Russia Says US Is Strengthening Its Forces in Syria 

A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building following reported Russian air raids on the outskirts of Syria's opposition-held northwestern city of Idlib, on June 20, 2023. (AFP)
A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building following reported Russian air raids on the outskirts of Syria's opposition-held northwestern city of Idlib, on June 20, 2023. (AFP)
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Russia Says US Is Strengthening Its Forces in Syria 

A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building following reported Russian air raids on the outskirts of Syria's opposition-held northwestern city of Idlib, on June 20, 2023. (AFP)
A man walks on the rubble of a damaged building following reported Russian air raids on the outskirts of Syria's opposition-held northwestern city of Idlib, on June 20, 2023. (AFP)

Russia has information that the United States is strengthening its military contingent in Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president's special envoy for Syria, said on Thursday according to the RIA news agency.

"There is such information... that the US is strengthening its military contingent in northeastern Syria, as well as in Al-Tanf, which has been illegally occupied by them for quite a long time," Lavrentiev was cited as saying.



Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
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Gazans Must Return Home, EU Plans to Tell Israel 

A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian man and two girls stand a mid of the rubble of homes, destroyed by the Israeli army's air and ground offensive against Hamas in in Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP)

The EU plans to tell Israel next week that Palestinians uprooted from their Gaza homes should be ensured a dignified return and that Europe will contribute to rebuilding the shattered territory, according to a document seen by Reuters.

That echoes Arab positions but conflicts with President Donald Trump's stated aim for the US to take over the shattered coastal strip and rebuild it into a "Riviera of the Middle East" while Gazans emigrate to other nations.

The EU, which has been a major aid provider to Palestinians, is to outline its position to Israeli officials in talks in Brussels on February 24 as part of the EU-Israel Association Council, the first such session since 2022.

A document outlining the draft EU position emphasizes both Europe's commitment to Israel's security and its view that "displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza".

"The EU will actively contribute to a coordinated international effort to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza," it said, also calling for full humanitarian access.

"The EU deeply deplores the unacceptable number of civilians, especially women and children, who have lost their lives, and the catastrophic humanitarian situation notably caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza, in particular in the North."

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Much of the enclave has been laid waste with most of its 2.3 million pre-war population displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies say.

"The EU strongly opposes all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution," the document added, referring to its position that Palestinians should have an independent homeland alongside Israel.