BEIRUT: Regime forces have retaken several villages in northwestern Syria, a monitor said on Thursday, a move that could tee up an offensive against the last major insurgent bastion of Idlib.
More than six years into the deadly Syria conflict, Idlib province, which borders Turkey, is the only major region in the country still completely beyond regime control.
Fierce clashes have in recent days pitted regime forces against Fateh Al-Sham Front, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, on the edge of the province, the Syrian Observatory for Huan Rights said.
“The army took several villages,” the head of the Britain-based monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman, said.
He said the regime push was backed by Russian airstrikes and added that the “regime wants to seize the southeast of Idlib province.”
The latest fighting took place in villages on the border between Idlib and Hama provinces where clashes have been ongoing for two months.
The regime has had no presence in Idlib province since 2015.
Fateh Al-Sham, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, crushed its former allies in the summer to become the dominant force there.
Idlib is one of four “de-escalation” zones in Syria covered by a deal meant to reduce violence levels that was struck in May by Russia, Iran and Turkey.
Regime forces seize villages in Idlib offensive
Regime forces seize villages in Idlib offensive
Pakistan’s PIA to resume London flights from Mar. 29 after six-year gap
- Newly privatized airline says will operate four weekly flights from Islamabad to London
- PIA is already operating three fllights per week to British city Manchester, says airline
ISLAMABAD: The newly privatized Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will operate direct flights to London starting Mar. 29, 2026, after six years, its spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.
The PIA resumed its flight operations to the UK in October this year with its inaugural flight to Manchester. The airline is currently operating three weekly flights to the British city.
Britain lifted restrictions on Pakistani carriers in July, nearly half a decade after grounding them following a 2020 PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi that killed 97 people. The disaster was followed by claims of irregularities in pilot licensing, which led to bans in the US, UK and the European Union.
“Pakistan International Airlines has announced the expansion of its operations in the United Kingdom with the resumption of flights to London,” the airline’s spokesperson said in a statement.
“Starting Mar. 29, PIA will operate four weekly flights from Islamabad to London.”
The airline said that the London flights will be operated from Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 4, which it said is recognized as one of its most modern terminals.
“London was PIA’s very first international destination and remains one of its most important and attractive routes,” the spokesperson said.
Pakistan’s government succeeded in its frequent efforts to privatize the airline this month after a consortium, led by Arif Habib Group, on Dec. 23 secured a 75 percent stake in PIA for Rs135 billion ($482 million) after several rounds of bidding, valuing the airline at Rs180 billion ($643 million).
The sale marked Pakistan’s most aggressive attempt in decades to reform the debt-ridden national airline, which had accumulated more than $2.8 billion in financial losses. The government said it would end decades of state-funded bailouts and help revive the airline.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News this week, the airline’s new owner Arif Habib said he plans to renovate PIA planes, improve maintenance and flight schedule, and bring in new aircraft to revive the carrier.
Habib said he sees the region comprising the UK, the US and Canada as a “lucrative market” for the airline’s business.
“There we can increase the frequency of the flight,” he said. “We will also try to run flights to Canada from Karachi, Lahore, and I think it’s already in Islamabad.”
