Page 14 - Syria

Israeli airstrike in Syria kills another Iranian general; toll rises to 3

An Israeli airstrike Monday in a Damascus neighbourhood killed a high-ranking Iranian general, Iranian state media said. The killing of Razi Mousavi, a long-time adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria, comes as clashes along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and Israel continue to intensify with fears of the Israel-Hamas war sparking a regional spillover with Iran-backed groups. The Israeli strikes killed two other generals earlier this month in Syria. Israel struck the Sayida Zeinab neighbourhood, located near a Shiite Muslim shrine, Iran's official news agency IRNA and Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. IRNA described Mousavi as a close companion of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was slain in a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. Neither the Israeli military nor Syrian state media immediately issued a statement about the attack. Though IRNA didn't provide other

12 Turkish soldiers killed over 2 days in clashes with Kurdish militants

Six Turkish soldiers were killed on Saturday in clashes with Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, a day after another six were also killed. The six soldiers slain on Saturday died in a firefight when militants attempted to infiltrate a Turkish base, according to a statement by the Turkish Defense Ministry. The statement said 13 militants had been neutralized. In addition to the six Turkish soldiers killed on Friday, four militants were slain, authorities said. Turkey conducts operations and airstrikes against targets in Syria and Iraq that it believes to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a banned Kurdish separatist group that has waged an insurgency against Turkey since the 1980s. Ankara maintains that PKK has sanctuaries in northern Iraq, where its leadership is also purportedly based. The PKK is considered a terror organisation by the United States and the European Union. Tens of thousands of people have died since the start of the conflict in 1984.

Chemical weapons watchdog vote to keep Syria from getting poison gas

The annual meeting of member states of the global chemical weapons watchdog on Thursday called on countries to prevent the sale or transfer to Syria of raw materials and equipment that could be used to create poison gas and nerve agents. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement that its annual conference decided that the continued possession and use of chemical weapons by Syria, and its failure to give the organization an accurate inventory of its stocks and to destroy undeclared chemical weapons and production facilities, have harmed the international Chemical Weapons Convention. The decision was backed by 69 nations, while 10 voted against it and 45 nations abstained. It calls on member states to take measures to prevent the direct or indirect transfer to Syria of certain chemical precursors, dual-use chemical manufacturing facilities and equipment and related technology. Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 to ward off the threat of airstrikes in ...

India supports resolution demanding Israel's withdrawal from Syrian Golan

India has voted in favour of a draft resolution in the UN General Assembly that expressed deep concern over Israel not withdrawing from the Syrian Golan. The Syrian Golan is a region in southwest Syria that was occupied by Israeli forces on June 5, 1967. The 193-member UN General Assembly voted on the draft resolution The Syrian Golan' under agenda item The situation in the Middle East' on Tuesday. The resolution, introduced by Egypt, was adopted by a recorded vote with 91 in favour, eight against and 62 abstentions. Apart from India, those voting in favour of the resolution included Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. Australia, Canada, Israel, the UK and the US voted against it. The resolution said it is deeply concerned that Israel has not withdrawn from the Syrian Golan, which has been under occupation since 1967, contrary to the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. The ...

Israeli airstrike hit Damascus airport and put it out of service: Syria

An Israeli airstrike Sunday hit the international airport in the Syrian capital of Damascus and put it out of commission, Syrian state media said. Israel has struck Syria's Damascus and Aleppo international airports several times since the onset of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza on Oct 7. Israel has also struck parts of western Syria after rocket fire landed on the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights. SANA, citing an unnamed military official, said Israel fired missiles from the direction of the Golan Heights, striking Damascus International Airport and other areas in the Damascus countryside causing material damage. There was no mention of casualties. Britain-based opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the strikes came just hours after the airport resumed flights after a monthlong hiatus following a previous Israeli strike. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years. It

France issues arrest warrants for Syrian prez, generals over war crimes

French judicial authorities issued international arrest warrants for Syrian President Bashar Assad, his brother, and two army generals for alleged complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity, lawyers for Syrian victims said. They include a 2013 chemical attack on rebel-held Damascus suburbs. A victim of the attack welcomed the move as a reminder of the horrors of Syria's civil war and urged countries where Assad might travel to arrest him. While he is unlikely to face trial in France, international warrants for a serving world leader are very rare and send a strong message about Assad's leadership at a time when some countries have welcomed him back into the diplomatic fold. In addition to President Assad, the arrest warrants were issued for his brother, Maher Assad, the commander of the 4th Armored Division, and two Syrian army generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan, the lawyers said. There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government on the warrants. Jeann

