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Turkey: Operation in North Syria Neither Postponed Nor Cancelled

Turkey-backed Syrian fighters gather along the frontlines opposite Kurdish forces near the town of Dadat north of Manbij in Syria's northern Aleppo province, on July 5, 2022. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
Turkey-backed Syrian fighters gather along the frontlines opposite Kurdish forces near the town of Dadat north of Manbij in Syria's northern Aleppo province, on July 5, 2022. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
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Turkey: Operation in North Syria Neither Postponed Nor Cancelled

Turkey-backed Syrian fighters gather along the frontlines opposite Kurdish forces near the town of Dadat north of Manbij in Syria's northern Aleppo province, on July 5, 2022. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
Turkey-backed Syrian fighters gather along the frontlines opposite Kurdish forces near the town of Dadat north of Manbij in Syria's northern Aleppo province, on July 5, 2022. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Turkey announced on Sunday that it will neither cancel nor delay a military operation against sites controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkish forces are being targeted by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, YPG, the largest components of the SDF.

Speaking from the military base in Daglica district of southeastern Hakkari province along the Turkish-Iraqi border, the Minister denied that Ankara was advised, during the summit of the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in Madrid, not to launch a military operation in northern Syria.

In May, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would launch a cross-border operation against the YPG in Tal Rifaat and Manbij areas in the countryside of Aleppo to clear them of “terrorists,” without giving a specific timeline.

Akar confirmed Erdogan’s announcement, saying the operation would be carried out during nighttime.

The Turkish minister said his country does not seek to clash with the United States, which backs the SDF as part of its war against ISIS in Syria. However, he affirmed Ankara’s commitment to carry out the operation.

Akar added that his country will continue its military operations against the Kurdish units in northern Syria and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, to prevent the formation of a “terror corridor” on Turkey’s southern borders.

He mentioned the rising trend in terrorist attacks against Turkish troops in Manbij and Tal Rifaat in the countryside of Aleppo.

The Minister said Turkey is following up on these threats and has plans to eliminate them.

Akar then revealed that Turkey has “neutralized” more than 2,200 terrorists in cross-border operations in northern Syria and Iraq since the start of the year.

Ankara says its cross-border operations into Syria aim at establishing a 30-kilometer deep safe zone along its southern border.

In the past few days, Turkey has brought military reinforcements to its troops deploying in Aleppo.

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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
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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)
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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)
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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.