Israel strike on Syria capital kills three: war monitor

Israel strike on Syria capital kills three: war monitor
People stand at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential building in the Mezzah suburb in western Damascus, according to Syrian state media on Oct. 2, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 02 October 2024
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Israel strike on Syria capital kills three: war monitor

Israel strike on Syria capital kills three: war monitor
  • SANA quoted a military source as saying that that “the Israeli enemy launched an air strike... targeting one of the residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood“
  • The source said three civilians were killed and three wounded

BEIRUT: An Israeli air strike killed three people in Damascus Wednesday, a monitor said, in the second strike in as many days on a neighborhood that is home to security headquarters and embassies.
“An Israeli air strike targeted a flat in a residential building in the Mazzeh neighborhood frequented by Hezbollah leaders and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
It killed at least three people, two of them foreigners, the monitor said.
State news agency SANA quoted a military source as saying that that “the Israeli enemy launched an air strike... targeting one of the residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood.”
The source said three civilians were killed and three wounded.
Wednesday’s strike hit around 500 meters (yards) from Tuesday’s strike.
The Observatory said the earlier strike killed six people — three civilians including a television anchor and three Iran-backed fighters, one of them from Hezbollah.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters, including those of Hezbollah.
Israeli authorities rarely comment on individual strikes but have said repeatedly they will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.
The strikes have intensified in recent days, including in areas near the border with Lebanon.


Israeli strikes kill at least 29 at hard-hit Gaza hospital

Israeli strikes kill at least 29 at hard-hit Gaza hospital
Updated 4 sec ago
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Israeli strikes kill at least 29 at hard-hit Gaza hospital

Israeli strikes kill at least 29 at hard-hit Gaza hospital
  • Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya is one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the Gaza’s northernmost province
  • The dead included five children and five women
CAIRO: At least 29 people were killed, including four medical staff, when Israeli strikes pummeled the area around one of the last remaining hospitals in northern Gaza, Palestinian officials said.
The situation in and around the Kamal Adwan hospital is “catastrophic,” according to Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the director of the hospital. The dead included five children and five women, according to the hospital casualty list, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya is one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the Gaza’s northernmost province, where Israeli forces are pressing an offensive that has almost completely sealed off the area from humanitarian aid for two months.
Israel’s military denied that its forces had struck the hospital or operated inside it. The army said that in the past few weeks, “coordinated efforts with international organizations have been underway in order to transfer patients, companions, and medical staff to other hospitals.”
An Indonesian medical team which had been assisting in Kamal Adwan for the past week was forced to evacuate on foot after the area was surrounded by Israeli soldiers, according to a statement from the team. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the medical team’s expulsion. Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization representative in the Palestinian territories, said an Israeli tank approached the hospital at around 4 a.m. Friday. Although no official Israeli evacuation order was issued, “people started to climb the wall to escape, and this panic attracted IDF (Israeli) fire,” he said. He spoke by video from Gaza to journalists in Geneva.
Kamal Adwan Hospital has been struck multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation in northern Gaza against Hamas militants. In October, Israeli forces raided the hospital, saying that militants were sheltering inside and arrested a number of people, including some staff. Hospital officials denied the claim.
Saudi Arabia calls for and end to Gaza war
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has reiterated the kingdom’s call for an end to the war in the Gaza Strip.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan described Israel as acting with “impunity and is getting away without punishment” in its war on Hamas there.
The prince said that any permanent solution requires a two-state solution, with the Palestinians having east Jerusalem as their capital.
After the speech, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, a prominent royal in the kingdom who led Saudi intelligence for more than two decades and served as ambassador to the US and Britain, took the stage. He harshly criticized Israel’s conduct in the wars.
“Israel has become an apartheid, colonial and genocidal state,” Prince Turki said. “It is about time for the world to address that issue and take the necessary steps to bring those who are thus charged by the International Criminal Court to justice.”
Israeli officials could not be immediately reached for comment on Prince Turki’s remarks.
The Saudis spoke at the International Institute for Security Studies’ Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.

Syrian militants seize fourth city, close in on Homs in threat to Assad’s rule

Syrian militants seize fourth city, close in on Homs in threat to Assad’s rule
Updated 07 December 2024
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Syrian militants seize fourth city, close in on Homs in threat to Assad’s rule

Syrian militants seize fourth city, close in on Homs in threat to Assad’s rule
  • Assad government ‘fighting for their lives’, analyst says
  • There was no immediate comment from the military or Assad’s government

