BEIRUT: Turkish forces that entered Syria’s Idlib province late on Thursday have started setting up observation positions that appear aimed at containing a Kurdish militia, a senior rebel involved in the operation said early on Friday.
“The allied Turkish armed forces have entered Syrian territory and begun setting up observation posts,” said Mustafa Sejari, an official in a Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group.
Turkey sent a convoy of about 30 military vehicles into rebel-held northwest Syria through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing in Idlib, rebels and a witness said.
President Tayyep Erdogan announced the deployment on Saturday, saying Turkey was conducting a “serious operation” with rebel groups it supports, as part of a “de-escalation” deal it agreed last month with Iran and Russia in Kazakhstan.
Turkey has been a big supporter of rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the war. But since last year Ankara has focused on securing its border, both from jihadists and from Kurdish forces that control much of the frontier area inside Syria.
The Astana agreement with Assad’s foreign allies Russia and Iran involves reducing warfare in several regions of Syria, including Idlib and adjacent swathes of the northwest, the most populous rebel-held area.
Tahrir Al-Sham, a powerful jihadist alliance that controls much of that territory, is not party to the de-escalation deal, and is at odds with some of the rebel groups that Turkey supports.
However, its forces gave an escort to the Turkish convoy late on Thursday, witnesses said, indicating that there might not be any fighting between them.
Residents of northwest Syria and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have reported intense air raids on Idlib and nearby areas for months.
The convoy was heading toward Sheikh Barakat, a high area overlooking rebel-held territory and the Kurdish YPG-controlled canton of Afrin, the witnesses said.
“(Turkey’s deployment is) in line with Astana 6 resolutions to ensure the area is protected from Russian and regime bombing and to foil any attempt by the separatist YPG militias to illegally seize any territory,” said Sejari.
Turkish forces set up positions in Syria’s Idlib
Turkish forces set up positions in Syria’s Idlib
Spain hosts European, Arab nations to pressure Israel on Gaza
Some of Israel’s long-standing allies have added their voices to growing international pressure after it expanded military operations against Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose 2023 attack on Israel sparked the devastating war.
A two-month aid blockade has worsened shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine in the Palestinian territory, stoking fears of famine.
Aid organizations say the trickle of supplies Israel has recently allowed to enter falls far short of needs.
The talks in Madrid aim to stop Israel’s “inhumane” and “senseless” war in Gaza, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters before the meeting opened.
Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza “massively, without conditions and without limits, and not controlled by Israel,” he added, describing the Strip as humanity’s “open wound.”
“Silence in these moments is complicity in this massacre... that is why we are meeting,” said Albares.
Representatives from European countries including France, Britain, Germany and Italy joined envoys from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Morocco, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Norway, Iceland, Ireland and Slovenia, who like Spain have already recognized a Palestinian state, are also taking part, alongside Brazil.
After the European Union decided this week to review its cooperation deal with Israel, Albares told reporters Spain would request its “immediate suspension.”
Spain would also urge partners to impose an arms embargo on Israel and “not rule out any” individual sanctions against those “who want to ruin the two-state solution forever,” he added.
Sunday’s meeting will also promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke by video link with Arab counterparts on Sunday and would press “the need for coordinated pressure” for a ceasefire, aid and the release of Hamas-held hostages, his office said.
Barrot will also meet the Palestinian Authority’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, during a trip to Yerevan next week, the French foreign ministry announced on Sunday.
The diplomatic drive comes one month before a UN conference on the Israel-Palestinian conflicted presided over by France and Saudi Arabia.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said his country will back draft resolutions at the United Nations aimed at ramping up aid access to Gaza and holding Israel to account over its international humanitarian obligations.
Madrid’s attempt to rally a wider consensus on the war comes a year after it broke with some European allies by recognizing a Palestinian state, infuriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mainly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Palestinian militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed almost 54,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.
Swiss authorities exploring probe into Gaza aid group
GENEVA: Swiss authorities said on Sunday they were exploring whether to open a legal investigation into the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization that plans to oversee aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave.
The move comes after a Swiss NGO submitted a request for a probe into GHF’s aid plan, which the UN has opposed, saying it is not impartial or neutral and forces further displacement and exposes thousands of people to harm.
The GHF, which has said it hopes to start work in Gaza by the end of May, said it “strictly adheres” to humanitarian principles, and that it would not support any form of forced relocation of civilians.
Israel has allowed limited aid deliveries to resume this week after having stopped all aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2.
TRIAL International, a Switzerland-based NGO, on Friday said it had filed two legal submissions asking Swiss authorities to investigate whether the Swiss-registered GHF complies with Swiss law and international humanitarian law.
The submissions were made to the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, or FDFA, on May 20 and 21.
The FDFA on Sunday confirmed that both authorities had received the submissions.
TRIAL International said it asked the Swiss FDFA to explain if the GHF had submitted a declaration, in accordance with Swiss law, to use private security companies to distribute aid, and if Swiss authorities had approved it.
The FDFA said it was investigating whether such a declaration would be required for the foundation.
It said that the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations cannot review whether foundations comply with their statutes until they start their activities.
