Syria

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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Tue Jan 03, 2023 2:26 pm

Israel strikes Damascus international airport again, kills two Syrian soldiers

Damage caused by the unprovoked Israeli air strike made Damascus international airport non-operational for a few hours for the second time in under a year

January 02, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch

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(Photo: TSGT KEVIN J. GRUENWALD modified b FOX 52, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Israeli air strikes killed at least two Syrian soldiers and injured two others on Monday, January 2, SANA reported. The report quoted Syrian military sources who claimed that a barrage of missiles caused material damage to Damascus international airport and nearby areas, forcing the airport to shut down temporarily.

According to SANA, the air attacks were carried out from northern Israeli territory across Lake Tiberias around 2 am on Monday.

Damascus international airport was attacked by Israeli missiles earlier in June as well, after which it had to be shut down for two weeks. Israel has also targeted the airport in Aleppo in the past.

SANA reported a few hours later that airport authorities had carried out the required cleaning and repair work to make the airport operational around 9 am local time.

No comments have so far been made by the Israeli government or military regarding the air strike.

Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes and missile attacks inside Syria since the beginning of the war in 2011, killing hundreds of civilians and causing massive damage to civilian infrastructure. The last strikes were reported on December 19 and 20. Most often, Israel uses Lebanese air space to carry out the attacks within Syria.

Ordinarily, Israel neither confirms nor denies its involvement in these attacks. However, on the rare occasions when it does seek to justify the attacks on the pretext of domestic security, it claims that it has targeted alleged Iranian involvement and bases in Syria.

Syria has raised the issue of Israeli violations of its sovereignty several times at the UN in the past, asking that immediate action be taken against such contravention of international law and the UN charter. Recently, Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Bassam Sabbagh, told the UN Security Council that Israel’s recurring air strikes within Syrian territory were one of the central reasons for the continuation of the war in the country. He said that if the world wanted peace in Syria, efforts need to be made to stop this Israeli aggression.

The Syrian government has accused Israel of using the military strikes inside its territories to aid anti-Assad forces and to prolong the war and the suffering of the people in the country. More than a decade of war in Syria has killed thousands of people and displaced almost half of its pre-war population.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/01/02/ ... -soldiers/

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Russia consolidates in East Mediterranean

Last week’s meeting between Syria and Turkey in Moscow show that Russia’s standing in the West Asian region is far from defined by the Ukraine conflict

January 03, 2023 by M.K. Bhadrakumar

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Turkish military convoy in border with Northern Syria. (File photo)

The curtain is coming down on the brutal 11-year old Syrian conflict, which former US President and Nobel Laureate Barack Obama initiated, as the Arab Spring swept through West Asia a decade ago. The United States has suffered yet another big setback in West Asia as the year 2022 draws to a close. The unfolding Turkish-Syrian reconciliation process under Russian mediation is to be seen as a saga of betrayal and vengeance.

Ankara came under immense pressure from the Obama administration in 2011 to spearhead the regime change project in Syria. Obama blithely assumed that Turkey would gleefully serve as the charioteer of “moderate” Islamism for the transformation in West Asia. But Ankara took its time to calibrate its foreign policies to adapt to the Arab Spring before responding to the shifting landscape in Syria.

Erdogan was caught unprepared by the uprising in Syria at a juncture when Ankara was pursuing a “zero-problems” policy with Turkey’s neighbors. Ankara was unsure how the Arab Spring would play out and remained silent when the revolt first appeared in Tunisia. Even on Egypt, Erdogan made an emotional call for Hosni Mubarak’s departure only when he sensed, correctly so, that Obama was decoupling from America’s staunch ally in Cairo.

Syria was the ultimate test case and a real challenge for Erdogan. Ankara had invested heavily in the improvement of relations with Syria within the framework of the so-called Adana Agreement in 1998 in the downstream of Turkish military’s massive showdown with Damascus over the latter harboring the PKK (Kurdish) leader Ocalan. Erdogan initially did not want Bashar al-Assad to lose power, and advised him to reform. The families of Erdogan and Assad used to holiday together.

Obama had to depute then CIA chief David Petraeus to visit Turkey twice in 2012 to persuade Erdogan to engage with the US in operational planning aimed at bringing about the end of the Assad government. It was Petraeus who proposed to Ankara a covert program of arming and training Syrian rebels.

But by 2013 already, Erdogan began sensing that Obama himself had only a limited American involvement in Syria and preferred to lead from the rear. In 2014, Erdogan went public that his relations with Obama had diminished, saying that he was disappointed about not getting direct results on the Syrian conflict. By that time, more than 170,000 people had died and 2.9 million Syrians had fled to neighboring countries, including Turkey, and the fighting had forced another 6.5 million people from their homes within Syria.

Simply put, Erdogan felt embittered that he was left holding a can of worms and Obama had scooted off. Worse still, the Pentagon began aligning with the Syrian Kurdish groups linked to the PKK. (In October 2014, US began providing supplies to Kurdish forces and in November 2015, US special forces were deployed in Syria.)

It is against such a backdrop that the two meetings in Moscow on Wednesday between the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Turkey and Syria in the presence of their Russian counterparts took place. Erdogan’s reconciliation process with Assad is quintessentially his sweet revenge for the American betrayal. Erdogan sought help from Russia, the archetypal enemy country in the US and NATO’s sights, in order to communicate with Assad who is a pariah in American eyes. The matrix is self-evident.

On Thursday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said: “At the meeting (in Moscow), we discussed what we could do to improve the situation in Syria and the region as soon as possible while ensuring peace, tranquility and stability… We reiterated our respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty rights of all our neighbors, especially Syria and Iraq, and that our sole aim is the fight against terrorism, we have no other purpose.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been counseling Erdogan in recent years that Turkey’s security concerns are best tackled in coordination with Damascus and that Adana Agreement could provide a framework of cooperation. The Turkish Defense Ministry readout said the meeting in Moscow took place in a “constructive atmosphere” and it was agreed to continue the format of trilateral meetings “to ensure and maintain stability in Syria and the region as a whole.”

Without doubt, the normalization between Ankara and Damascus will impact regional security and, in particular, the Syrian war, given the clout Turkey wields with the residual Syrian opposition. A Turkish ground operation in northern Syria may not be necessary if Ankara and Damascus were to revive the Adana Agreement. In fact, Akar disclosed that Ankara, Moscow and Damascus are working on carrying out joint missions on the ground in Syria.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s willingness right in the middle of the Ukraine war to take the steering wheel and navigate its reconciliation with Syria adds an altogether new dimension to the deepening strategic ties between Moscow and Ankara. For Erdogan too, Syria becomes the newest addition to his policy initiatives lately to improve Turkey’s relations with the regional states. Normalization with Syria will go down well with Turkish public opinion and that has implications for Erdogan’s bid for a renewed mandate in the upcoming elections.

From the Syrian perspective, the normalization with Turkey is going to be far more consequential than the restoration of ties with various regional states (starting with the UAE) in the recent years who had fueled the conflict. Turkey’s equations with Syrian militant groups (eg., Syrian National Army and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), its continued occupation of Syrian territory, Syrian refugees in Turkey (numbering 3.6 million), etc. are vital issues affecting Syria’s security.

The US resents Erdogan’s move to normalize with Assad — and that too, with Russia’s helping hand. It is now even more unlikely to give up its military presence in Syria or its alliance with the Syrian Kurdish group YPG (which Ankara regards as an affiliate of the PKK.)

But the YPG will find itself in a tight spot. As Syria requests Turkey to withdraw from its territories (Idlib and so-called operation areas) and stop supporting armed groups, Turkey in return will insist on pushing the YPG away from the border. (The government-aligned Syrian daily Al-Watan reported quoting sources that at the tripartite meeting in Moscow, Ankara has committed to withdrawing all its forces from Syrian territory.)

Indeed, the replacement of the YPG militia by the Syrian government forces along the borders with Turkey would lead to the weakening of both YPG and the US military presence. However, the question will still remain unanswered as regards the place of Kurds in the future of Syria.

The US State Department stated recently, “The US will not upgrade its diplomatic relations with the Assad regime and does not support other countries upgrading their relations. The US urges states in the region to consider carefully the atrocities inflicted by the Assad regime on the Syrian people over the last decade. The US believes that stability in Syria and the greater region can be achieved through a political process that represents the will of all Syrians.”

Last week’s meetings in Moscow show that Russia’s standing in the West Asian region is far from defined by the Ukraine conflict. Russian influence on Syria remains intact and Moscow will continue to shape Syria’s transition out of conflict zone and consolidate its own long-term presence in Eastern Mediterranean.

OPEC Plus has gained traction. Russia’s ties with the Gulf states are steadily growing. The Russia-Iran strategic ties are at its highest level in history. And the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister means that the Russian-Israeli ties are heading for a reset. Clearly, Russian diplomacy is on a roll in West Asia.

Conventional wisdom was that Russia and Turkey’s geopolitical interests would inevitably collide once the floodgates were opened in Ukraine. Herein lies the paradox, for, what has happened is entirely to the contrary.

MK Bhadrakumar is a former diplomat. He was India’s ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey. The views are personal.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/01/03/ ... terranean/

Given the 'intricacies' of Russian diplomacy that standing cannot rise too high until Russia abandons it's determination to be 'even-handed' in regards to Israel. Allowing Israeli warplanes to have their way over Damascus without activating the S-300 air defense system has got to aggravate the Syrians, who obviously cannot 'bite the hand that feeds them'.

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94 suspects of Martyr Soleimani’s case are Americans: Iran official

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3 January، 2023

Tehran, SANA– Ninety-four of the suspects involved in the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani are from the United States, including three main defendants who are ex-US President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) Kenneth McKenzie, an Iranian official said.

Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary of the High Council for Human Rights and deputy head of the Iranian judiciary, announced the latest follow-ups by the Iranian judicial system on the case of General Soleimani’s assassination in a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday.

Gharibabadi also pointed to the cooperation between the judicial systems of Iraq and Iran, saying that a joint committee of the two countries held three rounds of talks in Baghdad and Tehran and that the fourth round will be held within a few days.

The indictment of the dossier is to be finalized in the near future, he assessed, noting that the indictment is now focusing on the American suspects, who are 94 people at present.

Since the suspects are not merely American nationals, the Iranian judiciary sent judicial representations to seven countries, including Germany and Britain, he argued.

Families of the martyrs from Iraq accused five people of playing role in the assassination of General Soleimani and his entourage, including Deputy Chairman of Popular Mobilization Committee of Iraq Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the official said, adding that Iran’s judicial system provided the Iraqi counterparts with documents on the involvement of 17 Iraqi nationals in the crime.

In the framework of the Convention 1973, Iran sent an official letter to the US administration, urging the American authorities to extradite the defendants to Iran or sue them on US soil, Gharibabadi said, adding that the deadline set in this diplomatic note has expired, which means Iran can take the next steps according to the convention.

US terrorists assassinated General Soleimani, the commander of the Qods Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the former commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), along with their companions by targeting their vehicles outside Baghdad International Airport on 3 January 2020 at the direct order from US President Donald Trump.

Amer Dawa

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=294737
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Sat Jan 07, 2023 2:50 pm

Focus kept on justice 3 years after killing
By JAN YUMUL and XU WEIWEI in Hong Kong | China Daily Global | Updated: 2023-01-05 06:56

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech in Teheran on Tuesday during a commemoration ceremony marking the third anniversary of the US killing of general Qasem Soleimani. ATTA KENARE/AFP

But Iran's quest through international courts faces challenges, analysts say

As Iran mourned on Tuesday the third anniversary of the killing of top general Qassem Soleimani, the authorities remain determined to secure justice over the assassination.

Donald Trump, then president of the United States, ordered the fatal strike on Soleimani, 62, on Jan 3,2020. The action was condemned by the Iranian Foreign Ministry as an act of "state terrorism".

But analysts said negative sentiment directed against Iran by the West could hinder the country's efforts to pursue justice in international courts.

Iranians gathered on Tuesday across the country to remember Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. He was one of the country's most popular public figures.

"We have not forgotten and will not forget about avenging the top commander's blood," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as telling the crowds. He described Soleimani as a symbol of the fight against oppression and global arrogance.

In September at the United Nations General Assembly, Raisi held up a photo of Soleimani and said his country will seek justice for the assassination through a fair tribunal.

Mehran Kamrava, director of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, Qatar, told China Daily that sentiment in Europe is now "firmly against Iran", reinforced by Iran's support for Russia in the Ukraine conflict and the protests in Iran that have broken out since September last year.

Kamrava cited Germany as an example for recently suspending "the little economic trade it had with Iran". Also, he said the United Kingdom is mulling whether to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization — the same designation it uses for the Islamic State and the Taliban.

External environment

"Within such an external environment, there is little recourse to Iran in international courts over the killing of Soleimani," he said. "It would not, therefore, be surprising to see Iran resort to clandestine operations against those it sees as responsible to avenge Soleimani's killing."

He added that the action may not come for some time because Iran is known to often "play the long game".

In Baghdad, Iraqis also rallied to mark the anniversary at al-Tahrir Square. Aside from pictures of Soleimani, they also held up images of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who had served as deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

Both men were killed in the US drone attack on a convoy of vehicles near Baghdad International Airport three years ago. Both had played important roles in the war against the Islamic State terror group.

Trump alleged that the generals were planning an "imminent "attack on US military personnel in the Iraqi capital.

Iran has on many occasions said that it would take Trump and all those involved in the killing to international courts.

A senior Iranian judicial official said 94 US nationals, including Trump and former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, have been charged with involvement in Soleimani's killing, Iran's Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it was working with relevant institutions to pursue the case, stressing that the US "bears definite responsibility for this crime on the basis of international standards".

However, Asif Shuja, a senior research fellow in the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, told China Daily that unlike the case with national judicial systems, international courts have limitations in terms of delivery as well as enforcement of justice.

However, he said favorable rulings in international courts "will help a nation in holding a moral high ground and creating suitable precedence in future actions".

"Since antagonism against the US is a crucial pillar of the Islamic republic, and the US was widely seen as the wrongdoer in the case, pursuing this case internationally will serve Iranians well in terms of legitimizing their rule internally and creating grounds for actions in the future," said Shuja.

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20230 ... a7b79.html

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QSD militia kidnaps several civilians in Raqqa

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5 January، 2023

Raqqa, SANA- US occupation forces –backed QSD militia kidnapped a number of civilians in Raqqa countryside in the framework of its continued crimes against the citizens in the areas of its deployment.

Local sources told SANA that QSD militia gunmen raided Hittin farm in Raqqa northern countryside, and the town of Jdaidet Kaheet, in the eastern countryside.

QSD gunmen encircled the area for several hours, opened random fire to intimidate the citizens, then they kidnapped a number of civilians and took them handcuffed to their headquarters in the area.

Bushra Dabin / Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=294966

US occupation loots 60 trucks and tanks of Syrian wheat and oil

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4 January، 2023

Hasaka, SANA- The US occupation forces continued looting Syrian wheat and oil as they stole a convoy consisting of 60 trucks and tanks of the two materials heading towards their bases in northern Iraq.

Local sources from al-Yarubiyah countryside in Hasaka told SANA reporter on Wednesday that a convoy of 36 tankers loaded with stolen Syrian oil was brought out by US occupation forces to their bases in northern Iraq through the illegitimate al-Mahmoudiya crossing in the far eastern countryside of Hasaka.

The sources added that another convoy consisting of 24 trucks and tanks accompanied by US military vehicles carrying stolen oil and wheat from the Syrian al-Jazeera region brought them out through the illegitimate al-Walid crossing.

Bushra Dabin / Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=294885

Turkish occupation mercenaries target with artillery shells villages and towns in Raqqa countryside

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7 January، 2023

Raqqa, SANA- Turkish occupation-backed terrorist groups renewed bombardment of a number of villages and towns in Raqqa northern countryside.

Local sources told SANA reporter in Raqqa that terrorist groups positioning near the borders with Turkey fired artillery shells towards al-Fatesa village, vicinity of M4 highway and vicinity of Ayn Issa town in Raqqa far northern countryside.

The sources pointed out that the daily bombardment by the Turkish occupation forces and terrorists on the residential areas and their vicinity and the agricultural lands and roads causes huge material damage to them.

Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=295093
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Fri Jan 13, 2023 3:06 pm

Moscow meeting shatters fantasies of Syrian 'confederation'
January 13, 12:25

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Moscow meeting shatters fantasies of Syrian 'confederation'

A Russian-brokered Syrian-Turkish rapprochement will bury the prospects of a divided Syria, with the possibility of co-opting opposition factions into the armed forces.

The recently launched Syrian-Turkish rapprochement talks are moving in favor of Damascus, and the "Turkish concessions" ridiculed by opponents are just the beginning, insiders told The Cradle.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already abandoned his dream of "praying at the Umayyad Mosque" in Damascus. But sources say further concessions will quickly follow, ending the ambitions of Syrian opposition factions.

Indivisible Syria

These negotiations will not feature “federalism” or “confederation” — Western code words for the collapse of the Syrian state — but rather “Turkish-Russian” acceptance of Damascus terms.

