Rights groups in Moscow urged Russians to take responsibility for abuses in Syria as they released a damning report Friday on the country's role in the decade-old conflict.

Published to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the onset of the Syrian war, the report is the first into the conflict by Russian campaigners and seeks to shed light on the victims of the country's military actions in Syria, a taboo topic for Kremlin-friendly media.

Its findings are in stark contrast to Moscow's official narrative and President Vladimir Putin's praise of the Russian military for intervening in 2015 to root out "terrorists" and support Bashar al-Assad's government.

Prepared by Memorial, Russia's most prominent rights group, and several other organisations, the 200-page report features interviews with more than 150 witnesses to events in Syria.

"The overwhelming majority of our interviewees do not see Russia as a saviour, but as a destructive foreign force whose military and political intervention helped bolster the war criminal heading their country," the rights organisations said.

"Some of the people we interviewed revealed that they or their loved ones had been victims of Russian bombings."

The report accuses Russia of abuses in Syria including by bombing civilians indiscriminately and by backing Syria's regime, which has been accused of widespread atrocities including targeting civilians, using chemical weapons and starving people to death in besieged cities.

The report urges Moscow to conduct independent investigations into the Russian army's bombardments in Syria and pay compensation to victims.

The authors, who worked on the study for two years, were unable to enter Syria and interviewed Syrians who had fled the war in Lebanon, Turkey, Germany, Russia and elsewhere.&nbsp;

A woman from the Homs city neighbourhood of Waer, which was under siege between 2013 and 2016, told the authors Russia's intervention emboldened Syria's regime.

"In the six months since the start of Russian bombing, there were more victims than there were over two years of Syrian bombing," said the woman, who at one point weighed just 33 kilogrammes (72 pounds).

The campaigners said they wanted as many Russians as possible to read their study and "understand their responsibility for what is happening in their name in Syria."

"We felt both bitter and ashamed for how our Syrian interviewees view Russians."

Rights groups in Moscow urged Russians to take responsibility for abuses in Syria as they released a damning report Friday on the country's role in the decade-old conflict.

Rights groups in Moscow urged Russians to take responsibility for abuses in Syria as they released a damning report Friday on the country's role in the decade-old conflict. Published to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the onset of the Syrian war, the report is the first into the conflict by Russian campaigners and seeks to shed light on the victims of the country's military actions in Syria, a taboo topic for Kremlin-friendly media. Its findings are in stark contrast to Moscow's official narrative and President Vladimir Putin's praise of the Russian military for intervening in 2015 to root out "terrorists" and support Bashar al-Assad's government. Prepared by Memorial, Russia's most prominent rights group, and several other organisations, the 200-page report features interviews with more than 150 witnesses to events in Syria. "The overwhelming majority of our interviewees do not see Russia as a saviour, but as a destructive foreign force whose military and political intervention helped bolster the war criminal heading their country," the rights organisations said. "Some of the people we interviewed revealed that they or their loved ones had been victims of Russian bombings." The report accuses Russia of abuses in Syria including by bombing civilians indiscriminately and by backing Syria's regime, which has been accused of widespread atrocities including targeting civilians, using chemical weapons and starving people to death in besieged cities. The report urges Moscow to conduct independent investigations into the Russian army's bombardments in Syria and pay compensation to victims. The authors, who worked on the study for two years, were unable to enter Syria and interviewed Syrians who had fled the war in Lebanon, Turkey, Germany, Russia and elsewhere. A woman from the Homs city neighbourhood of Waer, which was under siege between 2013 and 2016, told the authors Russia's intervention emboldened Syria's regime. "In the six months since the start of Russian bombing, there were more victims than there were over two years of Syrian bombing," said the woman, who at one point weighed just 33 kilogrammes (72 pounds). The campaigners said they wanted as many Russians as possible to read their study and "understand their responsibility for what is happening in their name in Syria." "We felt both bitter and ashamed for how our Syrian interviewees view Russians."

Rights groups urge Russians to wake up to Syria abuses

Three men have been arrested for masterminding the kidnapping of two Italians who were held captive in Syria for three years, Italian police said Tuesday.

Over the course of 2016, the three who were arrested -- all from the northern Brescia province -- had convinced two businessmen from the area to travel to Turkey.

One of the two, Alessandro Sandrini, was convinced to go with the offer of faking his own kidnapping during the trip, and earn ransom money.&nbsp;

The other businessman, Sergio Zanotti, made the journey after being promised a business deal involving Iraqi currency.

Once in Turkey, both businessmen were captured for real near the Syrian border and taken to Syria, where they were held captive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group.

According to a police statement, the three men who were arrested had associates in Turkey who carried out the kidnapping and handed the two Italians over to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.&nbsp;

Zanotti left Italy in April 2016 and remained a prisoner until April 2019. Sandrini arrived in Turkey in October 2016 and was freed in May 2019.&nbsp;

Media reports, which quoted investigative sources, said Sandrini was charged for fraud and simulating a crime, as part of the same probe that led to Tuesday's arrests.

Police said a third businessman was approached about making the trip to Turkey, but pulled out at the last minute, refusing to board his plane.

Three men have been arrested for masterminding the kidnapping of two Italians who were held captive in Syria for three years, Italian police said Tuesday. Over the course of 2016, the three who were arrested -- all from the northern Brescia province -- had convinced two businessmen from the area to travel to Turkey.

Three men have been arrested for masterminding the kidnapping of two Italians who were held captive in Syria for three years, Italian police said Tuesday. Over the course of 2016, the three who were arrested -- all from the northern Brescia province -- had convinced two businessmen from the area to travel to Turkey. One of the two, Alessandro Sandrini, was convinced to go with the offer of faking his own kidnapping during the trip, and earn ransom money. The other businessman, Sergio Zanotti, made the journey after being promised a business deal involving Iraqi currency. Once in Turkey, both businessmen were captured for real near the Syrian border and taken to Syria, where they were held captive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group. According to a police statement, the three men who were arrested had associates in Turkey who carried out the kidnapping and handed the two Italians over to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Zanotti left Italy in April 2016 and remained a prisoner until April 2019. Sandrini arrived in Turkey in October 2016 and was freed in May 2019. Media reports, which quoted investigative sources, said Sandrini was charged for fraud and simulating a crime, as part of the same probe that led to Tuesday's arrests. Police said a third businessman was approached about making the trip to Turkey, but pulled out at the last minute, refusing to board his plane.

Three held in Italy over fake kidnapping that turned real 

Kurdish forces made dozens of arrests in a security operation launched Sunday in a camp for suspected family members of Islamic State group militants in northeast Syria, a war monitor and Kurdish officials said.

Al-Hol is the largest such settlement controlled by Kurdish authorities, who warn it is emerging as an extremist powder keg following dozens of murders in the camp since the start of the year.

It holds almost 62,000 people, mostly women and children, including Syrians, Iraqis and thousands from Europe and Asia suspected of family ties with IS fighters.

"More than thirty women and men have been arrested" in a sweeping anti-IS operation in and around the Al-Hol camp, said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"The arrests are ongoing" as part of a days-long operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is the Kurdish regional administration's main fighting force, the Kurdish YPG militia and a local police force, Abdul Rahman said.

Syrians and foreigners "suspected of supporting IS" have been arrested, he said.

SDF officials confirmed the&nbsp;operation, with one of them saying it would run at least 10 days.

An SDF statement said 5,000 security personnel were deployed in Al-Hol to "protect residents" during the sweep.

It said nine people, including an "ISIS leader" had been detained so far.

A video released by the YPG showed the militia marching off a group of men towards vehicles.

- 'Degrade and disrupt' -

The US-led coalition battling IS said it was providing its SDF partners with "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance" support.

"The purpose of this SDF operation is to degrade and disrupt Daesh activities within the camp," coalition spokesperson Wayne Marotto told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

In a separate statement, the coalition said the Kurdish operation also aimed to increase the security of NGOs working inside the camp.

The SDF and its coalition allies declared the defeat of a self-proclaimed IS "caliphate" in March 2019 after ousting jihadists from their last Syria stronghold in the eastern village of Baghouz.

Many IS fighters have since relocated to the vast Syrian desert near the border with Iraq, from where they continue to plan and execute attacks.

"The fall of the last patch of IS territory in northeast Syria does not mean complete defeat,"&nbsp;the SDF said this week in a ceremony marking two years since their victory against jihadists in Baghouz.

"The danger of the IS group lives on in the thousands of prisoners held in jails as well as... their relatives detained in camps," it added.

Many Al-Hol residents see the camp as the last vestige of the IS proto-state that jihadists declared in 2014 across large swathes of both Syria and Iraq.

- Get 'children home' -

The Observatory has recorded around 40 murders in the camp since January.

Kurdish authorities say IS sympathisers are behind most of the murders, while humanitarian sources have said tribal disputes could be behind some of the killings.&nbsp;

Despite repeated calls by the UN and Kurdish authorities for countries to repatriate their nationals, only a small number of people, mostly children, have been allowed to return.

A Belgian expert warned this week that Kurdish forces were losing control of Al-Hol and called on Western nations to repatriate their nationals.&nbsp;

The jihadists are once again in charge, particularly among the estimated 10,000 "foreigners" in Al-Hol, Heidi De Pauw, director of the association Child Focus who has visited the camp, told AFP.

"We need to get the children home as quick as possible for both humanitarian and security reasons," De Pauw said.

In a report published last month, the UN said it had documented cases of "radicalisation, fundraising, training and incitement of external operations" at Al-Hol.

It also warned over the fate of the around 7,000 children living in a special annex designated for foreign IS relatives.

War in Syria has killed more than 388,000 people and displaced millions since the regime's brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011. 
&nbsp;

Kurdish forces made dozens of arrests in a security operation launched Sunday in a camp for suspected family members of Islamic State group militants in northeast Syria, a war monitor and Kurdish officials said.

