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What Happened Over the Weekend

Attacks against the Hemeimeem Base, a failed conference in Ayn Issa, a Turkish attack on Kurdish positions and Turkish casualties following regime shelling. Catch up on everything that happened over the weekend.
What Happened Over the Weekend

1. A recent attack on the Hemeimeem Airbase by terrorists from the Qalet al-Madiq and Bab Atiq areas was thwarted. The head of the Russian Coordination Center, Major General Viktor Kupchishin, was quoted by SANA as saying that terrorists from the Qalet al-Madiq and Bab Atiq areas tried once again to target the Hemeimeem Base, but the attack was foiled and no casualties or damage was reported.

2. The Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said that the so-called “Syrian Clans Conference” is a meeting of treason, treachery, and subjugation, and those who organize such meetings do not represent any of the true, national components of Syria. The Syria Times quoted an official source at the Foreign Ministry as saying that the “Syrian Clans Conference” that was held on Friday in the city of Ayn Issa, which is under the control of militias affiliated with the United States, has been a failure as most Syrian clans boycotted it. SANA, on the other hand, reported that Syrian clans in Aleppo province rejected any forum whose goals are in line with the US goals, which call for dividing Syria and establishing artificial entities that threaten the unity of the Syrian territories. A statement issued by the clans in Aleppo and its countryside said that: “Members of the clans and tribes in Aleppo province and its countryside condemn and denounce the presence of the US and Turkish forces and their mercenaries and terrorist organizations in Syria.”

3. Turkish-backed Syrian rebels launched an offensive into territory held by the Kurdish YPG militia north of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday, seizing some territory before heavy shelling forced them to retreat. The operation, according to Zaman al-Wasl, marked an escalation in one of the most complicated theaters of the multi-sided Syrian war. Although the rebels are targeting the YPG, Syrian government forces are also deployed nearby, as are their Russian and Iran-backed allies. The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army took three villages before withdrawing, “because of heavy shelling and their inability to sweep the area completely in the light of the targeting of our forces,” said Yousef Hammoud, a spokesman for the group.

4. On Saturday, two Turkish soldiers were wounded by Syrian regime shelling of a Turkish observation point in the opposition-held de-escalation zone in Idleb, northwestern Syria, according to the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. According to Anadolu News Agency, the wounded soldiers, were evacuated to Turkey and are currently receiving medical care, the Ministry said. Turkish armed forces set up 12 observation points in May 2018 following the ninth round of Astana Peace Talks.

 

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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