Israeli attacks in the central Gaza Strip overnight killed at least six Palestinians, including a lady, Palestinian medical sources reported Monday.
The strikes occurred just hours after rebels took over Damascus, according to Russian media, as ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow on Sunday and was granted shelter by his old friend.
At Russia’s request, the U.N. Security Council will have emergency closed deliberations on Syria later Monday.
According to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the victims were brought, Raed Ghabaien, who was freed from Israeli custody in 2014, was among those killed in the nighttime Israeli strikes.
According to hospital records, he and his spouse were killed after an Israeli attack struck their tent in the central village of Zuweida. In the crowded Nuseirat refugee camp, a strike struck their home late Sunday, killing two more. A strike in the Wadi Gaza region early Monday claimed the lives of two more people.
Israeli soldiers stand guard on a security fence gate near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Image courtesy of Matias Delacroix/Associated Press
At the hospital’s morgue, a journalist for the Associated Press counted the bodies.
According to local health authorities, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 44,500 Palestinians in Gaza since the war began. They claim that women and children make up the majority of the deceased, but they do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Because its fighters operate in residential areas, Israel claims it only hits militants and holds Hamas accountable for civilian casualties.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants invaded southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and kidnapping about 250 others, including children and elderly people. This marked the start of the war. At least a third of the approximately 100 hostages who are still inside Gaza are thought to be dead.
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According to the Turkish foreign minister, Ankara wants Syria to have an inclusive government.
Turkey’s ANKARA “Ankara hopes the fall of the Syrian government will usher in a new era where different ethnic and religious groups can live peacefully under an inclusive new government,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated Monday.
According to Fidan, his nation also hopes that a new Syria will stabilize the unstable area and preserve cordial ties with its neighbors.
In an address to Turkish ambassadors, Fidan stated, “We have a glimmer of hope because of the developments in Syria yesterday.” We anticipate that foreign organizations, particularly the UN, will engage with the Syrian people and assist in the establishment of an inclusive government.
According to the minister, Turkey will keep up its support for Syria’s political and territorial unity and strive for its stability, prosperity, and security.
However, Fidan stated that it was critical that Kurdish militants and the Islamic State group not exploit the situation, and that Turkey will make every effort to keep Syria from becoming a terrorist sanctuary.
As the new chapter begins in Damascus, Turkey, which has supported its Syrian brothers during trying times, will also remain by their side, Fidan stated. We are confident that the Syrian people will take advantage of this fantastic opportunity as well.
Israel claims a drone struck a city in central Israel that seemed to have come from Yemen.
Israel’s Tel Aviv A drone that seems to have come from Yemen struck a city in central Israel on Monday, according to the Israeli military.
Israeli news websites shared footage of a massive smoke explosion coming from a tall residential complex.
According to the military, no sirens were activated to alert people to the approaching drone. No injuries were reported at this time.
Iran-backed militants in Yemen have been attacking Israel since Hamas assault on southern Israel in October 2023.
Their drones have at times evaded Israel s sophisticated aerial defense system.
Turkey-backed forces take full control of Syrian city from U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force
Turkey’s ANKARA The Turkish-backed forces, known as the Syrian National Army, launched an offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces in the northern Syrian city of Manbijon on Dec. 6, days after similarly expelling the SDF fighters from the city of Tal Rifaat.
Turkish security officials said Monday that control of Manbij has been secured, without providing further detail. The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity, in line with Turkish regulations.
Turkey views the SDF, which is primarily composed of a Syrian Kurdish militia group, as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, and a terrorist organization. The force however, has been a key partner of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State group.
Top aide to Assad s brother found dead, war monitor says
BEIRUT A Syrian opposition war monitor says a top aide to the brother of Syria s ousted president was found dead in his office near the capital, Damascus.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Maj. Gen. Ali Mahmoud, who was in charge of Maher Assad s office, had led a 2018 military campaign in southern Syria.
A video that circulated on social media allegedly showed Mahmoud covered in blood while sitting on a chair. His clothes appear to have been set on fire. It was not clear if he was killed by Maher Assad or he committed suicide, the observatory s chief Rami Abdurrahman said.
Maher Assad was in charge of the army s 4th Armored Division which played a major role in Syria s conflict since it began in March 2011.
Israel says it has struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria
JERUSALEM Israel s foreign minister says the strikes were to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.
Gideon Saar said Monday that the only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens.
That s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets so that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.
Syrian prime minister says Cabinet working to ensure smooth transition of power
DAMASCUS, Syria Syria s prime minister says most Cabinet ministers who are in Damascus are performing their duties from their offices to promote security and that food and medicine are available to the public.
We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth, Mohammed Ghazi Jalali told Sky News Arabia TV station on Monday.
The government is working with insurgents, Jalali said, adding that he is ready to meet their leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who heads the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS.
US Central Command forces launch airstrikes in central Syria
TAMPA, Fla. U.S. Central Command says its forces launched dozens of airstrikes targeting Islamic State group camps and operatives in central Syria.
The strikes on Sunday were intended to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS, in order to prevent the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria, it said in a statement.
The airstrikes hit over 75 targets using B-52s, F-15s and A-10s, it said, noting that damage assessments were underway and there were no indications of civilian casualties.
Japanese official says Tokyo is gravely worried about situation in Middle East
TOKYO Japan s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi says Tokyo is watching recent development in Syria with serious interest, while hoping for an improvement in human rights conditions for the Syrian people.
Japan is gravely worried about large number of deaths among citizens and strongly concerned about further worsening of the humanitarian conditions, Hayashi said Monday.
He added that Japan is hopeful that the latest developments could lead to an improvement in the situation.
New Zealand foreign minister calls for peaceful transition in Syria
WELLINGTON, New Zealand New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters says his country is closely following developments related to the collapse of former President Bashar Assad s government in Syria.
This was a regime that perpetrated significant human rights abuses, including repeated chemical weapons attacks, against its own people for many years, Peters said in a statement issued on Monday. Now we need to see a peaceful transition with civilians protected and UN Security Council resolutions upheld. This is critical for moving towards a sustainable and comprehensive political solution.
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