Kurdish forces made dozens of arrests in a security operation launched Sunday in a camp for suspected family members of Islamic State group militants in northeast Syria, a war monitor and Kurdish officials said. Al-Hol is the largest such settlement controlled by Kurdish authorities, who warn it is emerging as an extremist powder keg following dozens of murders in the camp since the start of the year. It holds almost 62,000 people, mostly women and children, including Syrians, Iraqis and thousands from Europe and Asia suspected of family ties with IS fighters. "More than thirty women and men have been arrested" in a sweeping anti-IS operation in and around the Al-Hol camp, said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The arrests are ongoing" as part of a days-long operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is the Kurdish regional administration's main fighting force, the Kurdish YPG militia and a local police force, Abdul Rahman said. Syrians and foreigners "suspected of supporting IS" have been arrested, he said. SDF officials confirmed the operation, with one of them saying it would run at least 10 days. An SDF statement said 5,000 security personnel were deployed in Al-Hol to "protect residents" during the sweep. It said nine people, including an "ISIS leader" had been detained so far. A video released by the YPG showed the militia marching off a group of men towards vehicles. - 'Degrade and disrupt' - The US-led coalition battling IS said it was providing its SDF partners with "intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance" support. "The purpose of this SDF operation is to degrade and disrupt Daesh activities within the camp," coalition spokesperson Wayne Marotto told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS. In a separate statement, the coalition said the Kurdish operation also aimed to increase the security of NGOs working inside the camp. The SDF and its coalition allies declared the defeat of a self-proclaimed IS "caliphate" in March 2019 after ousting jihadists from their last Syria stronghold in the eastern village of Baghouz. Many IS fighters have since relocated to the vast Syrian desert near the border with Iraq, from where they continue to plan and execute attacks. "The fall of the last patch of IS territory in northeast Syria does not mean complete defeat," the SDF said this week in a ceremony marking two years since their victory against jihadists in Baghouz. "The danger of the IS group lives on in the thousands of prisoners held in jails as well as... their relatives detained in camps," it added. Many Al-Hol residents see the camp as the last vestige of the IS proto-state that jihadists declared in 2014 across large swathes of both Syria and Iraq. - Get 'children home' - The Observatory has recorded around 40 murders in the camp since January. Kurdish authorities say IS sympathisers are behind most of the murders, while humanitarian sources have said tribal disputes could be behind some of the killings. Despite repeated calls by the UN and Kurdish authorities for countries to repatriate their nationals, only a small number of people, mostly children, have been allowed to return. A Belgian expert warned this week that Kurdish forces were losing control of Al-Hol and called on Western nations to repatriate their nationals. The jihadists are once again in charge, particularly among the estimated 10,000 "foreigners" in Al-Hol, Heidi De Pauw, director of the association Child Focus who has visited the camp, told AFP. "We need to get the children home as quick as possible for both humanitarian and security reasons," De Pauw said. In a report published last month, the UN said it had documented cases of "radicalisation, fundraising, training and incitement of external operations" at Al-Hol. It also warned over the fate of the around 7,000 children living in a special annex designated for foreign IS relatives. War in Syria has killed more than 388,000 people and displaced millions since the regime's brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Syria Kurds launch security sweep, arrests in camp for IS families

Kurdish forces arrested dozens in an operation launched to apprehend suspected family members of Islamic State militant in a camp in northeast Syria.

Al-Hol is the largest such settlement controlled by Kurdish authorities, who warn it is emerging as an extremist powder keg following dozens of murders in the camp since the start of the year.

The camp has almost 62,000 people, mostly women and children. The residents include Syrians, Iraqi and thousands from Europe and Asia.

"More than thirty women and men have been arrested" in a sweeping anti-IS operation in and around the Al-Hol camp, said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"The arrests are ongoing" as part of a days-long operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is the Kurdish regional administration's main fighting force, the Kurdish YPG militia and a local police force, Abdul Rahman said.

Syrians and foreigners "suspected of supporting IS" have been arrested, he said.

SDF officials confirmed the operation, with one of them saying it would run at least 10 days.

An SDF statement said 5,000 security personnel were deployed in Al-Hol to "protect residents" during the sweep.

It said nine people, including an "ISIS leader" had been detained so far.

A video released by the YPG showed the militia marching off a group of men towards vehicles.

(With AFP inputs)

Kurdish forces arrested dozens in an operation launched to apprehend suspected family members of Islamic State militant in a camp in northeast Syria. Al-Hol is the largest such settlement controlled by Kurdish authorities, who warn it is emerging as an extremist powder keg following dozens of murders in the camp since the start of the year.

Kurdish forces arrested dozens in an operation launched to apprehend suspected family members of Islamic State militant in a camp in northeast Syria. Al-Hol is the largest such settlement controlled by Kurdish authorities, who warn it is emerging as an extremist powder keg following dozens of murders in the camp since the start of the year. The camp has almost 62,000 people, mostly women and children. The residents include Syrians, Iraqi and thousands from Europe and Asia. "More than thirty women and men have been arrested" in a sweeping anti-IS operation in and around the Al-Hol camp, said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The arrests are ongoing" as part of a days-long operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is the Kurdish regional administration's main fighting force, the Kurdish YPG militia and a local police force, Abdul Rahman said. Syrians and foreigners "suspected of supporting IS" have been arrested, he said. SDF officials confirmed the operation, with one of them saying it would run at least 10 days. An SDF statement said 5,000 security personnel were deployed in Al-Hol to "protect residents" during the sweep. It said nine people, including an "ISIS leader" had been detained so far. A video released by the YPG showed the militia marching off a group of men towards vehicles. (With AFP inputs)

Kurdish forces arrest dozens in security sweep against IS families

The Philippine immigration bureau said Wednesday it has launched an investigation into allegations that some of its officers were involved in the trafficking of 44 women to work in Syria.

A Senate inquiry into the human trafficking scheme has been told that women using tourist visas travelled from the Philippines to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where they had been promised work.&nbsp;

They were "locked up inside a dark and dirty dormitory and were made to sleep on the floor", Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is spearheading the inquiry, said previously.&nbsp;

After their 30-day visas expired, they were forced to go to Damascus where they were sold to employers for as much as $10,000.

"Our immigration officers seem to be sending our women into slavery," Hontiveros said last week.

Dozens fled to the Philippine embassy in the Syrian capital "due to harsh working conditions", the foreign ministry said last month.&nbsp;

It has repatriated at least six of the undocumented workers after securing exit visas for them.

"I am disappointed and frustrated about the alleged involvement of BI personnel in these nefarious activities," immigration chief Jaime Morente told the Senate inquiry, according to a statement released Wednesday.

At least 28 immigration officers were under investigation over their alleged involvement in the scheme, he said.

"As already proven in the past, we will not hesitate to make them face the harshest penalties," Morente said.

Deep poverty in the Philippines has for decades driven Filipinos to seek higher paying jobs abroad.

Millions currently work legally and illegally in a wide range of jobs overseas.

The money they send home is a lifeline for their families but advocacy groups have highlighted the social cost of migration, tearing families apart and making Filipinos vulnerable to abuse.

Morente said more than 112,000 Filipinos were caught trying to leave the country without proper documents between 2017 and 2020 -- the majority were workers posing as tourists.&nbsp;

In the same period 1,070 possible victims of human trafficking were detected.&nbsp;

The Philippine immigration bureau said Wednesday it has launched an investigation into allegations that some of its officers were involved in the trafficking of 44 women to work in Syria.

The Philippine immigration bureau said Wednesday it has launched an investigation into allegations that some of its officers were involved in the trafficking of 44 women to work in Syria. A Senate inquiry into the human trafficking scheme has been told that women using tourist visas travelled from the Philippines to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where they had been promised work. They were "locked up inside a dark and dirty dormitory and were made to sleep on the floor", Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is spearheading the inquiry, said previously. After their 30-day visas expired, they were forced to go to Damascus where they were sold to employers for as much as $10,000. "Our immigration officers seem to be sending our women into slavery," Hontiveros said last week. Dozens fled to the Philippine embassy in the Syrian capital "due to harsh working conditions", the foreign ministry said last month. It has repatriated at least six of the undocumented workers after securing exit visas for them. "I am disappointed and frustrated about the alleged involvement of BI personnel in these nefarious activities," immigration chief Jaime Morente told the Senate inquiry, according to a statement released Wednesday. At least 28 immigration officers were under investigation over their alleged involvement in the scheme, he said. "As already proven in the past, we will not hesitate to make them face the harshest penalties," Morente said. Deep poverty in the Philippines has for decades driven Filipinos to seek higher paying jobs abroad. Millions currently work legally and illegally in a wide range of jobs overseas. The money they send home is a lifeline for their families but advocacy groups have highlighted the social cost of migration, tearing families apart and making Filipinos vulnerable to abuse. Morente said more than 112,000 Filipinos were caught trying to leave the country without proper documents between 2017 and 2020 -- the majority were workers posing as tourists. In the same period 1,070 possible victims of human trafficking were detected.

Philippines probes immigration officers over trafficking women to Syria

Syria's Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters on Wednesday that the country would send Oxygen to Lebanon to aid it in its fight with COVID. The first installment of the supply was handed over to Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan.

"We will supply Lebanon with 75 tonnes of oxygen in installments of 25 tonnes a day for a period of three days," Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters after a meeting with his &nbsp;Lebanese counterpart.&nbsp;

The shipment will be delivered "immediately" and will not strain Syria's supplies, Ghabbash said.

For his part, Hasan said his ministry requested aid to save hundreds of Lebanese lives threatened by an oxygen shortage.

"We have around 1,000 patients on breathing aid in Lebanon's emergency rooms" and oxygen supplies "that honestly are only enough to last for today", he said. 
Lebanon was expecting to receive new oxygen shipments from abroad but stormy weather conditions has delayed arrivals, Hamad said.

"In spite of high need and rising demand for oxygen in Syria, authorities granted us our request," he added, praising Damascus for its swift assistance.

Official dealings between Syria and Lebanon have been limited since start of the Syrian conflict.

Lebanon is grappling with a coronavirus outbreak that compounded its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The country of more than six million has recorded a total of 444,865 Covid-19 cases, including 5,858 deaths since last year.

Syria has recorded 17,743 cases, among them 1,183 deaths, in government-held areas.

(With AFP inputs)

Syria's Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters on Wednesday that the country would send Oxygen to Lebanon to aid it in its fight with COVID. The first installment of the supply was handed over to Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan.

Syria's Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters on Wednesday that the country would send Oxygen to Lebanon to aid it in its fight with COVID. The first installment of the supply was handed over to Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan. "We will supply Lebanon with 75 tonnes of oxygen in installments of 25 tonnes a day for a period of three days," Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters after a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart. The shipment will be delivered "immediately" and will not strain Syria's supplies, Ghabbash said. For his part, Hasan said his ministry requested aid to save hundreds of Lebanese lives threatened by an oxygen shortage. "We have around 1,000 patients on breathing aid in Lebanon's emergency rooms" and oxygen supplies "that honestly are only enough to last for today", he said. Lebanon was expecting to receive new oxygen shipments from abroad but stormy weather conditions has delayed arrivals, Hamad said. "In spite of high need and rising demand for oxygen in Syria, authorities granted us our request," he added, praising Damascus for its swift assistance. Official dealings between Syria and Lebanon have been limited since start of the Syrian conflict. Lebanon is grappling with a coronavirus outbreak that compounded its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. The country of more than six million has recorded a total of 444,865 Covid-19 cases, including 5,858 deaths since last year. Syria has recorded 17,743 cases, among them 1,183 deaths, in government-held areas. (With AFP inputs)

Syria sends Oxygen to Lebanon to fight COVID

Several fundamental questions remain unanswered after 10 years of the Syrian civil war. How did an anti-govt protest turn into a full-blown war? How did world powers suck into a small West Asian country's politics? And what is in it for the regional rivals? On the West Asia Post this week, Ghadi Francis answers these questions for you.