AMMAN/BEIRUT: Syrian militants said they seized control of the southern city of Daraa on Saturday, the birthplace of a 2011 uprising against President Bashar Assad and the fourth city his forces have lost in a week.
Militant sources said the military agreed to make an orderly withdrawal from Daraa under a deal giving army officials safe passage to the capital Damascus, about 100 km (60 miles) north.
Social media videos showed rebels on motorcycles and others mingling with residents on the streets. People fired shots into the air at the city’s main square in celebration, according to the videos.
There was no immediate comment from the military or Assad’s government, and Reuters could not independently verify the rebels’ claim.
With the fall of Daraa, Assad’s forces have surrendered four important centers to the insurgents in a week.
Daraa, which had a population of more than 100,000 before the civil war began 13 years ago, holds symbolic importance as the cradle of the uprising. It is the capital of a province of about 1 million people, bordering Jordan.
Daraa’s seizure followed the rebels’ claim late on Friday that they had advanced to the edge of the central city of Homs, a key crossroads between the capital and the Mediterranean coast.
Capturing Homs would cut off Damascus from the coastal stronghold of Assad’s minority Alawite sect, and from a naval base and air base of his Russian allies there. “Our forces have liberated the last village on the outskirts of the city of Homs and are now on its walls,” the Syrian faction leading the sweeping assault said on the Telegram messaging app.
A coalition of rebel factions that include the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) made a last call on forces loyal to Assad’s government in Homs to defect.
Ahead of the rebel advance, thousands of people fled Homs toward the coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus, strongholds of the government, residents and witnesses said.
Assad regime under threat
A US-backed alliance led by Syrian Kurdish fighters captured Deir el-Zor, the government’s main foothold in the vast eastern desert, on Friday, three Syrian sources told Reuters. The rebels seized Aleppo and Hama in the northwest and center earlier in the lightning offensive that began on Nov. 27.
In another ominous sign for Assad in the east, the Syrian Kurdish force said Islamic State — a jihadist group that imposed martial law under its harsh rule before its defeat by a US-led coalition in 2017 — had taken control of some areas in eastern Syria.
Aron Lund, a fellow at think-tank Century Foundation, said Assad’s government was “fighting for their lives at this point.”
It was possible the government could hold Homs, “but given the speed at which things have moved so far, I wouldn’t count on it,” he said on Friday.
Syrian state TV reported Russian-Syrian airstrikes targeting rebel headquarters in the countryside of Hama, Idlib and Aleppo killed at least 200 insurgents on Friday, citing the Russian Coordination Center in Syria.
A Syrian army source said Iran-backed Hezbollah forces were positioned to bolster government defenses in and near Homs.
Syrian state media reported dozens of rebels were killed in the Homs countryside on Friday in an operation by Syrian and Russian air forces, artillery, missiles and armored vehicles.
Capturing Homs would solidify a chain of powerful positions under the Islamic insurgents’ control from Aleppo on the Turkish border in the north to Daraa on the Jordanian border to the south.
Gaining Homs would also increase the rebels’ chances of isolating the seat of Assad’s regime in Damascus with the ability to block the route northwest from the capital to the sea.
Rebels re-energised
As the rebels pressed their offensive, Russia and Jordan on Friday urged their nationals to leave Syria.
After years locked behind frozen front lines, rebel forces have burst out of their northwestern Idlib bastion to achieve the swiftest battlefield advance by either side since a street uprising against Assad mushroomed into civil war 13 years ago.
Syria’s conflict killed more than 305,000 people between 2011 and 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Office said in 2022.
Assad regained control of most of Syria after key allies — Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah — came to his rescue. But all have recently been weakened and diverted by other crises, giving Sunni Muslim militants a window to fight back.
Tehran, which has been focussed on tensions with arch-foe Israel since the Gaza war began last year, began to evacuate its military officials and personnel from Syria on Friday, a sign of Iran’s inability to keep Assad in power, the New York Times reported, citing regional officials and three Iranian officials.
The head of the main rebel faction HTS, Abu Mohammed Al-Golani, vowed in a separate interview with the New York Times published on Friday that the insurgents could end Assad’s rule.
“This operation broke the enemy,” he said of the rebels’ lightning offensive.


Damascus gripped by anxiety in face of militant offensive

Damascus gripped by anxiety in face of militant offensive
Updated 07 December 2024
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Damascus gripped by anxiety in face of militant offensive

Damascus gripped by anxiety in face of militant offensive
  • Many Syrians have been wracked by uncertainty, fearing a revival of the worst days of Syria’s grinding civil war

DAMASCUS: Like many others in the Syrian capital Damascus, student Shadi chose to stay home so he could keep up with the pace of events since militants launched a shock offensive last week.

“I had no wish to go out and everyone chose to stay in to follow the news surrounded by their loved ones,” said Shadi, who did not wish to give his full name.

As the militants have taken city after city in quick succession, many Syrians have been wracked by uncertainty, fearing a revival of the worst days of Syria’s grinding civil war now in its 14th year.

