1. The US Army carried out a drone strike against al-Qaeda leaders in northwestern Syria near the border, killing 23 jihadists, including five foreigners and six commanders, according to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “US Forces conducted a strike against a group of senior leaders in al-Qaeda, who were meeting near Idleb, Syria,” said Major Beth Riordan, the spokeswoman for United States Central Command (CENTCOM).
2. On Thursday, a roadside bombing killed Damascus Mufti Mohammed Adnan Afiouni, west of the capital of Damascus, according to SANA. Afiouni had been a key figure in the government’s so-called reconciliation deals with rebels and opposition-held areas. He was one of the mediators of the 2016 deal under which rebel fighters in Daraya, a key town in Damascus suburbs, surrendered after a gruelling four-year siege and military campaign.
3. Three fires have erupted anew in Syria this week. A massive fire engulfed the northern countryside of Aleppo Governorate last night after long-range Russian missiles struck militant oil smuggling sites, according to Al-Masdar.
In Daraa, SANA reported that the fire brigade extinguished a huge fire that broke out on Friday in the Safuqiya Valley in Sahem al-Golan in the countryside of the province. In Tartous, firefighters also extinguished a fire that erupted on Saturday morning in the lands of al-Suda town in the province’s countryside.
4. The employees of Tartous Port said on Friday that the Russian company that invested the port violated the terms of the investing contract amid the continued poor condition of the port’s capabilities and equipment. North Press reported that the Tartous Workers Union submitted a memorandum including their complaints that was handed over to the Labour Union, which submitted it to the Syrian government presidency, Al-Watan stated. The Russian company officially started its work on Oct. 9, 2019, after it received ownership of all the facilities included in the contract that was signed in April 2019. According to the terms of the investing contract, the administration of the port has devolved to the investing company, provided that improves the port’s infrastructure, machinery and equipment for 50 million dollars within four years.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
