DAMASCUS: Syrian regime forces on Friday advanced against Daesh group militants in the south of Damascus, state media said, after more than a week of bombardment on the area.
“Army units backed by the air force and artillery have advanced on numerous axes” in southern Damascus, including the district of Hajjar Al-Aswad, “after breaking through terrorist defenses,” state news agency SANA said.
The advance “inflicted great human and material losses” on the militants, it said.
Syrian state television said the army was advancing toward Route 30 in Hajjar Al-Aswad.
Regime forces have pounded southern districts of Damascus since April 19, after IS refused an evacuation deal for the region.
The areas under regime fire include the neighborhoods of Hajjar Al-Aswad and Qadam as well as the adjacent Palestinian camp of Yarmouk.
Daesh has held parts of Hajjar Al-Aswad and Yarmouk since 2015 and seized Qadam last month.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government forces took control of “buildings and streets in Hajjar Al-Aswad and Qadam after attacking the districts at dawn.”
Regime forces were locked in violent clashes with Daesh fighters on Friday morning, the Britain-based monitor said.
Heavy air strikes and shelling had targeted Yarmouk and the edges of Hajjar Al-Aswad and Qadam since the early morning.
At least 74 regime personnel and 59 IS fighters have been killed in eight days of fighting, the monitor said.
In that same period, at least 19 civilians have also been killed in regime bombardment of the area including in Yarmouk, it said.
Yarmouk and the surroundings are now Daesh’s largest urban redoubt in Syria or neighboring Iraq.
The militants have lost much of the territory they once controlled in both countries since they declared a cross-border caliphate there in 2014.
Yarmouk was once home to around 160,000 people, but today just a few hundred people remain, the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees has said.
President Bashar Assad’s regime set its sights on the south of the capital after reconquering a major rebel bastion east of Damascus earlier this month.
Eastern Ghouta fell after a blistering air and ground assault and Russia-backed evacuation deals that saw tens of thousands of people bussed out to northern Syria.
More than 350,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since Syria’s war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
Syria regime advances against Daesh in south Damascus, state media says
Syria regime advances against Daesh in south Damascus, state media says
Yokohama’s Kewell and Al-Ain’s Crespo meet again for a continental title. This time it’s in Asia
- Victory in Asia could send the Sydney-born coach back into Europe
- Crespo, who won league titles in England and Italy as a player with Chelsea and Inter Milan, has already had success as a coach
TOKYO: Harry Kewell and Hernan Crespo will shake hands as head coaches with the Asian title on the line on Saturday, almost two decades after facing each other when Liverpool met AC Milan in the famous 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
Kewell is now in charge of Yokohama F. Marinos, the Japanese club hosting Al-Ain of the UAE on Saturday in the first leg of the Asian Champions League final series.
He was the victor in ‘05 when Liverpool recovered from a 3-0 deficit to triumph in a penalty shootout. Crespo scored two goals for Milan in Istanbul that day but ended as a losing finalist. He’s hoping to lift the Asian trophy at Al-Ain after the second leg on May 25.
Unlike Al-Ain, continental title winner in 2003 and finalist in ‘05 and ‘16, Yokohama has never before reached this stage of the continental club championship.
Kewell has led the five-time J.League winner through the knockout stages, including a comeback victory over Ulsan HD of South Korea in the semifinals.
After a 1-0 first leg loss in the semifinals, the 45-year-old Kewell — the third successive Australian to take charge of Yokohama following Ange Postecoglou and Kevin Muscat — invoked the spirit of Liverpool’s historic comeback 19 years ago.
“I was part of a special team that night that was able to come back from a scenario where a lot of people thought it was dead and buried,” Kewell said. “It just goes to show that a game is never finished, especially when you’ve got a hunger and a desire in a team.
“And I see that hunger and desire in this team to go out there and do something magical.”
Kewell’s coaching career is yet to reach the heights of his time as a player who starred for Leeds United and Liverpool in the English Premier League and represented Australia at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. A stint with Crawley Town in England’s fourth division in 2017 was the first of his three short-term jobs head coaching before he arrived at Barnet, where he was fired after just seven games in 2021.
Invited by Postecoglou to join the coaching staff at Scottish giant Celtic in 2022, Kewell worked as an assistant there until he took over at Yokohama last December.
Victory in Asia could send the Sydney-born coach back into Europe.
Crespo, who won league titles in England and Italy as a player with Chelsea and Inter Milan, has already had success as a coach .
After winning trophies in South America, he led Al-Duhail to the 2023 Qatar league title. The season was blighted by a heavy 7-0 loss to Al-Hilal in the semifinals of last season’s Asian Champions League.
With Al-Ain, the 48 year-old Crespo got the better of the Saudi club at the same stage last month, winning 5-4 on aggregate in the semifinals.
Al-Ain went into that semifinal series on the back of a victory over another Saudi club — Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
“We talk so much about the two teams we eliminated because we were underdogs in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and we went through,” Crespo said. “We always need to say thankyou to the players, congratulations to the players. They believe, they work hard, they fight, and they deserve to go through … I’m very happy to be part of it.”
Red Cross and Red Crescent Day marked across Saudi Arabia with various events
- The event is celebrated worldwide every May 8 to highlight the life-saving role played by Red Cross and Red Crescent societies
RIYADH: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority marked International Red Cross and Crescent Day on Wednesday with various events, exhibitions and conferences in all its branches around the Kingdom.
The activities included marches on the main roads of the regions and governorates as well as educational lectures and training courses to raise community awareness.