France issues arrest warrants for Syrian prez for involvement in war crimes

French judicial authorities on Wednesday issued international arrest warrants for Syrian President Bashar Assad, his brother and two army generals alleging their involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity including in the chemical attack in 2013 on rebel-held Damascus suburbs, lawyers for Syrian victims said. In addition to President Assad, the arrest warrants were issued for his brother, Maher Assad, the commander of the 4th Armored Division, and two Syrian army generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan. Jeanne Sulzer and Clemence Witt, lawyers at the Paris Bar who represent the plaintiffs, and NGOs behind the complaint, hailed the decision Wednesday. It marks a crucial milestone in the battle against impunity, Sulzer told The Associated Press on the phone. It signifies a positive evolution in case law recognising the grave nature of the crimes committed. The Paris prosecutor's office has not publicly commented on the arrest warrants that remain secret under French l

US conducts airstrikes against Iran-backed groups in Syria to retaliate

The Pentagon and US officials say US fighter aircraft conducted airstrikes on locations in eastern Syria involving Iranian-backed groups, likely causing casualties and destroying weapons stored at the two targets that were struck a training facility and a safe house. A defense official said that the training facility also served as a weapons storage and that the safe house, located in the Bulbul district of Mayadin, functioned as a headquarters for Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated groups in the area. The official said Revolutionary Guard-related personnel were present at the time of the strikes and likely were hit, but the Pentagon had not confirmed whether they were killed. The defense official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details of the strikes. The US has conducted three strikes over the last two weeks against Iranian-tied weapons depots in Syria to retaliate for the more than 50 rocket and drone attacks that ...

US conducts airstrikes in Syria in retaliation for attacks on its troops

The US military conducted airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria involving Iranian-backed groups, hitting a training location and a weapons facility, according to the Pentagon and US officials. It marks the third time in a bit more than two weeks that the US has retaliated against the militants for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria. In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes targeted sites near Abukama and Mayadin and were used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as Iran-backed militias. The President has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests, Austin said. A U.S. official said one site also included weapons storage. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a military operation. The militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of t

US attacks Syrian facility in response to attacks by Iran-backed militias

The U.S. launched an airstrike on a facility in eastern Syria linked to Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in the region for the past several weeks, the Pentagon said. The strike by two U.S. F-15 fighter jets was on a weapons storage facility linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. This is the second time in less than two weeks that the U.S. has bombed facilities used by the militant groups, many operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which U.S. officials say have carried out at least 40 such attacks since Oct. 17. That was the day a powerful explosion rocked a Gaza hospital, killing hundreds and triggering protests in a number of Muslim .

Israel-Hamas war spilling into Syria, which already has instability: Envoy

The Israel-Hamas war is spilling into Syria, fuelled by growing instability, violence and a lack of progress toward a political solution to its 12-year conflict, the United Nations special envoy for the country said Monday. Geir Pedersen told the Security Council that, on top of violence from the Syrian conflict, the Syrian people now face a terrifying prospect of a potential wider escalation following Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel and the ongoing retaliatory military action. Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun, the U.N. envoy for Syria said. Pedersen pointed to air strikes attributed to Israel hitting Syria's airports in Aleppo and Damascus several times, and retaliation by the United States against what it said were multiple attacks on its forces "by groups that it claims are backed by Iran, including on Syrian territory." With the region at its most dangerous and tense, he said, fuel is being added to a tinderbox that was already beginning to ignit

US strikes Iran-linked sites in Syria in retaliation for attacks on troops

The U.S. military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week. The U.S. strikes reflect the Biden administration's determination to maintain a delicate balance. The U.S. wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the U.S. as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel's war against Hamas, while also working to avoid inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict. According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on U.S. bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct. 17. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said 21 U.S. personnel were injured in two of those assaults that used drones to target al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

IDF strikes Syria after rocket attack, conducts airstrike on gunmen

A day ago, the IDF said two rockets were launched from Syria at northern Israel, setting off alarms in the Golan Heights communities of Neot Golan, Bnei Yehuda and Givat Yoav

Indians top the list of those seeking citizenship in wealthy OECD nations

Out of those Indians who moved to OECD countries, 133,000 were granted nationality, the highest among all countries

