Beirut - LBN
Beirut, July 21, 2020 (AFP) -Five Iran-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile strike south of the Syrian capital, a Britain-based war monitor said on Tuesday.
The missile attack on Monday night hit weapons depots and military positions belonging to Syrian regime forces and Iran-backed militia fighters south of Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The attack wounded at least seven Syrian troops, according to the official SANA news agency, which said the missiles were launched by warplanes over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The five killed were all non-Syrian paramilitary fighters, according to the Observatory.
It added that 11 combatants were wounded in total -- four non-Syrian fighters and seven Syrian troops, of which two were in critical condition.
A military spokesman in Israel told AFP that its army "does not comment on foreign reports".
Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the start of the country's civil war in 2011.
It has targeted government troops, allied Iranian forces and fighters from the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, saying its goal is to end Tehran's military presence in Syria.
It rarely confirms details of its operations in Syria but says Iran's presence in support of the regime is a threat and that Israel will keep up strikes.
The nine-year-old conflict in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced more than half of the country's pre-war population.
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Israeli missile strike kills 5 fighters in Syria: monitor
Israeli missile strike kills 5 fighters in Syria: monitor
Six of a family killed, four injured in roof collapse in Pakistan’s Karachi
- Authorities are investigating reason for roof collapse, says state-run media
- Dead include women and children, Injured persons shifted to nearby hospital
ISLAMABAD: At least six members of a family were killed while four others were injured during the wee hours of Sunday when the roof of a house in Pakistan’s Karachi city collapsed, state-run media reported.
The incident took place in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Maymar area at the Afghan Camp colony. Among the six dead were also women and children, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
The family living in the house was originally from the northwestern district of Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), APP reported.
“Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident to determine its cause,” APP said. “Rescue sources shifted the injured to a nearby hospital for immediate medical attention.”
Roof collapses, especially during extreme weather conditions, are common in Pakistan. Thousands of makeshift houses built using scrap or locally available materials such as corrugated metal sheets, wood, plastic, mud and cardboard are more susceptible to collapses.
These homes are typically found in informal settlements, slums and squatter areas.
Magomed Ankalaev wins undisputed light heavyweight belt with unanimous decision over Alex Pereira
- All three judges scored in favor of Ankalaev (21-1-1), with scores of 49-46 and two at 48-47
- In the co-main event, the No. 3-ranked lightweight and fan favorite Justin Gaethje (27-5-0) earned a unanimous decision over No. 11 Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0)
LAS VEGAS: Magomed Ankalaev’s plan coming into Saturday’s light heavyweight bout at UFC 313 was to pressure Alex Pereira.
And then add more pressure. And more.
The strategy worked, as Ankalaev scored a stunning upset with a unanimous decision to take Pereira’s undisputed light heavyweight belt.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Ankalaev said in the ring during the post-fight interview through a translator. “It’s been such a long way, and it’s my dream. It’s on my waist.”
All three judges scored in favor of Ankalaev (21-1-1), with scores of 49-46 and two at 48-47.
Ankalaev was never intimidated by his well-decorated opponent, even after enduring a barrage of leg kicks in the first round.
Rather than play things cautiously, Ankalaev went on the offensive and stayed aggressive in backing down Pereira while using an overpowering left hand that continued to stagger UFC’s top active star.
Bruce Buffer’s announcement with the result propelled a chorus of boos from the pro-Pereira crowd.
“I knew it would be a war,” said Pereira (12-3-0), who was putting his belt on the line for the fourth time. “Every fight of mine is a war.”
Pereira (12-2), who turns 38 on July 7, closed -120 at BetMGM Sportsbook.
As close as the fight was, UFC President and CEO Dana White had one word when asked about a potential rematch: “Probably.”
In the co-main event, the No. 3-ranked lightweight and fan favorite Justin Gaethje (27-5-0) earned a unanimous decision over No. 11 Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0) in what was tabbed ” Fight of the Night.” Gaethje was scheduled to fight Dan Hooker, who pulled out because of a hand injury. Gatheje dropped Fiziev with a stiff right uppercut in the second round.
Lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5-0) earned a first-round win when he made Jalin Turner (14-9-0) tap after administering a triangle choke at the 2:29 mark. Turner left the cage and waited in front of press row for Bahamondes to finish his interview, intending to return to the cage to leave his gloves and signify his retirement. Security would not let him return, however.
No. 5 strawweight contender Amanda Lemos improved to 15-4-1 with a unanimous decision over seventh-ranked Iasmin Lucindo (17-6-0).
Mauricio Ruffy (12-1-0) delivered a spinning heel kick with his right foot to the temple of King Green (32-17-1) to score a vicious knockout just 2:07 into the first round of their lightweight bout.
Just after Ruffy’s knockout kick and before the women’s bout, a tribute video for Robbie Lawler played in honor of the former welterweight champion. Watching cageside, an emotional Lawler received a standing ovation as it was announced he would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing as a member of the Class of 2025. The ceremony will take place as part of the 13th Annual UFC International Fight Week on June 26.
“Robbie was an absolute killer, and I have a ton of respect for his toughness and his fighting style, which helped grow the sport of MMA and UFC by attracting a lot of new fans,” UFC president and CEO Dana White said in a statement.
Syria’s Sharaa pleas for communal peace as clashes continue
- Syrian security sources said at least two hundred of their members were killed in the clashes with former army personnel owing allegiance to Assad
- Two days of fighting in the Mediterranean coastal region amounted to some of the worst violence for years in a 13-year-old civil conflict.
CAIRO: Syrian leader Ahmed Sharaa called for peace on Sunday after hundreds were killed in coastal areas in the worst communal violence since the fall of Bashar al Assad.
