In order to assist a peaceful political transition in Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is working to bring the Middle East together.
Following discussions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he will meet with Turkey’s foreign minister on Friday in an attempt to unite Turkey in a common goal of averting Syria’s collapse into more widespread chaos. This is Blinken’s first journey to the Middle East since the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, but his 12th since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in Gaza last year.
The departing Biden administration is especially worried that a political vacuum in Syria may worsen the region’s already high levels of tension and provide the Islamic State group with an opportunity to retake territory and influence.
Gaza is experiencing a serious humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, with over half of them being women and children. The ministry does not specify the number of militants killed. Without any proof, the Israeli military claims to have killed more than 17,000 militants.
An Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in southern Israel killed almost 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and took another 250 hostage, sparking the war in Gaza. At least one-third of the 100 hostages who are still inside Gaza are thought to be dead.
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According to Blinken, the US and Turkey have a broad understanding of Syria’s future.
Turkey’s ANKARA After President Bashar Assad was overthrown, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Friday that the United States and Turkey had reached a wide consensus on what they wanted to see in Syria.
In joint statements with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Blinken stated that there is broad consensus on what we would like to see in the future, beginning with the interim government in Syria, which should be inclusive, non-sectarian, protect the rights of women and minorities, and not threaten any of Syria’s neighbors.
The rebel organizations that overthrew Assad in Syria have not clarified their position or strategy toward Israel, whose military has targeted locations around the nation in recent days, claiming it is attempting to keep weaponry out of extremist hands.
Blinken added that maintaining control over the Islamic State group was essential.
We also talked about how important it is to keep up the fight against ISIS. According to Blinken, our nations have dedicated many years of effort and sacrifice to the eradication of the ISIS territorial caliphate in order to prevent the threat from resurfacing.
According to the Turkish foreign minister, the two talked about how to bring about prosperity in Syria and put an end to terrorism there.
Referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, Fidan stated, “Our priority is establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant.”
“We’re very focused on Syria, very focused on the opportunity that is now before us and before the Syrian people to move out from under the shackles of Bashar al-Assad to a different and better future for the Syrian people, one that the Syrian people decide for themselves,” Blinken stated.
According to Blinken and Fidan, they also talked about a ceasefire for Gaza.
More positive indications that (a ceasefire) is feasible have emerged in the past several weeks, according to Blinken.
Late Thursday, Blinken, who is visiting the Middle East for the 12th time since the Israel-Hamas conflict began last year but for the first time since Assad was overthrown over the weekend, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The departing Biden administration is especially worried that a political vacuum in Syria may worsen the already high levels of tension in the already conflict-torn region and provide an opportunity for the Islamic State group to retake territory and influence.
Blinken is scheduled to return to Jordan later on Friday in order to meet with Arab foreign ministers and high-ranking representatives of the United Nations, the Arab League, and the European Union on Saturday.
Turkey will reopen its Syrian embassy.
Turkey’s ANKARA According to Turkey’s state-run news agency, the country has nominated a temporary charge d’affaires to reopen its embassy in Syria.
Due to growing security issues during the Syrian civil war, the Turkish Embassy in Damascus ceased operations in 2012 and recalled its employees and their families to Turkey.
Late Thursday, the Anadolu Agency announced that Burhan Koroglu, Turkey’s ambassador to Mauritania, had been appointed to the position.
According to the US Food Agency, two UN relief convoys were brutally attacked in Gaza.
The United Nations According to the U.N. food agency, two U.N. assistance convoys were brutally targeted in Gaza, making it nearly impossible for humanitarian organizations to function without endangering employees and civilians.
The U.N. World Food Program stated Thursday that Israeli forces had reportedly attacked a convoy of 70 trucks from Kerem Shalom on Wednesday while they were waiting for people to protect the food and other goods headed for central Gaza.
According to the World Food Program, the attacks are thought to have killed around 50 individuals, including local security forces and civilians who were supposed to protect the convoy.
According to the Rome-based agency, the convoy was compelled to go via the Philadelphi corridor, an Israeli-controlled route that had just been authorized and used twice successfully, from Kerem Shalom to central Gaza without any security measures.
WFP reported that during the journey, contacts with the convoy were cut off for over 12 hours due to fighting and insecurity. The vehicles were eventually located, but according to the U.N. agency, all food and assistance items had been looted.
In a second instance, Israeli troops fired warning shots, carried out thorough security checks, and briefly detained drivers and staff when they approached a WFP truck leaving the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza, according to the agency.
According to WFP, four of the five trucks were destroyed by violent armed looting while the trucks were delayed.
Israel is urged by the UN leader to cease its attacks on Syria.
The United Nations The UN leader has a message for Israel: Put an end to the assaults on Syria.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday that Secretary-General Ant nio Guterres is especially worried about the hundreds of Israeli airstrikes on various Syrian areas and emphasizes the urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the nation.
The Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it has launched over 350 strikes in Syria in the last 48 hours, targeting the majority of the nation’s strategic weapons stores to prevent radicals from obtaining them.
Israel also admitted to invading Syria’s buffer zone after President Bashar Assad was overthrown last week. Following Israel’s 1973 wartime conquest of the Golan Heights from Syria, the buffer zone was created.
According to Dujarric, Guterres denounces any action that goes against the two nations’ still-in-effect 1974 ceasefire deal. According to the spokesperson, the U.N. head urges the parties to respect the agreement, put an end to any unlawful presence in the area of separation, and abstain from any actions that jeopardize the Golan Heights’ stability and truce.
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