The US has warned rebels in southern Syria that they should not expect military intervention if government troops launch an assault against them, a rebel commander said yesterday.
Russian-backed government forces are preparing an offensive to retake Syria’s southern provinces of Daraa and Sweida, still mostly held by rebels who had been backed by the US for years.
The US warning to the heads of Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups, contained in an Arabic-language message seen by reporters, came as Syrian troops stepped up air strikes on the southern provinces.
Photo: AFP
“We must clarify our position: we understand that you must make a decision [to fight] based on your interests, the interests of your people and your faction as you see them,” the message read.
“You should not base your decision on an assumption or expectation of military intervention from our side,” it said.
The US did not immediately confirm the letter’s contents.
Syrian regime forces on Saturday made their first gains on the ground against rebel fighters in Daraa Province after several days of intensified airstrikes, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
It also reported that Russia late on Saturday carried out its first air strike on Daraa since brokering a truce there last year.
That “de-escalation” deal for southwest Syria was agreed with the US and Jordan and initially brought some respite to the area, though violations continued.
Those same powers are in talks now to reach a negotiated settlement for the south that could head off a bloody regime assault.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for “an immediate end to the current military escalation” while US Ambassador to the UN Nikky Haley urged Moscow to pressure its Syria to respect the ceasefire.
“We in the US government understand the difficult circumstances you are now facing, and we are still advising the Russians and the Syrian regime not to conduct any military action that will violate the de-escalation zone in southwest Syria,” the US message to rebels said.
The opposition commander who received it said it was not in response to a request for help by anti-regime factions.
“We knew anyway that they weren’t going to intervene, so we weren’t disappointed,” he said. “The letter’s contents mean that America will not be able to help the south — in other words, they are saying ‘you’re on your own.’”
Throwing in Russia’s full military weight in the campaign to regain southern Syria will weaken the ability of mainstream rebel groups to withstand relentless bombing on civilian areas that forced their compatriots in other areas to submit to surrender deals.
Jordan said it was engaged in intensive diplomacy with Washington and Moscow to preserve the zone and prevent a wider confrontation.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Pakistani police yesterday said a father shot dead his daughter after she refused to delete her TikTok account. In the Muslim-majority country, women can be subjected to violence by family members for not following strict rules on how to behave in public, including in online spaces. “The girl’s father had asked her to delete her TikTok account. On refusal, he killed her,” a police spokesperson said. Investigators said the father killed his 16-year-old daughter on Tuesday “for honor,” the police report said. The man was subsequently arrested. The girl’s family initially tried to “portray the murder as a suicide” said police in
The military is to begin conscripting civilians next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant mandatory enlistment law. The Cambodian parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long-standing territorial dispute boiled over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. “This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and
The Russian minister of foreign affairs warned the US, South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited the ally country for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov spoke on Saturday in Wonsan City, North Korea, where he met North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and conveyed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim during the meeting reaffirmed his government’s commitment to “unconditionally support and encourage all measures” taken by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow share identical views on “all strategic issues in
‘FALSE NARRATIVE’: China and the Solomon Islands inked a secretive security pact in 2022, which is believed to be a prelude to building a Chinese base, which Beijing denied The Australian government yesterday said it expects China to spy on major military drills it is conducting with the US and other allies. It also renewed a charge — denounced by Beijing as a “false narrative” — that China wants to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The comments by a government minister came as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day visit to China to bolster recently repaired trade ties. More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join in the annual Talisman Sabre exercises from yesterday across Australia and Papua New Guinea. “The Chinese military have
RSS