عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Russia Resorts to Military Power to Enforce Syrian Regime Deployment in Idlib

A Turkish armed forces convoy is seen in Idlib province, Syria. AP file photo
A Turkish armed forces convoy is seen in Idlib province, Syria. AP file photo
TT
TT

Russia Resorts to Military Power to Enforce Syrian Regime Deployment in Idlib

A Turkish armed forces convoy is seen in Idlib province, Syria. AP file photo
A Turkish armed forces convoy is seen in Idlib province, Syria. AP file photo

Russia began on Thursday to use its military power to “enforce” the deployment of Syrian regime forces in the northwestern province of Idlib, and to halt an attack by Turkish-backed Syrian factions, which plan to advance towards the town of Nerab.

The Russian Defense Ministry said pro-Ankara militants, backed by Turkish artillery fire, breached the defenses of the Syrian army near the villages of Qmenas and Nerab in Idlib.

“Russian Su-24 attack aircraft were fired at Turkey-backed militants, helping the army repel the advancing fighters to Nerab and the nearby town of Saraqeb,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed concerns “over such support for militants from the Turkish armed forces.”

She said the incident is seen as a violation of the Russian-Turkish agreements on separating the armed opposition from terrorists, and creating a demilitarized zone, and it may provoke a further escalation in the conflict in that part of Syria.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 27 fighters were killed in the Idlib fighting. The Observatory confirmed the pullout of opposition factions from Nerab.

For its part, the Turkish Defense Ministry said two Turkish soldiers were killed and five injured in an airstrike in Idlib, adding that over 50 Syrians died in a retaliatory fire.

On Thursday, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma (lower house) Defense Committee Andrei Krasov told the Russian Izvestia newspaper that Moscow is calling on Ankara to resolve the situation in Idlib by diplomatic means, stressing that a military scenario would only worsen things.

According to him, only the terrorists would benefit from a direct clash between the Syrian and Turkish armies.

The Kremlin announced on Thursday that arrangements were made to prepare for a summit between Turkey, Russia and Iran in Tehran next month to discuss the situation in Idlib.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to establish a de-escalation zone in the province. However, the two sides failed to respect the deal.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
TT
TT

Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.

Arab World

Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
TT
TT

Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.

Arab World

Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
TT
TT

Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.