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.



Berri Says War with Israel ‘Most Dangerous Phase’ in Lebanon’s History

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
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Berri Says War with Israel ‘Most Dangerous Phase’ in Lebanon’s History

FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri looks on during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

The speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, said on Wednesday the war with Israel had been the "most dangerous phase" his country had endured in its history, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the US and France, a rare victory for diplomacy in a region traumatized by two devastating wars for over a year.
Lebanon's army, which is tasked with helping make sure the ceasefire holds, said in a statement on Wednesday it was preparing to deploy to the south of the country.
The military also asked that residents of border villages delay returning home until the Israeli military, which has waged war against Hezbollah on several occasions and pushed around six km (4 miles) into Lebanese territory, withdraws.
The agreement, which promises to end a conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year, is a major achievement for the US in the waning days of President Joe Biden's administration.
Biden spoke at the White House on Tuesday shortly after Israel's security cabinet approved the agreement in a 10-1 vote. He said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and that fighting would end at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT).
Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over 60 days as Lebanon's army takes control of territory near its border with Israel to ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its infrastructure there, Biden said.