To begin with, Ankara plans to open the strategic M4 Highway, which runs parallel to the Turkish border and connects all vital Syrian cities and regions, as a prelude to the opening of legal border crossings between Syria and Turkey, which will restore trade routes between the two countries.

This move, based on a mutual understanding between Damascus and Ankara, will essentially close the door on any opposition fantasies about dividing Syria into states and undermine “Kurdish-American ambitions to split.”

It is not in vain that Washington seeks to disrupt contacts between Ankara and Damascus. Under the guise of “fighting ISIS,” the US has invested heavily in Syrian separatism, replacing the terrorist group with “Kurdish local forces,” and is reaping the rewards in barrels of stolen Syrian oil to help alleviate the global energy crisis.

Now Turkey has closed the door to this "federalization" plan.

Proposal backed by Russia The

Syrian-Turkish talks in Moscow on December 28 were largely about opening and establishing the necessary political, diplomatic and security channels, a process initiated by the defense ministers of those countries.

While resolving the many complex issues between the two states is not as easy as optimists would like, it is also nowhere near as difficult as ardent opponents of rapprochement make it out to be.

Moscow discussions focused on soft, step-by-step solutions proposed by Russia. The Kremlin understands that the minefield between Ankara and Damascus must be cleared with a cold mind and hands, but insists that the starting point for the negotiations are the political formulas of the Astana peace process, which are already accepted by all parties.

On the ground, Moscow is busy pushing forward security agreements that are acceptable to all, although those on the battlefield appear to be the least flexible so far. The Russian plan is to "provide the military with security formulas" that should subsequently be translated into the integration of forces - be they Kurdish fighters or opposition fighters - into the ranks of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).

This will be achieved through committees led by both the Syrian and Turkish intelligence agencies, a Russian source involved in coordinating the talks told The Cradle.

Cooperation with the Kurds

The Russian proposals, according to the source, are based on two successful models of reconciliation on the battlefield in the past. The first is the “model of the Sheikh Maqsoud area in northern Aleppo,” an area once controlled by Kurdish forces that began to coordinate with the SAA after a massive 2016 military operation that drove opposition fighters from the eastern districts of the city.

The Russian source claims that the Sheikh Maqsoud model succeeded through “security coordination”, showing that “the Syrian state security service is deployed at the entrances to the area with checkpoints that coordinate with the Kurdish forces inside - in every way , big and small". This security coordination includes "the arrest of criminally wanted persons and the assistance of administrative and service services" in coordination with Damascus.

The second model of reconciliation used by Russian forces in Syria brought together the SAA and Sheikh Maqsoud's Kurdish militias in joint military maneuvers held last August near the city of Manbij in rural Aleppo.

While the Russian source confirms that the experience of "security coordination" between the SAA and the Kurdish forces has been "successful", he warns that these models need "political agreements" that can only be reached through an "agreement in Astana on the new provisions of the Syrian constitutions that give the Kurds more flexibility in self-governing their areas."

Amnesty for the opposition

The parallel proposal, which The Cradle learned from a Turkish source, approaches the issue from a "confederate" perspective, which is anathema to the Syrian authorities. According to him, "for this it is necessary to convince Damascus to share power with qualified factions of the (Turkish) national army."

While the Turkish proposal tried to get one step closer to Damascus' goals, it appears that Russian mediation has contributed to the creation of a new paradigm: one that will be based on the years-tested Syrian model of "military reconciliation", namely: opposition fighters surrender their weapons, denounce hostility towards the state, and integrated into the SAA.

Turkey's renunciation of its "demand to overthrow the regime" applies to allied military groups inside Syria as well, as the latter's goals have narrowed down to maintaining some zones of influence in the north of the country.

This is the current flavor of Turkey's truncated "confederation" ambitions: keeping Turkish-backed factions in "local administrations" in northern areas where Turkey has influence in exchange for abandoning Ankara's political ambitions of "regime change" in Damascus and redrawing the northern map of Syria. .

Solving this problem will require changes to the Syrian constitution, a process that began several years ago but has not yet materialized.

From the Syrian perspective, officials are focused on eliminating all opposing separatist or terrorist elements that are unable to adapt to a "unified" Syrian society.

Therefore, Damascus rejects offers of military reconciliation for any "sectarian" separatist or factional militias. Syrian officials reiterate that "the unity of land and people" is the only way to solve the problem, away from foreign interests that promote "terrorism or secession" - a reference to the Turkish and American role in the Syrian war.

Reconciliation on Damascus' terms

The Syrian state does not have the word "confederation" in its vocabulary and intends to adhere to the principle of Syrian unity to the end. Damascus has one goal: reconciliation through the surrender of weapons in the countryside of Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo, Raqqa, Hasaki, Qamishli and at-Tanf - areas that are still outside the control of the state.

Syria has refused to discuss anything “outside of reconciliation and arms transfers and regions,” a Turkish source said, which he said “makes it difficult for Ankara to fulfill its mission,” especially in light of the fact that the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front controls a large part of these target areas.

A Syrian source told The Cradle that the "Kamishli model" of military reconciliation is the closest to the case: "where the SAA and the national defense forces (most of which are pro-Damascus Kurds) are fully coordinated."

He makes it clear that Damascus has already provided the Kurds in the north of the country with a sufficient number of mechanisms for self-government:

“There is already a (Kurdish-run) autonomous administration in Syria. It works directly with the Syrian Ministry of Local Government (in Damascus) and has many agencies that work through local representative councils to implement government plans for security, tax collection and services” and, of course, it is made up of Kurds from the region.

A recent statement by Erdogan's chief adviser, Yassin Aktay, could hinder this work. His insistence that Turkey should retain control of the city of Aleppo - Syria's second most populous and industrial center - did not come out of nowhere.

Ankara believes that the repatriation of three million Syrian refugees should begin with “local administrations run by the (Turkish-backed) Syrian National Army (a renamed version of the opposition Free Syrian Army),” the Turkish source says.

He is referring to Idlib, Aleppo and their environs, as well as the areas in which Turkey launched its military operations Olive Branch and Euphrates Shield. These areas in northern Syria include the northern and eastern parts of Aleppo, including Azaz, Jarabulus, Al-Bab, Afrin and their environs.

According to him, Turkey may consider the gradual transfer of these strategic zones to its allied Syrian militias.

“Call it a confederation or not, these areas should be controlled by the Syrian National Army and not by the Nusra Front to ensure the safe return of the refugees.”

Steady Progress

In a word, Russian mediation in rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara is moving slowly, but according to a Turkish source, “it is moving closer to reconciliation, because after new elections to local councils, the Syrian Ministry of Local Self-Government begins to deal with regional affairs, in accordance with plans developed within the framework of the Astana process”.

Regarding Astana, a Turkish source says: “Let the Syrians see the Kurdish and opposition areas as one if the Kurds agree to disband their factions and join the Syrian army within a certain equation; opposition factions will also agree.”

Regarding the complex geopolitics in eastern Syria, which is currently occupied by US troops and their proxies, a senior Syrian official who recently visited Saudi Arabia and Cairo proposed “Arab intervention in Syrian tribes to separate tribal members in the Al-Tanf region from US troops.” ". But, according to the official, this will depend on "progress in relations between Damascus, Riyadh, Cairo and possibly even Jordan."

A few days ago, the leader of the Nusra Front, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, sent a video message in which he loudly declares: "Where are the Muslim armies?" This is a timely message from the Syrian al-Qaeda boss, who seeks to maintain his sectarian "zone of influence" in northwestern Syria - the strategic Idlib on the Turkish-Syrian border. Julani's destructive narrative could be the last hurdle that Damascus, Ankara and Moscow need to overcome in order to reach an agreement on the ground.

https://thecradle.co/Article/Analysis/20217 - original in English

Turkey confirmed yesterday that it is ready to hold talks with Assad after the end of the meeting of the Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers in late January and early February.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8098574.html

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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Tue Jan 17, 2023 2:59 pm

Syria condemns US attacks on health sector
Syria claims that economic recovery and improvements to public service delivery have been hindered by unilateral sanctions and military occupation imposed by the US and its allies

January 17, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch

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Photo: SANA

On Monday, January 16, Syria condemned US attacks on its health sector “by imposing additional restrictions on allowing the sale of [medical] equipment, as well as on the provision of services and spare parts to a large number of Syrian public and private hospitals,” Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

Syria’s foreign and expatriate ministry said in a statement that the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security had issued fresh restrictions on the sale of medical equipment to the country’s public and private sector on Monday, despite rising global concerns about the impact of unilateral measures on the humanitarian situation in the country.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry alleged that the US claims of exempting the health sector and humanitarian aspects from sanctions had been proven false by these fresh restrictions, which target the “health care of millions of Syrians including children’s university hospitals.”

It demanded that international organizations such as the UN, WHO, and Red Cross take action to put an end to these “illegal unilateral coercive measures.” It also claimed that these “hostile measures” were designed to collectively punish the Syrian people and were a violation of international law.

After her visit to the country last year, UN Special Rapporteur on Unilateral Coercive Measures and Human Rights Alena Douhan had also pointed out that more than 90% of Syrians are forced to live below the poverty line, with around 12 million of them grappling with food insecurity primarily due to the unilateral measures adopted by the west.

More than half of Syria’s total population of over 20 million has been displaced as a result of the war, which has also caused massive destruction of the country’s civilian infrastructure and ruined the economy.

The Syrian foreign ministry also claimed, as per Al-Mayadeen, that some countries are using the pretext of fighting terrorism to continue interfering in Syria’s internal affairs as well as lend legitimacy to their occupation of its land and exploitation of its resources. A majority of Syrian oil fields are controlled by occupation forces, which, according to the Syrian government, are responsible for the looting of oil and other resources.

Syria was recently forced to introduce a four-day working week due to a shortage of energy resources. The sanctions imposed by the US and its European allies have made it difficult for Syria to import energy resources as well, Al-Mayadeen reported.

The Syrian foreign ministry also claimed that unilateral sanctions, continued occupation, and the looting of its resources “[hindered] the efforts of the Syrian government and partner international organizations at humanitarian work to improve the living conditions and provide health care for the Syrians,” as reported by SANA.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/01/17/ ... th-sector/

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90 thousand hectares cultivated with wheat crop in Hama

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17 January، 2023

Hama, SANA- The areas cultivated with the wheat crop in Hama central province have mounted to about 90 thousand hectares, from the beginning of the cultivation operations to date.

The cultivation process has been done under the supervision of Hama Agriculture Directorate and the General Authority for Forest Management and Development.

43,000 hectares of wheat were cultivated in the lands under the supervision of the directorate in Massyaf, Salamyieh, Mharda, Hamra, Hama and Suran, according to Dr. Sattam Khalil, Assistant Director of Agriculture Department.

The cultivation operations and the survey of the areas are continuing, so the final areas are expected to be larger than those currently mentioned.

Manar Salameh/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=297078

Locals in Hasakah still suffer from securing drinking water due to cutting it off by Turkish occupier

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9 January، 2023

Hasaka, SANA – Drinking water continues to be cut off from the people of the city of al-Hasakah, and the population centers as a result of the violations of the Turkish occupation and cutting off water from the people.

The population centers extend along the water pipeline that connects Alouk station, east of the city of Ras al-Ain, to the al-Hamma station, west of the city of Hasakah.

The Turkish occupier and his mercenaries from the terrorist groups have cut off drinking water from Alouk station since November 2nd 2022 to date, amid the locals’ great suffering and difficulty in securing water from other sources.

Alouk station is the main source of drinking water for about one million citizens in the city and its surroundings.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=296423

QSD militia kidnaps several young men in Deir Ezzor countryside to forcibly recruit them

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14 January، 2023

Deir Ezzor, SANA- US occupation-backed QSD militia gunmen kidnapped on Saturday a number of young men from Deir Ezzor eastern countryside to forcibly recruit them to fight among the militia’s ranks.

Local sources told SANA reporter that armed groups affiliated to the militia launched a storming campaigns in al-Basira city and al-Shahil town in Deir Ezzor eastern countryside, set up armed checkpoints in their vicinity and kidnapped a number of young men and took them at gunpoint to training camps to forcibly recruit them to fight among the militia’s ranks.

Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=296765
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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Tue Feb 07, 2023 3:30 pm

Earthquake Damage In Syria Must Lead To Sanction Relief

Earlier today two large earthquakes have caused widespread damage in south Turkey and north Syria:

Nine hours after a first earthquake of magnitude M7.8 that hits south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, February 6th 2023 at 1h17 UTC, a second M7.5 occurs (at 10h24 UTC) 100km further north. More information on the main shock (M7.8) is available here and for the 7.5 (here).

These earthquakes has been largely felt up to 2000 km from the epicenter, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, ...

At the time of the report, a lot of buildings are damaged in Turkey and Syria and more than 1200 peoples haven been killed in Turkey and Syria.


Some 10 million people live in the affected area. The current count of death is already above 2,500. Whole city blocks have 'pancaked' (vid) and were destroyed. Many dead will likely still be under the rubble.

The area is prone to earthquakes. Just days ago an expert had warned that a big one was coming:

Frank Hoogerbeets @hogrbe - 0:03 UTC · Feb 3, 2023
Sooner or later there will be a ~M 7.5 #earthquake in this region (South-Central Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon). #deprem


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Aftershock activities show that todays quakes occurred along two fault lines.

After the first big shake:

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Aftershocks of the second quake:

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These quakes are not unusual. Two parts of the earth surface are fighting there. The Arab plate is moving northward pushing the Anatolian plate to the west, southwest.

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Snow and freezing temperatures as well as extensive damage to infrastructure are hindering rescue efforts:

The biggest death toll in Turkey is in Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the quake, where 70 people are reported dead. Television footage shows emergency teams and volunteers trying to rescue people under the debris in the province under heavy snowfall.
Turkey’s southern province of Hatay, bordering war-torn Syria, stands out as one of the most impacted areas in the region. Hatay Gov. Rahmi Dogan said two state hospitals had collapsed in the province’s central town of Antakya and the seaside town of Iskenderun.

"The majority of the buildings along the coast of Iskenderun collapsed," a Hatay resident told Al-Monitor. Volkan Demirel, coach of Hatayspor and former soccer player, appealed for help in an online video. “Please help, the situation … here is really bad,” Demirel said in tears.

Vice President Fuat Oktay said that the province’s airport was closed due to heavy damage.

Orhan Mursaloglu, deputy mayor of Antakya, was among those trapped under the rubble after his apartment building collapsed. No rescue workers had reached the site as of time of publication of this article, his relatives told Al-Monitor.


Some 25 years ago I backpack traveled in the area. I had visited Sanliurfa and Gaziantep and a number of smaller towns. The standard of the buildings going up there were very mixed. Some were sturdy. But in others the concrete pillars holding the upper floors seemed extremely weak to me. They were build with very little reinforcements. In the later city I had climbed up to the imposing castle above the town. Unfortunately it no longer exists.

Liz Cookman @liz_cookman - 7:02 UTC · Feb 6, 2023
Gaziantep castle, constructed by the Romans and rebuilt extensively by the Seljuks, collapsed. #deprem #TurkeyEarthquake

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International support for the areas has started. Turkey is generally earthquake prone and has a lot of rescue stuff. It will now get more. Unfortunately Syria, which is under devastating sanctions, will get little.

This would be a good time to lift those sanctions if only for purely humanitarian reasons.

Posted by b on February 6, 2023 at 15:47 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/02/e ... .html#more

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Death Toll From Syria Earthquake Rises to 711

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Damiriya also said that four truckloads of medicines and surgical supplies were sent to the most affected regions to treat the injured. | Photo: Almayadeen

Published 6 February 2023 (11 hours 47 minutes ago)

Syrian authorities sent convoys of doctors from Damascus, Quneitra, Homs and Tartous to Aleppo and Latakia.

The Syrian Ministry of Health reported Monday that the death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake rose to 711, while 1,431 people were injured in Latakia, Aleppo, Hama and Tartous regions.

However, the deputy minister of the agency, Ahmed Damiriya, clarified that the figure is preliminary, as there are still many missing and rubble to be removed where people may be trapped.

Damiriya also said that four trucks of medicines and surgical supplies were sent to the most affected regions to treat the injured.

Likewise, the deputy's head said convoys of doctors were sent from Damascus, Quneitra, Homs and Tartous to Aleppo and Latakia.

In addition, the latter governorates received 28 ambulances and seven mobile clinics to treat the thousands of injured.

Damiriya concluded by assuring that the Ministry is attending to the situation instantly and anticipating what may happen in the coming hours.

He also stated that they continue coordinating with other regions to support the care efforts and added that public and private hospitals are on constant alert.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Dea ... -0015.html

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The death toll from the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria rises to 4,150

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Anadolu Agency reported that in Türkiye some 7,800 people have been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings. | Photo: EFE
Posted 7 February 2023 (4 hours 12 minutes ago)

In Syria, the authorities reported that three planes, two Iraqi and one Iranian, arrived in Damascus on Tuesday with supplies to deal with the emergency.

