Syrian government forces claimed a string of victories in Idlib on Sunday as civilians fled heavy shelling and air strikes in a two-week-old offensive to retake the country's last rebel-held province.
The government news agency Sana said government forces had captured the town of Atshan and four other villages in fighting around the southern part of Idlib bordering Hama province.
The likely target of the offensive is a military airport near the city of Abu Duhor that has been under rebel control for more than two years.
Samer Allawi, an officer with Jaish Al Nasr, one of the rebel groups fighting in Idlib, said the government's forces were gaining ground by employing a scorched-earth policy.
"They were able to capture two villages. The reason for progress of the regime is Russian air support. We are fighting Russia and Iran, not [Syrian president] Bashar Al Assad," Mr Allawi said, referring to Iran-backed militia forces, including Lebanon's Hizbollah, that have aided the Syrian government in its fight.
Mr Allawi said rebels had shot down a Russian helicopter near the city of Rastan, south of Hama city.
A media activist in the southern Idlib town of Khan Sheikhoun said the government’s advances had been exaggerated, and that despite the heavy shelling and air strikes by Russian and Syrian government planes, the rebels were largely holding their ground.
The activist, who asked to be identified only as Othman, said the Russian and Syrian air strikes were targeting civilians.
“Warplanes don't bomb villages that are located at the front line, they bomb villages that are quite far away from the front line,” he said.
Residents of Idlib have faced frequent shelling and air strikes since the rebels first gained significant territory there in 2012, a year after the uprising against Mr Al Assad began. Many have been fleeing the latest offensive, with their belongings piled high on pickup trucks.
"We were the target of strikes more than once — we couldn't stay," Abu Ahmed, a man in his 60s, told Agence France-Presse. "I don't know how to say how I feel, leaving my land and home at my age. We are leaving without even knowing where we're headed."
Othman said most of those fled headed towards areas in the north. "There isn't a specific destination for them to go to and most of those who leave their houses because of the battles sleep in the open,” he said.
“The northern areas of Idlib are already hosting huge numbers of displaced. There are many big camps in the area; however, their ability to host new displaced persons is limited.”
Some people have put up tents in the Maaret Al Numan in central Idlib.
"We escaped for the sake of the children. They were terrified by air raids and strikes," Abu Khaled, a father of four, told AFP. He said his family had already fled once, from Hama province to Idlib, where they lived in a camp for the displaced.
The Assad government stepped up offensives on rebel-held areas in December after ISIL was largely defeated in separate government and US-backed offensives.
In the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, at least 14 civilians were killed and 43 injured in air strikes and shelling by government forces on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights said.
The monitoring group said air strikes on Harasta killed eight, while six died in shelling of Misraba, Kfar Batna, Nashabiyeh and Outaya.
"The regime intensified its shelling and air strikes on Saturday after Fatah Al Sham and Islamic factions attacked its positions near Harasta" on Friday, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory.
Jabhat Fatah Tahrir Al Sham, a rebel group linked to al Qaeda, is also the main force in Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the rebel coalition that dominates Idlib.
The situation in Syria will be discussed during talks in Paris this week between Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, a source in the French presidency told AFP.
Idlib borders Turkey and the Turkish military has had a presence there since October as part of a deal between Russia, Syria, Iran and Turkey to “de-escalate” fighting.
Hayat Tahrir Al Sham has rejected the de-escalation agreement and has been excluded from both Russian and United Nations-sponsored peace talks.
_______________
Read more:
After defeating ISIL in Syria, the battle for power in the war-ravaged country begins
Syrian government forces find mass graves in Raqqa
Displaced Syrians survive war but face battle against cold
___________
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Victims%20of%20the%202018%20Parkland%20school%20shooting
%3Cp%3EAlyssa%20Alhadeff%2C%2014%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EScott%20Beigel%2C%2035%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMartin%20Duque%2C%2014%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ENicholas%20Dworet%2C%2017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAaron%20Feis%2C%2037%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJaime%20Guttenberg%2C%2014%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EChris%20Hixon%2C%2049%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELuke%20Hoyer%2C%2015%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECara%20Loughran%2C%2014%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EGina%20Montalto%2C%2014%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJoaquin%20Oliver%2C%2017%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAlaina%20Petty%2C%2014%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMeadow%20Pollack%2C%2018%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EHelena%20Ramsay%2C%2017%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAlex%20Schachter%2C%2014%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECarmen%20Schentrup%2C%2016%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPeter%20Wang%2C%2015%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
