Damascus Reports Bombing of US Base East of the Euphrates

Prisoners accused of belonging to ISIS in Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prisoners accused of belonging to ISIS in Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Damascus Reports Bombing of US Base East of the Euphrates

Prisoners accused of belonging to ISIS in Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prisoners accused of belonging to ISIS in Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Sources in Damascus reported that a US base in northeastern Syria was bombed with five rockets at a time when a fierce campaign is being led against US economic aid being given to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

The Kharab al-Jir military base used by US forces in the Hasaka Governorate in northeastern Syria was targeted by rockets, reported the Syrian state news agency SANA.

According to the report, five rockets were fired at the base. No casualties have been reported.

The sources explained that “immediately after the targeting of the base, the area witnessed an intense flight of helicopters and warplanes belonging to US forces.”

According to SANA, US bases in the Al-Omar oil and Konico gas fields in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor and Kharab Al-Jir in the Hasaka countryside have been subjected to several missile attacks during the past two months.

“US forces removed a military convoy of 110 vehicles from their base at Kharab al-Jir airbase in the Hasaka countryside to northern Iraq through the illegal Al-Waleed crossing,” added SANA.

Meanwhile, laboratory analysis at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform have proven the invalidity of the Turkish-origin wheat seeds, which have been provided by the US forces through the so-called US Agency for International Development “USAID” to the farmers in several areas in the Qamishli countryside.

“The Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Directorate in Hasaka province sent a sample of the wheat seeds provided by the American occupation to the laboratories of the Ministry of Agriculture, and it was found that they are not suitable for cultivation,” Head of the Directorate Eng. Said Hajji said in a statement to SANA.

He warned farmers in the Qamishli countryside and the region against using these seeds, calling to destroy them and not plant them because the damage they cause will last for years and put the agricultural lands out of investment.



Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).