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.



France Highlights Its Role in Brokering Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

 Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
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France Highlights Its Role in Brokering Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

 Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)

France’s foreign minister underlined his country’s role in brokering an agreement that ended fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group alongside the US, saying the deal wouldn’t have been possible without France’s special relationship with its former protectorate.

“It’s a success for French diplomacy and we can be proud,” said the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking hours after the ceasefire went into effect Wednesday.

“It is true that the United States have a privileged relationship with Israel. But with Lebanon, it’s France that has very old ties, very close ties,” the minister added. “It would not have been possible to envisage a ceasefire in Lebanon without France being involved on the front line.”

France will be involved in monitoring the ceasefire, Barrot noted, with 700 French soldiers deployed as part of the 10,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, that has been patrolling the border area between Lebanon and Israel for nearly 50 years.

The minister said France will also work to strengthen Lebanese troops that will deploy in the south of the country as part of the ceasefire, although he didn’t specify what that might include.