Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 27 June 2018
Fighting in Syria's south escalates, displaces 50,000 people

By BASSEM MROUE placed from the Daraa
ALICE SU fighting at nearly 50,000,
BEIRUT (AP) — Fighting es- saying it delivered urgently-
calated in southern Syria needed food across the
as government forces on Syria-Jordan border. It said
Tuesday pushed deeper the fighting closed supply
into rebel-held territories in routes, causing a spike in
Daraa province in a week- prices of fuel and other ba-
long offensive that the sic supplies.
United Nations estimates "We're sleeping in the open
has displaced up to 50,000 air, under the trees, in the
people. mosques and schools.
Jordan said its borders will Those lucky to find a tent
remain closed for any new have to share it with four or
refugees, calling on the five other families," the WFP
U.N. to provide security in statement quoted a dis-
southern Syria. placed man named Nidal.
Jens Laerke, a spokesman Jordan's Foreign Minister
for the U.N. Office for the Ayman Safadi urged the
Coordination of Humanitar- This Thursday, June 21, 2018 photo shows a convoy of trucks with people and their belongings U.N. to provide security in
ian Affairs, said aid officials fleeing from Daraa, southern Syria. southern Syria. "Our borders
were "deeply concerned" Associated Press will remain closed," Safadi
for those fleeing the fight- wrote on his Twitter ac-
ing and heading toward came as Syria's state me- The offensive's goal ap- be a challenge for Assad's count.
the sealed border with Jor- dia reported that two Israeli pears to be regaining con- troops. Kiwan, the Tafas resident,
dan. He called on warring missiles struck an area near trol of the border crossing Waseem Kiwan, a 36-year said maybe the U.N. can
parties to "ensure the pro- the Damascus Internation- with Jordan, which has old civilian in the village help the displaced in south-
tection of these civilians, al Airport early Tuesday, been in rebel hands since of Tafas north of Daraa ern Syria after Jordan said
according to international without naming a specific 2015. President Bashar city said nothing has been its border would remain
law." target. Assad's recent military vic- spared in the intensive closed.
Daraa's residents described Since last Tuesday, Syr- tories, including the cap- bombing campaign. The world is watching peo-
living in extreme fear and ian troops have targeted ture of Damascus suburbs "The area is heading to- ple die, he said, adding:
said many had also head- rebel-held areas in eastern and southern neighbor- ward a catastrophe, a hu- "There is no humanity in the
ed to the frontier with the Daraa, one of the coun- hoods, have propelled the manitarian catastrophe in world. Humanity is a lie."
Israeli-occupied Golan try's last major rebel strong- push. every sense of the word," Jordan is already hosting
Heights, believing it to be holds. The strategic area Opposition activists said Syr- he said. "People are living about 660,000 registered
safer. was part of a truce deal ian and Russian warplanes in extreme fear." Syrian refugees and esti-
The escalation in Daraa, reached last July between are taking part in the offen- Kiwan said many are head- mates that the number of
near Jordan and the Israeli- the United States, Russia sive. Russia's air force threw ing toward the frontier with displaced Syrians in the
occupied Golan Heights, and Jordan. its weight behind Assad's the Israeli-occupied Golan overburdened country is
forces in 2015, turning the Heights. twice as high.
tide of the war in his favor. "The safest place is the Tuesday's attack near the
On Tuesday, the pro-gov- border with Israel because Damascus airport was the
ernment Central Military the regime and Russian latest blamed on Israel.
Media said Syrian troops airplanes cannot strike the Such strikes have increased
gained control of al-Lujat, area," he said. in frequency amid soar-
a rocky area in northeast- Younis Shtawi, a police of- ing tensions between Israel
ern Daraa. It said the cap- ficer in the Daraa village of and Iran, a major Assad
ture would have a domino Umm al-Mayadeen, said ally.
effect on other parts east several villages, including State news agency SANA
of Daraa and cut rebel Busra al-Harir, Atesh and said the strike came shortly
supply lines. communities in al-Lujat after midnight Monday.
Other pro-government me- have been emptied of The Observatory said Israeli
dia said the army intends people in recent days. jets flew over the Golan
to bring the entire province "No one stayed," Shtawi Heights and targeted sus-
under its control and is likely said. pected weapons depots
to move on to western Da- The U.S. has said the Syrian for Iranian-backed militias
raa, where it conducted a offensive risked broadening near the Damascus airport.
series of airstrikes Monday. the conflict and called on There were no reports of
The Britain-based Syrian Ob- Russia to end what it called casualties.
servatory for Human Rights, violations of the truce. There was no immedi-
a war-monitoring group, Israel has also carried out a ate comment from Israel,
reported that government series of strikes recently on which rarely responds to
forces were advancing in Syrian and Iranian forces in the claims.
al-Lujat and captured sev- the area, warning against SANA linked the strike to
en new villages in the area. the expansion of Iran's role the Daraa offensive, say-
Daraa-based opposition in Syria. Iranian advisers ing it comes amid "major
activist Osama Hourani de- and Iran-backed militias losses" for the rebels and re-
nied the government con- are embedded with Syrian peating the government's
trols parts of al-Lujat, say- troops. claims that Israel supports
ing the area, known for its The World Food Program "terrorists" operating within
caves and rocky plains, will put the number of dis- Syria.q