The West Asia Post| How Syria lost its last decade

Syrian regime's artillery fire hit hospital killing six civilians including a child. The attack in northwestern town of Atareb took place despite Russian-Turkish ceasefire since March 2020 supposed to protect the wider jihadist-held stronghold.

The attack "hit the courtyard and main entrance of the hospital inside a cave," killing six civilians including a child and a hospital employee, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Eleven others were wounded, including healthcare staff

Also on Sunday, artillery fire killed two civilians in the regime-held city of Aleppo, outside the rebel bastion, state news agency SANA said.

Atareb falls in Idlib province which is the last major rebel bastion. The region is home to 2.9 million people. As per United Nations, two-thirds of this population has been displaced due to the war.

The region on the border with Turkey is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is led by members of Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, but several rebel groups are also present.

The ceasefire brokered by rebel backer Turkey and regime ally Russia last March stemmed a months-long regime military offensive on the bastion that killed hundreds of civilians and displaced more than a million people.

It has since largely held despite repeated violations including Russian airstrikes on the region, according to the Observatory.

(With AFP inputs)

Syrian regime's artillery fire hit hospital killing six civilians including a child. The attack in northwestern town of Atareb took place despite Russian-Turkish ceasefire since March 2020 supposed to protect the wider jihadist-held stronghold.

Syrian regime's artillery fire hit hospital killing six civilians including a child. The attack in northwestern town of Atareb took place despite Russian-Turkish ceasefire since March 2020 supposed to protect the wider jihadist-held stronghold. The attack "hit the courtyard and main entrance of the hospital inside a cave," killing six civilians including a child and a hospital employee, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Eleven others were wounded, including healthcare staff Also on Sunday, artillery fire killed two civilians in the regime-held city of Aleppo, outside the rebel bastion, state news agency SANA said. Atareb falls in Idlib province which is the last major rebel bastion. The region is home to 2.9 million people. As per United Nations, two-thirds of this population has been displaced due to the war. The region on the border with Turkey is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is led by members of Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, but several rebel groups are also present. The ceasefire brokered by rebel backer Turkey and regime ally Russia last March stemmed a months-long regime military offensive on the bastion that killed hundreds of civilians and displaced more than a million people. It has since largely held despite repeated violations including Russian airstrikes on the region, according to the Observatory. (With AFP inputs)

Syrian regime's shelling puts hospital out of service

Syrian army shelling destroys hospital

The Turkish airforce conducted its first strikes in 17 months against a zone in north Syria held by Kurdish militia on Saturday night.

"A Turkish fighter jet has struck military positions of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Saida village in Ain Issa countryside... which caused loud explosions," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.&nbsp;

This was the first aerial raid since "Operation Peace Spring" -- an October 2019 military campaign launched by Ankara and its Syrian allies against the SDF in northern Syria.&nbsp;

The above-mentioned operation had allowed Turkey to to seize control of a "safe zone" inside Syria around 120 kilometres long and 32 kilometres deep. The village of Ain Issa, however, remained in the hands of Kurdish forces.&nbsp;

The air strikes come the same day as "violent clashes" and "intensive rocket fire" on the frontlines of Ain Issa district between SDF forces and Turkish-backed factions.

"Clashes between the two sides have been going on for the last 24 hours... Turkish forces have had difficulty advancing since the SDF destroyed a Turkish tank," the director of the SOHR, Rami Abdul Rahman, told AFP.&nbsp;

The Syrian Kurdish-led People's Protection Units, which form a vital component of the SDF, are considered by Turkey to be a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.&nbsp;

(with inputs from agencies)

The Turkish airforce conducted its first strikes in 17 months against a zone in north Syria held by Kurdish militia on Saturday night. "A Turkish fighter jet has struck military positions of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Saida village in Ain Issa countryside.

The Turkish airforce conducted its first strikes in 17 months against a zone in north Syria held by Kurdish militia on Saturday night. "A Turkish fighter jet has struck military positions of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Saida village in Ain Issa countryside... which caused loud explosions," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. This was the first aerial raid since "Operation Peace Spring" -- an October 2019 military campaign launched by Ankara and its Syrian allies against the SDF in northern Syria. The above-mentioned operation had allowed Turkey to to seize control of a "safe zone" inside Syria around 120 kilometres long and 32 kilometres deep. The village of Ain Issa, however, remained in the hands of Kurdish forces. The air strikes come the same day as "violent clashes" and "intensive rocket fire" on the frontlines of Ain Issa district between SDF forces and Turkish-backed factions. "Clashes between the two sides have been going on for the last 24 hours... Turkish forces have had difficulty advancing since the SDF destroyed a Turkish tank," the director of the SOHR, Rami Abdul Rahman, told AFP. The Syrian Kurdish-led People's Protection Units, which form a vital component of the SDF, are considered by Turkey to be a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party. (with inputs from agencies)

Turkey conducts first air strikes in months against Kurdish zone in Syria

A decade of war in Syria with no hope in sight

Calling Syrian war one of the worst humanitarian crises of current times, Pope Francis on Sunday said that 10th anniversary of the civil war should speed up peace efforts. Pope Francis offered prayers in his traditional Sunday blessing at St Peter's Square in Vatican City.

"I renew my heartfelt appeal so that all sides in the conflict show a sign of goodwill so that a sliver of hope can open up for the worn-out population," Francis told several hundred people in St. Peter's Square.

Syria had seen "every type of violence and enormous suffering by the population, particularly the most vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly," said the pope, who last Monday returned from a trip to bordering Iraq.

In mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests snowballed into a bloody conflict that sucked in major world powers. The civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.

In his Sunday message, the Pope called for "decisive" commitment from the international community to end fighting.

He then led the crowd in prayer for the "beloved and martyred Syria."

(With AFP inputs)

Calling Syrian war one of the worst humanitarian crises of current times, Pope Francis on Sunday said that 10th anniversary of the civil war should speed up peace efforts.

Calling Syrian war one of the worst humanitarian crises of current times, Pope Francis on Sunday said that 10th anniversary of the civil war should speed up peace efforts. Pope Francis offered prayers in his traditional Sunday blessing at St Peter's Square in Vatican City. "I renew my heartfelt appeal so that all sides in the conflict show a sign of goodwill so that a sliver of hope can open up for the worn-out population," Francis told several hundred people in St. Peter's Square. Syria had seen "every type of violence and enormous suffering by the population, particularly the most vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly," said the pope, who last Monday returned from a trip to bordering Iraq. In mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests snowballed into a bloody conflict that sucked in major world powers. The civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more. In his Sunday message, the Pope called for "decisive" commitment from the international community to end fighting. He then led the crowd in prayer for the "beloved and martyred Syria." (With AFP inputs)

Pope says 10th anniversary of Syrian war must speed up peace efforts

A report has revealed that Israel has bombed at least a dozen Syria-bound ships in the last two years, most of which have been carrying Iranian oil.&nbsp;

The report by the Wall Street Journal said the attacks included deploying water mines in the Red Sea and some of these assaults blocked Iranian move to send weaponry to Syria. &nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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The oil supplies were targetted over concerns "that petroleum profits are funding extremism in the Middle East," it said.

None of the tankers sank, but the strikes forced two tankers to return back to Iranian ports.&nbsp;

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Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the report so far.&nbsp;

The revelations come amid two recent tanker attacks in the region and could further deteriorate ties between the arch-nemesis.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A report has revealed that Israel has bombed at least a dozen Syria-bound ships in the last two years, most of which have been carrying Iranian oil. The report by the Wall Street Journal said the attacks included deploying water mines in the Red Sea and some of these assaults blocked Iranian move to send weaponry to Syria.

A report has revealed that Israel has bombed at least a dozen Syria-bound ships in the last two years, most of which have been carrying Iranian oil. The report by the Wall Street Journal said the attacks included deploying water mines in the Red Sea and some of these assaults blocked Iranian move to send weaponry to Syria. Watch | The oil supplies were targetted over concerns "that petroleum profits are funding extremism in the Middle East," it said. None of the tankers sank, but the strikes forced two tankers to return back to Iranian ports. Also read | Israeli jets escort US B-52 bombers amid Iran tensions Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the report so far. The revelations come amid two recent tanker attacks in the region and could further deteriorate ties between the arch-nemesis.

Israel bombed dozen Iranian ships carrying oil to Syria in last 2 years: Report

US sanctions imposed on the government of President Bashar al-Assad, known as the Ceasar Act, is complicating the return of Syria to the Arab fold, the UAE's Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed said on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The return of Syria to the Arab League is in the interest of Syria and other countries of the region, he told a told a joint news conference in Abu Dhabi, with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the first United Arab Emirates ambassador to Israel arrived there recently, pledging to build up new bilateral relations and officials said he would scout for an embassy location in the Tel Aviv area.&nbsp;

Mohamed Al Khaja, former chief of staff to the UAE foreign minister, was due to present his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the start of a three-day visit.&nbsp;

Meeting Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem, Al Khaja, 40, said he was "very proud and honoured to be the first Emirati ambassador" to Israel, where, he said, he and his hosts were discussing "the model of how we operate".&nbsp;

"My mission here is to foster and develop this relationship...and we hope this will bring peace and prosperity to the people in the Middle East," he said.&nbsp;

The UAE and Israel formalised ties in a Washington ceremony on September 15, brought together by shared concern about Iran.&nbsp;

Their so-called 'Abraham Accords', joined by Bahrain, have uncorked tourism and commerce between Israel and Gulf Arab countries. Palestinians have been critical of the rapprochement, worried that their own unmet statehood goal might be sidelined.&nbsp;

Israel opened an embassy in Abu Dhabi in January. Israel considers Jerusalem its capital but this is not widely recognised abroad. The Palestinians want their own capital in the east of the city, which Israel captured in a 1967 war.&nbsp;

The UAE would follow Jordan and Egypt in setting up an embassy in or near coastal metropolis Tel Aviv.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

US sanctions imposed on the government of President Bashar al-Assad, known as the Ceasar Act, is complicating the return of Syria to the Arab fold, the UAE's Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed said on Tuesday.