The GHF said that though using private security firms represents a change from prior aid delivery frameworks, it would ensure aid is not diverted to Hamas or criminal organizations.
Jordan, Spain pledge closer ties, urge action on Gaza during Madrid talks
- Foreign ministers discuss expanding cooperation across range of sectors, including defense, trade, economy, tourism
MADRID: Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held high-level talks in Madrid on Sunday with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares, as both nations reaffirmed their commitment to deepening ties and advancing regional peace efforts.
The two ministers discussed expanding cooperation across a range of sectors, including defense, trade, economy, and tourism, the Jordan News Agency reported.
They also confirmed ongoing efforts to finalize a strategic partnership agreement between Jordan and Spain, with the aim of accelerating its implementation.
Safadi and Albares reiterated mutual support for each other’s candidacies in international organizations and pledged continued coordination within global forums.
They also reviewed preparations for the upcoming Union for the Mediterranean summit, set to take place later this year in Barcelona to mark the 30th anniversary of the union.
Jordan and the EU are scheduled to co-chair the event.
A major focus of the talks was the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The meeting came ahead of a ministerial session of the expanded Madrid Group aimed at pushing forward efforts to implement a two-state solution.
Safadi stressed that halting the violence and delivering immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza must be a global priority.
He warned that the international community’s failure to stop the war had undermined the credibility of international law and endangered the prospects for a just and lasting peace.
Praising Spain’s “principled” positions, Safadi welcomed the Spanish government’s decision to suspend arms sales to Israel and recognize the State of Palestine.
He also lauded Madrid’s efforts to mobilize international support for a ceasefire, its backing of Palestinian statehood, and the hosting of Sunday’s meeting attended by more than 20 nations and a delegation from the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee.
Albares reiterated Spain’s desire to deepen its long-standing partnership with Jordan, and commended the role of King Abdullah II in promoting regional stability and peace. He also extended congratulations to the kingdom on the occasion of its 79th Independence Day.
Turkiye’s Erdogan, Pakistan PM Sharif discuss boosting cooperation
- Erdogan’s office said he told Sharif it was in the interest of Turkiye and Pakistan to increase solidarity in education and intelligence sharing
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul on Sunday and said the two countries would strive to boost cooperation, particularly in defense, energy and transportation, Erdogan’s office said.
Turkiye has strong ties with Pakistan, both being largely Muslim countries and sharing historical links, and expressed solidarity with it during its recent clashes with India.
Erdogan’s office said he told Sharif it was in the interest of Turkiye and Pakistan to increase solidarity in education, intelligence sharing and technological support in the fight against terrorism.
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler and intelligence agency chief Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting.
Earlier in May, Erdogan expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India conducted military strikes in response to an attack in Indian Kashmir by extremists. The clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors were the worst in more than two decades.
Ankara also maintains cordial ties with India but after Erdogan’s expression of support for Pakistan, small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers boycotted Turkish products.
Father in intensive care after nine children killed in Israeli strike on Gaza
- Hamdi Al-Najjar, himself a doctor, was at home in Khan Younis with his 10 children when an Israeli air strike occurred, killing all but one of them
GAZA/CAIRO: The father of nine children killed in an Israeli military strike in Gaza over the weekend remains in intensive care, said a doctor on Sunday at the hospital treating him.
Hamdi Al-Najjar, himself a doctor, was at home in Khan Younis with his 10 children when an Israeli air strike occurred, killing all but one of them. He was rushed to the nearby Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza where he is being treated for his injuries.
Abdul Aziz Al-Farra, a thoracic surgeon, said Najjar had undergone two operations to stop bleeding in his abdomen and chest and that he sustained other wounds including to his head.
“May God heal him and help him,” Farra said, speaking by the bedside of an intubated and heavily bandaged Najjar.
The Israeli military has confirmed it conducted an air strike on Khan Younis on Friday but said it was targeting suspects in a structure that was close to Israeli soldiers.
The military is looking into claims that “uninvolved civilians” were killed, it said, adding that the military had evacuated civilians from the area before the operation began.
According to medical officials in Gaza, the nine children were aged between one and 12 years old. The child that survived, a boy, is in a serious but stable condition, the hospital has said.
Najjar’s wife, Alaa, also a doctor, was not at home at the time of the strike. She was treating Palestinians injured in Israel’s more than 20-month war in Gaza against Hamas in the same hospital where her husband and son are receiving care.
“She went to her house and saw her children burned, may God help her,” said Tahani Yahya Al-Najjar of her sister-in-law.
“With everything we are going through only God gives us strength.”
Tahani visited her brother in hospital on Sunday, whispering to him that she was there: “You are okay, this will pass.”
On Saturday, Ali Al-Najjar said that he rushed to his brother’s house after the strike, which had sparked a fire that threatened to collapse the home, and searched through the rubble. “We started pulling out charred bodies,” he said.
In its statement about the air strike, the Israeli military said Khan Younis was a “dangerous war zone.”
Practically all of Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians have been displaced after more than 20 months of war.
The war erupted when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 more.
The retaliatory campaign, that Israel has said is aimed at uprooting Hamas and securing the release of the hostages, has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, Gazan health officials say.
Most of them are civilians, including more than 16,500 children under the age of 18, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
