عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Opposition Sources Point to Signs of Russian Control over Latakia Port

The port of Latakia (Photo: Sputnik)
The port of Latakia (Photo: Sputnik)
TT
20
TT

Opposition Sources Point to Signs of Russian Control over Latakia Port

The port of Latakia (Photo: Sputnik)
The port of Latakia (Photo: Sputnik)

Syrian opposition sources said that a joint patrol between the Russian military police and the Syrian regime forces in the port of Latakia, on Monday, was a military measure aimed at deploying observation points in the port, which was attacked twice by Israel in recent weeks. The attacks were said to have targeted Iranian weapon containers.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) had reported that the Russian military police, accompanied by Syrian forces, conducted patrols inside Latakia port on Monday, in response to a wave of popular discontent with the Israeli targeting of the port and the Russian silence.

Quoting Syrian opposition sources, SOHR said that Russia aimed to expel Iran from the port, and was seeking to extend its control to protect it from the repeated Israeli air raids. Russian forces had deployed their control nearly two years ago over the port of Tartus.

No stance was made by Damascus regarding the report.

Meanwhile, Sana Al-Ali, an opposition activist in the city of Latakia, said that a number of Russian armored military vehicles, accompanied by drones belonging to the Russian Air Force, entered the port of Latakia on Monday.

The vehicles transported a group of Russian military police, accompanied by five Syrian officers, who conducted a tour inside the port for more than two hours, during which they examined some of the yards and warehouses, and inspected the operations.

Quoted by the Syrian opposition sources, the activist added that the Russian forces were planning to establish military headquarters at the main gate of the port, and other points inside it, in order to monitor the daily operations, in cooperation with Syrian regime officers.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Libya's Anti-NGO Push Seen as Diversion from Internal Failures, Analysts Say

Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo
Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo
TT
20
TT

Libya's Anti-NGO Push Seen as Diversion from Internal Failures, Analysts Say

Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo
Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo

Libya's suspension of 10 international humanitarian groups, part of a broader crackdown on African migrants, is aimed at masking domestic failures and securing external concessions, particularly from Europe, analysts have said, AFP reported.

Libya's Tripoli-based authorities announced on Wednesday a decision to suspend the Norwegian Refugee Council, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Terre des Hommes, CESVI and six other groups, accusing them of a plan to "settle migrants" from other parts of Africa in the country.

War-torn Libya is a key departure point on North Africa's Mediterranean coast for migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, risking dangerous sea voyages in the hope of reaching Europe.

Anas al-Gomati, director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute think tank, said "this isn't about NGOs -- it's about creating enemies to distract from failures".

The UN-recognized government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah is "tapping into conservative anxieties while masking their inability to provide basic services", he told AFP.

The ultimate goal, according to Gomati, is to "extract concessions from Europe which, fearing potential migration surges, will offer new funding packages and prop up the government in Tripoli".

On Wednesday, Rome announced the allocation of 20 million euros to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to finance "voluntary repatriations" for 3,300 sub-Saharan migrants who arrived in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

"This isn't coincidence -- its coordination. The Libyan authorities shut down NGOs providing monitoring and protection (for migrants) precisely as Italy announces 20 million euros for 'voluntary' returns," said Gomati.

"Italy gets to claim they're funding 'voluntary' returns while Libya gets to demonstrate 'sovereignty', all while vulnerable migrants face extortion in detention before being labelled 'volunteers' for deportation."

Libya analyst Jalel Harchaoui noted that the Tripoli government is adopting a similar tone to Tunisian President Kais Saied, who in early 2023 denounced what he called "hordes of sub-Saharan migrants" who threatened to "change the country's demographic composition".

Harchaoui, of the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said Dbeibah was facing considerable difficulties, particularly in gaining access to public funds, and his once pragmatic relationship with the Haftar family in the east had deteriorated.

Following the NGO ban, aid groups have expressed concern for both their Libyan colleagues and the migrants who have been made more vulnerable in a country that, according to the IOM, is home to more than 700,000 residents from sub-Saharan countries.

The International Commission of Jurists on Friday condemned the "recent collective expulsions, arrests, violent attacks and the surge of hate speech, including that which constitutes incitement to violence, against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya".

The organization noted that the Libyan interior ministry has pledged "the deportation of 100,000 migrants every four months".