US sanctions imposed on the government of President Bashar al-Assad, known as the Ceasar Act, is complicating the return of Syria to the Arab fold, the UAE's Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed said on Tuesday. The return of Syria to the Arab League is in the interest of Syria and other countries of the region, he told a told a joint news conference in Abu Dhabi, with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Meanwhile, the first United Arab Emirates ambassador to Israel arrived there recently, pledging to build up new bilateral relations and officials said he would scout for an embassy location in the Tel Aviv area. Mohamed Al Khaja, former chief of staff to the UAE foreign minister, was due to present his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the start of a three-day visit. Meeting Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem, Al Khaja, 40, said he was "very proud and honoured to be the first Emirati ambassador" to Israel, where, he said, he and his hosts were discussing "the model of how we operate". "My mission here is to foster and develop this relationship...and we hope this will bring peace and prosperity to the people in the Middle East," he said. The UAE and Israel formalised ties in a Washington ceremony on September 15, brought together by shared concern about Iran. Their so-called 'Abraham Accords', joined by Bahrain, have uncorked tourism and commerce between Israel and Gulf Arab countries. Palestinians have been critical of the rapprochement, worried that their own unmet statehood goal might be sidelined. Israel opened an embassy in Abu Dhabi in January. Israel considers Jerusalem its capital but this is not widely recognised abroad. The Palestinians want their own capital in the east of the city, which Israel captured in a 1967 war. The UAE would follow Jordan and Egypt in setting up an embassy in or near coastal metropolis Tel Aviv. (With inputs from agencies)

UAE minister: US sanctions complicate Syria's return to Arab fold 

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday.&nbsp;

The Syrian leader and his spouse, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, were both in good health and would keep working while in isolation at home, the statement said.&nbsp;

Syria has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid-February, a member of the country's coronavirus advisory committee said last week.&nbsp;

The health ministry started vaccinating frontline healthcare workers a week ago and said there had been a surge in Covid-19 cases without elaborating.&nbsp;

After a decade of war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and uprooted millions, Assad's military has reclaimed most of the country with Russia and Iran's help.&nbsp;

Recently, missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said on Saturday. &nbsp;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a series of strikes launched from Russian warships and by allied Syrian government forces hit the makeshift refineries in Aleppo province on Friday night, causing a massive blaze as dozens of tankers caught fire in the area controlled by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies. &nbsp;

The Britain-based monitor 'documented the deaths of four people, while 24 others sustained various injuries and burns' in the attacks near the towns of Jarablus and Al-Bab. &nbsp;

At least one Syrian rebel was among the dead, said Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman. Rescue workers spent hours trying to extinguish the fire, which spread to about 180 oil tankers, according to the war monitor. &nbsp;&nbsp;

"The fires are the largest yet from a missile attack on makeshift refineries," the Observatory said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Oil installations in Turkey-controlled parts of Aleppo have come under repeated attack in recent months although Moscow and the Syrian regime have not claimed responsibility. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday. The Syrian leader and his spouse, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, were both in good health and would keep working while in isolation at home, the statement said.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday. The Syrian leader and his spouse, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, were both in good health and would keep working while in isolation at home, the statement said. Syria has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid-February, a member of the country's coronavirus advisory committee said last week. The health ministry started vaccinating frontline healthcare workers a week ago and said there had been a surge in Covid-19 cases without elaborating. After a decade of war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and uprooted millions, Assad's military has reclaimed most of the country with Russia and Iran's help. Recently, missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a series of strikes launched from Russian warships and by allied Syrian government forces hit the makeshift refineries in Aleppo province on Friday night, causing a massive blaze as dozens of tankers caught fire in the area controlled by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies. The Britain-based monitor 'documented the deaths of four people, while 24 others sustained various injuries and burns' in the attacks near the towns of Jarablus and Al-Bab. At least one Syrian rebel was among the dead, said Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman. Rescue workers spent hours trying to extinguish the fire, which spread to about 180 oil tankers, according to the war monitor. "The fires are the largest yet from a missile attack on makeshift refineries," the Observatory said. Oil installations in Turkey-controlled parts of Aleppo have come under repeated attack in recent months although Moscow and the Syrian regime have not claimed responsibility. (With inputs from agencies)

Syria's President Assad, wife test positive for Covid-19 

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Syria Kurds hand 12 children to their Iraqi Yazidi mothers 
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&nbsp; 
Syria's Kurds have handed back 12 children of alleged Islamic State members to their mothers from Iraq's Yazidi minority, a Kurdish official said Friday.

"The children, aged two to five, were all born to Yazidi mothers and fathered by IS members. They were handed over to their mothers" on Thursday, said Syrian Kurdish official Zeyneb Saroukhan.

Dozens of Yazidi women and girls survived sex slavery at the hands of IS jihadists in Syria and have since returned to Iraq, but many were forced to leave their children behind or risk being shunned by their community.

Saroukhan said this was the first time children had been given back to their mothers.

IS abducted thousands of Yazidi women and girls from their ancestral Iraqi home of Sinjar in 2014, then enslaved, raped, or married them off by force to jihadists, including in neighbouring Syria.

US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters say they have rescued dozens during their years of battles against IS that led to their 2019 territorial defeat.&nbsp;

But while the Yazidi community welcomed those survivors&nbsp;back to&nbsp;northern Iraq, that compassion was not extended to their children.

Saroukhan said it had been the Syrian Kurdish authorities' duty to look after the children until their mothers asked for them.

Yazidi women and children have previously returned from Syria to Iraq, but many of those abducted remain missing. &nbsp;

In May last year, a then 17-year-old Yazidi girl abducted by IS returned to Iraq after the coronavirus lockdown in Syria delayed her homecoming.

In 2019, Syria's Kurds repatriated 25 women and children.

Syria Kurds hand 12 children to their Iraqi Yazidi mothers Syria's Kurds have handed back 12 children of alleged Islamic State members to their mothers from Iraq's Yazidi minority, a Kurdish official said Friday.

Syria Kurds hand 12 children to their Iraqi Yazidi mothers Syria's Kurds have handed back 12 children of alleged Islamic State members to their mothers from Iraq's Yazidi minority, a Kurdish official said Friday. "The children, aged two to five, were all born to Yazidi mothers and fathered by IS members. They were handed over to their mothers" on Thursday, said Syrian Kurdish official Zeyneb Saroukhan. Dozens of Yazidi women and girls survived sex slavery at the hands of IS jihadists in Syria and have since returned to Iraq, but many were forced to leave their children behind or risk being shunned by their community. Saroukhan said this was the first time children had been given back to their mothers. IS abducted thousands of Yazidi women and girls from their ancestral Iraqi home of Sinjar in 2014, then enslaved, raped, or married them off by force to jihadists, including in neighbouring Syria. US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters say they have rescued dozens during their years of battles against IS that led to their 2019 territorial defeat. But while the Yazidi community welcomed those survivors back to northern Iraq, that compassion was not extended to their children. Saroukhan said it had been the Syrian Kurdish authorities' duty to look after the children until their mothers asked for them. Yazidi women and children have previously returned from Syria to Iraq, but many of those abducted remain missing. In May last year, a then 17-year-old Yazidi girl abducted by IS returned to Iraq after the coronavirus lockdown in Syria delayed her homecoming. In 2019, Syria's Kurds repatriated 25 women and children.

Syria Kurds hand 12 children to their Iraqi Yazidi mothers

Missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said on Saturday.&nbsp;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a series of strikes launched from Russian warships and by allied Syrian government forces hit the makeshift refineries in Aleppo province on Friday night, causing a massive blaze as dozens of tankers caught fire in the area controlled by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies.&nbsp;

The Britain-based monitor 'documented the deaths of four people, while 24 others sustained various injuries and burns' in the attacks near the towns of Jarablus and Al-Bab.&nbsp;

At least one Syrian rebel was among the dead, said Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman. &nbsp;

Rescue workers spent hours trying to extinguish the fire, which spread to about 180 oil tankers, according to the war monitor.&nbsp;

"The fires are the largest yet from a missile attack on makeshift refineries," the Observatory said.&nbsp;

Oil installations in Turkey-controlled parts of Aleppo have come under repeated attack in recent months although Moscow and the Syrian regime have not claimed responsibility.&nbsp;

The Observatory reported two such missile attacks last month.&nbsp;

In January, unidentified drones also hit oil refineries in Turkish-held areas of Aleppo, causing a large fire, according to the Observatory. &nbsp;

Syria's war has killed more than 387,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with a brutal repression of anti-government protests.&nbsp;

It later evolved into a complex conflict involving jihadists and foreign powers.&nbsp;

Northern neighbour Turkey has seized control of several regions inside Syria in military campaigns against the Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters since 2016.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a series of strikes launched from Russian warships and by allied Syrian government forces hit the makeshift refineries in Aleppo province on Friday night, causing a massive blaze as dozens of tankers caught fire in the area controlled by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies.

Missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a series of strikes launched from Russian warships and by allied Syrian government forces hit the makeshift refineries in Aleppo province on Friday night, causing a massive blaze as dozens of tankers caught fire in the area controlled by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies. The Britain-based monitor 'documented the deaths of four people, while 24 others sustained various injuries and burns' in the attacks near the towns of Jarablus and Al-Bab. At least one Syrian rebel was among the dead, said Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman. Rescue workers spent hours trying to extinguish the fire, which spread to about 180 oil tankers, according to the war monitor. "The fires are the largest yet from a missile attack on makeshift refineries," the Observatory said. Oil installations in Turkey-controlled parts of Aleppo have come under repeated attack in recent months although Moscow and the Syrian regime have not claimed responsibility. The Observatory reported two such missile attacks last month. In January, unidentified drones also hit oil refineries in Turkish-held areas of Aleppo, causing a large fire, according to the Observatory. Syria's war has killed more than 387,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with a brutal repression of anti-government protests. It later evolved into a complex conflict involving jihadists and foreign powers. Northern neighbour Turkey has seized control of several regions inside Syria in military campaigns against the Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters since 2016. (With inputs from agencies)

Missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in Syria kill four, says monitor  

A Russian Mi-35 helicopter Sunday made an emergency landing due to technical problems during a flight over Syria's northern Hasaka province.

"The crew was quickly evacuated to the airfield. There is no threat to lives of the pilots," the RIA news agency cited a defence ministry statement as saying on Sunday.

The helicopter was not fired at, it added.

Syrian state media said earlier there were reports of a Russian helicopter crash in northeast Syria that killed the pilot.

