Foreign Ministry says EU pursuing “hysterical campaign” over chemical weapons
LATEST
- Reports: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Advances in Fighting with Ahrar al-Sham in Northwest
- Netanyahu Unwittingly Confirms “Dozens & Dozens” of Strikes on Assad, Hezbollah, & Iran
- Report: 10 US Bases & Outposts Across Northern Syria
- Clashes Between Ahrar al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Northwest
WEDNESDAY FEATURE
“Putin Wins” — Trump Ends Covert US Aid to Syria’s Rebels
Syria’s Assad regime has denounced the latest European Union sanctions against its officials over involvement in chemical weapons programs.
On Monday, the EU added eight military officer and eight scientists to its blacklists, citing the ongoing regime programs despite a pledge to hand over all chemical stocks after August 2013 sarin attacks near Damascus.
Despite giving up most of its stocks, the regime has continued assaults with chlorine. On April 4, it resorted to “sarin or a sarin-like substance” for a second time, killing at least 92 people and wounding almost 600 in Khan Sheikhoun in northwest Syria.
The Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the sanctioned officers and scientists were “performing their duties to push forward the development process and counterterrorism efforts in Syria”. It insisted that the restrictions were part of a “hysterical campaign” with “unbelievable pretexts regarding the Khan Sheikhoun incident” — blamed on “terrorist groups”.
“Syria reaffirms that it does not have any form of chemical weapons,” said the Ministry, adding that the regime has never used them.
The EU imposed the new sanctions despite a softening stance by some of its members, notably France, towards Bashar al-Assad’s retention of power.
Reports: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Advances in Fighting with Ahrar al-Sham in Northwest
Latest reports say the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham bloc is advancing in clashes with the rebel faction Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib Province in northwest Syria.
Activists says HTS — which includes Jabhat al-Nusra, formerly linked to Al Qa’eda — has taken the town of Salqin and is pressing for further gains.
Local sources warn that HTS could try to seize the Bab al-Hawa crossing, the major entry/exit point with Turkey. They say that Ahrar’s reputation has suffered after the failure to hold Aleppo city last autumn and its failure to take a prominent role in the northern Hama offensive in early 2017.
Netanyahu Unwittingly Confirms “Dozens & Dozens” of Strikes on Assad, Hezbollah, & Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unwittingly confirmed regular Israeli airstrikes on forces of the Assad regime, Hezbollah, and Iran.
Netanyahu was speaking in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday with Central European leaders, unaware that the remarks were being piped to reporters outside.
He said Israel had built a border fence on its occupied section of the Golan Heights because the ISIS and Iran, with its proxies, were trying to establish “a terror front”.
“Frankly, I told [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, when we see them doing this, we take military action against them. We’ve been doing this dozens and dozens of times, and we’ve not clashed with Russia,” Netanyahu said.
Israel has carried out air and missile strikes throughout southern and western Syria on warehouses and convoys with arms for Hezbollah, and it has struck Hezbollah and Iranian commanders and fighters apparently trying to establish a forward position near the Golan Heights.
Before a US-Russia “de-escalation zone” was announced for southwest Syria on July 9, Israel hit Assad regime positions on three occasions.
Report: 10 US Bases & Outposts Across Northern Syria
Turkey State news agency Anadolu has given the locations of 10 US military bases and outposts across northern Syria in the campaign against the Islamic State.
The bases cover more than 200 miles across Kurdish-controlled territory, as the US supports the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, including in an offensive against ISIS’s central position in Raqqa. French special forces are in two of the bases.
The base at Rmeilan, in the oil-producing district in northern Hasakah Province can stage transport aircraft while the base south of Kobani is used only by military helicopters.
The eight outposts are used for active military operations, such as shelling of Raqqa, and for training and operational planning. Three are in Hasakah Province and three are in Raqqa Province. Two are in Manbij, the city in eastern Aleppo Province captured by the SDF last August.
Clashes Between Ahrar al-Sham and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Northwest
Clashes are being reported between the rebel faction Ahrar al-Sham and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham bloc in northwest Syria.
The reports say the two sides are fighting in areas across Idlib Province and western Aleppo Province. Each is blaming the other for starting the clashes.
There are also claims that HTS — which includes Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly linked to Al Qa’eda — has turned over some areas, such as the town of Kafranbel, to the Free Idlib Army. However, other activists say HTS simply retreated, allowing the FIA to take control.
Free Syrian Army troops on the streets of Kafranbel:
Claimed audio of an HTS commander ordering troops to fight:
HTS leader Abu Jabir to his troops detailing the reasons for the infighting:
They refused to merge with us & sold out to foreign interest. pic.twitter.com/YDI7v9Ul2n— Ibn Nabih (@IbnNabih1) July 19, 2017