“We have to preserve national unity and domestic peace, we can live together,” Sharaa, the interim president, said as clashes continued between forces linked to the new Islamist rulers and fighters from Assad’s Alawite sect.
“Rest assured about Syria, this country has the characteristics for survival,” Sharaa said in a circulated video, speaking at a mosque in his childhood neighborhood of Mazzah in Damascus. “What is currently happening in Syria is within the expected challenges.”
Syrian security sources said at least two hundred of their members were killed in the clashes with former army personnel owing allegiance to Assad after coordinated attacks and ambushes on their forces that were waged on Thursday.
The attacks spiralled into revenge killings when thousands of armed supporters of Syria’s new leaders from across the country descended to the coastal areas to support beleaguered forces of the new administration
The authorities blamed summary executions of dozens of youths and deadly raids on homes in villages and towns inhabited by Syria’s once ruling minority on unruly armed militias who came to help the security forces and have long blamed Assad’s supporters for past crimes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said on Saturday the two days of fighting in the Mediterranean coastal region amounted to some of the worst violence for years in a 13-year-old civil conflict.
Clashes continued overnight in several towns where armed groups fired on security forces and ambushed cars on highways leading to main towns in the coastal area, a Syrian security source told Reuters on Sunday.
Djokovic crashes out at Indian Wells as Alcaraz sails through
- Italian Matteo Arnaldi sprung another upset, beating seventh seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-5
- Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened her campaign with a 7-6 (7/4, 6-3 victory over rising US talent McCartney Kessler
INDIAN WELLS, California: Five-time champion Novak Djokovic tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters on Saturday, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz advanced.
“No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat.
“It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he added. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.”
Djokovic is just the latest in van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims.
He stunned Alcaraz at the US Open last year before beating Rafael Nadal in Davis Cup in what proved the Spanish great’s last match.
“I think I kept my cool during the whole match,” said van de Zandschulp. “I know if I go into the match and lose my cool, especially against the big players, it’s going to be a really tough day. That’s always one thing I’m trying to do well.”
After 14 unforced errors in the first set, Djokovic cleaned things up in the second, grabbing a quick break on the way to a 3-0 lead.
Djokovic pumped his fist after belting a forehand winner to the corner for his first break chance of the match and after consolidating the break nodded his head in satisfaction.
The rallies remained tense affairs and Djokovic’s frustration was clear at times, but after he was broken when serving for the set he closed it out on his next service game.
It was only a brief respite. Van de Zandschulp kept the pressure on both from the baseline and at the net and Djokovic’s errors began to pile up again.
Van de Zandschulp took control with a break for 3-1, reeling off the last five games as Djokovic was unable to stop the bleeding.
“The first three games, four games of the third set were quite close,” Djokovic, seeded sixth, said. “Had my chances. Was just some awful mistakes.”
Italian Matteo Arnaldi sprung another upset, beating seventh seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic and Rublev followed top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Casper Ruud as second-round casualties.
With Zverev out and world No. 1Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, world number three Alcaraz is the highest seed left in the men’s draw.
Alcaraz, trying to join Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only men to win three straight Indian Wells titles, eased into his defense with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over France’s Quentin Halys.
He admitted he was feeling some nerves to start the match, but they evaporated amid a strong all-around performance.
One early break staked Alcaraz to the first set. He roared to a 4-0 lead in the second behind a formidable service display and wrapped up the win in 67 minutes.
“I was nervous at the beginning of the match,” he told a supportive crowd. “The first match is never easy so I was trying to be focused on my game.
“I just tried to be relaxed, as relaxed as I can. Can always be better, but I’m ready for the (next) round and excited.”
Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened her campaign with a 7-6 (7/4, 6-3 victory over rising US talent McCartney Kessler.
Madison Keys, who denied Sabalenka a third straight Australian Open title as she claimed her long awaited first Grand Slam in Melbourne, subdued hard-hitting Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-0 in her first match since then.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff — seeded third in their respective draws, both advanced.
Fritz, the 2022 men’s champion, defeated Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 7-5, 6-3.
Gauff survived 21 double faults to claw out a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
Pakistan, Bangladesh resolve to strengthen ties and trade cooperation during OIC meeting
- Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar meets Touhid Hossain, Bangladesh’s adviser on foreign affairs, in Jeddah
- Once bitter foes, ties between both countries improved after fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government last year
ISLAMABAD: The governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh this week expressed satisfaction at the upward trajectory of ties between the two nations, resolving to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade and other sectors during a meeting between their senior officials, state-run media reported.
After decades of strained ties between the two nations, Islamabad and Dhaka have warmed up to each other after the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government last year.
The meeting between Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Bangladesh’s Adviser for Foreign Affairs Md. Touhid Hossain took place in Jeddah during the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers summit.
“The meeting took place in a cordial environment, reflecting the fraternal sentiments from both sides,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.
“Both the dignitaries expressed satisfaction over the upward trajectory of bilateral relations,” it added. “They agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.”
Dar highlighted the two countries’ historical, religious, and cultural linkages, expressing Pakistan’s desire to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas of trade and people-to-people contacts, Radio Pakistan said.
Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate Hasina’s administration, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.
However, relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have improved since Hasina was ousted in a bloody student-led protest in August 2024. Islamabad’s ties with Dhaka have also improved as Bangladesh’s relations with India, where Hasina has sought refuge, have deteriorated.
Last month, Bangladesh confirmed it was resuming direct trade with Pakistan after 50 years. The country’s food ministry said it would receive 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan in March.
