International

Islamist rebels in Syria strengthen their control of Aleppo after the Army withdraws

The Islamist alliance Levante Liberation Agency and armed factions backed by Turkey strengthened control of almost the entire city of Aleppo, in northern Syria, and the neighboring province of Idlib after four days of offensive against the army of Syrian President Bashar al Asad.

The offensive, launched last Wednesday after days of intense bombing against the bastion of the pro-Turkic factions, Idlib, has so far caused a balance of about 350 deaths on both sides, among which are a quarantine of civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.

This is the first time that rebels have entered the city of Aleppo since it was taken by the Al Asad Army in 2016, while the escalation of violence and the rapid advance of these factions considered “terrorists” by Damascus and its ally Russia represent the greatest challenge for the Syrian Government since 2020.

Aleppo falls with hardly any resistance

The rebels managed to enter the city of Aleppo yesterday for the first time, where this Saturday they extended their control in the vast majority of neighborhoods and even managed to take the international airport of what is the second largest city in Syria.

So far, only some areas of the northeast of the city under the rule of Kurdish forces – allied of Damascus against the pro-Turkish Islamists – are offering resistance after the withdrawal of the Syrian Army and the pro-Iranian militias that support Al Assad, according to the Observatory.

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And it is that Al Asad’s troops recognized today that the insurgents have taken control of “marge” part of Aleppo and have suffered “dozens” of casualties among their ranks.

“The large number of terrorists and the multiple combat fronts led our Armed Forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the lines of defense to absorb the attack, preserve civilian and soldier lives and prepare for a counterattack,” the Syrian Army said in a statement.

“Concentrated attacks”

However, the regular troops said that they have continued to launch “concentrated attacks” against the insurgents after their “temporary” withdrawal from Aleppo, “waiting for the completion of the arrival of military forces to distribute them on the combat axes, in preparation for a counterattack.”

In the midst of the chaos that has invaded the city, Russian fighter jets carried out several bombings against Aleppo that killed at least 16 civilians and several pro-Turkish fighters, according to the NGO, which pointed out that there is a large displacement of people from the homonymous province due to the escalation of violence.

Dozens of them are trying to reach the border with Lebanon, according to the Observatory, after a ceasefire between Israel and the Shii group Hezbula on Wednesday.

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Idlib control and advances in Hama

In parallel, the rebels have strengthened their almost complete control of the neighboring province of Idlib after taking the strategic city of Maarat al Numan, which since 2020 was in the hands of the Syrian Army, and later the city of Jan Shayjun, which borders the administrative demarcation of Hama, in north-central Syria.

That advance and the break-of of Al Asad’s troops have allowed the Islamists to enter several kilometers in the north of Hama, where they are not encountering much opposition from the Army either.

The offensive comes at a time when Turkey is seeking to re-establish relations with Damascus, although the Syrian government claims that Ankara must withdraw its troops from northern Syria and stop supporting opposition groups to move towards the normalization of ties, broken since the beginning of the Syrian civil war 13 years ago.

This operation began on the same day of the entry into force of the truce in Lebanon and after the hard blows inflicted by Israel on the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbula both in that country and in Syria, where the armed movement maintains a wide presence and is one of the main allies of the Government of Damascus.

Al Asad says he is capable of defeating the rebels “with the help of allies”

Syrian President Bashar al Asad said on Saturday that, with the help of “allies and friends,” his Army is capable of defeating the Turkish-backed Islamist rebels, who have managed to control large areas of northwestern Syria in four days of offensive.

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“Syria continues to defend its stability and territorial integrity against all terrorists and supporters and is capable, with the help of its allies and friends, of defeating and eliminating them no matter how severe their terrorist attacks are,” Al Asad said in a call with his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed.

International

Football Fan Killed in Clashes After Colombian League Match

Fans of Cúcuta Deportivo and their traditional rivals Atlético Bucaramanga clashed outside the stadium following their local league match on Tuesday, leaving one supporter dead and several others injured.

The deceased fan was stabbed, according to a senior police official in Cúcuta who confirmed the cause of death in a video statement. Local media reported that the victim was a supporter of the visiting team, Atlético Bucaramanga.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Authorities had banned the entry of Atlético Bucaramanga’s organized supporters into the stadium in an effort to prevent disturbances.

Despite the restrictions, violence broke out in the surrounding areas after the game. Among the injured were three police officers, an institutional source told AFP.

The incident adds to a series of recent violent episodes linked to Colombian football. The most recent occurred in December, when supporters of Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín clashed in the stands and on the pitch, leaving 59 people injured.

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International

Missing Spanish Sailor Rescued After 11 Days Adrift in Mediterranean

The man had departed from the port of Gandía, on Spain’s eastern coast, with the intention of reaching the southern Spanish town of Guardamar del Segura, a journey of about 150 kilometers, a spokesperson for Spain’s maritime rescue service told AFP.

Search boats and aircraft were deployed on January 17, but the operation was called off on January 22 after efforts proved unsuccessful. Alerts were then issued to vessels navigating the area in case they spotted any signs of the missing sailor.

As hopes were fading, a surveillance aircraft from the European Union’s border agency Frontex spotted the sailboat on Tuesday, along with a person signaling for help, approximately 53 nautical miles northeast of Bejaia, Algeria.

A nearby vessel, the Singapore-flagged bulk carrier Thor Confidence, carried out the rescue and is expected to bring the man to an end to his ordeal when it arrives on Thursday in the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras.

Maritime rescue services shared images on social media showing a small white sailboat drifting at sea and secured alongside the much larger ship.

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It remains unclear how the sailboat ended up hundreds of kilometers off its intended route or how the man managed to survive for so long alone in open waters.

International

Rubio Says U.S. Could Participate in Follow-Up Russia-Ukraine Talks

The United States could join a new round of talks this week aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.

Teams from Kyiv and Moscow met last Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi in their first publicly acknowledged direct negotiations to discuss the peace initiative promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“They are going to hold follow-up talks again this week,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “There could be U.S. participation.”

However, Rubio suggested that Washington’s role may be more limited than during last week’s discussions, which included Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

The secretary of state indicated that progress may have already been made on security guarantees for Ukraine, one of Kyiv’s key demands in any agreement with Moscow after nearly four years of Russian invasion.

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“There is one remaining issue that everyone is familiar with, and that is the territorial claim over Donetsk,” Rubio said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian region that Russia wants Ukraine to cede.

“I know that active efforts are underway to see whether the positions of both sides on this issue can be reconciled. It remains a bridge we have not yet crossed,” he added during the hearing.

Rubio acknowledged that the territorial question would be particularly difficult for Ukraine to resolve.