“We don’t understand anything anymore. In just one week, the twists and turns have been so overwhelming that they are beyond all comprehension,” the young man said.

“The worry is contagious but we have to keep our cool,” he said, never once taking his eyes off the alerts on his mobile phone.

Syrian militants, led by Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), launched the shock offensive on November 27, sweeping from their stronghold in the northwest to capture swathes of northern and central Syria including the major cities of Aleppo and Hama.

Government forces have launched a counteroffensive seeking to repel the militants but at the cost of relaxing their grip on other parts of the country, notably the east where Kurdish-led forces have taken over.

“Whenever rumors spread, people rush to buy various products, bread, rice, sugar and detergents,” said Amine, 56, who runs a grocery store in the Sheikh Saad neighborhood of the capital.

“Today, I bought twice from my wholesaler to keep up with demand.”

The offensive has already sent food prices skyrocketing by 30 percent in Damascus, according to residents.

The Syrian pound is trading at an all-time low of 19,000 to the dollar, down from 15,000 before the militants launched their offensive on Wednesday of last week.

Security measures — already strict before the offensive — have been beefed up, with extra car searches, particularly on vehicles coming from outside the capital, according to residents.

Concerns have been further driven by the spread of disinformation and rumors.

The Syrian defense ministry has denounced “fabricated” videos, including of explosions at the headquarters of the general staff, calling on citizens not to fall prey to “lies” that “aim to sow chaos and panic among civilians.”

In the usually lively neighborhood of Bab Sharqi, restaurants and cafes are near-deserted in the evening, with some even closing up early due to the absence of customers.

Damascus University has delayed end-of-term exams and the Syrian football federation has postponed matches until further notice.

State news agency SANA reported that at Friday prayers, imams called on the faithful “not to panic... and to stand as one behind the Syrian Arab Army to defend the homeland.”

Georgina, 32, said she had “heard a lot of rumors.”

“I went to Old Damascus and saw a normal situation,” she said, adding that nonetheless “everyone was keeping an eye on the news.”

Meanwhile, some radio stations have switched from variety programming to non-stop news segments.

On state television, programs host analysts and witnesses on the ground, including those denying “rumors” of fresh territorial losses to the advancing militants.


US tells citizens leave Syria ‘now while commercial options remain available’

US tells citizens leave Syria ‘now while commercial options remain available’
Updated 07 December 2024
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US tells citizens leave Syria ‘now while commercial options remain available’

US tells citizens leave Syria ‘now while commercial options remain available’

WASHINGTON: US citizens in Syria should immediately leave the country “while commercial options remain available,” the State Department said Friday, as militant forces continue their offensive against President Bashar Assad’s troops.
“The security situation continues to be volatile and unpredictable with active clashes between armed groups throughout the country. The Department urges US citizens to depart Syria now while commercial options remain available,” the department said in a security alert posted on social media.

 


Syria army says ‘redeploying’ in southern Daraa, Sweida provinces

Syria army says ‘redeploying’ in southern Daraa, Sweida provinces
The escalation in fighting in Syria has displaced around 280,000 people in just over a week, and that number could swell to 1.5
Updated 07 December 2024
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Syria army says ‘redeploying’ in southern Daraa, Sweida provinces

Syria army says ‘redeploying’ in southern Daraa, Sweida provinces
  • ‘Our forces operating in Daraa and Sweida are redeploying and repositioning, and establishing a... security cordon’

DAMASCUS: Syria’s army said it was redeploying in two southern provinces on Saturday, after a war monitor reported government forces had lost control of most of Daraa province, the cradle of the country’s 2011 uprising.

“Our forces operating in Daraa and Sweida are redeploying and repositioning, and establishing a... security cordon in that direction after terrorist elements attacked remote army checkpoints,” the General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said in a statement carried by state media.

On Friday evening, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said local factions had taken control of more than 90 percent of Daraa, including the eponymous city.

In neighboring Sweida, the Britain-based monitor and local media said the governor, the police and prison chiefs, and the local ruling Baath Party leader had left their offices as local fighters took control of several checkpoints.

The army’s statement said it was “beginning to regain control in Homs and Hama provinces in the face of terrorist organizations,” as militants who launched a stunning offensive last week, taking key cities Aleppo and Hama, battled troops near Homs.

Sweida is the heartland of Syria’s Druze minority and has witnessed anti-government demonstrations for more than a year.

Daraa province, meanwhile, was the cradle of the 2011 uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s rule, but it returned to government control in 2018 under a ceasefire deal brokered by Assad ally Russia.

Former militants there who accepted the 2018 deal were able to keep their light weapons.

Daraa province has been plagued by unrest in recent years, with frequent attacks, armed clashes and assassinations, some claimed by the Daesh group.