Others participated in exhibitions to introduce the public to the role of the Red Crescent in society, particularly humanitarian and relief work.
The World Red Crescent and International Red Cross Day is celebrated to emphasize the importance of the principles of the international movement to preserve human dignity and alleviate the suffering of people through humanitarian actions, especially in light of conflicts, disasters and crises.
In the Eastern Province, the SRCA in collaboration with Alasala College held a series of informative and educational events at Alasala campus in Dammam, focusing on the vital humanitarian work carried out by both organizations.
Those attending had the opportunity to observe a display of ambulance vehicles used by the authority, showcasing their capabilities to respond to emergencies in various environmental conditions and terrains. The interactive showcase aimed to raise awareness about the essential services provided by the authority.
There was also an exhibition featuring the latest emergency medical equipment and informing those attending of the emergency hotline number 997.
Lectures were delivered on topics such as the risks associated with overcrowding, the importance of allowing unimpeded access for ambulance vehicles, and guidelines for handling different emergency situations.
Visitors were also introduced to the humanitarian services provided by the authority, volunteering opportunities, training programs, and the Family Links initiative.
In the northwestern province of Tabuk, SRCA general director Nawaf bin Mayah Al-Anazi led the celebration, with health and educational activities carried out in awareness corners at Tabuk Park Mall.
The activities showcased first aid skills trainings and their role in reducing the complications of injury.
(With SPA)
Hamas says ‘ball is completely’ in Israel’s hands in Gaza truce talks
GAZA STRIP: Palestinian militant group Hamas said early Friday that its delegation attending Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the “ball is now completely” in Israel’s hands.
“The negotiating delegation left Cairo heading to Doha. In practice, the occupation (Israel) rejected the proposal submitted by the mediators and raised objections to it on several central issues,” the group said in a message to other Palestinian factions, adding it stood by the proposal.
“Accordingly, the ball is now completely in the hands of the occupation.”
State-linked Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera News reported Thursday that representatives of both camps left Cairo after two days of negotiations aimed at finalizing a ceasefire deal in the seven-month war in the Gaza Strip.
Efforts by Egypt and other mediators, namely Qatar and the United States, “continue to bring the points of view of the two parties closer together,” the outlet added, citing a high-level Egyptian source.
Hamas said Monday that it had accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators.
The deal, the group said, involved a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war, and the exchange of hostages held by militants for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel, with the aim of a “permanent ceasefire.”
Netanyahu’s office at the time called the proposal “far from Israel’s essential demands,” but said the government would still send negotiators to Cairo.
Israel has long been resistant to the idea of a permanent ceasefire, insisting it must finish the job of dismantling Hamas.
Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election, while opposition disputes the result
Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election, while opposition disputes the result
- Election body says Mahamat Deby Itno won with over 61 percent of the vote and runner-up Succès Masra got over 18.5 percent
- Deby Itno seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021
N’DJAMENA: Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Deby Itno, was declared the winner of this week’s presidential election, according to provisional results released Thursday. The results were contested by his main rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra.
The national agency that manages Chad’s election released results of Monday’s vote weeks earlier than planned. The figures showed Deby Itno won with just over 61 percent of the vote, with the runner-up Masra falling far behind with over 18.5 percent of the vote. Gunfire erupted in the capital following the announcement.
Preliminary results were initially expected on May 21.
Chad held its long delayed presidential election following three years of military rule, a vote that analysts widely expected the incumbent to win. Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021.
The oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million people hasn’t had a free-and-fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule.
Hours ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Masra published a speech on Facebook accusing the authorities of planning to manipulate the outcome.
During the 11 minute speech, Masra appeared in a blue suit at a podium with the national flag in the background and claimed victory, saying the incumbent was planning to reverse the outcome of the vote. He called on Chad’s military, police and other security forces to stop following Deby Itno’s orders.
“These orders will lead you to side with the wrong side of Chad’s history, these orders will lead you to fight your brothers and sisters, these orders will lead you to commit the irreparable and unforgivable,” he said in the speech. “Refuse to obey these unjust orders!”
There was no immediate response from the president’s office.
Masra, president of The Transformers opposition party, fled Chad in October 2022. The country’s military government at the time suspended his party and six others in a clampdown on protests against Deby Itno’s decision to extend his time in power by two more years. More than 60 people were killed in the protests, which the government condemned as “an attempted coup.”
An agreement between the country’s minister of reconciliation and Masra’s political party late last year allowed the exiled politician and other opposition figures to return to Chad. He was later appointed prime minister.
Chad is seen by the US and France as one of the last remaining stable allies in the vast Sahel region following military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years. The ruling juntas in all three nations have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.
Anti-aircraft units intercept drone south of Moscow, no damage or injuries, mayor says
Russian anti-aircraft units intercepted a drone south of Moscow and there were no injuries or damage from falling debris, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Friday.
Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the drone, headed for Moscow, was downed in Podolsk district, just south of the capital. Emergency crews and specialists were on the scene.
The governor of Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, said anti-aircraft units had downed three Ukrainian drones overnight with no damage or injuries.
And in Belgorod region, also on the border, two Ukrainian drones were downed, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on oil processing facilities in different regions of Russia since the start of the year, disrupting 15 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity, according to an estimate by a NATO official at the beginning of April.
One such strike on Thursday hit a major oil processing plant in Bashkortostan region some 1,500 km (930 miles) away, a Kyiv intelligence source said, the longest-range such attack since the start of the war in February 2022.
Drone attacks targeting Moscow are rarer occurrences.
