International
Islamist rebels in Syria strengthen their control of Aleppo after the Army withdraws
The Islamist alliance Levante Liberation Agency and armed factions backed by Turkey strengthened control of almost the entire city of Aleppo, in northern Syria, and the neighboring province of Idlib after four days of offensive against the army of Syrian President Bashar al Asad.
The offensive, launched last Wednesday after days of intense bombing against the bastion of the pro-Turkic factions, Idlib, has so far caused a balance of about 350 deaths on both sides, among which are a quarantine of civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.
This is the first time that rebels have entered the city of Aleppo since it was taken by the Al Asad Army in 2016, while the escalation of violence and the rapid advance of these factions considered “terrorists” by Damascus and its ally Russia represent the greatest challenge for the Syrian Government since 2020.
Aleppo falls with hardly any resistance
The rebels managed to enter the city of Aleppo yesterday for the first time, where this Saturday they extended their control in the vast majority of neighborhoods and even managed to take the international airport of what is the second largest city in Syria.
So far, only some areas of the northeast of the city under the rule of Kurdish forces – allied of Damascus against the pro-Turkish Islamists – are offering resistance after the withdrawal of the Syrian Army and the pro-Iranian militias that support Al Assad, according to the Observatory.
And it is that Al Asad’s troops recognized today that the insurgents have taken control of “marge” part of Aleppo and have suffered “dozens” of casualties among their ranks.
“The large number of terrorists and the multiple combat fronts led our Armed Forces to carry out a redeployment operation aimed at strengthening the lines of defense to absorb the attack, preserve civilian and soldier lives and prepare for a counterattack,” the Syrian Army said in a statement.
“Concentrated attacks”
However, the regular troops said that they have continued to launch “concentrated attacks” against the insurgents after their “temporary” withdrawal from Aleppo, “waiting for the completion of the arrival of military forces to distribute them on the combat axes, in preparation for a counterattack.”
In the midst of the chaos that has invaded the city, Russian fighter jets carried out several bombings against Aleppo that killed at least 16 civilians and several pro-Turkish fighters, according to the NGO, which pointed out that there is a large displacement of people from the homonymous province due to the escalation of violence.
Dozens of them are trying to reach the border with Lebanon, according to the Observatory, after a ceasefire between Israel and the Shii group Hezbula on Wednesday.
Idlib control and advances in Hama
In parallel, the rebels have strengthened their almost complete control of the neighboring province of Idlib after taking the strategic city of Maarat al Numan, which since 2020 was in the hands of the Syrian Army, and later the city of Jan Shayjun, which borders the administrative demarcation of Hama, in north-central Syria.
That advance and the break-of of Al Asad’s troops have allowed the Islamists to enter several kilometers in the north of Hama, where they are not encountering much opposition from the Army either.
The offensive comes at a time when Turkey is seeking to re-establish relations with Damascus, although the Syrian government claims that Ankara must withdraw its troops from northern Syria and stop supporting opposition groups to move towards the normalization of ties, broken since the beginning of the Syrian civil war 13 years ago.
This operation began on the same day of the entry into force of the truce in Lebanon and after the hard blows inflicted by Israel on the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbula both in that country and in Syria, where the armed movement maintains a wide presence and is one of the main allies of the Government of Damascus.
Al Asad says he is capable of defeating the rebels “with the help of allies”
Syrian President Bashar al Asad said on Saturday that, with the help of “allies and friends,” his Army is capable of defeating the Turkish-backed Islamist rebels, who have managed to control large areas of northwestern Syria in four days of offensive.
“Syria continues to defend its stability and territorial integrity against all terrorists and supporters and is capable, with the help of its allies and friends, of defeating and eliminating them no matter how severe their terrorist attacks are,” Al Asad said in a call with his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed.
International
Gaza ceasefire at risk after Trump’s ultimatum on hostages, says Hamas
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is hanging by a thread after the Palestinian Islamist movement warned on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats were making the situation “even more complicated” for the ongoing truce in the region.
On Monday, the Republican leader threatened to unleash “hell” in Gaza if Israeli hostages are not released by Saturday, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement in effect since January 19.
“Trump must remember that there is an agreement (for a ceasefire) that both parties must respect, and that is the only way to bring back the prisoners,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, one of Hamas’ leaders.
“The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters further,” he emphasized.
Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, announced on Monday that it was indefinitely postponing the next hostage release, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar with the help of the United States and Egypt.
However, the Islamist movement stated that the door for the hostages’ release remains “open” if Israel fulfills its obligations.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Hamas to release the hostages.
“We must do everything we can to prevent hostilities from resuming in Gaza, which would lead to a huge tragedy,”he wrote on the social media platform X.
The ceasefire halted more than fifteen months of conflict in the Gaza Strip, allowing for five hostage exchanges after Hamas took Israeli hostages on October 7, 2023, in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
International
Luisa González criticizes Daniel Noboa for hiding after narrow first-round defeat
Luisa González, the presidential candidate from the correísmo movement, compared her electoral confrontation with current Ecuadorian president and re-election candidate Daniel Noboa to “a battle of David against Goliath.” She stated that Noboa “feels like a loser, which is why he hides” after she nearly surpassed him in votes in the first round.
In an interview with EFE, the first she gave to an international media outlet after becoming the main protagonist of Sunday’s electoral night, González expressed her joy over the best result for correísmo in a first round without former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) as a candidate, calling it “a great victory.”
With 96.31% of votes counted, González (Revolución Ciudadana) received 43.96% of valid votes, compared to 44.15% for Noboa (ADN), leading both candidates to a second round, as occurred in 2023, when the businessman won to complete the term of President Guillermo Lasso.
After the results were revealed, Noboa did not appear publicly on Sunday, and on Monday, he issued a written statement declaring himself the winner of the first round. González found this statement “very amusing,” as she claims to have received two percentage points more than Noboa.
“The one who feels like a winner goes out, faces the media, and says ‘I won,’ just like I’m doing. He feels like a loser, which is why he hides from the media, from his supporters, and from the country,” stated González, a 47-year-old lawyer and single mother of two who aims to become the first woman to win Ecuador’s presidential elections.
International
Gulf of Mexico renamed “Gulf of America” on Google Maps following Trump’s executive order
The Gulf of Mexico was officially renamed the “Gulf of America” on Google Maps.
The name change for the oceanic basin — shared by the United States, Mexico, and Cuba — went into effect on Monday across the country. Both names now appear for Google Maps users outside the U.S., while the Gulf of Mexiconame remains in place in Mexico.
The renaming was carried out after Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” on his first day in office, January 20, asserting that the Gulf should celebrate the United States, not Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico had carried that name since the 17th century.
Google stated that it would comply with the Trump order, but only after an update in the U.S. Geographic Names System (USGS).
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