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US, Russia Expand Military Movements in Northeastern Syria

An American vehicle in Tal Tamr, northeastern Syria. (North-Press Agency)
An American vehicle in Tal Tamr, northeastern Syria. (North-Press Agency)
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US, Russia Expand Military Movements in Northeastern Syria

An American vehicle in Tal Tamr, northeastern Syria. (North-Press Agency)
An American vehicle in Tal Tamr, northeastern Syria. (North-Press Agency)

Washington and Moscow have recently expanded their military movements east of the Euphrates in Syria. Paving the way to establish a new base in the al-Hasakah governorate, Washington has deployed an armed unit and a military convoy to the town of Tal Tamr.

Meanwhile, Russian helicopters staged live ammunition military exercises over the Qamishli International Airport. The drill was held after a warplane and several Sukhoi-35 fighter jets had arrived in the area.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that contact lines in al-Hasakeh’s Tal Tamr, Raqqa governorate’s town of Ain Issa, and the M4 highway had witnessed provocative reinforcements and mobilization by Turkish-backed Syrian factions.

However, the SDF reaffirmed its commitment to de-escalation agreements.

In Tal Tamr, a US armed force and military convoy arrived at the town’s center. US troops toured the area by foot and talked to residents.

Military sources from the Tal Tamr Military Council said that US forces had intensified their patrols in town at a time Turkey is threatening an armed escalation against SDF units in the area. More so, sources revealed that the US troops intended to set up a third base in the region.

Today, US-led International Coalition forces are stationed at the bases of Al-Qasrak and Tal Baydar, about 25 kilometers east of Tal Tamr. One of the bases includes an airstrip.

A convoy of logistical materials for these bases had recently arrived from the neighboring Kurdistan region of Iraq. The convoy included tankers carrying fuel.

The third of its kind in November, and the second in less than 48 hours, the convoy included 40 trucks loaded with logistical materials and military equipment coming through Al-Waleed border crossing.

In other news, US forces conducted on Tuesday a military patrol in the city of Derik, in the far northeastern Syria.

The patrol, consisting of four military armored vehicles without air cover, started from Rubaria Agricultural Airport in the southwestern Derik countryside, which is used by the US forces as a landing strip, and headed to the southern countryside of the city.

This coincided with the flight of two Russian helicopters in the northern and western Derik countryside.

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Smotrich Again Calls For Reduction of Half of Gaza’s Population

Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
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Smotrich Again Calls For Reduction of Half of Gaza’s Population

Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday again called for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the reduction of its Palestinian population “by half within two years,” raising concerns about the presence of similar plans.
Speaking at a conference organized by the Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing Israeli municipalities in the West Bank, Smotrich said that “it is possible to create a situation where Gaza’s population will be reduced to half its current size in two years.”
“It won’t cost too much money. Even if it does, we should not be afraid to pay for it,” he added.
Smotrich’s calls for the occupation of Gaza are not new. However, they reflect the unstated goals of the current war in Gaza, including a prolonged occupation, military rule and rebuilding of settlements.
Israel continues to announce that its goals of the Gaza war are the “elimination of Hamas” and “returning of the captives.” However, developments in Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip do not support such claims.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet announced a plan for the post-war phase in Gaza, where Israel is working to deepen its control by expanding the axes it holds and establishing permanent military outposts.
Meanwhile, Smotrich’s speech revealed that the minister is setting a budget for the occupation of Gaza.
He said that “Occupying Gaza is not a dirty word.”
“If the cost of security control is 5 billion shekels ($1.37 billion), I will accept it with open arms. If that is what it takes to ensure the security of Israel, then so be it,” the Minister added.
He appeared to be referencing concerns raised by members of Israel’s security establishment along with Treasury officials who have warned about the massive implications that occupying Gaza would have on Israel’s economy.
Smotrich insisted that the only way to defeat Hamas is to replace its governing capabilities in Gaza and that Israel is the only party that can do so, even if that means making the Israeli Army responsible for managing the civilian affairs of Palestinians in Gaza.
Smotrich claimed that once the success of “encouraged migration” is proven in Gaza, it can be replicated in the West Bank, where another three million Palestinians live.
The Religious Zionism party chairman has long spoken in favor of annexing large parts of the West Bank and declared earlier this month that US President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory offers an opportunity to see that vision through.
Smotrich was one of several government ministers who attended an event last month calling for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Ahead of his attendance at the conference, Smotrich said that territory relinquished by Israel in the past had turned into “Iranian forward terror bases,” and endangered the country.
But is Smotrich capable of reoccupying and rebuilding settlements in Gaza? For many Israelis, the matter depends on how the war in the Strip ends.
In an article published by The Times of Israel, Eran Hildesheim accused Smotrich of trying to convince the public of a new narrative that if Israel achieves its goals in the war and defeats its enemies, peace and security will return to the region.
The author said this narrative aims primarily to prepare the public opinion that the war should continue, while at the same time promoting the vision of rebuilding settlements in the Gaza Strip.
According to Hildesheim, “the end of the war, as Smotrich put it, implies a large land seizure in the Gaza Strip.”
In the first phase, the minister said the army would distribute food to the population.
Later, Smotrich plans a full military rule to directly manage the lives of the Palestinian population. The ultimate goal of this plan is to rebuild settlements in the Gaza Strip.
“Smotrich's vision places an unbearably heavy financial burden on Israel,” Hildesheim wrote.
He added that such a plan would cost about NIS 20 billion per year, not taking into account the costs of rebuilding the Strip.
He said while the state does not currently own this amount, Israel will therefore be forced to adopt an “economy based on God’s help” to get out of this situation peacefully.