It said the site of the crash was in Hasaka province, near Tal Tamr close to a Russian base.

A Russian Mi-35 helicopter Sunday made an emergency landing due to technical problems during a flight over Syria's northern Hasaka province. "The crew was quickly evacuated to the airfield.

A Russian Mi-35 helicopter Sunday made an emergency landing due to technical problems during a flight over Syria's northern Hasaka province. "The crew was quickly evacuated to the airfield. There is no threat to lives of the pilots," the RIA news agency cited a defence ministry statement as saying on Sunday. The helicopter was not fired at, it added. Syrian state media said earlier there were reports of a Russian helicopter crash in northeast Syria that killed the pilot. It said the site of the crash was in Hasaka province, near Tal Tamr close to a Russian base.

Russian helicopter makes emergency landing in Syria

After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> has said that this was a warning for Iran.

On Friday, a US airstrike was carried out against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria. This was Biden's first such action since he took the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">Oval Office</a> on January 26.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/president-biden-calls-saudi-king-salman-iran-tops-agenda-366311" hreflang="en">President Biden calls Saudi King Salman; Iran tops agenda</a>

Talking about the strike, he said it should be seen by Iran as a warning. "You can't act with impunity," he said.

He also asked Iran and other countries to "be careful" and sent out a message that his administration will always protect Americans first.

"He's going to act to protect Americans and when threats are posed, he has the right to take an action at the time and in the manner of his choosing," the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a> Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Biden's behalf.

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While Syria condemned the strike as "cowardly American aggression", the Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration wanted to make it "very, very clear — notably to Iran&nbsp;— that they cannot act with impunity against our people, our partners, our interests", adding that he hopes the message has been received clearly.

Syria believes this is a weak sign on behalf of the Biden administration. "It is a bad sign regarding the policies of the new US administration which should adhere to international (norms)," the foreign ministry said.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-cant-act-with-impunity-says-us-president-joe-biden-366556">WATCH|</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-cant-act-with-impunity-says-us-president-joe-biden-366556/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Iran, too, has condemned the airstrike and has warned that this attack risks "intensifying military conflicts and further destabilise the region" in the war-stuck region.&nbsp;

Calling it illegal attacks, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said his country "strongly condemned the illegal attacks by US forces on areas in eastern Syria that are a clear violation of human rights and international law".

The Kremlin, too, used this moment to target the US and said it was&nbsp;closely monitoring the situation and was constantly in contact with the Syrian authorities. The&nbsp;spokesman Dmitry Peskov also added that he could not say whether the Biden administration had informed Russia of its plans to carry out the airstrike. He also added that additional&nbsp;operational contacts were made through the military.

After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President Joe Biden has said that this was a warning for Iran. On Friday, a US airstrike was carried out against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria.

After a 'deadly' US airstrike in Syria, Iran has "strongly condemned" the actions, while US President Joe Biden has said that this was a warning for Iran. On Friday, a US airstrike was carried out against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria. This was Biden's first such action since he took the Oval Office on January 26. Also read| President Biden calls Saudi King Salman; Iran tops agenda Talking about the strike, he said it should be seen by Iran as a warning. "You can't act with impunity," he said. He also asked Iran and other countries to "be careful" and sent out a message that his administration will always protect Americans first. "He's going to act to protect Americans and when threats are posed, he has the right to take an action at the time and in the manner of his choosing," the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Biden's behalf. Also read| Israeli researchers reveal China copied spyware code from America's NSA While Syria condemned the strike as "cowardly American aggression", the Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration wanted to make it "very, very clear — notably to Iran — that they cannot act with impunity against our people, our partners, our interests", adding that he hopes the message has been received clearly. Syria believes this is a weak sign on behalf of the Biden administration. "It is a bad sign regarding the policies of the new US administration which should adhere to international (norms)," the foreign ministry said. WATCH| Iran, too, has condemned the airstrike and has warned that this attack risks "intensifying military conflicts and further destabilise the region" in the war-stuck region. Calling it illegal attacks, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said his country "strongly condemned the illegal attacks by US forces on areas in eastern Syria that are a clear violation of human rights and international law". The Kremlin, too, used this moment to target the US and said it was closely monitoring the situation and was constantly in contact with the Syrian authorities. The spokesman Dmitry Peskov also added that he could not say whether the Biden administration had informed Russia of its plans to carry out the airstrike. He also added that additional operational contacts were made through the military.

'Be prepared': Biden to Iran after US airstrike in Syria

BEIRUT — Since President Joe Biden entered the White House, Iranian-backed militants across the Middle East have struck an airport in Saudi Arabia with an exploding drone, and are accused of assassinating a critic in Lebanon and of targeting U.S. military personnel at an airport in northern Iraq, killing a Filipino contractor and wounding six others.

On Thursday, the world got its first glimpse of how Biden is likely to approach one of the greatest security concerns of American partners in the region: the network of militias that are backed by Iran and committed to subverting the interests of the United States and its allies.

U.S. officials said that overnight airstrikes ordered by Biden hit a collection of buildings on the Syrian side of a border crossing with Iraq on Thursday and targeted members of the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and an affiliated group.

A Kataib Hezbollah official said that one of his group’s fighters had been killed in the airstrikes. But Iranian state television and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a conflict monitor based in Britain, reported that 17 fighters had been killed in the airstrikes, which occurred near Abu Kamal, Syria, just across the border from Iraq.

While the exact death toll remained unclear, Biden appears to have calibrated the strikes, hoping they would cause enough damage to show that the United States would not allow rocket attacks like that on the Irbil airport in northern Iraq on Feb. 15, but not so much as to risk setting off a wider conflagration.

“He is kind of putting his first red line,” said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.

She said the strikes signaled to Iran that his eagerness to return to a nuclear agreement would not lead Biden to ignore other regional activities by Iran and its allies, and particularly attacks on U.S. troops.

“It is sending a message: The bottom line is that we won’t tolerate this and will use military force when we feel you’ve crossed the line,” Yahya said.

Militiamen fled from six of the seven buildings hit in the strikes after spotting what they believed to be a U.S. surveillance aircraft, according to the Sabareen news channel on Telegram, which is used by Iran-backed groups.

In a sign of heightened tensions between the Iraqi government and Iran-backed groups that are also part of Iraq’s security forces, Sabareen said the U.S. strikes had been aided by an Iraqi intelligence official posing as a shepherd.

In an interview with a local television network Thursday, Iraq’s foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, said those calling themselves “the resistance” and launching rocket attacks in Iraq were no more than terrorists.

Sabareen called Hussein’s comments “a green light to the international community to target and eliminate the resistance under the pretext of terrorism.”

“We see these attacks as attacks on the Iraqi government,” Hussein said in a recent interview with The New York Times, referring to attacks on the U.S. Embassy and other American targets. Hussein is one of several Iraqi officials who have traveled to Iran in recent months to try to persuade it to use its influence to rein in militia forces.

“I and others went to Tehran and had a frank and open discussion with the Iranians,” he said. “For a period of time, it stopped these attacks.”

“At the end, the field of conflict is in Iraq,” Hussein said.

Senior Iraqi officials have said they expect a more nuanced policy by the Biden administration toward Iraq. Hussein said Baghdad had no expectations that the administration would make Iraq a foreign policy priority, but said relations would be helped by the long experience of both Biden and key administration officials with Iraq and Iraqi politicians.

Kataib Hezbollah says it maintains a presence at the border crossing to prevent the infiltration of Islamic State fighters into Iraq.

The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in Iran-backed militias that have grown in influence since mobilizing to fight the Islamic State when it took over large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group lost its last piece of territory two years ago, and many of the Iran-backed paramilitary groups have been absorbed into Iraq’s official security forces.

Iraq has warned that conflict between the United States and Iran playing out on its soil threatens to destabilize the country.

Attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq by suspected Iran-backed militias intensified after the United States killed an Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, and a senior Iraqi security official, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a drone strike in Baghdad in 2020.

“In the last year, Iraq has become a playground and battleground for this type of activity driven by the U.S.-Iran escalation,” said Renad Mansour, the Iraq Initiative director at Chatham House, a London-based policy group. “These groups began to spring up after the killing.”

“There’s one clear message from all of them: that avenging the deaths isn’t over,” he said. “For them, time isn’t an issue.”

Mansour, who tracks armed groups in Iraq, said the newer groups appeared to be made up of fighters armed with weapons connected to the larger Iran-linked paramilitaries.

Some of the Iran-backed paramilitary groups are on the Iraqi government’s payroll as part of the Iraqi security forces but are only nominally under the control of the government.

The tit-for-tat attacks come as the Biden administration begins the daunting task of trying to restore the nuclear agreement with Iran that President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from in 2018. Looming behind the question of the parameters of a new deal is the issue of Iran’s destabilizing activities across the Middle East, which are particularly concerning to U.S. allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Iran has spent decades building a network of partnerships with militia groups across the region that has allowed it to project power far outside its area of influence. These groups include the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, a number of groups in Iraq and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

All of these groups have received at least some financing, support and weaponry from Iran over the years, and all share its ideology of “resistance,” or the struggle against Israel and U.S. interests in the region.

The groups have developed numerous, often low-cost ways of creating headaches for the United States and its allies. Hezbollah has grown into Lebanon’s most powerful military and political force, with an arsenal of more than 100,000 rockets pointed at Israel and seasoned fighters who helped turn the tide in Syria’s civil war in favor of President Bashar Assad.

This month, the group’s foes in Lebanon accused the group of assassinating Lokman Slim, a publisher, filmmaker and vocal critic of the group who had close ties with Western officials. Hezbollah officials denied any connection to Slim’s killing.

Days after Slim’s death, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, whom an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been bombing since 2015, targeted an airport in the Saudi city of Abha with an explosive-laden drone, damaging a civilian airliner.

The Irbil rocket attack was claimed by a previously unknown armed group calling itself the Guardians of the Blood. U.S. officials said it appeared to be affiliated with one or more of Iraq’s better-known militias, and Thursday’s strikes in Syria targeted facilities belonging to them.

BEIRUT — Since President Joe Biden entered the White House, Iranian-backed militants across the Middle East have struck an airport in Saudi Arabia with an exploding drone, and are accused of assassinating a critic in Lebanon and of targeting U.

