IDLIB, Syria: Thousands of protesters in Syria’s rebel enclave of Idlib on Tuesday marked 11 years since an anti-government uprising, buoyed by the global outcry over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Gathered on the main square in the northwestern city of Idlib, more than 5,000 people took part in one of the largest rallies the beleaguered region has seen in months.
Many of the demonstrators hoped that the war launched by the Syrian government’s main backer Russia in Ukraine would rekindle some interest in their cause.
Bashar Assad’s grip on power held by a thread after a nationwide uprising that erupted on March 15, 2011 escalated into a fully-fledged civil war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to throw his military might behind the government changed the course of the conflict and saved Assad’s hold on power.
The main killers in a war that has left half a million people dead is by some margin the government and its allies, who include Russian and Iranian forces, as well as a myriad of militia groups.
Around four million people, at least half of them displaced, now live in a region of northwestern Syria that is the last enclave fighting Assad’s rule despite years of deadly Russian-backed offensives.
A few Ukrainian flags were visible at the Idlib protest, as were banners expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people and demanding action against Putin.
A medic among the protesters at the city’s main roundabout had some advice for his counterparts in Ukraine.
“Fortify your hospitals with cement blocks, the enemy Putin does not distinguish between civilians, wounded people and fighters,” said Ali Hamoush, who works at an Idlib hospital.
Russian aviation has repeatedly targeted medical facilities in Syria, according to witnesses, medics and human rights groups.
A paediatric hospital was hit by an apparent Russian strike in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol last week, causing uproar and fueling accusations of war crimes against Putin.
Assad is among the few heads of state to openly support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow is currently recruiting thousands of fighters in Syria, from the regular army and from militia groups, to be put on standby for possible deployment in Ukraine.
The stiff resistance faced by invading Russian troops and Putin’s growing pariah status appeared to galvanize a crowd that has had little reason to cheer in recent years.
“It has been 11 years since the Syrian revolution started, but today it feels like the first day,” said protester Salwa Abdelrahman.
“We forgot our wounds, the displacement, the killing and the arrests. We renewed our pledge to continue our revolution,” the 49-year-old woman said.
“My message to the Ukrainian people is don’t give up. Eleven years have passed but we are undaunted and, God willing, victory is ours.”
Syria enclave marks uprising with message for Ukraine
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Syria enclave marks uprising with message for Ukraine
- Many of the demonstrators hoped that the war launched by the Syrian government's main backer Russia in Ukraine would rekindle some interest in their cause
- A few Ukrainian flags were visible at the Idlib protest, as were banners expressing solidarity with Ukraine
Israel army says struck Hezbollah targets in ‘several areas’ of Lebanon
- The Israeli military said it struck “several areas in Lebanon,” targeting “weapons storage facilities and a weapons production site
- Lebanese official news agency NNA reported strikes on southern Lebanon in areas far from the border
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said it struck Hezbollah targets in several areas of Lebanon on Friday, a day after the Lebanese army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group.
Under US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed militant group, which was weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel including two months of all-out war that ended with a November 2024 ceasefire.
Despite the truce, Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic, accusing the group of rearming.
In a statement on Friday, the Israeli military said it struck “several areas in Lebanon,” targeting “weapons storage facilities and a weapons production site that were used for the rehabilitation and military build-up of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
“Additionally, several launch sites and rocket launchers, along with military structures, were struck,” it added.
Lebanese official news agency NNA reported strikes on southern Lebanon in areas far from the border, as well as in the eastern Bekaa area where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
No casualties were immediately reported.
“The targets that were struck, and Hezbollah’s reestablishment activity in these sites, constitute a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, and pose a threat to the State of Israel,” the military statement said.
- ‘Encouraging announcements’ -
Lebanon’s army said Thursday it had “achieved the objectives of the first phase” of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, covering the area south of the Litani River — around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border — with the intention to extend it to the rest of the country.
Israel said the efforts were encouraging but not enough.
“The ceasefire agreement... states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
“Efforts made toward this end by the Lebanese government and the Lebanese armed forces are an encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient,” it added.
Lebanese official media said a strike on Thursday killed one person near the southern city of Sidon, as Israel’s army said it targeted a Hezbollah operative.
Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and have its military infrastructure dismantled in the evacuated areas.
The group has refused to surrender its weapons.
On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the “encouraging announcements by the Lebanese authorities,” calling for the disarmament process to be pursued “resolutely.”
“The second phase of the plan will be a decisive step,” he wrote on X, adding that “the ceasefire agreement must be strictly respected by all parties.”
“Lebanon’s sovereignty must be fully restored,” he added, saying an international conference would soon be held in Paris “to provide them with the concrete means to guarantee this sovereignty.”
