BEIRUT: Rebels from Idlib have blown up two key bridges in a bid to hamper an expected government assault on Syria’s only remaining rebel-held province, a monitor said on Friday.
The bridges over the Orontes River linked areas of neighboring Hama province under government control to rebel-held territory in Idlib, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
They were blown up by Islamist factions from the National Liberation Front (NLF), the main non-jihadist alliance in Idlib, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
“They were the two main bridges in the area, but there are others,” he told AFP.
The bridges were located in the Al-Ghab plain, which straddles Hama and Idlib provinces and could be one of the first targets of any government offensive.
Government forces have been massing around Idlib province for weeks, particularly in Al-Ghab which was once a key farming area.
“The rebels have seen the intense activity on the regime side, with the arrival of tanks and armored vehicles,” Abdel Rahman said.
“Rebel groups are reinforcing their positions in anticipation of a military operation.”
In recent days, both the government and its ally Russia have stepped up their rhetoric against the rebel presence in Idlib, which is dominated by the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) jihadist alliance formed by Al-Qaeda’s former Syrian branch, Al-Nusra Front.
“The Syrian command has taken a decision to defeat Al-Nusra Front in Idlib no matter the sacrifices that it would entail,” Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that talks to create humanitarian corridors in Idlib were ongoing. On Wednesday he called on the West not to stand in the way of an “anti-terror operation” in Idlib, saying: “This abscess needs to be liquidated.”
Turkish troops are also stationed in the area and Ankara — which backs the NLF — has expressed opposition to any large-scale offensive that sparks a new exodus of refugees.
An assault on Idlib by Damascus and Moscow could be the last major battle of the civil war that has torn Syria apart since 2011.
More than 350,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions forced to flee their homes.
Idlib rebels blow up bridges to hamper expected assault
Idlib rebels blow up bridges to hamper expected assault
- The bridges over the Orontes River linked areas of Hama province under government control
- Russia's Lavrov says talks to create humanitarian corridors in Idlib ongoing
Israeli authorities force Palestinian family to self-demolish their houses
- Raed Dabash demolished the two dwellings that housed eight people
- Israel regularly denies building permits to Palestinians in Jerusalem, while illegally expanding Jewish settlements in the city and the occupied West Bank
LONDON: Israeli authorities forced a Palestinian resident of occupied East Jerusalem to demolish his home and that of his son in Sur Baher, citing building violations as the reason.
Raed Dabash demolished the two houses that housed eight people, totaling 90 square meters. The Dabash family built their homes in 2014 without obtaining a building permit from the Israeli authorities in the city.
Israeli authorities imposed high building fines exceeding 100,000 shekels (around $32,000) on two houses, part of a policy aimed at restricting residents in Jerusalem, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
The Palestinian Authority’s affiliated governorate emphasized that the policy of forced self-demolition is a crime of coercion and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, the Wafa news agency reported.
Israel regularly denies building permits to Palestinians in Jerusalem, while illegally expanding Jewish settlements in the city and the occupied West Bank. The authorities often compel Palestinian residents in Jerusalem to demolish their own homes for allegedly lacking permits. Those who refuse face demolition of their homes by Israeli bulldozers and significant fines.
The Israeli government faces charges of war crimes and genocide in the Occupied Territories at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