BEIRUT — Since President Joe Biden entered the White House, Iranian-backed militants across the Middle East have struck an airport in Saudi Arabia with an exploding drone, and are accused of assassinating a critic in Lebanon and of targeting U.S. military personnel at an airport in northern Iraq, killing a Filipino contractor and wounding six others. On Thursday, the world got its first glimpse of how Biden is likely to approach one of the greatest security concerns of American partners in the region: the network of militias that are backed by Iran and committed to subverting the interests of the United States and its allies. U.S. officials said that overnight airstrikes ordered by Biden hit a collection of buildings on the Syrian side of a border crossing with Iraq on Thursday and targeted members of the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah and an affiliated group. A Kataib Hezbollah official said that one of his group’s fighters had been killed in the airstrikes. But Iranian state television and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a conflict monitor based in Britain, reported that 17 fighters had been killed in the airstrikes, which occurred near Abu Kamal, Syria, just across the border from Iraq. While the exact death toll remained unclear, Biden appears to have calibrated the strikes, hoping they would cause enough damage to show that the United States would not allow rocket attacks like that on the Irbil airport in northern Iraq on Feb. 15, but not so much as to risk setting off a wider conflagration. “He is kind of putting his first red line,” said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. She said the strikes signaled to Iran that his eagerness to return to a nuclear agreement would not lead Biden to ignore other regional activities by Iran and its allies, and particularly attacks on U.S. troops. “It is sending a message: The bottom line is that we won’t tolerate this and will use military force when we feel you’ve crossed the line,” Yahya said. Militiamen fled from six of the seven buildings hit in the strikes after spotting what they believed to be a U.S. surveillance aircraft, according to the Sabareen news channel on Telegram, which is used by Iran-backed groups. In a sign of heightened tensions between the Iraqi government and Iran-backed groups that are also part of Iraq’s security forces, Sabareen said the U.S. strikes had been aided by an Iraqi intelligence official posing as a shepherd. In an interview with a local television network Thursday, Iraq’s foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, said those calling themselves “the resistance” and launching rocket attacks in Iraq were no more than terrorists. Sabareen called Hussein’s comments “a green light to the international community to target and eliminate the resistance under the pretext of terrorism.” “We see these attacks as attacks on the Iraqi government,” Hussein said in a recent interview with The New York Times, referring to attacks on the U.S. Embassy and other American targets. Hussein is one of several Iraqi officials who have traveled to Iran in recent months to try to persuade it to use its influence to rein in militia forces. “I and others went to Tehran and had a frank and open discussion with the Iranians,” he said. “For a period of time, it stopped these attacks.” “At the end, the field of conflict is in Iraq,” Hussein said. Senior Iraqi officials have said they expect a more nuanced policy by the Biden administration toward Iraq. Hussein said Baghdad had no expectations that the administration would make Iraq a foreign policy priority, but said relations would be helped by the long experience of both Biden and key administration officials with Iraq and Iraqi politicians. Kataib Hezbollah says it maintains a presence at the border crossing to prevent the infiltration of Islamic State fighters into Iraq. The Iraqi government has struggled to rein in Iran-backed militias that have grown in influence since mobilizing to fight the Islamic State when it took over large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The group lost its last piece of territory two years ago, and many of the Iran-backed paramilitary groups have been absorbed into Iraq’s official security forces. Iraq has warned that conflict between the United States and Iran playing out on its soil threatens to destabilize the country. Attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq by suspected Iran-backed militias intensified after the United States killed an Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, and a senior Iraqi security official, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a drone strike in Baghdad in 2020. “In the last year, Iraq has become a playground and battleground for this type of activity driven by the U.S.-Iran escalation,” said Renad Mansour, the Iraq Initiative director at Chatham House, a London-based policy group. “These groups began to spring up after the killing.” “There’s one clear message from all of them: that avenging the deaths isn’t over,” he said. “For them, time isn’t an issue.” Mansour, who tracks armed groups in Iraq, said the newer groups appeared to be made up of fighters armed with weapons connected to the larger Iran-linked paramilitaries. Some of the Iran-backed paramilitary groups are on the Iraqi government’s payroll as part of the Iraqi security forces but are only nominally under the control of the government. The tit-for-tat attacks come as the Biden administration begins the daunting task of trying to restore the nuclear agreement with Iran that President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from in 2018. Looming behind the question of the parameters of a new deal is the issue of Iran’s destabilizing activities across the Middle East, which are particularly concerning to U.S. allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran has spent decades building a network of partnerships with militia groups across the region that has allowed it to project power far outside its area of influence. These groups include the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, a number of groups in Iraq and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. All of these groups have received at least some financing, support and weaponry from Iran over the years, and all share its ideology of “resistance,” or the struggle against Israel and U.S. interests in the region. The groups have developed numerous, often low-cost ways of creating headaches for the United States and its allies. Hezbollah has grown into Lebanon’s most powerful military and political force, with an arsenal of more than 100,000 rockets pointed at Israel and seasoned fighters who helped turn the tide in Syria’s civil war in favor of President Bashar Assad. This month, the group’s foes in Lebanon accused the group of assassinating Lokman Slim, a publisher, filmmaker and vocal critic of the group who had close ties with Western officials. Hezbollah officials denied any connection to Slim’s killing. Days after Slim’s death, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, whom an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been bombing since 2015, targeted an airport in the Saudi city of Abha with an explosive-laden drone, damaging a civilian airliner. The Irbil rocket attack was claimed by a previously unknown armed group calling itself the Guardians of the Blood. U.S. officials said it appeared to be affiliated with one or more of Iraq’s better-known militias, and Thursday’s strikes in Syria targeted facilities belonging to them.

With strikes in Syria, Biden confronts Iran’s militant network

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Top ten world news: Syria denounces US strikes, Navalny moved to detention centre and more

The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups. 17 Pro-Iran fighters have been killed in the incident.

Your Story: US bombs Iran-backed militia facilities

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. action was a “proportionate military response” taken together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners.

'Joe Biden will protest coalition personnel': John Kirby

The United States launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday, targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups.

US bombs facilities in Syria

A German court sentenced a former member of President Bashar al-Assad's security services to 4-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday for abetting the torture of civilians, the first such verdict for crimes against humanity in the 10-year-old Syrian civil war.&nbsp;

The higher regional court in the western city of Koblenz said Eyad A had arrested at least 30 anti-government protesters at the start of the conflict in 2011 and sent them to an intelligence facility where he knew detainees were tortured.&nbsp;

The verdict gives hope to the 800,000 Syrians in Germany, who say they were tortured in government facilities after attempts to establish an international tribunal for Syria failed.&nbsp;

"This is an important step forward in the process of securing accountability for the Syrian government's systematic use of torture against civilians," said Steve Kostas, a lawyer with the Open Society Foundation's Justice Initiative, which is representing Syrian plaintiffs.&nbsp;

The Assad government denies it tortures prisoners.&nbsp;

Eyad A's lawyers asked for an acquittal, saying he had carried out the arrests in and around Damascus under duress by his superiors. He asked the court to consider him a witness in broader legal efforts against the Syrian government.&nbsp;

Handcuffed and wearing a burgundy track suit, Eyad A, who arrived in Germany in 2018 and was granted asylum, covered his face with a paper document as policemen walked him to a glass cubicle to await the verdict.&nbsp;

He remained stoic and did not appear surprised as the verdict was read out, said two Syrian lawyers at the court.&nbsp;

The case against him was mainly based on evidence of his work for the intelligence service that he had given to German immigration authorities and police when he applied for asylum.&nbsp;

A German court sentenced a former member of President Bashar al-Assad's security services to 4-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday for abetting the torture of civilians, the first such verdict for crimes against humanity in the 10-year-old Syrian civil war.

A German court sentenced a former member of President Bashar al-Assad's security services to 4-1/2 years in prison on Wednesday for abetting the torture of civilians, the first such verdict for crimes against humanity in the 10-year-old Syrian civil war. The higher regional court in the western city of Koblenz said Eyad A had arrested at least 30 anti-government protesters at the start of the conflict in 2011 and sent them to an intelligence facility where he knew detainees were tortured. The verdict gives hope to the 800,000 Syrians in Germany, who say they were tortured in government facilities after attempts to establish an international tribunal for Syria failed. "This is an important step forward in the process of securing accountability for the Syrian government's systematic use of torture against civilians," said Steve Kostas, a lawyer with the Open Society Foundation's Justice Initiative, which is representing Syrian plaintiffs. The Assad government denies it tortures prisoners. Eyad A's lawyers asked for an acquittal, saying he had carried out the arrests in and around Damascus under duress by his superiors. He asked the court to consider him a witness in broader legal efforts against the Syrian government. Handcuffed and wearing a burgundy track suit, Eyad A, who arrived in Germany in 2018 and was granted asylum, covered his face with a paper document as policemen walked him to a glass cubicle to await the verdict. He remained stoic and did not appear surprised as the verdict was read out, said two Syrian lawyers at the court. The case against him was mainly based on evidence of his work for the intelligence service that he had given to German immigration authorities and police when he applied for asylum.

German court issues guilty verdict in first Syria torture trial

West Asia has been blanketed by snow. Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine & Saudi Arabia are all reporting snowfall. WION's Palki Sharma tells you why this is proof of climate change.

Gravitas: Why its snowing in West Asia

Snow blanketed parts of Syria, Lebanon and Israel on Wednesday, blocking roads, disrupting traffic and postponing exams at some universities.&nbsp;

Large parts of Syria were covered, including the capital Damascus, which is witnessing this winter's first snowfall. Snow was as high as 15 cm (6 inches) in the mountains of Sweida province, according to the official state news agency SANA.&nbsp;

Roads in some provinces were blocked. In the central province of Hama, bulldozers shoveled snow to open roads while vehicles skidded on ice, further causing traffic disruption.&nbsp;

The University of Damascus called off mid-term exams scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in all its branches around Syria because of the extreme weather conditions. The country's ports remained open.&nbsp;

In the opposition-held northwestern Syria, civil defence teams have been building dirt mounds since Tuesday around displaced persons' camps to prevent the rain from flooding the crowded areas. Nearly three million displaced people live in northwestern Syria, mostly in tents and temporary shelters. Heavy rainfall last month damaged over 190 displacement sites, destroying and damaging over 10,000 tents.&nbsp;

In neighboring Lebanon, Storm Joyce hit late on Tuesday with gale force winds registering between 85 km/h (52 miles/h) and 100 km/h (62 miles/h). The storm is expected to get stronger Thursday.&nbsp;

Breaking a warm spell, the storm brought heavy rainfall, a sharp drop in temperatures and the heaviest snow fall in Lebanon this year. Snow is expected to cover areas of altitudes as low as 400 meters high, according to the Meteorological department. Nearly a dozen roads in eastern and northern Lebanon were closed to traffic because of the snow.&nbsp;

The Israeli Meteorological Service forecast heavy thunderstorms and cold temperatures across much of the country, with snowfall at higher altitudes expected later on Wednesday, including in Jerusalem. Heavy snowfall covered the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the border with Syria. &nbsp;

Snow blanketed parts of Syria, Lebanon and Israel on Wednesday, blocking roads, disrupting traffic and postponing exams at some universities. Large parts of Syria were covered, including the capital Damascus, which is witnessing this winter's first snowfall.

