Secretary of State of the United States Antony Blinken We are stepping up efforts to unite Middle Eastern countries and support a peaceful political transition in the Middle East Syria.
After talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he will meet Turkey’s foreign minister on Friday to try to bring Turkey to a consensus that prevents Syria from spiraling into wider turmoil. This is Blinken’s 12th trip to the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas began. Gaza last year, but for the first time since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
outgoing Biden The U.S. government is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already tense tensions in the region and create conditions for the Islamic State group to regain territory and influence.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas has plunged Gaza into a serious humanitarian crisis. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of whom were women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which did not disclose how many were combatants. The Israeli military said it had killed more than 17,000 militants but provided no evidence.
The Gaza war was triggered by a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 people hostage. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, and at least a third of them are believed to be dead.
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blink ANKARA, Turkey — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that Turkey and the United States have reached a “broad agreement” on what they want to see after the Syrian regime ousts President Bashar al-Assad.
“There is broad consensus on the future we want to see, starting with an interim government in Syria, an inclusive, non-sectarian government, one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and that does not “constitute any form of threat”. In a joint statement with Türkiye’s foreign minister, Blinken said: Hakan Fidan.
The rebel group that overthrew Assad in Syria has not yet made clear its policy or stance toward Israel, whose military has bombed sites across the country in recent days and says it is working to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of extremists.
Blinken also said it was crucial to control the Islamic State group.
“We also discussed the need to continue our efforts to suppress ISIS. Our country has worked very hard and expended many efforts over the years to ensure that ISIS’s territorial caliphate is eliminated to ensure that this threat does not re-emerge,” Blinken said .
Türkiye’s foreign minister said the two discussed ways to build prosperity in Syria and end terrorism in the country.
“Our priority is to establish stability in Syria as quickly as possible, prevent the spread of terrorism and ensure that ISIS and the PKK do not dominate,” Fidan said of the banned PKK.
Blinken said: “We are very concerned about Syria and very concerned about the opportunity that we and the Syrian people have now to break free from Bashar al-Assad and create a different and better future for the Syrian people.” This is Syria. It is decided by the people themselves.
Blinken and Fidan said they also discussed the ceasefire in Gaza.
“We’ve seen more encouraging signs over the past few weeks that (a ceasefire) is possible,” Blinken said.
Blinken is making his 12th trip to the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out last year, and his first since Assad stepped down over the weekend. Erdogan.
The outgoing Biden administration is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already high tensions in the region and create conditions for the Islamic State group to regain territory and influence.
Blinken will return to Jordan later on Friday for a meeting on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union, Arab League and League of Arab States. United Nations.
Turkey to reopen embassy in Syria ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has appointed a charge d’affaires to reopen its embassy in Syria, Turkey’s official news agency reported.
The Turkish embassy in Damascus suspended operations in 2012 due to escalating security concerns. Syrian civil war Embassy staff and their families were recalled to Türkiye.
Anadolu news agency said late Thursday that Türkiye appointed Burhan Koroglu, its ambassador to Mauritania, to the post.
Two U.N. aid convoys were violently attacked in Gaza, the U.S. food agency said Two U.N. aid convoys were violently attacked in Gaza, the U.N. said, making it nearly impossible for humanitarian agencies to operate without putting staff and civilians at risk. Operate in dangerous situations.
The U.N. World Food Program said on Thursday that a convoy of 70 trucks from Kerem Shalom was waiting for personnel to protect food and other aid destined for central Gaza on Wednesday, as Israeli troops were reported to be at a nearby humanitarian launched an attack on the communist zone.
The WFP said it currently estimates that more than 50 people were killed in the attack, including civilians and local security personnel who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the convoy.
The Rome-based agency said the convoy was forced to travel from Kerem Shalom to central Gaza without any security arrangements, using the Philadelphia Corridor, an Israeli-controlled route that had recently been approved And used it successfully twice.
The WFP said conflict and insecurity caused the convoy to lose contact for more than 12 hours while en route. “Eventually, the truck was found but had been looted of all food and aid supplies,” the U.N. agency said.
In a second incident, Israeli soldiers approached a WFP convoy entering central Gaza from the Kisufim crossing, fired warning shots, conducted extensive security checks and temporarily detained the driver and staff, the agency said. .
“Four of the five trucks were lost due to violent armed robberies due to truck delays,” the WFP said.
UN chief urges Israel to stop attacks on Syria United Nations – The UN chief has a message for Israel: Stop its attacks on Syria.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres A UN spokesman was particularly concerned about hundreds of Israeli air strikes on multiple locations in Syria and stressed the “urgent need to reduce violence on all fronts across the country” Stephen Dujarric told reporters Thursday.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria in the past 48 hours, hitting “most of the country’s strategic weapons stockpile” to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists.
Israel has also acknowledged that it is entering a buffer zone inside Syria after last week’s overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. The buffer zone was established after Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1973 war.
Dujarric said Guterres condemned all violations of the 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries, which is still in force today. The spokesman said the UN chief called on all parties to abide by the agreement, end “all unauthorized presence in the area of separation” and refrain from any actions that would undermine the ceasefire and stability in the Golan Heights.
