Civilians Killed in Suspected Coalition Airstrikes in Northern Syria

At least 56 civilians were killed by suspected U.S.-led coalition airstrikes on the northern Syrian town Manbij on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Another 21 were killed in air raids on Monday, according to Reuters. This week’s death toll raised the total number of civilians killed by coalition airstrikes in Manbij since May 31 to 104, including 29 children and 16 women, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The U.S.-led coalition did not immediately respond to these claims, according to the Associated Press.

Tuesday’s aerial bombardments targeted parts of Manbij controlled by the self-declared Islamic State. ISIS has held the town, which lies northeast of Aleppo, strategically close to the Turkish border, since 2014.

The coalition airstrikes are part of a wider offensive to push ISIS out of the town in northern Syria. On the ground, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters, have reportedly besieged Manbij and are advancing toward the city’s center, al-Jazeera reported.

New British Foreign Secretary Says Russia Must Demand Assad Steps Down

New British foreign secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that Russia must demand that Bashar al-Assad relinquish the Syrian presidency, Reuters reported.

Johnson’s office released the statement before his first meeting with his E.U. counterparts in London to discuss the Syrian conflict, now in its sixth year. Johnson will also be meeting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday.

“I will be making clear my view that the suffering of the Syrian people will not end while Assad remains in power. The international community, including Russia, must be united on this,” Johnson is expected to tell E.U. leaders at the meeting, according to the statement.

Russia and the U.S. back different sides in the Syrian conflict, and the two nations brokered the last round of peace talks between Assad and the opposition, which fell apart in April. The talks, now on hold, have largely avoided the question of Assad leaving to ensure a peace deal, since the U.S. and Russia cannot agree on the matter.

The new U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Johnson as foreign secretary less than a week ago.

Israel Fires Missiles at Syrian Drone

An unmanned drone from Syria entered Israeli-controlled airspace on Sunday, and was met with Israeli anti-aircraft missiles, Reuters reported.

“Two Patriot air defense missiles were fired toward a drone which infiltrated Israeli airspace in the central Golan Heights. The drone returned to Syria,” the Israeli army said.

This is not the first time Israel has responded to errant fire from the war next door, but this incident was unusual for the use of Patriot anti-aircraft interceptor missiles. Israel has largely remained neutral towards the Syrian conflict, now in its sixth year, but has intervened to prevent arms shipments to President Assad’s Lebanese ally, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.

A Syrian rebel source told Reuters that government forces were conducting rare airstrikes near the Jordanian border, in the village of al-Shajarah. Neighboring the Israeli frontier, the village is under control of alleged ISIS affiliates Shuhada al-Yarmouk.

Recommended Reads:

• The Wall Street Journal: French Airstrikes Hit Islamic State Targets in Iraq, Syria
• ABC News: Aleppo: Civilians Trapped in Syrian City as UN Warns Food Supplies and Hospital Fuel Running Low
• The National Interest: America Has No Choice But to Cooperate With Russia in Syria
• Foreign Policy: Hezbollah’s Crucible of War
• The Huffington Post: Under Pressure, Syria’s Rebels Face al-Nusra Quandary