Snow blanketed parts of Syria, Lebanon and Israel on Wednesday, blocking roads, disrupting traffic and postponing exams at some universities. Large parts of Syria were covered, including the capital Damascus, which is witnessing this winter's first snowfall. Snow was as high as 15 cm (6 inches) in the mountains of Sweida province, according to the official state news agency SANA. Roads in some provinces were blocked. In the central province of Hama, bulldozers shoveled snow to open roads while vehicles skidded on ice, further causing traffic disruption. The University of Damascus called off mid-term exams scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in all its branches around Syria because of the extreme weather conditions. The country's ports remained open. In the opposition-held northwestern Syria, civil defence teams have been building dirt mounds since Tuesday around displaced persons' camps to prevent the rain from flooding the crowded areas. Nearly three million displaced people live in northwestern Syria, mostly in tents and temporary shelters. Heavy rainfall last month damaged over 190 displacement sites, destroying and damaging over 10,000 tents. In neighboring Lebanon, Storm Joyce hit late on Tuesday with gale force winds registering between 85 km/h (52 miles/h) and 100 km/h (62 miles/h). The storm is expected to get stronger Thursday. Breaking a warm spell, the storm brought heavy rainfall, a sharp drop in temperatures and the heaviest snow fall in Lebanon this year. Snow is expected to cover areas of altitudes as low as 400 meters high, according to the Meteorological department. Nearly a dozen roads in eastern and northern Lebanon were closed to traffic because of the snow. The Israeli Meteorological Service forecast heavy thunderstorms and cold temperatures across much of the country, with snowfall at higher altitudes expected later on Wednesday, including in Jerusalem. Heavy snowfall covered the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights near the border with Syria.

Heavy snowfall hits Syria, Lebanon, Israel in winter storm

In a tented camp on a hilltop above the city of Afrin, 300 Syrian families struggle to keep warm in the rain and mud. Displaced three times since they fled their farms near Damascus seven years ago, they survive on slim handouts and send the children out to scavenge.

“The situation is very bad, rain comes into the tent,” said Bushra Sulaiman al-Hamdo, 65, lifting the ground sheet to show the sodden earth where her bedridden husband lay. “There’s not enough food, there is no assistance organization, no drinking water.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey was widely criticized by the United Nations and Western leaders three years ago when he ordered Turkish troops across the Syrian border into Afrin, an action seen as opportunistic and destabilizing. Thousands of Kurdish families fled the Turkish invasion, along with the Kurdish fighters. In their place came hundreds of thousands of Syrians from other areas, who have swollen the population, taking over homes and camping on farming land.

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Another Turkish intervention in 2019, farther east in Syria, met still more opprobrium amid accusations of human rights violations under Turkey’s watch.

But as an end to the decadelong Syrian civil war still confounds the world, Turkey has become the only international force on the ground protecting some five million displaced and vulnerable civilians. Today, the Turkish soldiers are all that stand between them and potential slaughter at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s forces and those of his Russian allies.

Turkish officials recently escorted journalists on a rare visit to Afrin, a district of northwestern Syria, where Turkey has created its own de facto safe zone along the border. The Turks were keen to show their achievements in infrastructure, education and health services.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-imposes-sanctions-on-turkey-over-russian-s-400-missiles-350017">US imposes sanctions on Turkey over Russian S-400 missiles</a>

But they also did not hide the continuing plight of the Syrians under their charge, who despite their evident hardship made clear that they were glad the Turks were there, at least for now.

“Here, at least I can stay alive,” said Amar Muhammad, 35, a porter in the market in Afrin. A former rebel fighter from Damascus, he said he risked death or detention by the Syrian government. “There, I would be dead. There, I would be thinking all the time, ‘Will they arrest me?’”

The Turkish intervention in Afrin was not selfless. Turkey always had its own interests in mind. Its main aim was to root out Kurdish forces it considers a security threat and provide a space for the residual rebel forces fighting against Assad, a loathed rival. The Syrians who settled around Afrin have fled Syrian government forces.

Muhammad and his cousin Muhammad Amar were among the rebel fighters evacuated in a convoy of buses from the Damascus suburb of Ghouta and brought to Afrin under a peace deal arranged between Russia and Turkey three years ago.

“We were forcibly displaced,” Muhammad said. Refused a chance to join the Turkish-backed security forces, they were demobilized and left to make a living how they could. “I swear to God some people go to sleep hungry. We don’t know how we are surviving.”

Turkey has set up its own administration, trained and incorporated friendly Syrian militias into a military police force and set up compliant local Syrian councils to run things. The city has been connected to the Turkish electricity grid, ending years of blackouts; uses Turkish cellphones and currency; and has registered 500 Syrian companies for cross-border trade.

“Our main aim is to make their life more normal,” said Orhan Akturk, deputy governor of the adjoining Turkish province of Hatay, who is also responsible for Afrin. “Keep schools open, and hospitals working so people can resume their lives.”

But Turkey is also in Syria so that the Syrians do not end up in Turkey. Already the host of the largest Syrian refugee community in the world — 3.6 million Syrians are registered inside Turkey — Erdogan has long called for the establishment of a no-fly zone, or an internationally protected safe zone, in northern Syria.

As it stands, his forces have carved it out for themselves. While the U.N. supplies much of the assistance to the Syrians, Turkey has forced out many international aid groups to keep closer control itself.

Turkey first intervened in Syria in 2016 in a joint operation with the U.S. Army against the Islamic State group, then in Afrin in 2018, and again in 2019, after then-President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew U.S. forces from the region.

Erdogan’s agreement with Trump allowed Russia and the Syrian government to regain a footing in northeastern Syria, which was disastrous for the opposition. But then Ankara took an unexpected stand against a Russian and Syrian government offensive last year in the province of Idlib, showing the Turkish military was not only willing but able to defend the line.

Setting a red line in Idlib turned Turkey from a bad actor in the region to a good one, or at least one that shares mutual interests with Washington, said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a Washington-based organization involved in advocacy for Syria.

He called for the Biden administration to restart military-to-military communication with Turkey and provide it with logistical and intelligence support to bolster its defense of the part of Idlib that is still in rebel hands.

“Northwest Syria and Idlib is key to the whole,” he said. With 4 million people, 1 million of them children, crammed into an ever shrinking space, Idlib represents both a humanitarian and strategic necessity, he said. “Idlib alone, if attacked, would double the refugees in Europe.”

The Turks’ control, though welcomed by many Syrians who have fled from Assad’s government, is not uncontested. Turkey’s task in Afrin, in fact, has since been bedeviled by persistent terror attacks — 134 in 2 1/2 years — including four car bombs in the region this month. Security forces have thwarted hundreds more, Akturk said.

The Turkish police chief in Afrin said 99% of the attacks were the work of the PKK, the Kurdish separatist movement, and its affiliate in Syria, the YPG, which is allied with U.S. forces in combating the Islamic State.

The recent car bombs were concealed in trucks brought in from the Kurdish-controlled area of Manbij by unwitting traders, one of whom lost his own son in an explosion in Afrin’s industrial area, Akturk said.

Turkey will raise the issue of U.S. support for the Kurdish militia as a priority with the Biden administration, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week.

In Afrin the Turks have handled security like any NATO force, surrounding their administration building with high concrete blast walls and sealing off a “green zone” that encompasses the main shopping street in the center of the city.

The Syrian shopkeepers complain that business has dwindled as a consequence.

“We are surviving, but it is very difficult,” said Ibrahim Haji Khalil, owner of the Five Stars Ice Cream shop. Customers dropped dramatically after a massive fuel truck bomb hit the market last April, he said. “We used to have people in lines up the street but now there is no one.”

Said Sulaiman, the leader of the local council, pleaded for more assistance beyond what Turkey can provide. “We need more international support and more nongovernmental organizations to help,” he said.

For millions though, Turkey offers the only opportunity.

Syrian students are busy learning the Turkish language and seeking ways to get to Turkey to study or work, said Nour Hallak, a Syrian activist living in the Turkish-controlled part of Aleppo province. “It’s something that makes me laugh and cry at the same time,” he said. “Turkish language is spreading, it’s the choice of the people.”

For the families in the tented camp above the city, seeking protection from Turkey was their only option.

“We are 16 in one tent. Everything is very hard, to find wood, and food,” said Rasmia Hunan al-Abdullah, carrying a toddler in her arms. Her husband is bedridden and blind, she said. “Sometimes the children work and collect plastic.”

Families pressed forward asking for help in tracing relatives detained in the vast Syrian government prison system. Almost everyone had a family member detained by the Assad government, the camp organizer said.

“If we were not scared, we would not have come here,” said Jarir Sulaiman, one of a group of elders leaning on canes outside their communal tent.

Once a wealthy landowner, he said the Syrian government had cut down his olive groves after seizing control of their village, Khiara, south of Damascus. He ruled out returning home while Assad remained in power.

“We won’t go back to our villages until Turkey gives us protection,” he said. “Without the Turks we cannot survive.”

In a tented camp on a hilltop above the city of Afrin, 300 Syrian families struggle to keep warm in the rain and mud. Displaced three times since they fled their farms near Damascus seven years ago, they survive on slim handouts and send the children out to scavenge.