The death toll from the earthquakes that devastated the territories of Türkiye and Syria on Monday increased to 4,150, while the number of injured is close to 22,000, authorities from both nations reported separately on Tuesday.

In its most recent balance, the Türkiye Emergency and Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) indicated that the number of deaths increased to 3,381, while the number of injuries rose to 20,426, according to the local Anadolu news agency.

The Syrian Ministry of Health, for its part, announced that the number of deaths from the earthquake rose to 769, while 1,448 injuries are reported, according to a cable from the state news agency SANA.


The telluric movements registered on Monday, the first in the early hours of the morning with a magnitude of 7.8 and the second with a magnitude of 7.6, less than 10 kilometers deep, caused the collapse of some 5,700 buildings in Türkiye, added the AFAD.

The Turkish agency Anadolu pointed out that so far 7,800 people have been rescued from the rubble of the buildings that collapsed due to the powerful earthquakes, of which more than 150 aftershocks have been registered.

This Tuesday, the population of both nations suffered a new aftershock of magnitude 5.6, according to a bulletin from the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (CSEM).

The epicenter of this earthquake, which had a depth of two kilometers, was located five kilometers from the Golbasi area, near the Turkish capital, Ankara.

International aid arrives to Syria

The Syrian authorities reported that this Tuesday three planes, two Iraqi and one Iranian, arrived in Damascus with supplies for those affected by the earthquakes.

Osama Mahdi Ghanem, from the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained to the Syrian agency SANA that each of the two planes that arrived this day are loaded with some 70 tons of food, medical materials and other implements.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense indicated, for its part, that the blood banks have all the blood groups to attend to emergencies in the areas affected by the earthquakes.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/aumenta- ... -0002.html

Google Translator

**************

Earthquakes kill some 5,000 in Turkiye, Syria
Xinhua | Updated: 2023-02-07 20:25

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A rescuer stands amidst rubble and damages following an earthquake in Gaziantep, Turkiye, Feb 7, 2023. [Photo/Agencies]

ANKARA/DAMASCUS - Around 5,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured as of Tuesday noon after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Turkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

In Turkiye, the death toll has risen to 3,419, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said, adding that at least 20,534 people were injured. The devastating earthquakes destroyed 5,775 buildings, the country's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning for the victims.

In neighboring Syria, more than 1,500 people died, and some 3,500 were injured in Syria, according to the Syrian health ministry and local authorities.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 am local time (0117 GMT) Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 pm local time (1024 GMT) Monday in the Kahramanmaras Province.

Many countries and global aid agencies are offering relief supplies to quake-hit regions.

"This is a moment when we must come together in solidarity, as one humanity, to save lives and alleviate the suffering of people who have already suffered so much," the World Health Organization tweeted Tuesday.

Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, said Tuesday that the country will provide the first batch of emergency aid worth 40 million yuan (about 5.89 million US dollars) to Turkiye. He added that China is coordinating efforts to provide relief supplies to Syria and speeding up the implementation of the ongoing food aid program.

Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Russia, France and other countries worldwide have also expressed their readiness to help Turkiye and Syria.

More than 100 Russian rescuers have arrived in Turkiye to assist in the aftermath of the deadly earthquakes, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Tuesday.

According to the French Foreign Ministry, France is sending emergency services personnel, who will be on their way within hours, in response to the Turkish request for international assistance.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/ ... ad739.html

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BALANCE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN TÜRKIYE AND SYRIA
Feb 6, 2023 , 2:05 p.m.

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The earthquake on Monday, February 6, caused great damage to the historical infrastructure of Türkiye and Syria (Photo: AP Photo)[/img]

This Monday, February 6, at dawn, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 was registered in the southeast of Turkey and the northwest of Syria that has caused, so far, some 2,400 deaths in both countries and a large number of injuries.

Below is the balance of this catastrophic event considered by the president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as "the worst disaster that the country has experienced in the last century, after the 1939 earthquake in Erzincan", which left 30,000 dead. .

*The earthquake occurred at 4:17 am local Türkiye time. It had a depth of 24.1 km and the epicenter was in the province of Gaziantep.
*A moment later, a new 7.5 magnitude tremor struck Turkey's Kahramanmaras province. The authorities said that this quake, recorded around 1:30 p.m. local time (10:30 GMT), "was not an aftershock."
*They report that the earthquake was also felt in Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq, among others.
*Rescue efforts were intensified to find as many people as possible under the rubble alive.
*The quake left extensive areas devastated, where it is feared that dozens of people are trapped under the rubble.
*More than 3,200 buildings in both countries collapsed.
*7,400 injuries are reported and the number of deaths and injuries is expected to rise as the rescue efforts progress.
*Syria decreed the closure of all its schools; For its part, Türkiye closed schools in the affected provinces.
*The architectural heritage of both countries was severely affected. Several historic mosques and castles collapsed.

At least three Turkish cities, Maras, Antakya, Antep (the country's sixth largest city) are in rubble. This is a major major tectonic tremor that was felt in at least six countries, shook an area the size of Germany, and impacted more than 10 million people in Türkiye alone.

SUPPORT AND SHOW OF SOLIDARITY
*President Nicolás Maduro expresses his solidarity with Türkiye and Syria and offered help to those affected.
*NATO expresses solidarity and is mobilizing support for Türkiye after devastating earthquake.
*Finland expresses condolences to Türkiye and Syria for the earthquake.
*Pope Francis calls for "strength and perseverance" in earthquake rescue efforts.
*Spain will send urban search and rescue teams.
*Joe Biden regrets what happened: "I have ordered my team to provide all the necessary assistance."

https://misionverdad.com/balance-de-las ... ye-y-siria

Google Translator

*************

Commissioned by President al-Assad… Defense Minister tours sites damaged by devastating earthquake in Aleppo

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7 February، 2023

Aleppo, SANA- Tasked by President Bashar al-Assad, the Minister of Defense, General Ali Mahmoud Abbas, toured a number of sites damaged by the devastating earthquake that hit the city of Alep

General Abbas was briefed on the rescue work and the removal of rubble in a number of the city’s neighborhoods, which are carried out with the participation of all governmental and private agencies in the governorate along with the Syrian Arab Army units.

Image

Abbas listened to many people whose homes were damaged, and instructed those concerned to continue responding to the emergency situation, in coordination with the compotent authorities, local communities and field teams to assess damages and meet citizens’ needs, as an implementation of President Bashar al-Assad’s directives.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299439

Number of earthquake victims in Hama amounts to 49 deaths and 67injuries
7 February، 2023

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Hama, SANA- The number of earthquake victims in Hama province has amounted to 49 deaths and 67 injuries.

Head of Hama Health Directorate, Dr. Jihad Aboura, said in a statement to SANA reporter that Hama National Hospital received 41 deaths and 30 injuries from the city center and nearby villages.

He added that al-Suqaylabiyah National Hospital in al-Ghab region has received 8 deaths and 37 injuries, noting that there are 6 injuries that were rushed to private hospitals, but they are minor, and most of them were discharged.

Dr. Aboura said that public hospitals, independent bodies and health regions are still on high alert to receive all the injured and provide them with the necessary first aid services.

It is noteworthy that the largest number of earthquake victims in Hama resulted from the collapse of an 8-storey residential building in al-Arbain neighborhood that was inhabited by more than 100 people.

Rescue teams and emergency crews are still removing the rubble of the building that was collapsed by the earthquake and are working to pick up the victims and those trapped under it, in search of survivors.

Nisreen Othman/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299385

UAE plane loading relief aid arrives at Damascus International Airport

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7 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- An Emirati plane loaded with Humanitarian aid for those affected by the earthquake that hit the country has already arrived in Damascus.

Image

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More to follow…..

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299433

First batch of medical relief by Saudi German Hospital Dubai delivered to Syria

7 February، 2023

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Damascus, SANA- The Syrian Trust for Development stated Tuesday the arrival of the first batch of relief and medical assistance dispatched by Saudi German Hospital Dubai.

The Trust declared on its Facebook account that its teams will directly deliver the first batch of medical assistance- including medicines and first-aid kits- to the national hospital in Jableh to help in the rescue operations.

The Trust extended its thanks and appreciation to all of whom contributed to providing assistance inside or outside the country since the launching of the national donation campaign for the victims of the earthquake, affirming that all the concerned parties –public and private ,along with Civil Defense rescue teams have been working around the clock since the start of humanitarian response operations.

Kinda ALMahmoud/ Baraa Ali

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299426
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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Wed Feb 08, 2023 2:04 pm

Quake death toll exceeds 11,000 in Turkiye, Syria

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People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on Feb 7, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday during his visit to the worst-hit region after a massive earthquake that the death toll in his country has surged to 8,574, bringing the total fatalities with neighboring Syria to over 11,000.

According to local authorities and rescuers, more than 45,000 people in the two countries have been injured due to the quake on Monday.


16:30 2023-02-08
Chinese civilian efforts intensify to help earthquake rescue in Turkiye

NANJING -- A 50-member Chinese civilian rescue team arrived in Turkiye on Wednesday to help rescue efforts following devastating earthquakes, with follow-up rescue forces on the move.

The first batch of the Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) team, a professional non-profit search-and-rescue organization, brought rescue dogs, rescue equipment and other necessary resources to support their work. Many of them have international rescue experience.

"Our normal work period is 12 to 15 days, but the actual time will be determined by the specific situation. We will try our best to search and rescue survivors," said Zhang Yupu, a BSR member from East China's Jiangsu province, who once participated in the Wenchuan earthquake relief in 2008.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/spe ... c47ebad4c6

Calls mount to lift US sanctions on Syria
Xinhua | Updated: 2023-02-08 15:42

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People search for survivors among the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in the town of Demsarkho of Latakia province, northwestern Syria, on Feb 7, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

As the rescue effort was underway in quake-hit regions, the Syrian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the US sanctions for blocking the humanitarian work and rescue operations in the war-torn country.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Syrians, while dealing with the earthquake catastrophe, are digging among rubbles with their own hands or using the simplest tools as the equipment for removing the rubbles is banned by the US sanctions.

It also said that the Syrians are also denied access to medicines and medical equipment that would help them face dangers and diseases.

Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) President Khaled Hboubati on Tuesday called for lifting the US and Western sanctions on Syria to facilitate relief efforts as the country is in dire need of rescue equipment.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, the Syrian capital, Hboubati stressed that the SARC needs equipment, ambulances and heavy machinery, but "the main obstacle is the sanctions imposed on Syria, which we demand to be lifted immediately."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on different countries to pressure the US to lift the sanctions on Syria.

The ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday, parts of which were released on Tuesday.

He urged other countries to force the US to lift the siege of the Arab state so that international humanitarian aid can be delivered to the quake-stricken people without any obstacle and at the shortest time.

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202302/ ... adaad.html

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Venezuela Sends Rescue Workers and Aid to Turkey and Syria
February 8, 2023

A Venezuelan state aircraft is set to depart to Turkey and Syria tonight from Simón Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetía with rescue workers and humanitarian supplies.

On the instruction of President Nicolas Maduro, the Bolivarian government has deployed the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force to support victims affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday.

Speaking to VTV Canal 8, Foreign Minister Iván Gil said Venezuela was struck by the images of suffering, collapsed buildings and the news of thousands of deaths and thousands more missing.

“Yes, we must remember, especially in the case of the Syrian people, a country subjected to coercive, unilateral measures, so we use this moment to ask the international community to raise its voice so that sanctions are immediately lifted. Just as Venezuela has them, as the Syrian Arab Republic has them at this moment, they should be lifted because it is the only way we are going to find to optimize the recovery,” said Foreign Minister Gil.

“We wish both the people of Turkey and the people of Syria. Well, a speedy recovery that we find as many lives as possible. That is why we are sending today this group of experts from our, from our government or from our Armed Forces, from our defense, from our civil protection to assist in the rescue and recovery work in this area of two countries.”

Vice President for Citizen Security and Peace, Admiral in Chief Remigio Ceballos provided additional details from the runway:

“The Venezuelan people are sending their solidarity in compliance with the precise instructions of our President Nicolás Maduro Moros. We have prepared, enlisted and arranged for more than 50 professionals, technicians, doctors, specialists in disaster relief, identification of persons, search for persons also with all their equipment, technical and as well as the first tons of food and medicines that are leaving for Syria and Turkey.”

“Over and above the blockades, the Bolivarian government of the Bolivarian Revolution continues working to provide calm, tranquility, peace and collaborating to save lives,” said Ceballos.

https://kawsachunnews.com/venezuela-sen ... -and-syria

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Venezuela sends 52 brigade members and helps Türkiye and Syria

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The first stop will be in Syria, where part of the food and medicine they carry will be delivered to support the people. | Photo: Madelein Garcia
Posted 8 February 2023 (4 hours 23 minutes ago)

The plane of the Venezuelan airline Conviasa also transports 22 tons of humanitarian aid destined for the two affected countries.

The Government of Venezuela announced that a brigade made up of 52 specialists left this Wednesday for Türkiye and Syria to collaborate in rescue and salvage actions in the areas affected by the earthquakes registered last Monday.

The brigade members, belonging to Civil Protection, Firefighters and the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force, left in the early hours of this Wednesday from the Maiquetía International Airport in the state of La Guaira.

The plane of the local airline Conviasa in which the Venezuelan specialists boarded, plus six rescue dogs, also transports 22 tons of humanitarian aid destined for the two affected countries.


The correspondent for teleSUR in Venezuela, Madelein García, reported that the first stop will be in Syria, where part of the food and medicine they carry to support the people will be delivered and the firefighters will stay in that country.

The plane will continue to the devastated area in Türkiye, where the other part of the humanitarian assistance will be delivered and the rest of the Civil Protection team will work.


The Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, who was present at the air terminal, ratified on behalf of the Government of President Nicolás Maduro his solidarity with the peoples of Türkiye and Syria.

He stressed that it is time for the international community to raise its voice to demand that the sanctions against Syria be lifted "so that it can receive the resources it needs."

Türkiye and Syria were shaken last Monday by two earthquakes, the first of magnitude 7.8 and the second of magnitude 7.5, with a balance of more than 7,000 dead and more than 30,000 injured, as well as thousands of homes destroyed.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/venezuel ... -0001.html

Google Translator

**********

Sanctions imposed by US and allies hamper relief and rescue work in earthquake-devastated Syria
Over 5,000 people have been reported dead so far and thousands more injured in Turkey and Syria in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday

February 07, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch

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The Syrian Arab Red Crescent demanded Western countries to lift sanctions on Syria to help with rescue and relief work, February 7, 2023. (Photo: SANA)

The head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Khaled Hboubati, demanded on Tuesday, February 7, that Western countries, specifically the US and its allies, lift their siege and sanctions on Syria so that rescue and relief work can proceed unimpeded, after the country was devastated by a powerful earthquake on Monday.

“We need heavy equipment, ambulances and fire fighting vehicles to continue to rescue and remove the rubble, and this entails lifting sanctions on Syria as soon as possible,” Hboubati said at a press conference on Tuesday, as reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

A powerful earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.8 struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. Over 5,000 people have been reported dead so far. In Syria alone the death toll was 1,602 on Monday. These numbers are only expected to rise as a large number of people are suspected to be still buried under the debris of houses that collapsed in the earthquake and its aftershocks.

Kahramanmaraş, a city in Turkey, was reported to be the epicenter of the earthquake, and the nearby city of Gaziantep—home to millions of Syrian refugees—was reportedly hit the hardest. Relief and rescue operations in Turkey have been affected by bad weather as several of the affected areas have received heavy rain and snowfall on Monday and Tuesday.

Syria’s northern provinces such as Idlib, Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo have also been badly affected by the earthquake. Some of the affected areas in Idlib and Aleppo are under rebel control and densely populated by refugees from other parts of the country.

Though several countries including the US and its allies have extended their support to Turkey in its relief and rescue work, they have refused to extend similar assistance to Syria. The US State Department made it clear on Monday that it was only willing to support some work carried out in Syria by NGOs, but that it would have no dealings with the Bashar al-Assad government. “It would be quite ironic—if not even counterproductive—for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

On Monday, the Syrian government had issued an appeal to the international community asking for help. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad is quoted in Al-Mayadeen as having said that his government was willing “to provide all the required facilities to international organizations so they can give Syrians humanitarian aid.”

Sanctions hamper relief and rescue work
Claiming that “Current US sanctions severely restrict aid assistance to millions of Syrians,” the American Arab anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) asked the US government on Monday to lift its sanctions. While it said that the NGOs working on the ground were doing a commendable job, it also said that the “lifting of the sanctions will open the doors for additional and supplemental aid that will provide immediate relief to those in need.”

The US Congress had adopted the so-called Caesar Act in 2020, according to which any group or company doing business with the Syrian government faces sanctions. The act extends the scope of the previously existing sanctions on Syria, imposed by the US and its European allies since the beginning of the war in the country in 2011.

The impact of sanctions on Syria’s health and other social sectors and its overall economic recovery have been criticized by the UN on several occasions in the past. The UN has also demanded that all unilateral punitive measures against Syria be lifted.

