MOSCOW: A Turkish government official says Turkey has summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to complain about recent Syrian government advances.
The official said Turkey conveyed its concerns Tuesday over the advances in northern Syria, which it says are in violation of a “de-escalation” agreement in Idlib province reached by Ankara, Moscow and Tehran.
The ambassadors were asked to relay to Syria’s government that the violation must end immediately. The official provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Syrian government forces of attacking moderate opposition fighters under the guise of fighting extremists and said the move threatened peace talks scheduled in Russia later this month.
Turkey, Russia and Iran have taken the lead in Syria peace efforts over the past year. But while Turkey backs the opposition, Russia and Iran support Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Russia’s Defense Ministry says a recent series of drone attacks on its military bases in Syria would have required assistance from a country possessing satellite navigation technology.
The ministry said its forces repelled a series of drone attacks Saturday on the Hemeimeem air base and a naval facility in Tartus. It said that out of the 13 drones involved, seven were shot down and six were forced to land without inflicting any damage.
Without blaming any specific country, the ministry claimed data for the attacks could only have been obtained “from one of the countries that possesses know-how in satellite navigation.”
In Tuesday’s statement, it noted a “strange coincidence” of a US military intelligence plane flying over the Mediterranean near the two Russian bases at the moment of the attack.
Turkey summons Russia, Iran envoys over Syria
Turkey summons Russia, Iran envoys over Syria
ICE agents to help with security at Winter Olympics
ROME: Agents from the divisive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help support US security operations for the Winter Olympic Games in Italy next month, a spokesperson told AFP.
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” the agency said in a statement.
“All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
It added: “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”
The potential presence of ICE agents at the February 6-22 Games has sparked huge debate in Italy, following the outcry over the deaths of two civilians during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Italian authorities initially denied the presence of ICE and then sought to downplay any role, suggesting they would help only in security for the US delegation.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are attending the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
On Monday, the president of the northern Lombardy region, which is hosting some of the Olympic events, said their involvement would be limited to monitoring Vance and Rubio.
“It will be only in a defensive role, but I am convinced that nothing will happen,” Attilio Fontana told reporters.
However, his office then issued a statement saying he did not have any information on their presence, but was responding to a hypothetical question.
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed by President Donald Trump in various US cities to carry out a crackdown on illegal immigration.
Their actions have prompted widespread protests, and the recent killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, on the streets of Minneapolis sparked outrage.
