Netanyahu and Putin Meet to Discuss Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met Russia’s Vladimir Putin to discuss “security concerns” along Israel’s northern border. Specifically, Netanyahu and the Russian leader discussed how to avoid accidental clashes between Israel and Russian forces supporting Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Netanyahu made a quick visit to Moscow on Monday amid concern that Russia’s decision to significantly increase its presence in Syria may threaten Israel’s defense, notably that Russia may end up supplying arms to Israel’s enemy Hezbollah who are also fighting for Assad, the Guardian and other media reported.
Netanyahu was accompanied by his defence chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, and the head of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi. Observers said that was not typical and underscored the seriousness of the meeting.
U.S.-Trained Rebels Cross Into Northern Syria
A group of 75 rebels trained to fight jihadists from a beleaguered U.S. program have crossed from Turkey into northern Syria, monitoring groups say.
“Seventy-five new fighters trained in a camp near the Turkish capital entered Aleppo province between Friday night and Saturday morning,” Rabi Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.
Although the Pentagon declined to elaborate on the report, Hassan Mustafa, a spokesman for the U.S.-backed Division 30 unit to which some of the rebels were deployed, confirmed the report.
“Their training in Turkey lasted two months, and they went directly to the front lines with Daesh. They are now in the town of Tal Rifaat,” Mustafa told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group.
Before the fresh batch of fighters entered Syria on Friday, the U.S.-led train-and-equip program had only managed to vet and train some 60 rebels to fight IS militants on the ground, despite its $500 million in funding.
New Cease-Fire in Three Battleground Districts
A new cease-fire went into effect on Sunday between Syrian pro-government forces and Islamist rebels in three battleground districts, AFP reports.
The truce was initiated in the last two government-controlled villages in the northwestern Idlib province, in addition to the town of Zabadani, the last rebel stronghold along the Lebanese border.
Rahman, of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP the agreement “did not specify an end for the cease-fire,” and that rival sides would continue negotiations for a broader truce.
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