Meanwhile, countries such as China, Iran, Russia, Cuba, Algeria, and the UAE, among others, have expressed their willingness to provide necessary support to Syria, and have sent relief materials already.

Al-Mayadeen has however reported that the delivery of international aid, as well as the speed of relief and rescue work in Syria, continue to be impeded as the Damascus international airport is not fully operational at the moment. The airport was hit by an Israeli missile on January 2 and repair work is not yet complete.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/07/ ... ted-syria/

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Health Minister: Death toll from devastating earthquake has risen to 1,262

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8 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- The number of earthquake victims has risen to 1,262 deaths and 2,285 injuries, in an indefinite toll, Health Minister, Dr. Hasan al-Ghobash has announced.

Dr. Al-Ghobash affirmed in a statement to SANA reporter that the emergency and medical teams have been working to their fullest capacity, for more than 55 hours, to reach all the victims and pull them out from under the rubble, and transfer the injured to hospitals to provide treatment as quickly as possible.

He added that even today rescue teams can pull out the people who are alive from under the rubble.

Dr. al-Ghobash indicated that around the clock, trucks loaded with medicines and surgical and emergency supplies are being sent to Aleppo, Lattakia and Hama, in addition to sending medical convoys from various provinces.

He added that coordination is taking place with all the authorities concerned, including the health unions, which have placed themselves from the first moments at the disposal of the Ministry of Health, in addition to the continuous alert of health cadres in all provinces.

Bushra / Nisreen /Ruaa al-Jazaeri

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299574

Mikdad: US sanctions prevent anything from reaching Syria

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8 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Dr. Fayssal Mikdad stressed that the disaster of the earthquake that hit Syria on Monday is “great” and what has increased its depth is the difficult circumstances that the country has been passing through for 12 years and the fight against terrorism and its supporters.

In an interview with al-Mayadeen TV channel on Tuesday , Mikdad added that the US sanctions prevented everything from Syria despite that the humanitarian aid are not subjected to sanctions according to international laws.

“From the first moments of the devastating earthquake, the Syrian State has mobilized all its potentials, as President Bashar al-Assad chaired an emergency meeting of the Cabinet, during which a national emergency plan was adopted, led by a 24-hour central operations room,” Mikdad said.

The Foreign Minster added that the Foreign Ministry called upon the UN member states, the General Secretariat of the UN, its relevant agencies and funds, and also the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian, governmental and non-governmental organizations, to lend a helping hand and support Syria’s efforts to deal with the humanitarian disaster, noting that “many fraternal and friendly countries responded to the call, as planes carrying humanitarian aid soon arrived at Damascus, Aleppo and Lattakia international airports and then to the affected areas.

“The sanctions imposed by the United States and Western countries on Syria exacerbated the disaster,” Mikdad pointed out, calling upon all peoples and countries of the world to provide the assistance required to the Syrian people to face this humanitarian catastrophe.

Mikdad stressed that the UN Security Council’s resolutions are crystal-clear as the humanitarian aid don’t subject to any sanctions and all aid in facing such catastrophes are allowed.

Mikdad also stressed that the Americans claim that they did not impose sanctions on humanitarian aid, but in reality their sanctions do not allow anything from reaching Syria, including preventing the purchase of medicines, as well as Washington and its western allies give orders to some countries and threaten them to impose sanctions on them if they negotiate with Syria or if any bank deals with Syria.

Mikdad thanked the countries and organizations that provided aid and expressed their solidarity with Syria and its people in these difficult and disastrous circumstances.
Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299488
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:20 pm

West’s Selective Humanitarianism: Syria Earthquake Falls on Deaf Ears
FEBRUARY 8, 2023

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Collage of scenes of destruction in Syria following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, with Trump's face superimposed, referring to the Western sanctions that are hindering the dispatch of aid to Syria. Photo composition: Al Mayadeen.

The devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria and the suffering of the two nations that are still struggling to search the survivors as the death toll is rising by the hour shocked the whole world.

In these defining moments and amid this humanitarian catastrophe, it was expected that all political rifts and rivalries would be pushed aside for a short while at least, mainly because the destructive event has directly affected civilians.

The international community, along with its organizations and institutions, should have declared a moment of “silence” to help facilitate access to basic needs and supplies to all countries impacted by this event in order to assist them to respond to their citizens’ dire need of help.

However, this has not been the case.

Following the earthquakes, several Western countries mobilized rapidly to send aid and rescue workers to Turkey but decided to exclude Syria and neglect it, and only offer condolences and merely express readiness to support the affected Syrians, with nothing done on the ground, in a clear act of hypocrisy and double standards.

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Flight tracker shows that there is no European aid aircraft over the Syrian airspace, while all aid and rescue teams are heading to Turkey for assistance.

US President Joe Biden on Monday said he was “deeply saddened” and promised his country’s assistance after a major 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 2,300 people.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria,” Biden tweeted. “I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkey and provide any and all needed assistance.”

“Our teams are deploying quickly to begin to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and address the needs of those injured and displaced by the earthquake,” he said in a statement released by the White House.

The statement said Biden had called on US officials to reach out to their Turkish counterparts to coordinate assistance.

With regard to Syria, Biden hinted at what he called US-supported “humanitarian groups” responding to the destruction in Syria, possibly in reference to NGOs operating in areas outside the control of the Syrian state, which perhaps excludes the rest of the country from any such aid, knowing that some of these organization are infamous for staging false flag attacks to implicate the Syrian government in crimes it did not commit.

What is feared the most is that other Western countries are most likely to follow in the US’ footsteps of depriving Syria of much-needed aid.

Selective humanitarianism

The following countries and blocs ignored Syria’s appeal for international aid to help face the devastating earthquake, leaving thousands of Syrians alone to face their fate:

European Union offers Syria “preconditioned” help:

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and EU crisis management commissioner Janez Lenarcic said the European Union has mobilized 10 search and rescue teams for Turkey after Ankara requested EU assistance, claiming that the bloc was ready to support those affected in Syria too, if asked, despite knowing that Syria did call on the international community for help.

EU humanitarian aid Spokesperson Balazs Ujvari claimed the bloc is ready to assist Syria’s quake relief efforts if needed.

“When we are talking about the civil protection mechanism, we are able to provide this help because Turkey has come to us for assistance,” Ujvari told reporters in Brussels. “Turkey has activated the mechanism for now. We don’t have such a request from the Syrian side. However, if this occurs, we will do our utmost to mobilize assistance in that direction as well.”

Germany to help a NATO ally:
Germany will “mobilize all the assistance we can activate,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

Faeser said Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief is coordinating closely with the Turkish civil defense and “can set up camps to provide shelter as well as water treatment units.”

Hinting only at Turkey, she said the country activated the EU civil protection procedure and requested salvage and rescue teams, adding that Berlin is coordinating closely and will help with any means at its disposal that are most needed now.

Greece:
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, prime minister of Turkey’s historic rival Greece, whose relations with Ankara have suffered from a spate of border and cultural disputes, pledged to make “every force available” to aid its neighbor.

On Monday, February 6, Mitsotakis telephoned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to offer “immediate assistance” after the deadly earthquake, his office reported.

Erdogan “thanked” Mitsotakis for the support and the immediate dispatch of rescuers and supplies on board a C-130 military plane, the Greek prime minister’s office added.

Syria was not mentioned in the Greek minister’s vow of help.

NATO:
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg voiced “full solidarity” with ally Turkey, saying he was in touch with Turkey’s top leadership and “NATO allies are mobilizing support now,” completely leaving Syria out.

Poland:
Polish firefighters flew from Warsaw to the Turkish city of Gaziantep. “Our team will be working non-stop, 24 hours a day, in two locations,” said Andrzej Bartkowiak, chief commandant of the state fire service.

Unlike Gaziantep, Hama, Aleppo, and Lattakia are Syrian cities that are not meant to be helped despite the devastating destruction.

Britain:
British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said the UK was sending Turkey a team of 76 search and rescue specialists, equipment, and rescue dogs. Britain was also sending an emergency medical team to assess the situation on the ground. Cleverly, the UK FM left Syria out, just like other Western allies.

Japan:
The government of Japan, a country that frequently suffers earthquakes, is dispatching the Japan Disaster Relief Rescue Team to Turkey.

Qatar:
Qatar announced that it would send 120 rescue workers to Turkey, alongside “a field hospital, relief aid, tents, and winter supplies.”

Those that expressed solidarity, did not mention a side
Meanwhile, the UN, Ukraine, and Canada have so far expressed readiness to provide assistance but have not sent humanitarian aid to Syria.

United Nations:
The UN General Assembly observed a minute of silence in tribute to the victims of the earthquakes.

“Our teams are on the ground assessing the needs and providing assistance. We count on the international community to help the thousands of families hit by this disaster, many of whom were already in dire need of humanitarian aid in areas where access is a challenge,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Ukraine:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was “ready to provide the necessary assistance to overcome the consequences of the disaster.”

Canada:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones. Canada stands ready to provide assistance.”

Syrian government
The Syrian government urged the international community to come to its aid after thousands died in the country following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey.

“Syria appeals to member states of the United Nations… the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian groups to support efforts to face the devastating earthquake,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad said the Syrian government was ready “to provide all the required facilities to international organizations so they can give Syrians humanitarian aid,” after meeting with UN representatives and aid groups.

This comes as the death toll from the earthquake that struck areas in Syria has risen, with more than 1,400 people killed and over 2,400 injured.

Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the death toll in Aleppo governorate has reached 161 with 512 injuries, and 18 centers were opened to shelter those affected by the earthquake in the governorate.

In Hama, at least four buildings collapsed, and the death toll reached 37, with a total of 80 injured, and four shelters were opened for the public.

In Lattakia, the number of collapsed buildings reached 75 and the death toll rose to 232 victims. The province also recorded the highest rate of injuries, close to 700. At least 12 shelters were opened in the area.

Due to the war that weakened the infrastructure in Syria, the draconian Western sanctions imposed on the country, the US occupation of a third of the Syrian territory, as well as the looting of billions of dollars of its resources, Syria is unable to fully respond to the tragic catastrophe. As a result, the number of victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake is rising.

It is noteworthy that in 2020, then-US President Donald Trump signed into law the so-called Caesar Act, under which the US Congress authorized severe economic sanctions against Syria. In accordance with the sanctions, anyone doing business with the Syrian authorities is potentially exposed to travel restrictions and financial sanctions.

The US claims that “the Caesar Act and other US Syria sanctions do not target humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people” and that Washington will continue sending its so-called humanitarian assistance to Syrians. However, this was not the case following the devastating earthquake that struck Syria, and the country was not mentioned anywhere in Biden’s remarks.

To add salt to the wound, Damascus International Airport is still undergoing repairs and maintenance following the most recent Israeli airstrike on the facility on January 2. The airport has been the target of repeated Israeli occupation assaults and airstrikes that put it out of service. This fact cannot be ignored as any humanitarian aid to land in the country will definitely be hindered.

Nevertheless, the following countries have responded to Syria’s urgent request for humanitarian aid:

Lebanon:
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates offered its deepest condolences to the government and people of Syria and to the families of the victims, expressing Lebanon’s readiness to extend a helping hand to Syria in facing the repercussions of the earthquake.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also informed his Syrian counterpart Hussein Arnous of placing Lebanon’s logistical capabilities at the service of the ongoing relief efforts in Syria.

Algeria:
The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its sincere condolences to the Syrian government and people and to the families of the victims.

In a statement, the Ministry stated that Algeria affirms its full solidarity and expresses its aspiration to overcome this ordeal with much determination and steadfastness.

Algerian aid flights have already started landing in Syria.

China:
China expressed its readiness to send urgent humanitarian assistance to Syria to face the effects of the earthquake.

“Beijing is ready to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to Syria according to the needs,” Xinhua news agency quoted a spokesman for the China International Development Cooperation Agency, Xu Wei, as saying.

The country is dispatching aid and rescue teams to Syria. Its government has also called upon the US to end the illegal sanctions on Syria to help it during these difficult times.

Iran:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi affirmed that Iran is ready to provide “immediate relief aid” to Syria and Turkey, offering condolences on the “heartbreaking incident.”

Al Mayadeen correspondent in Damascus reported that an Iranian aid plane has already arrived at the Damascus International Airport.

Russia:
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to send Russian teams to Syria and Turkey in telephone calls with his Syrian and Turkish counterparts.

“In the next few hours, rescuers from the Russian emergency ministry will take off for Syria,” the Kremlin announced. The Russian Defense Ministry also noted that 300 military personnel deployed in Syria were helping with the rescue effort.

Russian aid flights have already reached Syria.

Cuba:
On Twitter, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel expressed his condolences to the people and government of Syria “as well as our solidarity and readiness to cooperate in providing assistance to those affected.”

India:
India’s Foreign Ministry said two of India’s National Disaster Response Force teams comprising 100 personnel with dog squads and equipment were ready to be flown to the affected area. Doctors and paramedics with medicines were also being readied.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “anguished” and “deeply pained” by the deaths in Turkey and Syria.

An Indian aid flight landed in Damascus International Airport already.

UAE:
Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan offered “assistance” in telephone calls with his Syrian and Turkish counterparts, the official WAM news agency reported.

The Emirati Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum “directed urgent humanitarian aid to those affected in Syria,” the official news agency WAM reported, pledging humanitarian assistance worth around $13.6 million to Syria.

Occupied Golan expresses solidarity
The citizens of the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan have expressed their sympathy for the people of their homeland, Syria.

“Our people are together with the homeland, with hearts that believe in God’s will and destiny,” an organization of the Syrians of Golan announced in a statement. “We share the painful affliction of our dear homeland, Syria, following the earthquake that hit the country’s provinces, and its results were catastrophic on the humanitarian and economic levels. We request God to take the victims in His eternal glory and to heal the injured.”

https://orinocotribune.com/wests-select ... deaf-ears/

Syria: Illegal Sanctions Exacerbate Suffering of Those Affected by Earthquakes
FEBRUARY 8, 2023

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A man carries an earthquake victim in Besnia, a village near the Turkish border, Idlib province, Syria. Photo: AP/Ghaith Alsayed.

On Monday, February 6, Syria condemned the negative impact of illegal sanctions against the country, which increase the suffering of those affected by the recent earthquake. “The impacts of unilateral sanctions increase the suffering,” said Syrian Minister for Foreign Affairs Faisal al-Miqdad, quoted by the official Syrian news agency SANA. The earthquake has killed more than one thousand people in Syria.

Speaking at a meeting with representatives of organizations and offices of the United Nations (UN) and non-governmental entities in Damascus, the minister addressed the measures taken by the government and the directives of President Bashar al-Assad to deal with the impact of the earthquake that shook northern Syria at dawn on Monday.

The Syrian foreign minister emphasized the readiness of the Syrian state to pave the way for international organizations to provide humanitarian aid to the affected Syrian citizens.

Syrians have been affected by several years of bloody civil war promoted by the United States, Europe and Türkiye in an attempt to oust President Bashar al-Assad, igniting extremist militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS. They have also suffered years of incessant and illegal US and European sanctions. The earthquake happened in the peak of winter, with low temperatures reaching below freezing, making the situation even more dire.

The representatives of international organizations have expressed their deep condolences to the victims’ families and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. They expressed their willingness to provide basic necessities to the affected people.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook several border provinces of Türkiye and Syria early Monday morning, leaving thousands of people dead and injured. It also collapsed several thousand residential buildings, roads and infrastructure.

The earthquake was felt throughout Syria, causing panic among residents who abandoned their buildings and went to the streets and squares.

https://orinocotribune.com/syria-illega ... rthquakes/

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Sanctions imposed by US and allies hamper relief and rescue work in earthquake-devastated Syria

Over 5,000 people have been reported dead so far and thousands more injured in Turkey and Syria in a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday

February 07, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch

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The Syrian Arab Red Crescent demanded Western countries to lift sanctions on Syria to help with rescue and relief work, February 7, 2023. (Photo: SANA)

The head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Khaled Hboubati, demanded on Tuesday, February 7, that Western countries, specifically the US and its allies, lift their siege and sanctions on Syria so that rescue and relief work can proceed unimpeded, after the country was devastated by a powerful earthquake on Monday.

“We need heavy equipment, ambulances and fire fighting vehicles to continue to rescue and remove the rubble, and this entails lifting sanctions on Syria as soon as possible,” Hboubati said at a press conference on Tuesday, as reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

A powerful earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.8 struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. Over 5,000 people have been reported dead so far. In Syria alone the death toll was 1,602 on Monday. These numbers are only expected to rise as a large number of people are suspected to be still buried under the debris of houses that collapsed in the earthquake and its aftershocks.

Kahramanmaraş, a city in Turkey, was reported to be the epicenter of the earthquake, and the nearby city of Gaziantep—home to millions of Syrian refugees—was reportedly hit the hardest. Relief and rescue operations in Turkey have been affected by bad weather as several of the affected areas have received heavy rain and snowfall on Monday and Tuesday.

