Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 23 May 2019
Fighting rages after Syria rebels retake northwest village

By SARAH EL DEEB gain control of all the areas
Associated Press seized by the government
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian oppo- over the last two weeks.
sition fighters said Wednes- The Britain-based Syr-
day they recaptured a vil- ian Observatory for Human
lage on the edge of their Rights confirmed govern-
stronghold in northwest- ment forces were repelled
ern Syria that had been from Kfar Nabuda, adding
seized two weeks earlier there were clashes on the
by government forces in outskirts.
an offensive that wrecked The rebel advance was met
a months-old cease-fire with intense government
in the densely populated and Russian airstrikes on the
area. enclave. The Observatory
State TV Al-Ikhbariya later said at least 18 were killed
reported that government since late Tuesday in strikes
troops were in intense on four villages and towns,
clashes with the insurgents including 12 in an airstrike
inside the village, in what on a market in Maaret al-
appeared to be an at- Numan. Syrian first respond-
tempt by the Syrian army to ers, the White Helmets, put
wrestle back control of Kfar the death toll in the market
Nabuda. This photo provided Tuesday, May 21, 2019 by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White airstrike at nine.
The capture of Kfar Nabu- Helmets, shows smoke rising after Syrian government forces targeted the town of al-Habeet, in In Turkey's capital, Ankara,
da by government forces Idlib province, Syria. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar
on May 8 was the most Associated Press said talks with Russia to
serious challenge to the contain the violence were
cease-fire in Idlib province the rebel stronghold, home Assad's control — and the man for the opposition ongoing.
and surrounding areas ne- to 3 million people, since last area still held by anti- fighters, said they regained "We have told (the Rus-
gotiated by Russia and Tur- the cease-fire averted an government rebels in the control of the village on sians) the (Syrian) regime
key in September. It was earlier offensive. country's eight-year civil Wednesday following an must be controlled. The
the first ground advance The area is among the last war. overnight counteroffen- regime's attacks must be
by government forces on outside President Bashar Naji al-Mustafa, a spokes- sive. He said they aim to re- stopped," Akar said. q

Iran supreme leader criticizes politicians amid US tensions

Associated Press Both Washington and Teh-
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's ran have said they want
supreme leader publicly to ease heightened ten-
chastised the country's sions in the region in recent
moderate president and days. But many fear a mis-
foreign minister Wednes- calculation between the
day, saying he disagreed two countries, who have a
with the implementation of 40-year history of mistrust,
the 2015 nuclear deal they could escalate the situa-
had negotiated with world tion.
powers. Khamenei made the com-
The extraordinary com- ments before hard-line stu-
ments by Ayatollah Ali dents gathered to hear a
Khamenei, the first time he's Ramadan lecture. The re-
criticized both politicians marks come as hard-liners
by name, came amid ten- for years have criticized the
sions with the United States accord for giving too much
a year after Washington's away from the West.
withdrawal from the ac- Khamenei had given his
cord. implicit stamp of approval
Khamenei has final say on on the deal, which when
all matters of state, and his signed sparked spontane-
blaming the deal's unrav- ous celebration across Iran.
eling limits the influence of The accord saw Iran limit its
President Hassan Rouhani In this Monday, May 20, 2019 photo, released by U.S. Navy, an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the "Jolly enrichment of uranium in
and Foreign Minister Mo- Rogers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class air- exchange for the lifting of
hammad Javad Zarif — craft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on Arabian Sea. crippling economic sanc-
relative moderates within Associated Press tions.
Iran's Shiite theocracy who But the deal has unraveled
had struck the deal. rier and B-52 bombers to Iran has announced it ers were sabotaged off after Trump's withdrawal,
It also shows the growing the region over a still-unex- will back away from the its coast, and Iranian-al- with the U.S. re-imposing
power of hard-liners. plained threat it perceived atomic accord. The United lied rebels in Yemen have old sanctions and coming
The White House earlier this from Iran. Arab Emirates, meanwhile, launched drone attacks up with even stricter new
month sent an aircraft car- Since that development, alleged that four oil tank- into Saudi Arabia. ones.q