Washington, Europe Powers Demand Assad Be Held to Account

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - SANA/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - SANA/Handout via REUTERS
TT

Washington, Europe Powers Demand Assad Be Held to Account

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - SANA/Handout via REUTERS
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - SANA/Handout via REUTERS

France, Germany, Britain and the United States marked the 12th anniversary of the Syrian uprising with a joint call to hold the Assad regime responsible for atrocities.

The four countries said they would not normalize relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government nor fund reconstruction in the country "until there is authentic and enduring progress towards a political solution."

Some 500,000 Syrian civilians have been killed since the uprising, and amid widespread suffering and the displacement of millions, another 10,000 died in the massive earthquakes that struck in early February.

"We remain committed to supporting Syrian civil society and ending the human rights violations and abuses the Syrian people have suffered -- from the Assad regime and others -- long before the earthquakes struck," the four countries said in a statement, AFP reported.

"The international community must work together to hold the Assad regime and all perpetrators of abuses, violations, and atrocities accountable," they said.

"The ongoing conflict has created a permissive environment for terrorists and drug traffickers to exploit, further threatening regional stability," they added.



US Military Strikes Iranian-Backed Militia Targets in Syria

The US has about 900 personnel in Syria to assist partnered forces in conducting missions against ISIS militants. (Reuters file)
The US has about 900 personnel in Syria to assist partnered forces in conducting missions against ISIS militants. (Reuters file)
TT

US Military Strikes Iranian-Backed Militia Targets in Syria

The US has about 900 personnel in Syria to assist partnered forces in conducting missions against ISIS militants. (Reuters file)
The US has about 900 personnel in Syria to assist partnered forces in conducting missions against ISIS militants. (Reuters file)

The US struck nine targets at two locations in Syria Monday to hit Iranian-aligned militias that had launched attacks on US personnel over the last 24 hours, US Central Command said.

No US personnel were injured in the attacks, but as of late Monday the Pentagon did not provide further details on what US sites in Syria had been attacked or what sites the US struck in return.

The US has about 900 personnel in Syria to assist partnered forces in conducting missions against ISIS militants. In February it launched a massive attack on Iranian-backed militia sites in Syria in response to a drone attack in Jordan that killed three US service members.

Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Israel, and Israel's large-scale response in Gaza, Iran-backed fighters who are loosely allied with Hamas have carried out drone and rocket attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria.