Quartet of Syrian-Turkish Normalization to Meet in Moscow on May 10

Meeting at the level of defense ministers of Syria, Türkiye, Iran, and Russia in Moscow on (Russian Defense Ministry – AFP)
Meeting at the level of defense ministers of Syria, Türkiye, Iran, and Russia in Moscow on (Russian Defense Ministry – AFP)
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Quartet of Syrian-Turkish Normalization to Meet in Moscow on May 10

Meeting at the level of defense ministers of Syria, Türkiye, Iran, and Russia in Moscow on (Russian Defense Ministry – AFP)
Meeting at the level of defense ministers of Syria, Türkiye, Iran, and Russia in Moscow on (Russian Defense Ministry – AFP)

The foreign ministers of the quartet Russia, Syria, Türkiye, and Iran will meet in Moscow on May 10 to advance the normalization path between Damascus and Ankara and address several issues related to enhancing the chances of a political settlement, a Russian diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The diplomat said that intensive meetings are taking place in Moscow and the concerned capitals to finalize the arrangements for this meeting, stressing that experts in all relevant Russian institutions continue to work daily to ensure its success.

They also set an agenda to enhance the recovery and settle the outstanding issues between Syria and Türkiye.

He pointed out that the deadline for the ministerial meeting has been set on May 10, and Moscow will invite the ministers accordingly.

The source also expressed the conviction that the settlement of Turkish-Syrian relations is taking place steadily, and all attempts to obstruct it will fail.

He indicated that recovery in Syria at all levels couldn’t happen without basing it on the settlement of relations between Syria and Türkiye and the return to good neighborliness, cooperation, and mutual benefit.

Moscow calls on all parties, especially Damascus, to help advance the Russian efforts, said the source.

“We hope that all parties will deal responsibly and work seriously to ensure the success of the Russian initiative and implement the steps resulting from the Astana Group meetings, the quadripartite ministerial meetings, and the outputs of the Arab ministerial meeting, recently held in Amman," he added.

The diplomat stressed that Russia supports the outcomes of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Amman and considers it a step towards helping Syria to get out of its crisis.

He asserted that advancing the path of normalizing Arab relations with Syria constitutes an additional important step that complements the Russian efforts to normalize relations between Damascus and Ankara.

On April 25, Moscow hosted a meeting at the level of defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Syria, Türkiye, Iran, and Russia to discuss normalization between Damascus and Ankara.



Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon and Beirut Outskirts, Killing Five Medics

Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon and Beirut Outskirts, Killing Five Medics

Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Israeli forces pounded southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital Beirut on Friday, killing at least five medics, and ground troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in the south.

Israel has pushed on with its intense military campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, tempering hopes that efforts by a US envoy will lead to an imminent ceasefire.

US mediator Amos Hochstein said this week in Beirut that a truce was "within our grasp". He travelled on to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz before returning to Washington, the news outlet Axios said.

His trip was aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern border, which escalated when Israel ramped up its strikes in late September and sent ground troops into Lebanon on Oct. 1.

Israeli troops have fought Hezbollah in a strip of towns along the border and this week pushed deeper to the edges of Khiyam, a town some six km (four miles) from the border.

Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at Israeli troops east of Khiyam at least four times on Friday. Lebanese security sources told Reuters Israeli troops had also advanced in a string of villages to the west. They said Israel was most likely trying to isolate Khiyam before attacking the town.

Four Italian soldiers were lightly injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base in southern Lebanon, a spokesperson for UNIFIL said on Friday.

Italian sources said an investigation was under way. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian media that Hezbollah might be responsible for the attack.

Israeli strikes on two other villages in southern Lebanon killed five medics from a rescue force affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The more than 3,500 people killed by Israeli strikes over the last year include more than 200 medics, the health ministry said.

EVACUATION WARNINGS AND STRIKES

Israel says its aim is to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from Israel's north because of rocket attacks by Hezbollah, which began firing across the border in support of Hamas at the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israel also mounted more strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a once densely populated stronghold of Hezbollah.

Abeer Darwich, a resident of a building that was hit in Beirut southern suburbs on Friday, had to leave her apartment immediately after an evacuation warning from Israel's military.

She stood watching while an Israeli strike pounded the high rise building into dust.

"Do you know that most of the apartments' owners took credit to buy those houses? Life savings are gone, memories and safety ... which Israel decided to steal from us," Darwich said .

Evacuation orders were issued on X for several buildings in the area on Friday. Reuters footage showed one of the strikes appearing to pierce the center of a multi-storey building, which toppled in a cloud of smoke.