The Syrian army pounded rebel positions in second city Aleppo yesterday ahead of a threatened ground assault after boasting its capture of the last rebel-held district of the capital.
Iran appealed for help from governments with ties to the Syrian opposition in securing the release of 48 of its nationals seized from a bus in Damascus as an Arabic news channel aired footage it said was of the Iranians in the hands of rebel captors, who charged that their hostages were Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
At least two rebel fighters were killed in early morning clashes in Aleppo, the scene of heavy fighting since July 20, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Troops shelled rebel-held Salaheddin District in the southwest and clashes erupted in the Sukkari, Hamdaniyeh and Ansari neighborhoods, the Britain-based watchdog said.
The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) said that the army’s bombardment of the rebels was hitting key public institutions in the commercial capital, some of historical significance.
“After failing to subdue [rebel forces] in Aleppo ... the Syrian regime’s gangs have started to target government institutions and buildings,” the exiled opposition group said in a statement.
“Some of them have historical and archaeological value,” the statement added.
Aleppo preserves a raft of historical sites, including its renowned 13th-century citadel. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization named Aleppo’s Ancient City a World Heritage Site in 1986, citing its “outstanding universal value.”
The SNC accused the army of shelling Aleppo’s TV building.
“The criminal regime does not hesitate to shell these institutions,” the group said, adding: “The rebels were forced to move away from the television building in order to protect the Syrian people’s property and heritage.”
Rebels tried to storm the state television building on Saturday before being driven back by shelling, the Observatory said.
State media said the army defended the site from “mercenary terrorist groups.”
A senior government security figure warned that “the battle for Aleppo has not yet begun, and what is happening now is just the appetizer ... The main course will come later.”
The official said more reinforcements had arrived and that at least 20,000 troops were now on the ground.
“The other side are also sending reinforcements,” the official added of the rebels, who claim to have seized half the city.
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
RESTRAINTS: Should China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, China would be excluded from major financial institutions, the bill says The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which states that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude Beijing from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared
Taiwanese trade negotiators told Washington that Taipei would not relocate 40 percent of its semiconductor production to the US, and that its most advanced technologies would remain in the nation, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said on Sunday. “I told the US side very clearly — that’s impossible,” Cheng, who led the negotiation team, said in an interview that aired on Sunday night on Chinese Television System. Cheng was referring to remarks last month by US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, in which he said his goal was to bring 40 percent of Taiwan’s chip supply chain to the US Taiwan’s almost
RSS