Syria’s northern provinces such as Idlib, Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo have also been badly affected by the earthquake. Some of the affected areas in Idlib and Aleppo are under rebel control and densely populated by refugees from other parts of the country.

Though several countries including the US and its allies have extended their support to Turkey in its relief and rescue work, they have refused to extend similar assistance to Syria. The US State Department made it clear on Monday that it was only willing to support some work carried out in Syria by NGOs, but that it would have no dealings with the Bashar al-Assad government. “It would be quite ironic—if not even counterproductive—for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

On Monday, the Syrian government had issued an appeal to the international community asking for help. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad is quoted in Al-Mayadeen as having said that his government was willing “to provide all the required facilities to international organizations so they can give Syrians humanitarian aid.”

Sanctions hamper relief and rescue work
Claiming that “Current US sanctions severely restrict aid assistance to millions of Syrians,” the American Arab anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) asked the US government on Monday to lift its sanctions. While it said that the NGOs working on the ground were doing a commendable job, it also said that the “lifting of the sanctions will open the doors for additional and supplemental aid that will provide immediate relief to those in need.”

The US Congress had adopted the so-called Caesar Act in 2020, according to which any group or company doing business with the Syrian government faces sanctions. The act extends the scope of the previously existing sanctions on Syria, imposed by the US and its European allies since the beginning of the war in the country in 2011.

The impact of sanctions on Syria’s health and other social sectors and its overall economic recovery have been criticized by the UN on several occasions in the past. The UN has also demanded that all unilateral punitive measures against Syria be lifted.

Meanwhile, countries such as China, Iran, Russia, Cuba, Algeria, and the UAE, among others, have expressed their willingness to provide necessary support to Syria, and have sent relief materials already.

Al-Mayadeen has however reported that the delivery of international aid, as well as the speed of relief and rescue work in Syria, continue to be impeded as the Damascus international airport is not fully operational at the moment. The airport was hit by an Israeli missile on January 2 and repair work is not yet complete.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/07/ ... ted-syria/

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Syria Calls on Intl. Community To Help in Quake’s Aftermath

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The total number of deaths from the earthquakes has so far exceeded 11 000 in Türkiye and Syria. Feb. 8, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/@VanessaBeeley

Published 8 February 2023

According to authorities, the death toll in Syria stands at 2 662, with another 4 985 injured.


On Wednesday, Syrian Health Minister Hasan Muhammad al-Ghabash called on the international community to support the country following last Monday's devastating earthquakes.

"My message here is from the site of the event to all the countries of the world to provide whatever can be provided in terms of equipment and aid to Syria," al-Ghabash said from Aleppo.

According to state news agency SANA, the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Tartus and Hama, in the country's west and northwest, were the hardest hit.

The Minister extended his gratitude to "all those who contributed to helping those affected by the earthquake" and also said he hopes "this flow will continue and [will] not be momentary."


"People are traumatized, aid is too little to meet their needs and the situation is really painful," Sara, a Syrian journalist, told the Press TV website, calling for more rescuers and support, as "it's freezing cold here, and I can't imagine how people will survive under the rubble without food and water for days."

The Syrian Health Minister denounced that U.S. sanctions are worsening the current situation in the Middle Eastern country. Under the sanctions, the delivery of aid is hindered. "We call on all organizations to intervene immediately to provide all necessary medical aid," the Minister said.

26-year-old medicine student Ghofran, from the Syrian port city of Latakia, told the website, "People are traumatized and the U.S. sanctions are only making things worse." People are "watching their loved ones die for lack of aid and equipment."


On Monday, two strong earthquakes measuring 7.8 and 7.6 on the Richter scale shook southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria. Several strong aftershocks followed with devastating consequences.

According to authorities in Syria, the death toll is 2 662, with another 4 985 injured. In Türkiye, meanwhile, the death toll stands at 9 057, with a further 52 979 wounded.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Syr ... -0015.html

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Four Emirati, Iranian and Omani planes loaded with aid arrive at Damascus Int’l Airport

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9 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- Four Emirati, Iranian and Omani planes, loaded with humanitarian aid for the earthquake affected victims, arrived at Damascus International Airport on Thursday.

“The Iranian plane was carrying 45 tons of aid, which includes blankets, tents, and foodstuffs needed by the people of the areas affected by the earthquake,” Iranian Ambassador in Damascus, Mahdi Sobhani said.

Ambassador Sobhani added that this is the fifth batch of relief aid provided by Iran to the Syrian people.
He noted that a sixth aid plane will arrive at Lattakia airport on Thursday, and a seventh loaded with medical aid will arrive at Damascus airport later.

Sobhani stressed that the relations between Iran and Syria are deep-rooted in all fields, and that his country will continue to support the Syrian people to overcome their suffering in these difficult days.

The Ambassador added that those who claim to defend human rights must prove their credibility and rush to support the Syrian people, as there is no time today to politicize matters.

In turn, Ambassador of Sultanate of Oman in Damascus Turki bin Mahmoud al-Busaidi said that under the directive of Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, an air bridge was operated to deliver aid to Syria.

Al-Busaidi noted that the plane is among five planes that will arrive successively until Sunday, and a plane for Cham Wings Company will carry relief materials on Friday as provided by the civil society in Oman to Syria.

The Omani ambassador stressed his country’s permanent support for Syria with all capabilities to overcome the catastrophe caused by the earthquake.

He pointed out that the humanitarian duty obliges all countries to provide assistance away from any politicization.

Regarding the two Emirati aid planes, Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment Mu’ataz Douaji said that one of them carries 84 tons and the second 27 tons of aid, which includes blankets, tents and foodstuffs.

Douaji stated that the number of Emirati planes loaded with aid has reached seven within the framework of the open air bridge established by the UAE to assist those affected by the earthquake.

Nisreen Othman/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299719

People’s Assembly calls for lifting Western blockade imposed on Syria

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9 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- People’s Assembly called on the international community to immediately and urgently lift the unjust siege and unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Syrian people, and to provide a hand to limit the effects of the devastating earthquake that hit the country.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Assembly called on all UN member states and all regional and international federations and parliamentary bodies and international and regional organisations concerned with human rights to assume their moral and humanitarian responsibilities and adhere to the charters and principles of the UN and the Human Rights Charter, as well as what is stipulated in the articles of international humanitarian law and to exercise all forms of pressure on the governments of the countries that contribute in imposing blockades and unjust measures on the Syrian people, especially the US and the West, calling for lifting them immediately and supporting the efforts made by the Syrian government to limit the effects of this disaster and take immediate, urgent and effective action to help and break the unjust siege imposed on the Syrian people to overcome the effects this humanitarian ordeal, as soon as possible.

“The devastating earthquake left behind hundreds of victims and thousands of injured, in addition to the displacement of a large number of families from their areas of residence, in addition to demolition and cracking of thousands of buildings and houses, and severe damage to vital facilities and infrastructure”, the statement noted.

The statement pointed out that what Syria has been suffering from terrorist war for more than 11 years, as well as unilateral economic blockade, and unfair coercive measures that included the economic, social, health, educational, and living aspects of the Syrian citizen’s life, which greatly weakened the system of local capabilities with all its elements and components, and negatively affected the evacuations, rescue, relief and first aid operations and the attempts to overcome the repercussions of this tragedy that befell the Syrian citizens in these distressed areas.

The Assembly send copies of the statement to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and many other officials.

Nisreen Othman / Baraa Ali

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299761

Syrian embassies in Baghdad and Beijing invite community and those wishing to contribute to mitigating quake repercussions

9 February، 2023

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Baghdad, Beijing, SANA- Syrian Embassy in Baghdad called on the Syrian community in Iraq to contribute in helping quake-affected people that struck Syria last Monday.

“Based on the spirit of national unity that brings together the people of the one Syrian nation and within the framework of the emergency action plan announced by the Syrian government to mobilize all national energies and capabilities to provide relief to our people affected in Syria by the devastating earthquake, the embassy informs the community members about opening the door to submit material contributions at its headquarters”, SANA reporter quoted the Syrian embassy in Baghdad as saying in an appeal.

Similarly, the Syrian Embassy in China also opened the door for donations, where Syrian ambassador in Beijing, Mohamed Hassanein Khaddam, called on the community members to donate and cooperate with the embassy in order to help alleviate this difficult ordeal caused by the earthquake.

Khaddam pointed out to coordination with the Chinese side at all levels to reach the best results in helping the victims of the earthquake.

Nisreen Othman / Baraa Ali

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299755

Syria, WHO discuss ways to support the health sector response to devastating quake

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9 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- Syria and the World Health Organization (WHO) have discussed ways to support the efforts exerted by health sector in the country to provide a response to the earthquake that hit a number of Syrian provinces at the dawn of last Monday.

That came during a meeting held Thursday between Health Minister Dr. Hasan al-Ghobash with the Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmed al-Mandhari,

Minister al-Ghobash shed light on the needs of the health sector in Syria and the need to provide it with medical and emergency equipment, which contributes greatly to the treatment of the injured in addition to medical aid.

Al-Ghobash underlined the importance of sustainable support because the repercussions will be long-lasting.

In turn, Dr. al-Mandhari affirmed the WHO readiness to provide support in order to overcome the consequences of the earthquake and get out of it with minimal losses.

Nisreen Othman / Ruaa al-Jazaeri

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299730
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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:52 pm

Turkey-Syria earthquake catastrophe needs global cooperation, not U.S. sanctions
February 10, 2023 Sharon Black

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Collapsed buildings in the town of Jinderis, Aleppo province, Syria, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. The quake that razed thousands of buildings was one of the deadliest worldwide in more than a decade.

February 9 — The death toll from the unprecedented scale of the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit Turkey and Syria is now over 23,000. As of this writing, almost 70,000 people have been injured, and some 315,000 displaced. At least 24 million people and 4 million buildings were affected.

Human catastrophe looms for the survivors, who are now homeless and exposed to harsh winter conditions. The infrastructure that provides water and food is destroyed.

Biden and U.S. response lacking

President Joe Biden did not allude to this tragedy during his Feb. 7 “State of the Union”. On Feb. 6, Biden sent a perfunctory message to the Turkish government, offering unspecified support.

To date, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which helps fund the “regime change” National Endowment for Democracy (NED), has announced that they are sending two rescue teams. One team is from the Los Angeles County Firefighters, and the other is the Virginia Task Force-1.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that there will be no assistance for Syria. Period.

On the other hand, China has already announced $5.9 million in aid to Turkey and $4.4 million to Syria. China’s search and rescue teams, both governmental and private, are on the ground.

Immediately lift Sanctions

The National Union of Syrian Students in Damascus issued an appeal on Feb. 2 calling for an immediate end to the siege and unilateral coercive economic sanctions imposed on Syria and its people for the last 12 years. In addition, they demanded urgent aid to stem the suffering, including cash transfers for those affected.

John Parker, a national organizer for the Socialist Unity Party who recently traveled to Donbass on a fact-finding trip and visited Syria in 2013, angrily exclaimed, “U.S. and E.U. sanctions on Syria must be immediately lifted during this crisis!”

Parker continued, “How can there be any justification for the U.S. government to spend over $100 billion dollars to fund a U.S.-NATO proxy war against Russia while the needs of millions of people go unmet and the anguish of children and their parents in Turkey and Syria ring in our ears.”

“It is now over a week since the deadly earthquake struck. When it came to sending tanks, bombs, drones and all sorts of other armaments to Kiev, it was practically overnight. How many lives have been lost under the rubble in Syria that could have been saved if the necessary equipment and people power were rushed to the scene.”

The massive earthquake impacted a large area of southern and central Turkey, including the provinces of Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Osmaniye, and Adana. In Syria, the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, as well as the coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus were impacted. Northern Syria is also home to 62,000 Palestinian refugees who reside in Lattakia, Neirab, Ein-el Tal, and Hama camps.

While scientists have yet to figure out how to make exact predictions on when earthquakes will strike, seismologists can estimate where earthquakes may be likely to strike by calculating probabilities and forecasts. Probabilities can be calculated based on the average rate of past seismic activity in a region.

China is leading use of AI

Artificial Intelligence systems have been developed by researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China and the China Earthquake Administration to fast-track predictions. The AI is being tested in Yunnan and Sichuan, where China lost over 87,000 lives to earthquakes in 2008. The system is called EarthX.

Global cooperation and socialism are desperately needed to save lives; U.S. imperialism, war, and sanctions threaten humanity.

https://www.struggle-la-lucha.org/2023/ ... sanctions/

Cuba, Venezuela and China are rushing aid to earthquake-hit Syria. US offers very narrow sanctions relief

The US Treasury has issued a 180-day waiver on certain sanctions imposed on Syria to allow for earthquake relief. However, the US and its allies have yet to offer meaningful assistance to Syria even as Venezuela, China, Palestine, and others have dispatched aid and specialists

February 10, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch

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Syrian Red Crescent members conducting a rescue operation. (Photo:@SYRedCrescent/Twitter)

On Thursday, February 9, the United States Treasury Department announced a temporary waiver of certain sanctions imposed on Syria to facilitate relief and recovery efforts in the earthquake-hit country. At least 21,719 people have died—as of February 10—after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 devastated large parts of southern and central Turkey as well as northern and western Syria. Over 79,000 people have been injured and over 3.7 million have been displaced since then, with rescue operations still underway in search of survivors in the midst of aftershocks.

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a “blanket” Syria General License (GL) 23, “which authorizes for 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief that would be otherwise prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (SySR).”

The move follows growing international outrage and public appeals, including by the Syrian government and countries such as Venezuela and China, to remove the brutal and illegal sanctions that the US has imposed on Damascus.

Addressing a joint press conference at the United Nations headquarters on February 7, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Bassam al-Sabbagh explained how sanctions were impeding humanitarian relief and access: “Lots of cargo planes refuse to land at Syrian airports because of the American and European sanctions. So, even those countries who want to send humanitarian assistance, they cannot use the airplane cargo because of the sanctions.”

The head of the Syrian Red Crescent, Khaled Hboubati, stated during a press conference on Tuesday that “There is no fuel even to send [aid and rescue] convoys, and this is because of the blockade and sanctions.”

Meanwhile, in its statement on February 9, the US government reiterated that its sanctions do not target “legitimate humanitarian assistance”—a claim proven false in other countries that have also been targeted by US sanctions. The risk of obstruction of humanitarian aid is also heightened due to possible overcompliance, and particularly in the case of Syria due to the “unfettered emergency powers” and “extraterritorial reach” granted under the US’s Caesar Act.

The US claims that GSL 23 “expands upon” the “broad humanitarian authorizations already in effect under the SySR for NGOs, international organizations (IOs) and the US government.”

However, over the past week, people on social media platforms have reported that US-based fundraising company GoFundMe was suspending accounts that were attempting to raise money for Syria.

Countries dispatch aid to Syria and Turkey

While the US and its allies rushed to mobilize and dispatch rescue teams and supplies to Turkey, they have dragged their feet to provide even the bare minimum aid for Syria by refusing to meaningfully lift sanctions to allow aid to reach the country. Despite this, there are countries around the world that have been providing critical on-ground assistance to both Syria and Turkey.

On Thursday, 25 specialists part of the Simon Bolivar Humanitarian Task Force arrived from Venezuela to Damascus accompanied by 12 tonnes of medicine, drinking water, and food. A day prior, the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had dispatched 52 specialists to Turkey and Syria to assist with relief efforts.

A team of Cuban doctors from the Henry Reeve International Brigade has also arrived in Turkey. On Wednesday, Syria’s ambassador to Cuba Ghassan Obeid confirmed that 27 doctors from Cuba will also arrive in Syria soon to assist affected populations and local authorities.

China announced that it will be providing the first tranche of $5.9 million in emergency aid to Turkey. Beijing also dispatched an 82-member rescue team that arrived in Turkey’s Adana airport on Tuesday, bringing with them 20 tonnes of medical aid and rescue supplies.

On Thursday, China’s ambassador to Syria Shi Hongwei told CGTN that the first Chinese rescue team had arrived in Damascus, accompanied by an initial batch of medical supplies. A spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry had announced on Wednesday that China will offer USD 4.4 million in emergency aid to Syria.

A team of 73 rescuers, including members of the Palestinian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Civil Defense, headed by the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA), left for Jordan from the Occupied West Bank on Thursday, from where they will be divided into two teams—one headed to southern Turkey and another headed to northwest Syria.

Russia had dispatched four aircrafts on Monday with over 100 emergency response specialists, including medics to assist in search and rescue operations in Turkey and Syria. Algeria also sent over 100 tonnes of medical supplies, food, and tents, as well as a Civil Protection team that arrived in Aleppo earlier this week. India has also dispatched aid supplies to Syria, along with dispatching rescue teams to Turkey.

Countries including Iraq, Jordan, UAE, Pakistan, and Tunisia have also provided emergency assistance and supplies, even as various other countries have expressed messages of solidarity.

The UN has stressed that sanctions should not prevent the delivery of assistance to the Syrian people. According to the International Organization of Migration (IOM), 14 humanitarian aid trucks had crossed into northwestern Syria on Friday, bound for rebel-held Idlib.

