AMMAN: Syrian militants linked to a former Al-Qaeda affiliate consolidated their grip over large parts of the northwestern province of Idlib on Sunday after their main rival evacuated a major border crossing with Turkey, rebels and residents said.
Witnesses said the departing rebels, of the Ahrar Al-Sham group, had moved a large convoy of heavy equipment and tanks and hundreds of its fighters away from the Bab Al-Hawa crossing with Turkey and had headed to areas it controls further south in Idlib and in the neighboring province of Hama.
Their pullout was stipulated under terms of a cease-fire deal reached on Friday following three days of heavy fighting that had pitted Ahrar Al-Sham, a powerful rebel group with a foothold across Syria, against Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, an alliance led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch.
The Al-Qaeda-linked militants of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham had surrounded their adversaries near the Syria-Turkey border crossing after rapid advances in a strategic stretch of territory along the border with Turkey, and after ousting their rivals from the province’s main towns and villages.
Members of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham said their control of the border area is aimed at preventing the entry into Idlib of Turkish forces or rival rebel groups.
The fighting between the two largest rebel groups, which left scores of dead and injured, was by far the heaviest inter-rebel fighting since the start of the conflict.
Emboldened by their success at Bab Al-Hawa, the militants of Tahrir Al-Sham also dislodged Ahrar Al-Sham fighters on Sunday from another border crossing, Kherbet Al-Jouz, that is used as a conduit for humanitarian relief supplies.
The militant sweep across Idlib has raised concerns that the closure of key crossing points on the border with Turkey could choke off the flow of aid and essential goods.
More than 2 million people live in Idlib, which has become a refuge for many of the displaced, including rebel fighters and their families who left areas seized by the Syrian army.
In several Idlib towns, including Saraqeb and Atareb, hundreds of residents have taken to the streets to protest against the militants. Other local councils have evicted the militant fighters from their towns.
Many locals fear the militants’ hold on Idlib will make the area a target of renewed attacks by both Russian forces and the Syrian army.
Meanwhile, the chief of the Russian general staff said on Monday that Moscow has deployed military police to monitor the cease-fire in a safe zone in the eastern suburbs of Damascus.
Russia has been providing air cover for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s offensive against Daesh since 2015 and previously deployed a military police force to patrol the city of Aleppo last year.
Russia, Iran, which supports Assad, and Turkey, which backs rebels fighting his forces, in May approved a plan to create four “de-escalation” zones in Syria, pressing Assad’s air force to halt flights over designated areas across the war-torn country.
Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi told a news conference Monday that Russia set up two checkpoints and four monitoring posts in one of the zones, in the area known as eastern Ghouta. The Russian Defense Ministry last week said that the Assad regime and the opposition reached an agreement on the boundaries of the zone, several days after bombardment and airstrikes in the area.
Al-Qaeda-linked group cements control of Syria’s Idlib
Al-Qaeda-linked group cements control of Syria’s Idlib
’Not much is standing’ in Gaza, says UN official
- “We can’t wait, we can’t procrastinate,” da Silva said, adding that Gazans across the territory were living in an “inhumane situation“
- He said the launch of phase two of the Gaza truce plan marked a “historical” moment
JERUSALEM: A top United Nations official on Thursday called for accelerating reconstruction work in Gaza, saying Palestinians there were living in “inhumane” conditions, even as a US-backed truce entered its second phase.
“I wouldn’t have imagined what I saw today, which is total destruction, not much is standing,” Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) told journalists after a visit to the Gaza Strip.
“We can’t wait, we can’t procrastinate,” he said, adding that Gazans across the territory were living in an “inhumane situation.”
The two-year war between Hamas and Israeli forces has left Gaza facing destruction on a scale unseen in previous conflicts, with vast swathes reduced to rubble.
Entire residential neighborhoods, hospitals, schools and basic infrastructure have been heavily damaged or destroyed, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to live in makeshift shelters.
Da Silva said the launch of phase two of the Gaza truce plan marked a “historical” moment that should be seized to kick-start reconstruction efforts.
“This opens the opportunities for reconstruction, knowing that we will need $52 billion, according to the assessment conducted by the World Bank, UN and the European Commission, for the reconstruction of Gaza,” he said.
“But the point is we can’t wait for the big reconstruction, which requires billions, to immediately launch the early recovery that requires millions.”
On Wednesday, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, saying it aimed to pave the way for reconstruction and the demilitarization of all armed factions in the territory.
The war was triggered by the Palestinian Islamist group’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The ensuing Israeli offensive has devastated Gaza, home to about 2.2 million people, a territory that was already suffering severely from previous rounds of fighting and from an Israeli blockade imposed since 2007.
Da Silva said the war had left about 60 million tons of rubble scattered across the strip.
“Gaza is flooded by rubble and debris,” he said.
“The problem is not just the volume of rubble, it’s also the fact that its content is quite a matter of concern, with unexploded ordnance in the rubble, dangerous waste, and unfortunately also human remains.”
The environmental and urban planning specialist said one of the most urgent priorities was ensuring reliable access to fuel — a critical resource in Gaza, where most electricity is generated by fuel-powered generators.
He also cited the need for demining, rebuilding water supply networks, lifting restrictions on the entry of aid, and allowing in spare parts required for repairs — long-standing demands by humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza.
Aid groups have for months complained of difficulties bringing in equipment and supplies, blaming Israeli restrictions.
Israel rejects those accusations, saying it oversees the entry of goods into Gaza to ensure its security.