In a tented camp on a hilltop above the city of Afrin, 300 Syrian families struggle to keep warm in the rain and mud. Displaced three times since they fled their farms near Damascus seven years ago, they survive on slim handouts and send the children out to scavenge. “The situation is very bad, rain comes into the tent,” said Bushra Sulaiman al-Hamdo, 65, lifting the ground sheet to show the sodden earth where her bedridden husband lay. “There’s not enough food, there is no assistance organization, no drinking water.” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey was widely criticized by the United Nations and Western leaders three years ago when he ordered Turkish troops across the Syrian border into Afrin, an action seen as opportunistic and destabilizing. Thousands of Kurdish families fled the Turkish invasion, along with the Kurdish fighters. In their place came hundreds of thousands of Syrians from other areas, who have swollen the population, taking over homes and camping on farming land. Also read| Turkish President Erdogan accuses US of backing 'terrorists' in Iraq Another Turkish intervention in 2019, farther east in Syria, met still more opprobrium amid accusations of human rights violations under Turkey’s watch. But as an end to the decadelong Syrian civil war still confounds the world, Turkey has become the only international force on the ground protecting some five million displaced and vulnerable civilians. Today, the Turkish soldiers are all that stand between them and potential slaughter at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s forces and those of his Russian allies. Turkish officials recently escorted journalists on a rare visit to Afrin, a district of northwestern Syria, where Turkey has created its own de facto safe zone along the border. The Turks were keen to show their achievements in infrastructure, education and health services. Also read: US imposes sanctions on Turkey over Russian S-400 missiles But they also did not hide the continuing plight of the Syrians under their charge, who despite their evident hardship made clear that they were glad the Turks were there, at least for now. “Here, at least I can stay alive,” said Amar Muhammad, 35, a porter in the market in Afrin. A former rebel fighter from Damascus, he said he risked death or detention by the Syrian government. “There, I would be dead. There, I would be thinking all the time, ‘Will they arrest me?’” The Turkish intervention in Afrin was not selfless. Turkey always had its own interests in mind. Its main aim was to root out Kurdish forces it considers a security threat and provide a space for the residual rebel forces fighting against Assad, a loathed rival. The Syrians who settled around Afrin have fled Syrian government forces. Muhammad and his cousin Muhammad Amar were among the rebel fighters evacuated in a convoy of buses from the Damascus suburb of Ghouta and brought to Afrin under a peace deal arranged between Russia and Turkey three years ago. “We were forcibly displaced,” Muhammad said. Refused a chance to join the Turkish-backed security forces, they were demobilized and left to make a living how they could. “I swear to God some people go to sleep hungry. We don’t know how we are surviving.” Turkey has set up its own administration, trained and incorporated friendly Syrian militias into a military police force and set up compliant local Syrian councils to run things. The city has been connected to the Turkish electricity grid, ending years of blackouts; uses Turkish cellphones and currency; and has registered 500 Syrian companies for cross-border trade. “Our main aim is to make their life more normal,” said Orhan Akturk, deputy governor of the adjoining Turkish province of Hatay, who is also responsible for Afrin. “Keep schools open, and hospitals working so people can resume their lives.” But Turkey is also in Syria so that the Syrians do not end up in Turkey. Already the host of the largest Syrian refugee community in the world — 3.6 million Syrians are registered inside Turkey — Erdogan has long called for the establishment of a no-fly zone, or an internationally protected safe zone, in northern Syria. As it stands, his forces have carved it out for themselves. While the U.N. supplies much of the assistance to the Syrians, Turkey has forced out many international aid groups to keep closer control itself. Turkey first intervened in Syria in 2016 in a joint operation with the U.S. Army against the Islamic State group, then in Afrin in 2018, and again in 2019, after then-President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew U.S. forces from the region. Erdogan’s agreement with Trump allowed Russia and the Syrian government to regain a footing in northeastern Syria, which was disastrous for the opposition. But then Ankara took an unexpected stand against a Russian and Syrian government offensive last year in the province of Idlib, showing the Turkish military was not only willing but able to defend the line. Setting a red line in Idlib turned Turkey from a bad actor in the region to a good one, or at least one that shares mutual interests with Washington, said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a Washington-based organization involved in advocacy for Syria. He called for the Biden administration to restart military-to-military communication with Turkey and provide it with logistical and intelligence support to bolster its defense of the part of Idlib that is still in rebel hands. “Northwest Syria and Idlib is key to the whole,” he said. With 4 million people, 1 million of them children, crammed into an ever shrinking space, Idlib represents both a humanitarian and strategic necessity, he said. “Idlib alone, if attacked, would double the refugees in Europe.” The Turks’ control, though welcomed by many Syrians who have fled from Assad’s government, is not uncontested. Turkey’s task in Afrin, in fact, has since been bedeviled by persistent terror attacks — 134 in 2 1/2 years — including four car bombs in the region this month. Security forces have thwarted hundreds more, Akturk said. The Turkish police chief in Afrin said 99% of the attacks were the work of the PKK, the Kurdish separatist movement, and its affiliate in Syria, the YPG, which is allied with U.S. forces in combating the Islamic State. The recent car bombs were concealed in trucks brought in from the Kurdish-controlled area of Manbij by unwitting traders, one of whom lost his own son in an explosion in Afrin’s industrial area, Akturk said. Turkey will raise the issue of U.S. support for the Kurdish militia as a priority with the Biden administration, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week. In Afrin the Turks have handled security like any NATO force, surrounding their administration building with high concrete blast walls and sealing off a “green zone” that encompasses the main shopping street in the center of the city. The Syrian shopkeepers complain that business has dwindled as a consequence. “We are surviving, but it is very difficult,” said Ibrahim Haji Khalil, owner of the Five Stars Ice Cream shop. Customers dropped dramatically after a massive fuel truck bomb hit the market last April, he said. “We used to have people in lines up the street but now there is no one.” Said Sulaiman, the leader of the local council, pleaded for more assistance beyond what Turkey can provide. “We need more international support and more nongovernmental organizations to help,” he said. For millions though, Turkey offers the only opportunity. Syrian students are busy learning the Turkish language and seeking ways to get to Turkey to study or work, said Nour Hallak, a Syrian activist living in the Turkish-controlled part of Aleppo province. “It’s something that makes me laugh and cry at the same time,” he said. “Turkish language is spreading, it’s the choice of the people.” For the families in the tented camp above the city, seeking protection from Turkey was their only option. “We are 16 in one tent. Everything is very hard, to find wood, and food,” said Rasmia Hunan al-Abdullah, carrying a toddler in her arms. Her husband is bedridden and blind, she said. “Sometimes the children work and collect plastic.” Families pressed forward asking for help in tracing relatives detained in the vast Syrian government prison system. Almost everyone had a family member detained by the Assad government, the camp organizer said. “If we were not scared, we would not have come here,” said Jarir Sulaiman, one of a group of elders leaning on canes outside their communal tent. Once a wealthy landowner, he said the Syrian government had cut down his olive groves after seizing control of their village, Khiara, south of Damascus. He ruled out returning home while Assad remained in power. “We won’t go back to our villages until Turkey gives us protection,” he said. “Without the Turks we cannot survive.”

In Turkey’s safe zone in Syria, security and misery go hand in hand

Syrian state media said on Monday that Israel launched missile strikes against several targets near Damascus. The report said that the strike prompted activation of Syrian air defences. Israel has routinely carried out raids in Syria since the outbreak of Syrian war in 2011. These strikes have mostly targetted Iranian, Hezbollah forces and government troops.

Shortly after midnight, "the Israeli enemy launched an assault, firing missiles from the occupied Golan and Galilee," the SANA news agency reported, citing a military source.

The strikes were aimed at targets near Damascus, the source said, adding that defences shot down "most" of the missiles.

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According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israeli strikes on eastern Syria killed 57 government and allied fighters on January 13.

The Observatory is a Britain-based monitor that relies on sources on the ground in Syria for its reports.

Israel rarely confirms strikes in Syria, but the army said it hit about 50 targets in the war-torn country in 2020, without providing details.

It has consistently vowed to prevent its arch-enemy Iran from gaining a foothold in Syria, where Tehran has backed President Bashar al-Assad throughout the nearly decade-long war.

(With AFP inputs)

Syrian state media said on Monday that Israel launched missile strikes against several targets near Damascus. The report said that the strike prompted activation of Syrian air defences.

Syrian state media said on Monday that Israel launched missile strikes against several targets near Damascus. The report said that the strike prompted activation of Syrian air defences. Israel has routinely carried out raids in Syria since the outbreak of Syrian war in 2011. These strikes have mostly targetted Iranian, Hezbollah forces and government troops. Shortly after midnight, "the Israeli enemy launched an assault, firing missiles from the occupied Golan and Galilee," the SANA news agency reported, citing a military source. The strikes were aimed at targets near Damascus, the source said, adding that defences shot down "most" of the missiles. × According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Israeli strikes on eastern Syria killed 57 government and allied fighters on January 13. The Observatory is a Britain-based monitor that relies on sources on the ground in Syria for its reports. Israel rarely confirms strikes in Syria, but the army said it hit about 50 targets in the war-torn country in 2020, without providing details. It has consistently vowed to prevent its arch-enemy Iran from gaining a foothold in Syria, where Tehran has backed President Bashar al-Assad throughout the nearly decade-long war. (With AFP inputs)

Syria intercepted Israeli missiles over Damascus, says state media

A record 12.4 million people in war-torn Syria are struggling to find enough food to eat, the UN food agency has said, in an increase it described Saturday as "alarming".

The figure means "60 percent of the Syrian population are now food insecure", the World Food Programme said, based on results of a nationwide assessment in late 2020.

It marks a sharp increase from 9.3 million people who were food insecure in May last year.

"More Syrians are slipping deeper into hunger, poverty and food insecurity than ever before," WFP spokeswoman Jessica Lawson told AFP.

"It is alarming that a basic meal is now beyond the reach of the majority of families."

Syria's almost ten-year-old war has ravaged the economy and sent inflation soaring across the country.

In early 2021, food prices nationwide were 33 times higher than the five-year pre-war average, WFP says.

A dire financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon that has slowed dollar inflows and lockdowns to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic have further increased economic woes.

"The economic situation in Syria is putting immense pressure on families who have nothing left after years of conflict and many depend entirely on humanitarian assistance to survive," Lawson said.

The Syrian conflict has killed more than 387,000 people and displaced millions more from their homes since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

A record 12.4 million people in war-torn Syria are struggling to find enough food to eat, the UN food agency has said, in an increase it described Saturday as "alarming".

A record 12.4 million people in war-torn Syria are struggling to find enough food to eat, the UN food agency has said, in an increase it described Saturday as "alarming". The figure means "60 percent of the Syrian population are now food insecure", the World Food Programme said, based on results of a nationwide assessment in late 2020. It marks a sharp increase from 9.3 million people who were food insecure in May last year. "More Syrians are slipping deeper into hunger, poverty and food insecurity than ever before," WFP spokeswoman Jessica Lawson told AFP. "It is alarming that a basic meal is now beyond the reach of the majority of families." Syria's almost ten-year-old war has ravaged the economy and sent inflation soaring across the country. In early 2021, food prices nationwide were 33 times higher than the five-year pre-war average, WFP says. A dire financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon that has slowed dollar inflows and lockdowns to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic have further increased economic woes. "The economic situation in Syria is putting immense pressure on families who have nothing left after years of conflict and many depend entirely on humanitarian assistance to survive," Lawson said. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 387,000 people and displaced millions more from their homes since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

12.4 mln people food insecure in war-torn Syria: WFP

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