From Iran, the sixth plane carrying humanitarian aid, including infant formula and food, was reported to have landed in Syria early on Friday. The Iranian army and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have also dispatched equipment for a 50-bed mobile hospital along with 70 relief and medical staff to Turkey.

The first Iranian plane had landed in Damascus on Tuesday, carrying 45 tonnes of food and medical supplies. Iran has also sent planes carrying aid to Latakia and Aleppo—where IRGC commander Brigadier General Esmail Qaani arrived late on February 8 to supervise aid delivery.

Meanwhile, Israel has already threatened a military attack, with an unnamed military official citing “information” that “indicated” that Iran might “take advantage” of the situation and send weapons along with humanitarian aid to Syria.

Israel has continued to carry out illegal and unilateral acts of aggression against Syria, including airstrikes that have killed numerous civilians and caused damage to critical infrastructure. According to Al Mayadeen, the airport in Damascus, which has been repeatedly targeted in such attacks, is reportedly still undergoing repairs after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in January.

Sanctions on Syria

The urgent need for the removal of illegal sanctions on Syria is not limited to the immediate earthquake recovery efforts. The fact is that Western sanctions had already precipitated an economic and infrastructural collapse in Syria well before the earthquake hit this week.

In November 2022, following a visit to the country, UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan described the impact of the “outrageous” and “long-lasting” unilateral sanctions that were “suffocating” millions of Syrians. Douhan stated that 90% of Syria’s population was living below the poverty line, and access to food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, transportation, and healthcare were limited. She added that more than half of the country’s vital infrastructure had either been completely destroyed or was severely damaged.

At the same time, unilateral sanctions on key sectors including oil, gas, electricity, and trade had “quashed” the national income and undermined efforts towards economic recovery and reconstruction.

“Maintaining unilateral sanctions amid the current catastrophic and still-deteriorating situation in Syria may amount to crimes against humanity against all Syrians,” Douhan had warned.

Threats to public health and food security have been heightened due to the unavailability of equipment and spare parts to fix water distribution and irrigation systems. There are acute disruptions in access to electricity, which have also impacted the functioning of medical equipment in hospitals.

As the US boasts of its “commitment to support the people of Syria through their ongoing earthquake crisis,” the question arises: what does a 180-day waiver on earthquake relief transactions actually achieve in the face of this level of destruction?

As Syria looks toward long-term reconstruction and recovery, any commitment of support or assistance are rendered meaningless in the absence of the total lifting of the illegal and inhumane sanctions that continue to choke the country.

https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/02/10/ ... ns-relief/

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US Eases Sanctions on Syria To Allow Earthquake Aid

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Syria. Aleppo. Soldiers of the Russian military police, together with Syrian rescuers, remove rubble and search for people. | Photo: Sputnik

Published 9 February 2023

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday announced a multi-month sanctions waiver for Syria to allow certain transactions related to recovery and rescue efforts following the devastating earthquake on the border with Turkey earlier this week.


"Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Syria General License (GL) 23, which authorizes for 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief that would be otherwise prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (SySR)," Treasury said in a release on Thursday.

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo was quoted in the release stressing that US sanctions in Syria "will not stand in the way of life-saving efforts for the Syrian people."

Earlier this week, southeastern Turkey was hit by strong earthquakes that killed some 20,000 people and injured tens of thousands more.

The latest development comes after the US was widely criticized for not earlier lifting sanctions in the immediate wake of the devastating earthquakes that killed thousands across Syria and nearby Turkiye.

Earlier on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said no sanctions should interfere with relief efforts in Syria as the country is dealing with the fallout of the devastating earthquake.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/US- ... -0017.html

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Four bodies pulled from rubble removal operations in Jableh

10 February، 2023

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Lattakia, SANA- Specialized teams in the Rubble removal operations pulled four bodies in al-Rihawi building in Jableh city of as a result of the earthquake.

“The operations of removing rubble are ongoing in the al-Rihawi building destroyed by the quake, with the participation of members of the Syrian Arab Army, the Civil Defense and the Red Crescent teams, as there are 15 other bodies being searched for and still under the rubble according to the residents of the neighborhood in the same site” Head of the rescue operations in the Civil Defense in Jableh, stated in a statement to SANA.

MHD Ibrahim

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299894

Washington excludes only relief transactions for 180 days concerning its illegal measures on Syria

10 February، 2023

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Washington, SANA- The US Treasury issued a decision allowing the return of financial transactions related to earthquake relief to Syria for 180 days, except for unilateral coercive measures it imposes on the Syrian people.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) of the US Department of the Treasury stated on Thursday on its website that the ministry issued General License No. 23 for Syria, which allows for a period of 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief that would have been prohibited by the Syrian sanctions regulations (SYSR).

The Ministry considered that license 23 provides the broad mandate necessary to support immediate relief efforts in cases of disasters in Syria and includes allowing to process or transfer funds on behalf of persons from other countries to or from Syria to support the transactions authorized under this general license.

Western coercive measures cause suffering to the Syrian people, as these unilateral measures target all aspects of life and the vital and service sectors in Syria for years.

Nisreen Othman / Mazen Eyon

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=299855
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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Sat Feb 11, 2023 3:24 pm

Four Syrian Provinces Declared Disaster Areas

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Rescue workers in Aleppo, Syria | Photo: Sputnik

Published 10 February 2023 (12 hours 59 minutes ago)

According to the Syrian Ministry of Health, the death toll so far stands at 1 387, with some 2 326 injured.

The Syrian government declared on Friday, during an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers, the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Idlib and Hama as disaster areas.

The cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Hussein Arnous also approved the delivery of humanitarian aid through border crossings on the lines separating territories controlled by the Syrian army and those out of government control.

According to the Prime Minister, the International Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, as well as United Nations (UN) organizations, will ensure that aid reaches those in need.

It was authorized to process aid through the Higher Committee for Relief, as well as to create a national fund for the reconstruction of the areas affected by the earthquake.


The Ministries of Municipal Administration, Health, Public Works and Housing, Transportation and Petroleum were instructed to develop a database on all the needs required to continue rescue operations.

The government also intends to develop executive programs to deal with the devastation left in the wake of Monday's catastrophe. To this end, the creation of a database collecting information on the damage caused was also raised at the meeting.

According to the Syrian Ministry of Health, the death toll so far stands at 1 387, with some 2 326 injured. For its part, Türkiye reports 20 213 dead and 80 052 wounded, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Fou ... -0017.html

Quake Displaces 5.3 Mln People in Syria: UNHCR

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This photo taken on Feb. 9, 2023 shows the rubble of collapsed buildings in Latakia, Syria. | Photo: Str/Xinhua

Published 10 February 2023

The UNHCR is now focusing on the provision of shelter and relief items to ensure that the centers for the displaced have adequate facilities, such as tents, plastic sheeting, thermal blankets, sleeping mats and winter clothing.

An estimated 5.3 million people in Syria may have been left homeless by the earthquake that struck the country and Türkiye earlier this week, a United Nations (UN) official said on Friday.

Sivanka Dhanapala, the UN Refugee Agency's (UNHCR) representative in Syria, told a press briefing via video link from Damascus that "We have just had a preliminary estimate that 5.37 million people affected by the quake will need shelter assistance in the whole of Syria."

"That is a huge number and comes to a population already suffering mass displacement," he added.

He said that the UNHCR was now focusing on the provision of shelter and relief items to ensure that the centers for the displaced had adequate facilities, such as tents, plastic sheeting, thermal blankets, sleeping mats and winter clothing.

"For Syria, this is a crisis within a crisis. We've had economic shocks, COVID, and are now in the depths of winter, with blizzards raging in the affected areas," he said.

He told reporters that several UN local staff were sleeping outside their homes because they were worried about the structural damage to their houses.

"This is just a microcosm of what is happening throughout the affected areas," he noted.

Catharina Boehme, a senior official from the World Health Organization (WHO), told Friday's press briefing that the situation was desperate, and it was a race against time.

She said that WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was due to meet with local partners and affected people in Aleppo on Friday.

According to the official, the WHO has already dispatched medical and surgical supplies to 16 hospitals in northwest Syria.

"The WHO has released some 3 million U.S. dollars from its contingency funds but much more is needed," she said.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Qua ... -0015.html

The Easing of the US Sanctions is Misleading: Syria

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A family stands near the rubble of their home, Syria, Feb. 10, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/ @MiExecSearch

Published 10 February 2023

The Treasury Department's latest decision is a copy of previous documents that only seek to create a false impression by stipulating alleged exemptions for humanitarian purposes.


On Friday, Syria described the US decision on the partial and temporary suspension of some sanctions as misleading and false.

The Syrian Foreign Affairs Ministry explained that the U.S. Treasury Department's latest decision is a copy of previous documents that only seek to create a false impression by stipulating alleged exemptions for humanitarian purposes.

"The facts on the ground, however, prove otherwise," Syrian diplomacy said, noting that Washington still upholds its arbitrary sanctions.

"U.S. coercitive measures and policies have deprived the Syrian people of enjoying their looted natural wealth and limited the ability of State institutions to improve living conditions, achieve development goals, and provide basic services," it added.


The Treasury Department's latest decision only tries to beautify the international image of the United States, hiding that this country is responsible for "obstructing efforts to rescue those affected by the earthquake and meet the basic needs of the Syrian people."

Syrian diplomacy also requested "all countries and international organizations, which have stood by the Syrian people in their plight as a result of the devastating earthquake, to demand an unconditional lifting of the inhumane, immoral, an illegal blockade."

As of Friday noon, Syrian authorities had confirmed 3,597 deaths from the quakes. "Rescue teams are working on only 5 percent of the disaster area due to their sparse numbers and lack of spare equipment," LebUpdate tweeted.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/The ... -0011.html

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Syria Under the American Whip: Sanctions That Kill
FEBRUARY 10, 2023

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By The Cradle’s Syria Correspondent – Feb 6, 2023

The western sanctions weapon is not new to Syria, but since 2019 it has become a lethal one, destroying entire Syrian sectors and killing its people.

Some 83 years after being employed against Germany in 1940, economic sanctions have become the most widely-used tool in Washington’s arsenal to coerce adversarial states. Sanctions have become a parallel or alternative policy to military invasions, especially after the dollar solidified as the world’s dominant currency by being pegged to oil in 1975 – and further strengthened by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

This US financial and economic weapon has caused Syria suffering for decades, but its impact has become lethal in recent years, particularly after 2019.

Sanctions negatively affect all vital sectors of the economy, from medicine to education, energy, communications, agriculture, and industry – all the way to dealing with emergency disasters, such as the earthquake that struck Syria and Turkiye in the early morning of 6 February, which has so far led to the death of 1,300 civilians, mass injuries, and the destruction of thousands of homes.

The impact of western sanctions and the US military occupation of Syria has crippled the nation’s economy and undermined its ability to respond to major natural disasters of this kind. The situation issue pressing that the Middle East Council of Churches issued a demand on 6 February for the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria so that Damascus can deal with the humanitarian fallout from the tragic earthquake.

In 1979, Syria was subjected to Washington’s sanctions for the first time when it was designated a state sponsor of terrorism, and banned from exporting goods and technology to the US. This came as punishment for Syria’s support of Iran during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), leading also to a suspension of financial aid from Persian Gulf monarchies (approximately $1.5 billion annually) and a suffocating economic crisis, known as the “crisis of the eighties.”

Less than a decade after a short period of economic prosperity in Syria (the net domestic product increased by about 49 percent between 2000 and 2010), the 2011 foreign-backed war was launched, wreaking havoc on the Syrian economy. Widespread damage was inflicted both by the direct destruction of economic facilities and sectors during combat operations, and by a series of US-driven sanctions, which reached their peak with the 2019 Caesar Act and last year’s Captagon Act that targeted Syria’s indigenous pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

A double stranglehold

In contrast to most cases in which the US and its EU and NATO allies employ economic sanctions to impose an external economic blockade on nations, the sanctions against Damascus are accompanied by a further internal blockade.

This is achieved by foreign military control over oil resources and critical agricultural fields in northeastern Syria – the “bread basket of the Levant” – which are under the control of the US-backed and Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the “Autonomous Administration” areas.

Damascus is thus subjected to a double stranglehold by depriving it of its oil (the main source of foreign exchange). Energy sales constitute about a quarter of Syria’s export earnings, and covers 90 percent of its domestic market needs. Before the war, in 2010, Syria produced 4 million tons of wheat, a strategic agricultural staple which provides food self-sufficiency and domestic sustenance, about a quarter of which is then exported.

Today, the country has not only lost access to its vital agricultural lands, but western sanctions prevent Damascus from importing these essential staples to feed its population.

This has exacerbated the effects of the blockade on the Syrian people, who are currently going through one of the most severe living, economic, and health crises in their modern history, and are left unable to secure basic daily needs of bread and medicine.

Informed sources tell The Cradle that Damascus is incurring double burdens to secure basic commodities – because these cannot be imported directly – which forces the Syrian government to resort to brokerage firms to circumvent US and European sanctions.

The sources point out Russia’s critical role in securing wheat for Damascus, but this too comes with a financial burden of high shipping fees. Similarly, while Iran provides oil to Syria through a credit line, its transportation is carried out by private companies that face harassment from US authorities – whether by detaining shipments (e.g. in Gibraltar and Greece) or by including participating oil tankers to US sanctions lists.

Under sanctions, Syria is facing great difficulties in rebuilding its key agriculture, industry, energy, education, and healthcare sectors which were destroyed in a war in which Washington played a leading role. Damascus has been reduced to seeking out regional alternatives and intermediary companies to circumvent its stranglehold, or receiving help from friendly countries such as Russia or Iran.

This, of course, comes with its own downsides for the US, as it helps forge closer Syrian political and economic ties with Washington’s adversaries. Today, it is Iranian companies, for example, that carry out maintenance operations and construct new power plants in Syria.

Sanctions upon sanctions

Most of the unilateral sanctions against Syria date back to 2011 when then-US President Barack Obama expanded existing punitive measures under the Syria Accountability Act (2004). The new sanctions included a ban on flights, restrictions on oil exports, financial restrictions on entities and individuals, freezing Syrian assets abroad, travel bans on Syrian officials and business leaders, and severing diplomatic relations with Damascus.

In 2019, the US enacted the Syria-specific Caesar Act, granting Washington the authority to impose sanctions on anyone – regardless of nationality – who conducts business with Syria, participates in infrastructure and energy projects, provides support to the Syrian government, or supplies goods or services to the Syrian military.

The Captagon Act, passed by the US Congress in 2022 to combat the illicit trade of a drug made famous by foreign-backed jihadists in Syria, has the temerity to blame Damascus for the origins of Captagon, and seeks to destroy what is left of the country’s renowned pharmaceutical industry.

In 2011, the EU banned exports of weapons, goods, and energy technology to Syria. It also imposed a ban on the import of Syrian oil and minerals, and any commercial and financial transactions with the Syrian energy sector. These sanctions were expanded in 2018 to include asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and entities allegedly involved in the use of chemical weapons.

Britain imposed parallel sanctions on Syria after its exit from the EU, with several allied states jumping the bandwagon, including Canada, Australia, and Switzerland. Arab countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia who financially and materially assisted in the war against Syria, have imposed their own variation of sanctions on Damascus too.

A Humanitarian crisis

The horrifying deterioration of Syria’s humanitarian and living conditions – as a direct result of oppressive unilateral sanctions that violate international laws and conventions – prompted the United Nations to dispatch UN Special Rapporteur on Unilateral Coercive Measures and Human Rights, Alena Douhan, to Damascus between 30 October and 10 November, 2022, to assess the impact of sanctions.

In a statement after her 12-day visit to Syria, the Special Rapporteur presented detailed information about the catastrophic effects of unilateral sanctions across all walks of life in the country.

Douhan reported that a startling 90 percent of Syria’s population was currently living below the poverty line, with limited access to food, water, electricity, shelter, cooking and heating fuel, transportation, and healthcare, and warned that the country was facing a massive brain-drain due to growing economic hardship

“With more than half of the vital infrastructure either completely destroyed or severely damaged, the imposition of unilateral sanctions on key economic sectors, including oil, gas, electricity, trade, construction and engineering have quashed national income, and undermine efforts towards economic recovery and reconstruction.”

The UN rapporteur said that the blocking of payments and refusal of deliveries by foreign producers and banks – coupled with sanctions-induced limited foreign currency reserves – have caused serious shortages in medicines and specialized medical equipment, particularly for chronic and rare diseases.

She warned that rehabilitation and development of water distribution networks for drinking and irrigation had stalled due to the unavailability of equipment and spare parts, creating serious public health and food security implications.

“In the current dramatic and still-deteriorating humanitarian situation as 12 million Syrians grapple with food insecurity, I urge the immediate lifting of all unilateral sanctions that severely harm human rights and prevent any efforts for early recovery, rebuilding and reconstruction.”

“No reference to good objectives of unilateral sanctions justifies the violation of fundamental human rights, she added, insisting that “the international community has an obligation of solidarity and assistance to the Syrian people.”

