ISTANBUL: An international animal welfare charity was on Friday completing the evacuation of a dozen animals stranded in a neglected zoo in the conflict-torn Aleppo province of northern Syria.
The Four Paws group was seeking to move two lions and two domestic dogs from the “Magic World” zoo and amusement park in Syria over the border into Turkey and then to an animal protection center in the north of the country, a spokesman for the charity told AFP.
A Four Paws team is currently at the border close to the town of Kilis, with the remaining animals expected to arrive shortly before being transported to their new home on Saturday, said spokesman Martin Bauer.
In an initial operation, Four Paws said it had on July 21 evacuated nine animals — three lions, two tigers, two Asian black bears and two hyenas — from the “neglected” Magic World.
After a one-day journey, they arrived safely at their new home, an animal protection facility in Karacabey, outside the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa.
“The nine animals currently treated in Karacabey are doing fine. The last years have taken quite a toll on them but they’re on their way to recovery,” said Bauer.
He confirmed that with the evacuation of the last four animals Friday “there will be no more animals left at the zoo in the Magic World amusement park.”
Once all the rescued animals are out of Syria, the organization will decide where their final homes should be, partially based on the health of the animals.
“Four Paws has some very good options with its own animal sanctuaries, including in Jordan, South Africa and the Netherlands,” said the charity’s veterinarian and head of the mission Amir Khalil.
“We will individually decide which place is most suitable for each animal.”
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Animals evacuated to Turkey from ‘neglected’ Syria zoo
Animals evacuated to Turkey from ‘neglected’ Syria zoo
US State Dept approves ‘emergency’ weapons sale to Israel
- Requested sale of 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bomb casings, worth an estimated $151.8 million
- Major US defense companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons
WASHINGTON: The US State Department approved the “emergency” sale of 12,000 bomb casings to Israel on Friday as the countries engage Iran in an escalating Middle East war.
The requested sale of 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bomb casings, worth an estimated $151.8 million, was approved by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, according to a press release.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” the bureau said in a statement.
In addition to the munitions, the sale will include US government and contract engineering, logistics and technical support services, according to the release.
Major US defense companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons, President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday, a week after the US and Israel first launched strikes on Iran.
While US arms sales typically require approval by Congress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a waiver bypassing the approval, to the consternation of some elected officials.
“The Secretary of State has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services is in the national security interests of the United States,” the State Department said, citing the Arms Export Control Act.
Congressman Gregory Meeks, a Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said bypassing congressional review of the arms sale “exposes a stark contradiction at the heart of this administration’s case for war.”
“The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it was fully prepared for this war,” Meeks said in a statement. “Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story.”
“This is an emergency of the Trump administration’s own creation.”
The requested sale of 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bomb casings, worth an estimated $151.8 million, was approved by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, according to a press release.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” the bureau said in a statement.
In addition to the munitions, the sale will include US government and contract engineering, logistics and technical support services, according to the release.
Major US defense companies have agreed to quadruple production of advanced weapons, President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday, a week after the US and Israel first launched strikes on Iran.
While US arms sales typically require approval by Congress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a waiver bypassing the approval, to the consternation of some elected officials.
“The Secretary of State has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services is in the national security interests of the United States,” the State Department said, citing the Arms Export Control Act.
Congressman Gregory Meeks, a Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said bypassing congressional review of the arms sale “exposes a stark contradiction at the heart of this administration’s case for war.”
“The Trump administration has repeatedly insisted it was fully prepared for this war,” Meeks said in a statement. “Rushing to invoke emergency authority to circumvent Congress tells a different story.”
“This is an emergency of the Trump administration’s own creation.”
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