Turkey Sets Up New Military Base in Northern Raqqa

 Turkish army and Syrian factions attacked Raqqa on Thursday (File photo. SOHR)
Turkish army and Syrian factions attacked Raqqa on Thursday (File photo. SOHR)
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Turkey Sets Up New Military Base in Northern Raqqa

 Turkish army and Syrian factions attacked Raqqa on Thursday (File photo. SOHR)
Turkish army and Syrian factions attacked Raqqa on Thursday (File photo. SOHR)

Military sources from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed Thursday that the Turkish army and Syrian factions had set up a military base in the village of Sayda, north of Ain Issa.

The Kurdish news agency, Hawar, published recorded videos showing the expansion of the military site, hundreds of meters from the M4 international highway.

According to residents, the Turkish forces have reinforced their military positions along the conflict lines in the vicinity of Ain Issa in Raqqa and Tal Tamar, Zarkan and Abu Rassin in their military operational areas, northeast of Syria.

They also said that the Turkish forces equipped those positions with radars and tracking devices, in addition to the presence of hundreds of soldiers, vehicles and heavy weapons.

This comes amid escalation of attacks by Turkish forces and their proxies on Ain Issa town and countryside.

On Thursday, hundreds of residents in Ain Issa gathered in front of the Russian forces base in the vicinity of al-Sawameh area, denouncing the attacks launched by Turkish forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the injury of three civilians in rocket attacks by Turkish forces and their proxy factions in the area.

The residents urged the Russian forces not to remain silent over Turkish violations against them.

SOHR activists also reported rocket attacks by Turkish forces on Thursday afternoon, targeting the SDF-controlled village of Sayda in the northern countryside of Ain Issa in northern Raqqa.

Also, several Turkish rockets pounded the entrances of Ain Issa district, but no casualties have been reported.



Human Rights Watch Says Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Vessels Amount to War Crimes 

Houthi supporters hold up weapons during a protest against the US and Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters hold up weapons during a protest against the US and Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
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Human Rights Watch Says Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Vessels Amount to War Crimes 

Houthi supporters hold up weapons during a protest against the US and Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters hold up weapons during a protest against the US and Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)

The Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen attacked two ships, the Magic Seas and the Eternity C, on July 6 and 9, killing some of their crew and detaining others, Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Wednesday.

The militants have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group’s leadership has described as an effort to end Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

HRW, however, said the Houthis’ attacks on the two vessels “violates the laws of war applicable to the armed conflict between the Houthis and Israel.”

“The Houthis have sought to justify unlawful attacks by pointing to Israeli violations against Palestinians,” said Niku Jafarnia, HRW’s Yemen and Bahrain researcher.

Jafarnia called for the Houthis to end all attacks on ships that don’t take part in the Israeli-Hamas war and immediately release detained crew members.