Calls to lift Syria’s sanctions
The UN report sheds further light on sanctions-targeted Syrian sectors, revealing that the Syrian economy has contracted by more than 90 percent, and that prices have risen more than 800 percent since 2019.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, and sanctions block the importation of “food, medicine, spare parts, raw materials, and items necessary for the country’s needs and economic recovery,” Douhan reports. In addition, Syria “pays more than 50 percent higher prices compared to neighboring countries to obtain its food needs.”

The UN rapporteur has called for the unilateral sanctions that the US and EU have imposed on Syria to be lifted immediately, stressing that they are illegal under international law. “I urge the international community, and the sanctioning states, in particular, to pay heed to the devastating effects of sanctions and to take prompt and concrete steps to address over-compliance by businesses and banks,” she stated.

Her report illustrates clearly that the tightening of unilateral sanctions and trade restrictions have generated a long-term economic crisis in Syria, with an increasing rise in the level of inflation and a continuous decline in the value of the local currency from 47 Syrian lira against the dollar in 2010 to more than 5,000 lira in 2022.

Electricity and water
The sanctions have also prevented Damascus from rebuilding damaged infrastructure especially in remote and rural areas, and have caused a “shortage of electricity,” leading to daily blackouts.

The UN’s report made particular mention of the deterioration of the public water supply and irrigation systems, whose rehabilitation has stalled due to the unavailability of equipment and spare parts, with serious implications for public health and food security. It stated that the lack of drinking water in vast swathes of Syria is the cause behind the current cholera outbreak in the country.

Healthcare Sector

Douhan’s report also shows that power outages led to the failure of sensitive and expensive medical equipment, for which spare parts could not be purchased due to commercial and financial restrictions. It reveals that 14.6 percent of Syrians suffer from chronic and rare diseases, and that there are foreign-made obstacles to purchasing medicines – especially for patients with cancer, dialysis needs, high blood pressure, and diabetes, in addition to anesthetics – due to the withdrawal of foreign drug producers from Syria, and the inability to import raw materials and laboratory reagents to produce medicines locally.

Although medicines and medical devices are not directly subject to sanctions, the ambiguity and complexity of licensing processes, and the producers and suppliers’ fear of penalties, ensures that access to life-saving solutions becomes very difficult – especially after the adoption of Washington’s Captagon Act.

Agriculture and food security

Due to water and energy shortages, and financial and trade constraints, the amount of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, fodder, and spare parts for agricultural machinery have decreased. Syria’s agricultural crop production declined from 17 million tons annually in 2000-2011 to 11.9 million tons in 2021.

Wheat harvests have decreased from 3.1 million tons in 2019 to less than 1.7 million tons in 2022. While Syria was historically an exporter of wheat, it is now importing it through a network of intermediaries, which increases Damascus’ financial burden significantly.

A strategy to serve Israel’s interests

The US and its allies justify their Syria sanctions as a means of exerting pressure on “rogue” countries to force an alteration in their policies. The extensive experience of this US policy in numerous countries, however, clearly shows that sanctions are mainly a political tool used to subdue governments by devastating their populations.

The sanctions against Syria have resulted in a serious food crisis, with 12 million Syrians – over half of the population – facing food insecurity and 2.4 million suffering from severe food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

These sanctions are depleting the life resources of the Syrian people, which Damascus believes is largely related to its conflict with Israel, with Tel Aviv being seen as the biggest beneficiary of Syria’s slow destruction. The UN Special Rapporteur on Unilateral Coercive Measures and Human Rights will present her final report on the impact of the sanctions to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2023.

https://orinocotribune.com/syria-under- ... that-kill/

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Coercive US measures on Syria impedes humanitarian relief operations, Ambassador al-Khatib says

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11 February، 2023

New Delhi, SANA- Syrian Ambassador to India, Dr. Bassam al-Khatib has affirmed that the unilateral coercive US measures imposed on Syria impeded the urgent humanitarian relief operations after the quake hit the country last week

During a press conference held Saturday at the Syrian Embassy Headquarters in New Delhi, Ambassador al-Khatib called for intensifying the humanitarian and international efforts to lift the western blockade imposed on Syria and allowing the return of refugees to their homeland.

Al-Khatib thanked the Indian government and people for standing by Syria in its ordeal and for sending humanitarian aid after the devastating quake.

He also gave a presentation about the rescue and relief operations since the first moment of the earthquake and the field follow-up the processes of providing aid for the affected people

He also pointed out that a special emergency committee has been formed at the embassy headquarters to receive aid and donations from the Indian people for the affected Syrians

It is noteworthy that many Indian charities expressed readiness to provide all their possibilities to save the lives of the afflicted in Syria, as well the embassy has received thousands of calls from Indian citizens willing to provide help.

Rafah al-Allouni/ Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=300023

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Western Sanctions Will Mean that More Syrians Die after the Earthquakes
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Eva Bartlett

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Syrian quake survivors stay at tents following 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes centered in Turkiye’s Kahramanmaras, in Salqin district of Idlib, Syria on February 09, 2023. © Photo by Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The economic stranglehold and selective approach to aid will lead to more death and displacement


Following the devastating earthquakes that rocked Türkiye, Syria and their neighboring countries on February 6, leaving more than 20,000 dead, Damascus is struggling to deal with this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe as it remains under brutal Western sanctions that have brought the country to its knees.

The West’s war on Syria that began in early 2011 failed to topple its elected president, but the subsequent years of increasingly cruel sanctions – all in the name of ‘helping the Syrian people’ – have succeeded in rendering life miserable and near impossible, with most unable to afford to properly feed their families, much less heat their homes.

Now, in a time of crisis, the Syrian people cannot even receive donations or emergency support from abroad. One supporter set up a GoFundMe campaign, only to have it taken down due to the sanctions. Type the word “Ukraine” into the search field on PayPal or GoFundMe and you’ll see countless appeals for sending money to Ukraine. But for Syrians, Western platforms like these are off-limits, and have been for years.

Adding to the destruction left by war

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Search and rescue efforts continue in the Salqin district of Idlib, Syria, on Thursday. (Muhammed Said//Getty Images)

On February 6, southern Türkiye and northern Syria were hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, followed by dozens of aftershocks and then another earthquake. While the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and others were affected, the worst of the damage was in Türkiye and Syria.

As of February 9, the official death toll in Syria was 1,347, with more than 2,300 injured. Nearly 300,000 Syrians have been displaced due to the earthquakes. The scenes initially coming out of Türkiye and Syria were heartbreaking and catastrophic, with buildings collapsing in front of people, and piles of rubble with the dead and the maimed trapped below.

In Syria, the earthquakes added to already extensive damage from the war. Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, was tragically prone to building collapses because of the terrorist occupation that had lasted until 2016. The militants had frequently tunneled under buildings, in many cases in order to lay explosives and destroy them, as they did with the Chamber of Industry in April 2014. With the Syrian population already struggling to just survive prior to the earthquakes, now Aleppo and the coastal regions of Syria affected by the earthquakes face even more death, injury and displacement.

Sanctions were already killing Syrians

Even without the earthquakes, Syrians struggled to get medication, hospitals struggled to get or maintain critical machinery and equipment, and the population as a whole suffocated as the country’s economy steadily worsened, all by design.

Western leaders are adamant that the only ones to blame for the Syrians’ suffering before the earthquake were President Bashar Assad and his government (or “regime,” as Washington calls any undesirable foreign government it hasn’t yet toppled), whose “dictatorship” caused the people to rise up and start a civil war (actually a US-led proxy war against Syria to overthrow said government). The sanctions, ostensibly aimed at the “regime,” are, by this logic, intended to helpand protect the general population. In reality, they are strangling Syrian civilians.

Here’s what life is like for many Syrians now, according to British journalist Vanessa Beeley: “The US and its proxy Kurdish separatist forces are occupying Syrian resources in the northeast which includes their oil, which means of course that the bulk of Syria is reliant upon Iranian oil to keep any kind of electricity running. At the moment, we have basically about two or three hours of electricity per day. There is no heating in the majority of homes across Syria.”

As Beeley notes, earthquake-displaced Syrians – unless they receive emergency aid – face freezing and wet conditions, “without any alternative shelter, without any electricity, without any heating.” And thanks to the sanctions, desperately needed humanitarian aid and fundraising is difficult. International cargo planes can’t land in Syria, and crowdfunding services and even credit cards are unavailable. The virtue-signaling Western nations – the main cause of suffering in Syria since 2011 – have not only persisted in keeping the sanctions in place; most of them haven’t offered any meaningful help since the earthquake, just hollow words.

Thanks to criminal Western sanctions, international cargo planes can not land at Syrian airports and Syrians can not use Gofundme or credit cards. Meanwhile, the US military occupies 1/3 of the country, stealing Syria’s oil – a key source of revenue it uses to buy food and aid. pic.twitter.com/1jFXfJB2I8

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) February 7, 2023


The Chinese Foreign Ministry blamed the sanctions for amplifying the miserable situation, and likewise pointed out that the US’ illegal presence in Syria and theft of Syrian resources was also exacerbating the economic situation.

“Frequent [US] military strikes and harsh economic sanctions have caused huge civilian casualties and taken away the means to subsistence of the Syrians. As we speak, the US troops continue to occupy Syria’s principal oil-producing regions. They have plundered more than 80% of Syria’s oil production and smuggled and burned Syria’s grain stock. All this has made Syria’s humanitarian crisis even worse.”

A friend in need is a neighbor on the sanctions list

All of the above has left Syrians to rely mostly on the country’s friends for help. Incidentally, many of those nations and groups are among the most vilified by the West.

The West imposes brutal sanctions against Syria, ruining every aspect of Syrians’ lives, + stealing their oil & creating the war on Syria in the 1st place.After the tragic earthquakes, who helps Syria? Those vilified by the hypocritical West: Iran, Russia, Iraq, Lebanon…

— Eva Karene Bartlett (@EvaKBartlett) February 7, 2023


Following the earthquake, Russia’s Ministry of Defense dispatched “over 300 personnel, and 60 military and special vehicles” for rescue and aid efforts in Syria. The Russian Emergencies Ministry sent more than 100 rescue workers to Türkiye and Syria, including an airmobile hospital with 40 medics.

Iran sent a plane with 45 tons of medical, food and sanitary aid to Syria, and has pledged to send more.

Even battered Libya, itself largely destroyed by another Western regime-change project, sent a plane with 40 tons of medical and humanitarian aid, as well as an ambulance, to Aleppo International Airport.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance movement, sent convoys of humanitarian aid to Syria. Lebanon’s army said it would send members of its Engineering Regiment to Syria, to contribute to the search and rescue operations.

Not everyone who offered their help to Syria are on Western sanctions list, of course. Algeria sent 115 tons of aid of food and medical supplies, tents and blankets, as well as 86 specialized civil protection personnel. The United Arab Emirates will apparently send $50 million to Syria for relief efforts, and Indian, Emirati and Jordanian planes carrying humanitarian and medical aid for Syrian victims arrived in the capital on Wednesday. Even New Zealand pledged to contribute NZ$500,000 “for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to meet humanitarian needs.”

Meanwhile, Western corporate media stuck to the narrative of blaming the Assad government, with a New York Times article on the issue apparently saying initially that Western sanctions had hampered relief efforts to Syria – before quickly changing the line to say the government “tightly controls what aid it allows into opposition-held areas.” This is in-keeping with the old trope that the Syrian government denies aid to civilians in areas occupied by terrorists, which in most Western media are dubbed “rebels” and “opposition fighters.” This is something I and other journalists on the ground have repeatedly debunked, visiting liberated areas and hearing time and again that locals had been starving because terrorists had been hoarding humanitarian aid, denying it to civilians or selling it at massively inflated prices.

NYT never misses an opportunity to push West’s regime-change lexicon.”Opposition” = literally AL-QAEDA 🙄 Instead of calling for an end to the criminal sanctions against the Syrian people, NYT exploits humanitarian tragedy to push West’s agenda of toppling elected Syrian govt. pic.twitter.com/3RpsIiQ1VF

— Eva Karene Bartlett (@EvaKBartlett) February 8, 2023


Western aid is not for everyone

On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned about a looming “secondary disaster” in Syria, pointing to “major disruptions” to basic life supplies, but failing to highlight the role of Western sanctions or the terrorist presence in northwestern Syria as the underlying causes. Reports on UN aid reaching northern Syria via Türkiye also downplayed the presence of Al-Qaeda terrorists in the areas mentioned, as well as Türkiye’s years-long support for Syrian anti-government forces. Such reports likewise neglected to mention the need for emergency relief in government-controlled areas of Syria, and the government’s efforts to bring that relief in.

Some 12 years into the West’s proxy war on Syria, the continued denial of the very basics of emergency humanitarian relief to Syrians outside “rebel-controlled” areas, shows how little the West’s claim to care for Syrians really matter. The lack of concern by the UN, WHO, and affiliated aid agencies for the Syrians of Aleppo, among other government-controlled areas, is not at all surprising, given these bodies over the years systematically downplayed terrorism against Syrian civilians.

As the humanitarian disaster continues, it is also worth remembering that, over the decades, Syria has taken in refugees from numerous countries. Yet, in spite of the current emergency situation and the very dire need to lift the West’s sanctions, it is unlikely the “benevolent” West will change its crippling anti-Syria policies to allow Syrians to merely survive.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2023/02/ ... rthquakes/

US is Brutally Politicizing Humanitarian Aid
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Jeremy Kuzmarov

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Brutally politicizing humanitarian aid, Biden assists Turkey but refuses to mobile aid and rescue workers to save thousands in northern Syria because of U.S. vendetta against Bashar al-Assad Government.

At 4:17 a.m. on February 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and northern Syria, killing more than 21,000 people in what was the deadliest earthquake seen worldwide in more than a decade.

The Biden administration announced on Monday, soon after the quake struck, that it was coordinating any and all needed assistance with Turkish officials, deploying quickly to support Turkish rescue efforts, and sending a USAID disaster response team into Turkey.

Team Biden was much more muted with regards to Syria, stating that “U.S.-supported humanitarian partners are also responding to the destruction in Syria.”

These comments made clear the Biden administration’s refusal to work with the Syrian government, which has been the target of a U.S. regime-change policy since the early 2000s.

The humanitarian groups to which Biden is referring are NGOs operating in areas outside the control of the Syrian state, which may yet exclude the rest of the country from any such aid, including the badly hit city of Aleppo, which is under Assad government control.[1]

State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters: “I will make the point that it would be quite ironic, if not even counterproductive, for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now—gassing them, slaughtering them, being responsible for much of the suffering that they have endured.”

These statements are callous, misleading and hypocritical.

Callous because of the desperate need for aid to reach Syria to save lives regardless of politics.

Misleading because Price suggests that the Assad government gassed its own people using chemical weapons when strong scientific evidence suggests that these alleged chemical gas attacks, if they actually took place, were carried out by Syrian rebel forces backed by the U.S. and Turkey.

And hypocritical because Washington supports many governments that brutalize their people—including Turkey, which a) has a ghastly record of terrorizing the Kurds; b) supported ISIS in Syria; c) supports Azerbaijan in its assault on Nagorno Karabakh; and d) has adopted increasingly autocratic measures toward dissidents at home under Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But Turkey has been a U.S. ally for decades and a NATO member, and hosts the large Incirlik Air Base.

The Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad, by contrast, humiliated the U.S. by defeating a U.S.-backed uprising over the last decade with Russian assistance. Assad’s government has also allied with Iran and stood up to Israel, while resisting U.S. designs to build an oil pipeline that would have undercut supply routes from Russia.[2]

The Biden administration appears to see the earthquake as an opportunity to advance its regime-change agenda by exacerbating the suffering of the Syrian people and eroding the legitimacy of the government that cannot properly save them.

Erdogan’s government by contrast will gain in legitimacy from a strong response to the quake.

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Flight tracker shows the absence of any aircraft in Syrian air space after dealing with the devastating earthquake while almost all aid and rescue teams are heading to Turkey.[Source: english.almayadeen.net]

EU Countries and NATO Follow U.S. Lead

Mimicking the Biden administration, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg voiced “full solidarity” with ally Turkey, saying he was in touch with Turkey’s top leadership and “NATO allies are mobilizing support now,” completely leaving out Syria.

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly said the UK was sending Turkey a team of 76 search and rescue specialists, equipment, and rescue dogs as well as emergency medical teams.

Cleverly left out Syria, similar to other Western allies like Germany, Poland and even Greece, Turkey’s historic enemy, which pledged “immediate assistance” to President Erdogan, though not Syria’s Assad—even though Assad issued an international appeal for humanitarian aid.

