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WORLD NEWS Monday 12 March 2018

Syrian army cleaves rebel enclave of eastern Ghouta

rasta from the rest of the been tightened, there are government forces and put
enclave, according to the negotiations about some- down the rebellion sparked
Central Military Media out- thing along those lines,” by the violent crackdown
let. Abdelaziz relayed to The on anti-government dem-
Douma is eastern Ghouta’s Associated Press by voice onstrations in 2011.
largest settlement. note. The government’s ad-
In Douma, residents and Government jets pounded vance followed 22 days of
local authorities are now Harasta Sunday evening, intensive ground and air
considering evacuating said Hezbollah’s al-Manar assaults on rebels and civil-
the town, said local council TV station, which was ians trapped inside eastern
member Iyad Abdelaziz. broadcasting live from a Ghouta, which have killed
“The idea of leaving was lookout over the town. over 1,100 people accord-
refused outright, at first, but Hezbollah is one of several ing to the Syrian Observa-
now with the regime ad- regional Shiite militias or- tory for Human Rights moni-
This photo shows a member of the Syrian Civil Defense group vances and the siege that’s ganized by Iran to support toring group.q
carrying a boy who was wounded during airstrikes and shelling
by Syrian government forces in Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus,
Syria, Sunday, March. 11, 2018.
(Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)
PHILIP ISSA A military media outlet
Associated Press linked to the Syrian army
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian gov- and its Lebanese allies,
ernment forces divided the the militant group Hezbol-
eastern Ghouta enclave lah, said pro-government
outside Damascus into two, forces broke through rebel
pro-government media lines to establish a corridor
said Sunday, dealing a ma- through the besieged east-
jor setback to rebels and ern Ghouta region after
threatening to exacerbate capturing the town of Mu-
an already dire humanitar- deira.
ian situation at the doors of The advance cuts off the
the country’s capital. towns of Douma and Ha-
Israel’s Netanyahu in new

talks amidst coalition crisis

By TIA GOLDENBERG But Netanyahu has seen
Associated Press his fortunes improve in re-
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s cent polls, with his base ap-
prime minister held emer- pearing to rally behind him
gency negotiations with amid the mounting graft
key coalition partners on accusations. The long-serv-
Sunday in hopes of avert- ing ruler could hope for a
ing a crisis that has threat- successful run in early elec-
ened to plunge the coun- tions as way to cement his
try into early elections. political legitimacy in the
The political tremor comes face of the scandals.
as Prime Minister Benjamin Members of Netanyahu’s
Netanyahu is battling a government have been
slew of corruption allega- quarreling over whether
tions over accepting gifts to extend military draft ex-
from billionaire friends and emptions afforded to ultra-
claims that he unlawfully Orthodox men. His religious
engineered favorable me- partners say they will not
dia coverage for himself vote for the 2019 budget
and his family. without the draft exemp-
The country’s attorney gen- tions, while a key secular
eral is currently examining partner has vowed to bolt
whether to indict Netanya- the coalition if the budget
hu in two separate cases. isn’t passed soon. q