Aid convoy reaches Gaza as Israel attacks targets in Syria, West Bank

The second aid convoy destined for desperate Palestinian civilians reached Gaza on Sunday, as Israel widened its attacks to include targets in Syria and the occupied West Bank and the Israeli prime minister warned Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group that if it launches its own war, we will cripple it with a force it cannot even imagine. For days, Israel has been on the verge of launching a ground offensive in Gaza following Hamas' brutal October 7 rampage through a series of Israeli communities. Tanks and troops have been massed at the Gaza border, waiting for the command to cross. Israel's military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the country had increased airstrikes across Gaza to hit targets that would reduce the risk to troops in the next stage of the war. Fears of a widening war grew as Israeli warplanes struck targets across Gaza, two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank allegedly used by militants. Israel has traded fire with Hezbollah militants si

Israel responds to fire from Syria with artillery, mortar amid Hamas attack

The Israeli military said it is responding to fire from Syria with artillery and mortar shelling. The military said Tuesday that unidentified projectiles were fired from Syria and appeared to have fallen in an open area. The flare-up comes as Israel is striking in Gaza in response to a stunning attack by Hamas and as exchanges of fire with the Lebanese Hezbollah have continued. There was no immediate comment from Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based opposition war monitor, said a Palestinian faction conducted the rocket attack from Syrian territory. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below. Israeli warplanes hammered the Gaza Strip neighbourhood by neighbourhood on Tuesday, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety in the tiny, sealed-off territory now suffering severe retaliation for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants. Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid i

Canada, Netherlands take Syria to top UN court; accuse Damascus of torture

The Netherlands and Canada are taking Syria's government to the United Nations' highest court on Tuesday, accusing Damascus of massive human rights violations against its own people. Since 2011, Syrians have been tortured, murdered, sexually assaulted, forcibly disappeared and subjected to chemical weapon attacks on a mass scale, the Netherlands and Canada said when they launched the case at the International Court of Justice in June. Twelve years on, human rights violations at the hands of the Syrian regime persist, they added. Syria's conflict started with peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's government in March 2011 but quickly morphed into a full-blown civil war after the government's brutal crackdown on the protesters. The tide turned in Assad's favour against rebel groups in 2015, when Russia provided key military backing to Syria, as well as Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. In a written filing to the court, the Netherlands and Canada said torture

Turkish warplanes hit US-backed Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria

Turkish warplanes have carried out airstrikes on sites believed to be used by US-backed Kurdish militant groups in northern Syria after the US military shot down an armed Turkish drone that came within 500 metres of American troops. A Turkish defence ministry statement said the Turkish jets targeted some 30 sites in the Tal Rifat, Jazeera and Derik regions, destroying caves, bunkers, shelters and warehouses used by Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, or its affiliated Kurdish militia group in Syria, which is known as People's Defence Units, or YPG. Turkiye has been carrying out strikes on Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following a suicide attack outside the Interior Ministry building in the Turkish capital earlier this week. The PKK claimed the attack in which one attacker blew himself up and another would-be bomber was killed in a shootout with police. Two police officers were wounded. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the two assailants had arrived from Syria, wher

Syria casualty tolls in Homs drone strikes rises to 80 killed, 240 wounded

Syria's health minister has raised the casualty tolls from a drone attack on Thursday that hit a packed military graduation ceremony in the central city of Homs to 80 killed and 240 wounded. It was one of the deadliest attacks on the Syrian army in recent years, with the country's conflict now in its thirteenth year. Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabash said that civilians, including six children, and military personnel were among those killed. There were concerns the death toll could rise further as many of the wounded were in serious condition. In an earlier statement, Syria's military said that drones laden with explosives targeted the ceremony packed with young officers and their families as it was wrapping up in Homs. It accused insurgents backed by known international forces of the attack, without naming any particular group. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern at the drone attack in Homs as wel

Shelling in northwest Syria kills at least 5 civilians: Emergency workers

The Syrian government early Thursday shelled a village in the rebel-held northwestern part of the country, killing at least five civilians, activists and emergency workers said. The shelling, which comes amid a rise in strikes in the rebel-held enclave in recent days, hit a family house on the outskirts of the the village of Kafr Nouran in western Aleppo province, according to opposition-held northwestern Syria's civil defence organisation known as the White Helmets. The dead included an elderly woman and three of her daughters and her son, said Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Nine others from the family were injured, it said. Neither Syria nor its key military ally Russia commented on the shelling, but Damascus says strikes in the northwestern province target armed insurgent groups. The Syrian pro-government newspaper Al-Watan said the Syrian army had targeted the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Hayat Tahrir al Sham in response to its ..