Russia Makes New Arrangements in Northeast Syria

Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)
Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)
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Russia Makes New Arrangements in Northeast Syria

Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)
Syrian and Russian soldiers are seen at a checkpoint in Damascus. (Reuters)

Russia arranged for the Syrian army to enter into some areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in an attempt to organize the situation in the east of the country.

Earlier, Russian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moscow is exerting intensive efforts to contain the military escalation in northern Syria, following the military drills and exercises carried out by various parties.

Furthermore, forces allied with Turkey are sending large reinforcements to the countryside of al-Hasakeh and Raqqa.

The Russian military police intensified direct contacts between the Syrian army and the SDF leadership, including the regional Kurdish forces.

Meanwhile, Russia is limiting the Iranian deployment in Qamishli, according to local sources. Moscow issued an order to prevent the transfer of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members into the areas controlled by the SDF through Qamishli airport.

The Eye of the Euphrates network stated that the Russian decision was made in coordination with the Syrian army. Moscow believes the Iranian presence in the area is not justified, especially since there is no military escalation there.

The Russian military command in Syria informed the army in Qamishli of a decision to prevent the transfer of IRGC from the Syrian provinces to al-Hasakeh. Some 150 Iran-affiliated fighters are deployed in areas near Qamishli airport.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that militias affiliated with Iran had redeployed in towns and villages from al-Mayadin to al-Bukamal, on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Meanwhile, Syrian regime agencies in Deir Ezzor are preparing for a settlement in mid-November, similar to the one that happened in the Daraa governorate under the auspices of Russia.

Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Damascus has started forming special settlement committees to include all wanted persons.

The Ministry of Interior formed a committee to issue a status settlement document that ensures its holder will not be prosecuted. The relevant military and security checkpoints were notified, according to the sources.

The Secretary of the Deir Ezzor branch of the Baath Party, Raed al-Ghadban, had announced earlier the regime's intention to carry out a "comprehensive settlement" in the province.



US, Arab Mediators Make Some Progress in Gaza Peace Talks, No Deal Yet

Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)
Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)
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US, Arab Mediators Make Some Progress in Gaza Peace Talks, No Deal Yet

Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)
Palestinians inspect damaged residential buildings where two Israeli hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forces in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Feb. 12, 2024. (AP)

US and Arab mediators have made some progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire accord between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but not enough to seal a deal, Palestinian sources close to the talks said on Thursday.
As talks continued in Qatar, the Israeli military carried out strikes across the enclave, killing at least 17 people, Palestinian medics said.
Qatar, the US and Egypt are making a major push to reach a deal to halt fighting in the 15-month conflict and free remaining hostages held by the Hamas group before President Joe Biden leaves office.
President-elect Donald Trump has warned there will be "hell to pay", if the hostages are not released by his inauguration on Jan. 20.
On Thursday, a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort said the absence of a deal so far did not mean the talks were going nowhere and said this was the most serious attempt so far to reach an accord.
"There are extensive negotiations, mediators and negotiators are talking about every word and every detail. There is a breakthrough when it comes to narrowing old existing gaps but there is no deal yet," he told Reuters, without giving further details.
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Eden Bar-Tal said Israel was fully committed to reaching an agreement to return its hostages from Gaza but faces obstruction from Hamas.
The two sides have been at an impasse for a year over two key issues. Hamas has said it will only free its remaining hostages if Israel agrees to end the war and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.
SEVERE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
On Thursday, the death toll from Israel's military strikes included eight Palestinians killed in a house in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, where Israeli forces have operated for more than three months. Nine others, including a father and his three children, died in two separate airstrikes on two houses in central Gaza Strip, health officials said.
There was no Israeli military comment on the two incidents.
More than 46,000 people have been killed in the Gaza war, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been laid waste and most of the territory's 2.1 million people have been displaced multiple times and face acute shortages of food and medicine, humanitarian agencies say.
Israel denies hindering humanitarian relief to Gaza and says it has facilitated the distribution of hundreds of truckloads of food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment to warehouses and shelters over the past week.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said troops had recovered the body of Israeli Bedouin hostage Youssef Al-Ziyadna, along with evidence that was still being examined suggesting his son Hamza, taken on the same day, may also be dead.
"We will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages, the living and the deceased," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.