.

More so, the military operation would aim to “deter any geographical spot that threatens Turkish national security and the areas under the control of the Ankara-backed Syrian opposition in northern Syria.”

Hamadeh pointed out that Syrian opposition factions of the SNA are now conducting numerous military trainings for their fighters.

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Lebanon Arrests ‘Parent Group’ Behind Rocket Launches toward Israel

Lebanese Army soldiers search a car at a checkpoint. (Directorate of Guidance) 
Lebanese Army soldiers search a car at a checkpoint. (Directorate of Guidance) 
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Lebanon Arrests ‘Parent Group’ Behind Rocket Launches toward Israel

Lebanese Army soldiers search a car at a checkpoint. (Directorate of Guidance) 
Lebanese Army soldiers search a car at a checkpoint. (Directorate of Guidance) 

The Lebanese Army has arrested members of what is believed to be the “parent group” behind recent rocket launches toward Israel, security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The group was apprehended by Military Intelligence in a raid as they were preparing to fire rockets from southern Lebanon, in what appears to be part of a larger, coordinated campaign.

According to investigators, the detainees confessed to carrying out two rocket attacks in March—one launched from the area between Kfartebnit and Arnoun, and the second from Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr, both in the Nabatieh district. The projectiles were intercepted by Israeli defenses before reaching their intended targets in Metula and Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel.

The army announced Sunday that it had seized a number of rockets and launchers in a raid on an apartment in the Sidon-Zahrani area, and arrested several individuals involved in the planned operation. The military said the bust followed extensive surveillance and intelligence-gathering.

Security sources said the volume of weapons recovered suggests a larger logistical operation designed to supply multiple attacks. The cache included enough rockets and launch platforms to sustain repeated launches, rather than a single strike. The weapons were found stored in a residential area in the town of Aqtnit, in the Zahrani region near Sidon.

Investigators believe the cell is part of a broader Palestinian network operating in the South. The arrests were reportedly aided by information obtained from earlier detainees and ongoing surveillance. The sources confirmed that the suspects are now under questioning, with investigations being conducted under judicial supervision.

Following the March attacks, army units intensified security operations in areas north of the Litani River and ramped up monitoring of Palestinian camps, particularly Ain al-Hilweh and Rashidieh. Access to and from the camps has been placed under tighter scrutiny. The Lebanese Army is also said to be cooperating with Hezbollah in some areas, particularly along the southern frontier.

Military sources emphasized that the army’s actions reflect Lebanon’s continued commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the disarmament of all non-state actors south of the Litani and reserves military authority to the state.

The arrest operation has been met with praise from Lebanese political and military circles, who see it as a reaffirmation of the state’s authority and a message to the international community that Lebanon remains committed to preventing escalation with Israel.