Newswatch

BEIRUT:

A Syrian rebel force supported by Turkey will send fighters to reinforce positions facing a Russianbacked Syrian government offensive in the Idlib region in the northwest of the country, an official in the rebel force told Reuters on Thursday.

The National Army, an opposition group that is based north of Aleppo city near the Turkish border and is backed by Ankara, took the decision at a meeting with the rebel National Liberation Front (NLF), a separate rebel alliance that operates in the Idlib area, said Mohamed Abu Sharfo, spokesman for the National Army’s First Legion.

The decision was taken to “start sending forces from the National Army to rural Hama and Idlib”, Abu Sharfo said. “The level of readiness has been raised and fighters are being called up from all the brigades of the National Army,” he said.

The NLF and National Army also decided to establish a joint operations room. Northwestern Syria represents the last major foothold of the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad. (RTRS)

TRIPOLI:

Missiles hit the only functioning airport in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Thursday, killing one worker, the airport said.

Mitiga airport halted traffic and diverted flights to Misrata, a city some 200 km to the east of Tripoli, the airport said in a statement.

The airport has been repeatedly hit since eastern forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to take the capital, now held by the internationally recognized government but there had been rarely casualties. (RTRS)

WASHINGTON:

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called on Israel to block Democratic congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who have voiced support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, from visiting the country.

“It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep Omar and Rep Tlaib to visit,” Trump wrote in a post on Twitter.

The two freshman lawmakers, who Trump has repeatedly criticized, have planned to tour the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. (RTRS)

BEIRUT:

Syrian forces gained more ground from insurgents in the country’s northwest on Thursday, edging closer to a major rebel-held town a day after militants shot down a government warplane in the area.

The government offensive, which intensified last week, has displaced nearly 100,000 people over the past four days, according to the Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria.

Syrian troops have been on the offensive in Idlib and its surroundings, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, since April 30. The region is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced in other battles around the war-torn country. (AP)