1. Russia reaffirmed that unilateral coercive economic measures imposed on Syria are illegitimate, pointing out that they hinder a political solution to the crisis in the country. Russia Today website quoted the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, as saying in a speech delivered on Friday during a Security Council session, that the illegitimate unilateral sanctions are being used as a collective punishment tool and aim to inflame social discontent and impede the efforts exerted to realize peace in Syria.
2. Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, responded to US President Donald Trump’s revelation about wanting to assassinate Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad after Washington accused his government of carrying out a chemical weapons attack. “We recently heard about plans to assassinate the president of a sovereign state, President Bashar al-Assad,” Nebenzia said during the UN Security Council session on Friday, according to Al-Masdar. “How is this not a policy of regime change?”
3. The US has ramped up its military presence in Syria after a number of skirmishes with Russian forces intensified tensions in the country. NBC News reported that US officials said six Bradley Fighting Vehicles and about 100 troops were part of the deployment to northeastern Syria. Incidents between US and Russian forces that patrol that part of the country have escalated this year. US Navy Captain Bill Urban said the move would “ensure the safety and security of Coalition forces.”
4. The United Nations has urged Turkey to investigate possible war crimes and other rights violations it says were carried out by armed groups in the area of northern Syria it controls, Al-Jazeera reported. Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said violence and criminality was rife in those areas of Syria.
5.On Saturday, the Health Ministry announced that 34 new coronavirus cases were registered in the country and 14 cases have recovered while two have passed away. In statement to SANA, the Health Ministry indicated that the number of infections registered in Syria has reached to 3,765 so far, of which 932 cases have recovered and 170 have passed away.
6. Syria’s northwest has more than 32 coronavirus cases, the Epidemiological Surveillance Laboratory said on Saturday, according to Alsouria Net, taking the total of infections to 496 in the last stronghold for the Syrian opposition. Reports from inside Syria are pointing to a much broader spread of COVID-19 than the number of confirmed cases – currently 3,765 – suggests, the UN’s top humanitarian official says.
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.
