Iraqi Army Tightens Security on Border with Syria

Iraq's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammad al-Sudani (AFP)
Iraq's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammad al-Sudani (AFP)
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Iraqi Army Tightens Security on Border with Syria

Iraq's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammad al-Sudani (AFP)
Iraq's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammad al-Sudani (AFP)

The Iraqi army forces escalated security measures on the border with Syria to tighten the security gaps between the two countries.

An official source of the local administration of al-Anbar governorate announced that army forces had begun field reconnaissance operations on the border strip areas with Syria.

According to the source, a security force from the Army's 7th Division, accompanied by high-ranking security leaders, toured the areas of the border strip with Syria ahead of moving the army forces from within the cities, according to the directives of the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammad al-Sudani.

The redeployment aims to fill security gaps and clamp down on ISIS terrorists, who often carry out infiltration operations in desert areas.

According to Iraqi intelligence information, the remnants of the terrorist organization are moving in those areas.

The source added that according to the security plan, the army forces would be at a distance of 15 km in the Iraqi depth, while the border guards would hold the first line of defense.

He pointed out that the security plan was to transfer the army forces outside the cities and hand over the security to the local police forces and the tribal mobilization forces, explaining that the evacuation of army positions from inside the towns comes after the security situation has stabilized.

The source confirmed that the new security plan focuses on maintaining border security and redeploying army forces in the desert areas of the province to prevent any breaches.

Meanwhile, the US military announced that a facility belonging to the International Coalition in Deir Ezzor Governorate, eastern Syria, was hit by five missiles, wounding a US service member.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Koniko gas field in Deir ez-Zor was hit by missiles fired from areas held by the regime forces and Iranian militias stationed in the city.

The Observatory indicated that planes of the "International Coalition" responded by shelling the positions of the Iranian militias in al-Omal and Harabish neighborhoods in Deir Ezzor, where violent explosions were heard in the city.

Lawmaker of Fatah Alliance Intisar al-Moussawi called for ending the "repeated US violations" on the border between Iraq and Syria.

Moussawi said in a press statement that Iraq still hasn't implemented the law passed by the parliament to remove all US forces from Iraqi territory.

She asserted that Iraq's sovereignty was one of the most critical steps that must be consolidated by the government during the coming period by obliging the US administration to remove all its forces from Iraq.

Moussawi pointed out that the US presence on Iraqi soil means it continued to violate the country's sovereignty through repeated attacks on the border.



Kremlin Says It Still Supports Syria’s Assad and Will See What Help Is Needed

This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian White Helmet civil defense worker running in a destroyed neighborhood after the Syrian government forces hit Idlib city, Syria, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)
This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian White Helmet civil defense worker running in a destroyed neighborhood after the Syrian government forces hit Idlib city, Syria, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)
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Kremlin Says It Still Supports Syria’s Assad and Will See What Help Is Needed

This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian White Helmet civil defense worker running in a destroyed neighborhood after the Syrian government forces hit Idlib city, Syria, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)
This photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian White Helmet civil defense worker running in a destroyed neighborhood after the Syrian government forces hit Idlib city, Syria, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was continuing to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after his forces lost territory to opposition groups and would see what help was needed to stabilize the situation.

A statement from the Syrian Prime Minister's office on Monday said that Russian and Syrian aircraft were striking opposition-held positions in Aleppo's eastern countryside, killing and wounding dozens of fighters.

Russia, a staunch Assad ally, intervened militarily on his side against anti-government factions in 2015 in its biggest foray in the Middle East since the Soviet Union's collapse, and maintains an airbase and naval facility in Syria.

The Kremlin said on Friday it wanted the Syrian government to restore constitutional order as soon as possible and regarded the opposition attack as a violation of Syria's sovereignty.

Asked on Monday whether Russia planned to increase its support for Assad, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:

"We continue to support Bashar Al-Assad. Contacts are continuing at the appropriate levels.

"We are analyzing the situation and a position will be formed on what is needed to stabilize the situation."

Russian military bloggers said on Sunday that Moscow has dismissed Sergei Kisel, the general in charge of its forces in Syria, and replaced him with Colonel General Alexander Chaiko.

There was no official confirmation from the Russian Defense Ministry of such a change.

Assad has vowed to crush the opposition fighters - a coalition of Türkiye-backed mainstream secular armed groups along with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The opposition seized control of all of Idlib province in recent days, the boldest assault for years in a civil war where front lines had largely been frozen since 2020.

They also swept into the city of Aleppo, east of Idlib, on Friday night, forcing the army to redeploy.