US-led Int’l Coalition Renews Support to Raqqa Civil Council

A US tank heading to Tall Tamr in al-Hasaka, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)
A US tank heading to Tall Tamr in al-Hasaka, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)
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US-led Int’l Coalition Renews Support to Raqqa Civil Council

A US tank heading to Tall Tamr in al-Hasaka, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)
A US tank heading to Tall Tamr in al-Hasaka, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)

A delegation from the US-led International Coalition and the US army held several meetings with leaders from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Al-Raqqa Civil Council to discuss the mounting Turkish threats against the east of the Euphrates.

A source from the council said that the meetings touched on the developments in Syria and the increased Turkish threats to launch military attacks against SDF locations.

The council received assurances over assured over its presence in the area. Also, the coalition affirmed that operations against ISIS targets will continue in Raqqa.

US forces and the Int’l Coalition forces are deployed in several military bases and locations in Raqqa and its eastern countryside.

In a related context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) activists reported that the Russian forces deployed the S300 air defense system in al-Tabaqah Airport that is considered a main base for the Russia in al-Raqqa countryside.

The deployment came in light of increased Russian activity in northeast Syria. Also, new military reinforcements took place in the past few days while regime forces conducted military maneuvers.

Moreover, three Iraqi nationals were killed at the northeastern Syrian camp of Al-Hol.

A security source revealed that two Iraqi refugees, including the chairman of the Iraqi refugees’ council, were killed on Friday by suspected ISIS gunmen. Also, a woman originally from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul died of bullet wounds on Saturday.

Notably, Al-Hol is home to more than 60,000 people, half of whom are Iraqi nationals.



G7 Leaders Endorse Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire and Insist Israel Follow International Law

 From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
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G7 Leaders Endorse Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire and Insist Israel Follow International Law

 From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)
From left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell pose for a family photo at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP)

Foreign ministers from the world’s industrialized countries said Tuesday they strongly supported an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and insisted that Israel comply with international law in its ongoing military operations in the region.

At the end of their two-day summit, the ministers didn’t refer directly to the International Criminal Court and its recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over crimes against humanity.

Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official meeting agenda, even though the G7 was split on the issue. The US, Israel’s closest ally, isn’t a signatory to the court and has called the warrants “outrageous.”

However, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said all the other G7 countries were signatories and therefore obliged to respect the warrants.

In the end, the final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, “must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law.”

And it said all G7 members — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – “reiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations.” It stressed that “there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel.”

The ICC warrants say there's reason to believe Netanyahu used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.