Of the aid that is getting through, the majority is coming from the Global South. Transport planes from the U.A.E., Iran, Oman, Egypt, Iraq, Armenia, China, India, Pakistan, and Russia have landed in Syria loaded with aid; Lebanon has made its sea and airports available for aid shipments Syria, and even Palestine has sent a rescue team.
Great Difficulties

A surgeon from Aleppo, Mohamed Zitoun, who spent years treating casualties from the Syrian war, said that he has never experienced anything like the number of injured and the scale of their injuries from the earthquake, and that the hospital’s emergency teams where he worked at Bab al-Hawa near the Turkish border were running out of antibiotics, sedatives, surgical supplies, blood bags, bandages and drips.[3]

Syria is facing special difficulties responding to the earthquake because a) the only crossing between Syria and Turkey that is approved by the United Nations for transporting international aid into Syria is not functioning, according to UN officials, because of earthquake damage to roads around it; b) Damascus International Airport is still undergoing repairs and maintenance following an Israeli air strike on the facility on January 2, which hinders the landing of humanitarian aid; and c) because of the ravages bred by Syria’s 12-year war and the brutal economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU, which are not being lifted.

Al Mayadeen, a pan-Arabist Lebanese journal, reported on February 6 that, “due to the war that weakened the infrastructure in Syria, the draconian Western sanctions imposed on the country, the U.S. occupation of some Syrian land, as well as the looting of billions of dollars of its resources, Syria is unable to fully respond to the tragic catastrophe. As a result, the number of victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake is rising.”

U.S. Sanctions and the Caesar Act—an Instrument of Regime Change

The Carter administration first imposed sanctions on Syria in 1979 when it designated Syria as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

New rounds were imposed in 2004 and 2011 when the U.S.-backed uprising against Assad began and he was accused of human rights abuses.

In December 2019, President Donald Trump signed the Caesar Act, under which anyone doing business with the Syrian authorities potentially became exposed to travel restrictions and financial sanctions while vital medicines and foodstuffs were blocked from entering the country.

The Caesar Act was named after a government defector, Caesar, who leaked thousands of photographs alleging torture of civilians by Assad’s security forces.

Nearly half the photos actually showed government soldiers who had been killed and victims of car bombs and other war-related violence, and many others showed soldiers who had died in combat—not government torture centers.

Caesar’s identity was also unclear and he was suspected of being in the employ of the CIA.

Lift Your God Damned Sanctions

Independent journalist Vanessa Beeley posted a report from a northern Syrian resident, Bashar Murtada, on her Telegram channel: “International cargo planes are unable to land at Syrian airports as a result of the U.S. blockade, and countries require Syrian airlines to transport aid on board their civil planes!!! As is well known, the so-called Caesar Act comes in the context of practicing economic terrorism and it is considered one of the most dangerous types of crimes against humanity.”

Beeley posted another statement from Aleppo businessman and former MP Fares Shehabi:

“Lift your God damned sanctions so we can open our airports to receive international aid! In Aleppo alone more than 50 buildings have been destroyed resulting in more than 160 deaths so far and thousands of injuries. Thousands of families are now without shelter! What kind of evil governments pose economic & travel sanctions on earthquake devastated nations?!”

So Sanctions May Not Turn into a Crime Against Humanity

Shehabi’s response was echoed by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which called for the immediate lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria, charging that the current blockade has prevented their organization from carrying out relief operations for the earthquake throughout the country. “We urge the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials, so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity,” said the attendees of the Council in a statement.

Three prominent Christian leaders in Syria released a statement to similar effect, as did the UN Resident Coordinator in Syria, Mostafa Benjamilh, and the President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Khaled Hboubati, who said during a press conference in Damascus that “the evacuation process and rescue operations are restricted due to obstacles resulting from the severe sanctions. We have shortage in heavy machines and equipment needed to lift the rubble. I don’t mean trucks or bulldozers, I mean specific machines that lift rubble without injuring people trapped under the rubble…. Now, with this natural disaster, it’s time to lift the sanctions.”

A Most Barbaric Response to Human Tragedy

Colonel (Ret.) Richard Black, who flew 299 combat missions in Vietnam and served in the Virginia State Senate as a Republican from 2012 to 2020, has been one of the few former high-ranking military officers or government officials to speak out against U.S. military intervention in places like Syria and Ukraine.

A day after the earthquake, Col. Black characterized the Biden administration’s response as “an act of vengeance against Syria’s rejection to submit to the U.S. regime-change war and sanctions imposed on their country for the past 12 years.”

Col. Black continued: “I have got to tell you, I have never seen such a barbaric response to a tragedy where you literally have people in Aleppo city, Syria who are looking up at piles of concrete, their lives are coming to an end, they’re freezing in the cold. They’re there without food, without water, and they’re dying. Meanwhile, the State Department takes that opportunity to re-emphasize the fact that we are bitter because we could not impose our will on the Syrian people.

“It was in 2020 that the United States imposed the Syria sanctions out of anger at the fact that Syria had driven back the ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists that the United States had supported, and was trying to overwhelm the government with. So, now the State Department looks at this as an opportunity to simply ratchet up the regime of starvation and freezing that we have imposed on Syria through the cruel Caesar sanctions.

“I’m quite disgusted by the actions of the United States State Department. It is really unbecoming of any civilized nation that they would choose this moment to take out their vengeance on the poor suffering people of Syria.”

Notes:

1.Some of these organizations were infamous for staging false attacks to implicate the Syrian government in crimes it had not committed. Special advisor to Syrian President al-Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban charged that the West provides assistance to support terrorists in areas outside the control of the Syrian state, primarily concerned with protecting Daesh “ISIS,” “Jabhat al-Nusra” and the “White Helmets,” and isn’t interested in areas where most Syrians live.
2.Bashar’s father Hafez had allied with Nasserist Egypt and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. ↑
3.According to U.S. News & World Report, the hospital where Zitoun works is in an opposition-held enclave in northwest Syria, an area which bore the brunt of Russian and Syrian bombing during the country’s conflict, which killed hundreds of thousands, and where the towns are heavily populated with those who fled other areas of Syria. “The first massive wave of patients surpassed the ability of any medical team,” said the surgeon. The outpatient clinic was turned into a ward and mattresses were laid on the floor as the rooms filled with victims and despairing family members. “This is a huge calamity. I lived through shelling and survived massacres. This is totally different, terrifying and horrific.” ↑

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2023/02/ ... arian-aid/

While Cuba, Venezuela and China are Rushing Aid to Earthquake-Hit Syria, US Maintains Sanctions
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on FEBRUARY 10, 2023
Peoples Dispatch

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Syrian Red Crescent members conducting a rescue operation. (Photo:@SYRedCrescent/Twitter)

The US Treasury has issued a 180-day waiver on certain sanctions imposed on Syria to allow for earthquake relief. However, the US and its allies have yet to offer meaningful assistance to Syria even as Venezuela, China, Palestine, and others have dispatched aid and specialists

On Thursday, February 9, the United States Treasury Department announced a temporary waiver of certain sanctions imposed on Syria to facilitate relief and recovery efforts in the earthquake-hit country. The move follows growing international outrage and public appeals, including by the Syrian government and countries such as Venezuela and China, to remove the brutal and illegal sanctions that the US has imposed on Damascus.

At least 21,719 people have died—as of February 10—after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 devastated large parts of southern and central Turkey as well as northern and western Syria. Over 79,000 people have been injured and over 3.7 million have been displaced since then, with rescue operations still underway in search of survivors in the midst of aftershocks.

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a “blanket” Syria General License (GL) 23, “which authorizes for 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief that would be otherwise prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations (SySR).”

Addressing a joint press conference at the United Nations headquarters on February 7, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Bassam al-Sabbagh explained how sanctions were impeding humanitarian relief and access: “Lots of cargo planes refuse to land at Syrian airports because of the American and European sanctions. So, even those countries who want to send humanitarian assistance, they cannot use the airplane cargo because of the sanctions.”

The head of the Syrian Red Crescent, Khaled Hboubati, stated during a press conference on Tuesday that “There is no fuel even to send [aid and rescue] convoys, and this is because of the blockade and sanctions.”

Meanwhile, in its statement on February 9, the US government reiterated that its sanctions do not target “legitimate humanitarian assistance”—a claim proven false in other countries that have also been targeted by US sanctions. The risk of obstruction of humanitarian aid is also heightened due to possible overcompliance, and particularly in the case of Syria due to the “unfettered emergency powers” and “extraterritorial reach” granted under the US’s Caesar Act.

The US claims that GSL 23 “expands upon” the “broad humanitarian authorizations already in effect under the SySR for NGOs, international organizations (IOs) and the US government.”

However, over the past week, people on social media platforms have reported that US-based fundraising company GoFundMe was suspending accounts that were attempting to raise money for Syria.

Countries dispatch aid to Syria and Turkey

While the US and its allies rushed to mobilize and dispatch rescue teams and supplies to Turkey, they have dragged their feet to provide even the bare minimum aid for Syria by refusing to meaningfully lift sanctions to allow aid to reach the country. Despite this, there are countries around the world that have been providing critical on-ground assistance to both Syria and Turkey.

On Thursday, 25 specialists part of the Simon Bolivar Humanitarian Task Force arrived from Venezuela to Damascus accompanied by 12 tonnes of medicine, drinking water, and food. A day prior, the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had dispatched 52 specialists to Turkey and Syria to assist with relief efforts.

A team of Cuban doctors from the Henry Reeve International Brigade has also arrived in Turkey. On Wednesday, Syria’s ambassador to Cuba Ghassan Obeid confirmed that 27 doctors from Cuba will also arrive in Syria soon to assist affected populations and local authorities.

China announced that it will be providing the first tranche of $5.9 million in emergency aid to Turkey. Beijing also dispatched an 82-member rescue team that arrived in Turkey’s Adana airport on Tuesday, bringing with them 20 tonnes of medical aid and rescue supplies.

On Thursday, China’s ambassador to Syria Shi Hongwei told CGTN that the first Chinese rescue team had arrived in Damascus, accompanied by an initial batch of medical supplies. A spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry had announced on Wednesday that China will offer USD 4.4 million in emergency aid to Syria.

A team of 73 rescuers, including members of the Palestinian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Civil Defense, headed by the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA), left for Jordan from the Occupied West Bank on Thursday, from where they will be divided into two teams—one headed to southern Turkey and another headed to northwest Syria.

Russia had dispatched four aircrafts on Monday with over 100 emergency response specialists, including medics to assist in search and rescue operations in Turkey and Syria. Algeria also sent over 100 tonnes of medical supplies, food, and tents, as well as a Civil Protection team that arrived in Aleppo earlier this week. India has also dispatched aid supplies to Syria, along with dispatching rescue teams to Turkey.

Countries including Iraq, Jordan, UAE, Pakistan, and Tunisia have also provided emergency assistance and supplies, even as various other countries have expressed messages of solidarity.

The UN has stressed that sanctions should not prevent the delivery of assistance to the Syrian people. According to the International Organization of Migration (IOM), 14 humanitarian aid trucks had crossed into northwestern Syria on Friday, bound for rebel-held Idlib.

From Iran, the sixth plane carrying humanitarian aid, including infant formula and food, was reported to have landed in Syria early on Friday. The Iranian army and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have also dispatched equipment for a 50-bed mobile hospital along with 70 relief and medical staff to Turkey.

The first Iranian plane had landed in Damascus on Tuesday, carrying 45 tonnes of food and medical supplies. Iran has also sent planes carrying aid to Latakia and Aleppo—where IRGC commander Brigadier General Esmail Qaani arrived late on February 8 to supervise aid delivery.

Meanwhile, Israel has already threatened a military attack, with an unnamed military official citing “information” that “indicated” that Iran might “take advantage” of the situation and send weapons along with humanitarian aid to Syria.

Israel has continued to carry out illegal and unilateral acts of aggression against Syria, including airstrikes that have killed numerous civilians and caused damage to critical infrastructure. According to Al Mayadeen, the airport in Damascus, which has been repeatedly targeted in such attacks, is reportedly still undergoing repairs after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in January.

Sanctions on Syria

The urgent need for the removal of illegal sanctions on Syria is not limited to the immediate earthquake recovery efforts. The fact is that Western sanctions had already precipitated an economic and infrastructural collapse in Syria well before the earthquake hit this week.

In November 2022, following a visit to the country, UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan described the impact of the “outrageous” and “long-lasting” unilateral sanctions that were “suffocating” millions of Syrians. Douhan stated that 90% of Syria’s population was living below the poverty line, and access to food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, transportation, and healthcare were limited. She added that more than half of the country’s vital infrastructure had either been completely destroyed or was severely damaged.

At the same time, unilateral sanctions on key sectors including oil, gas, electricity, and trade had “quashed” the national income and undermined efforts towards economic recovery and reconstruction.

“Maintaining unilateral sanctions amid the current catastrophic and still-deteriorating situation in Syria may amount to crimes against humanity against all Syrians,” Douhan had warned.

Threats to public health and food security have been heightened due to the unavailability of equipment and spare parts to fix water distribution and irrigation systems. There are acute disruptions in access to electricity, which have also impacted the functioning of medical equipment in hospitals.

As the US boasts of its “commitment to support the people of Syria through their ongoing earthquake crisis,” the question arises: what does a 180-day waiver on earthquake relief transactions actually achieve in the face of this level of destruction?

As Syria looks towards long-term reconstruction and recovery, any commitments of support or assistance are rendered meaningless in the absence of the total lifting of the illegal and inhumane sanctions that continue to choke the country.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2023/02/ ... sanctions/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Syria

Post by blindpig » Sun Feb 12, 2023 5:19 pm

Interior Minister discusses with deputy commissioner of the UN for refugees in Syria cooperation

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12 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammad al-Rahmoun discussed with UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria, Kelly T. Clements ways to enhance cooperation in order to develop services provided to citizens.

“From the first beginning hours of the earthquake, all institutions of the government rushed to rescue and pull out the people trapped under the rubble, as well as providing the necessary needs to confront the repercussion of this catastrophe,” the Interior Minister said.

The minister noted that large number of people, whose houses have been cracked, are now in shelter centers, and they need to meet their needs.

Al-Rahmoun pointed out that the Syrian state provided all necessary facilities to secure the return of the displaced to their homeland, adding that Syria is continuing to cooperate with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in securing their return and providing them with the best services.

In turn, Clements offered the sincere condolences to the Syrian government and people for the earthquake victims, praising the efforts made to secure the return of the displaced Syrians to their country.

Fedaa al-Rhayiah / Shaza Qriema

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=300215

Interior Minister discusses with deputy commissioner of the UN for refugees in Syria cooperation

12 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Mohammad al-Rahmoun discussed with UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria, Kelly T. Clements ways to enhance cooperation in order to develop services provided to citizens.

“From the first beginning hours of the earthquake, all institutions of the government rushed to rescue and pull out the people trapped under the rubble, as well as providing the necessary needs to confront the repercussion of this catastrophe,” the Interior Minister said.

The minister noted that large number of people, whose houses have been cracked, are now in shelter centers, and they need to meet their needs.

Al-Rahmoun pointed out that the Syrian state provided all necessary facilities to secure the return of the displaced to their homeland, adding that Syria is continuing to cooperate with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in securing their return and providing them with the best services.

In turn, Clements offered the sincere condolences to the Syrian government and people for the earthquake victims, praising the efforts made to secure the return of the displaced Syrians to their country.

Fedaa al-Rhayiah / Shaza Qriema

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=300215

West ignores thousands of people killed in earthquake in Syria — Russian diplomat

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10 February، 2023

Moscow, SANA-The collective West has displayed an inhuman politicized approach by ignoring thousands of victims and terrible destruction in earthquake-stricken Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Friday.

“The collective West ignored the fact that the earthquake with its epicenter in Turkey resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and horrible destruction directly in Syria,” she noted. “This is not just the display of a politicized approach which the West is guided by in the process of providing humanitarian assistance to those affected in that country. This is something monstrous,” the diplomat added.

Tass Source

An earthquake measuring 3.5 degrees on Richter scale hits northeast of Lattakia

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12 February، 2023

Damascus, SANA- An earthquake measuring 3.5 degrees on the Richter scale struck the northeast of Lattakia.

The National Earthquake Centre said in a statement to SANA that the stations of the National Seismic Monitoring Networks of the center recorded a 3.5 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale at 10:12 minutes, 14 km northeast of Lattakia, at a depth of 12 km.

Bushra Dabin/ Hala Zain

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=300188

Chinese Ambassador: Syria faces humanitarian crisis and the west must immediately lift sanctions

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12 February، 2023

Damascus,SANA- Chinese Ambassador in Damascus, Shi Hongwei, affirmed that Syria, which faced a long-term terrorist war and was hit by a devastating earthquake in the past few days, is facing a humanitarian crisis, and some concerned countries should abandon the obstinate geopolitical idea, lift the unilateral sanctions imposed on Syria immediately, and open the door for humanitarian rescue.

Shi said that Syria and china are two friendly countries and partners , pointing out that after the devastating earthquake that hit the Chinese city of Sichuan in 2008, Syria provided assistance to China, and China will help Syria when it faces difficulties.

The Chinese ambassador extended sincere condolences of the Chinese government and people to the Syrian government and people during this ordeal, affirming that the Chinese side activated the urgent humanitarian aid mechanism immediately and decided to provide 30 million yuan of urgent aid, including cash aid worth two million dollars and the rescue supplies needed by the Syrian side.

Fedaa al-Rhayiah / Mazen Eyon

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=300248
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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