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Syrian Regime, Opposition Exchange Prisoners

A photo provided by Syrian opposition factions in northern Syria shows five prisoners they received as part of an exchange deal with Damascus.
A photo provided by Syrian opposition factions in northern Syria shows five prisoners they received as part of an exchange deal with Damascus.
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Syrian Regime, Opposition Exchange Prisoners

A photo provided by Syrian opposition factions in northern Syria shows five prisoners they received as part of an exchange deal with Damascus.
A photo provided by Syrian opposition factions in northern Syria shows five prisoners they received as part of an exchange deal with Damascus.

The Ankara-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Damascus exchanged a number of prisoners on Monday under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross and guarantees from Turkey and Russia.

Activists in the city of Al-Bab, which is nestled 40 km northeast of Aleppo, confirmed that the SNA conducted a new prisoner exchange operation with the Syrian regime forces at the Abu Al-Zandin crossing.

Abu Al-Zandin separates the spheres of influence of the Turkey-backed opposition and the Russia-backed regime forces.

Five detainees were released from each side, according to local sources.

The swap took place after negotiations between the two parties that lasted for more than three months, an opposition source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The last exchange took place on December 12, 2021, during which five prisoners were released from each side at the same crossing.

In other news, new military reinforcements have been deployed to contact lines in northern Aleppo.

Backup arrived for both the SNA, Iranian militias, and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Reinforcements are being sent in anticipation of a new Turkish military operation against the SDF.

Iran sent reinforcements to two Shiite settlements northwest of Aleppo.

Observers believe that the reinforcements Iran is pushing to the contact lines with the opposition factions and the Turkish forces north of Aleppo are a clear and direct intervention.

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Israel Strikes Yemen's Hodeidah Port after Houthi Attack on Israeli Airport

A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthi-run Al Masirah TV shows firefighters extinguishing a fire at a cement factory following Israeli airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 May 2025. EPA/AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT
A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthi-run Al Masirah TV shows firefighters extinguishing a fire at a cement factory following Israeli airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 May 2025. EPA/AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT
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Israel Strikes Yemen's Hodeidah Port after Houthi Attack on Israeli Airport

A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthi-run Al Masirah TV shows firefighters extinguishing a fire at a cement factory following Israeli airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 May 2025. EPA/AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT
A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthi-run Al Masirah TV shows firefighters extinguishing a fire at a cement factory following Israeli airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 05 May 2025. EPA/AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT

The Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes against Yemen's Hodeidah Port on Monday, a day after the Iran-aligned Houthis fired a missile that struck near Israel's main airport.
The military said in a statement that it attacked what it called Houthi terrorist targets in Hodeidah and its vicinity.
The strikes killed at least one person and injured at least 35 people, according to Houthi media that cited the health ministry.
The Houthis shut down the area around the port and cement factory following the strikes, Reuters quoted three sources as saying.
They said the extent of the damage at the port was unknown, yet the intensity of the strikes and fire caused severe damage to the containers' berth.
Two other sources estimated the damage at 70% of the port's five docks, warehouses and customs area. The strikes occurred as two ships were unloading their cargo, with traffic at the port at a complete standstill, a worker at the port said.
More than 10 strikes targeted Hodeidah Port and the Al Salakhanah and Al Hawak neighborhoods in the city of Hodeidah, five residents told Reuters. Four strikes also targeted a cement factory east of Hodeidah.
"The attack was carried out in response to repeated attacks carried out by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel in which surface-to-surface missiles and unmanned aircraft were launched at the territory of the state and its citizens," the Israeli military said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate for Sunday's missile attack, which was the first known to have escaped interception by Israel's air defenses in a series of attacks since March.
Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada said in an X post commenting on the attack that Israel should wait for the "unimaginable".

A US official speaking on condition of anonymity said that U.S. forces were not actively involved in Monday's strikes, but there is general coordination between the two allies, the official said.