Israel-Gaza ceasefire takes hold after 2 days of fighting
rt.com | 2020-02-25
A ceasefire took hold on the Israel-Gaza border on Tuesday after two days of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, Reuters reported. The frontier fell quiet early on Tuesday, after a Palestinian official said Israel and Islamic Jihad had reached a "reciprocal and simultaneous ceasefire" mediated by Egypt and the UN. | Islamic Jihad had fired 80 rockets towards Israeli communities along the Gaza border since Sunday, according to an Israeli military spokeswoman. Israel reportedly attacked sites in Gaza and Syria that killed three members of the militant group. | No casualties were repo…
rt.com/newsline/481609-israel-gaza-ceasefire-egypt/

Red Cross 'deeply alarmed' at situation in Idlib
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-25
The Red Cross on Tuesday said it is "deeply alarmed" by the rapidly deteriorating security and living conditions of hundreds of thousands of newly displaced civilians in Idlib, northwestern Syria.Ruth Hetherington, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said at a UN briefing that those displaced "are running out of options to find basic safety for themselves and their families."Adding to growing international concerns about the tragedy unfurling for civilians in northwestern Syria, she said: "This is the worst wave of displacement we've seen during the Syrian conflict.""Amid the harsh win…
yenisafak.com/en/world/red-cross-deeply-alarmed-at-situation-in-idlib-3512768

Police detain 13 suspects over Daesh/ISIS ties in Istanbul
yenisafak.com | 2020-02-25
Turkish police have detained 13 suspects, including 10 foreign nationals, allegedly linked to the Daesh/ISIS terror group in Istanbul, security sources said on Tuesday.Police raided seven different locations and detained 13 suspects, including nine Syrians and an Iraqi national, said the sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.The ongoing operation was part of a probe into Daesh members who provide financial support for the terror group's remanded members.Digital materials and organizational documents were seized during the search.Turkey was one of the first countries to rec…
yenisafak.com/en/news/police-detain-13-suspects-over-daesh-isis-ties-in-istanbul-3512759

Why Merkel & Macron Likely to Support Moscow, Not Ankara at Proposed March Talks
sputniknews.com | 2020-02-25
The Turkish president signalled Tuesday that the 5 March talks with his Russian, German, and French counterparts on the Idlib crisis are still under consideration. Middle East experts Ghassan Kadi and Chris Assad have explained why there are only a few options on the table for Ankara at the potential talks.
sputniknews.com/analysis/202002251078401241-why-merkel–macron-likely-to-support-moscow-not-ankara-at-proposed-march-talks/

There's Little Chance for Change in Lebanon, Except for More Suffering
Robert Fisk | counterpunch.org | 2020-02-24
The freezing Mediterranean squalls that slash across downtown Beirut and the seafront to the west may give the impression this week that Lebanon is lapsing back into its favourite pastime: forgetting history and praying for a return to the good old days. Revolution? Now that the country's old parliamentary sectarians have gathered to support Hassan Diab's deeply uninspiring government,…
counterpunch.org/2020/02/24/theres-little-chance-for-change-in-lebanon-except-for-more-suffering/

How a Subtle Turkey-Iran Entente is Helping Iran Secure a Firm Presence in Syria
Agha Hussain | mintpressnews.com | 2020-02-24
In the last of a three-part series, Agha Hussein investigates how cooperation with Turkey is helping Iran resist pressure to leave Syria.
mintpressnews.com/subtle-turkey-iran-entente-secure-presence-syria/265138/

Two Palestinian Fighters Killed By Israeli Missiles In Damascus
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2020-02-24
The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, has reported that two of its fighters were killed, late on Sunday at night, after Israeli war jets fired missiles into an area in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The Brigades stated that its slain fighters have been identified as Salim …
imemc.org/article/two-palestinian-fighters-killed-by-israeli-missiles-in-damascus/

Turkey, US protect Al Qaeda in Idlib and worsen Syria's suffering
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2020-02-21
Why is Turkey, with US backing, protecting Al-Qaeda's largest affiliate in Idlib, Syria? Idlib is facing a humanitarian disaster as…
thegrayzone.com/2020/02/21/turkey-us-protect-al-qaeda-in-idlib-and-worsen-syrias-suffering/

UN chief appeals for end to Syria's 'man-made humanitarian nightmare'
news.un.org | 2020-02-21
In a tersely delivered statement on Friday, the UN Secretary-General appealed for an end to the "man-made humanitarian nightmare" currently unfolding in Syria, where ongoing military operations in the north-west have displaced hundreds of thousands amid bitter winter temperatures.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057861

End hostilities, 'preserve lives': UN refugee chief makes appeal for people trapped in Syria's Idlib
news.un.org | 2020-02-20
As the already dire situation in north-west Syria dramatically continues to worsen in Idlib province, the head of the United Nations refugee agency called on Thursday for an end to the hostilities and appealed for urgent action to allow the people trapped there to move to places of safety.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057761

Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive
Jason Ditz | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-20
Russia called the situation a "worst case scenario."

Turkey Kills Over 50 Syrian Troops, Russian Warplanes Intervene to Halt Offensive

Amid 'devastating scale' of suffering in Syria's north-west, UN Security Council urged to find political way forward
news.un.org | 2020-02-19
With progress stalled on both the peace and political fronts in Syria, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen urged ambassadors in the Security Council on Wednesday to "put their weight" into finding a solution to end nearly nine years of conflict.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/02/1057681

Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-07
Russia accused Israel of "making a total mockery of the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians."

Russia Says Israel Used Civilian Plane as Human Shield During Syria Strikes

Turkey Gives Assad Deadline to Pull Back or Face Military Action
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-06
Turkey has given the Syrian government until the end of this month to withdraw from recently seized territory in Idlib province.

Turkey Gives Assad Deadline to Pull Back or Face Military Action

Why aren't Americans rising up like the people of Chile and Lebanon?
Medea Benjamin | zcomm.org | 2020-02-02
The tinder for a revolutionary movement is everywhere…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/why-arent-americans-rising-up-like-the-people-of-chile-and-lebanon/