Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

A9
WORLD NEWS Friday 17 February 2017

Saudi-led coalition Syria’s Assad lashes out at France’s Hollande ahead of polls
to probe funeral
airstrike in Yemen than 1,000 people were
killed in a sarin gas attack
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The in a Damascus suburb. Sev-
Saudi-led coalition said eral Western nations and
Thursday it will probe re- human rights groups subse-
ports of an airstrike target- quently accused Assad’s
ing a gathering of female government of carrying
mourners near the capital, out the attack.
which killed seven people. Hollande argued that
The airstrike hit a house Assad’s unchecked brutal-
packed with mourners in ity fostered terror in the re-
Arhab, some 40 kilometers gion. France subsequently
(25 miles) from Sanaa, on suffered from a number
Wednesday. Fahd Maqhat, of attacks claimed by the
head of the nearby Omeria Islamic State group, in-
hospital, said six women cluding the horrific multi-
and one girl were killed, pronged Paris attack in
and that another 10 wom- November 2015 that killed
en were wounded. over 100 people.
“There have been ongoing The intervention ultimate-
military confrontations for ly failed to materialize,
days between the Yemeni with U.S. President Barack
armed forces and Houthi Obama securing a guar-
militias” outside Sanaa, the antee from Assad’s spon-
coalition said in a state- Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks during an interview in Damascus, Syria. Assad lashed out at sor Russia that Damascus
ment, referring to the Shiite his French counterpart on Thursday, accusing Francois Hollande of sponsoring terror in Syria and would give up its chemical
Houthi rebels who control encouraging Western nations to reset their relations with his pariah government, after six years of weapons stockpiles.
the capital. “We will verify civil war. In the interview, which
these claims and provide (SANA via AP) aired on Thursday, Assad
media outlets with any in- took particular issue with
formation we obtain.” PHILIP ISSA public remarks aimed at as “terrorists.” Hollande’s ardor for a mili-
Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. Associated Press revamping his image in the French voters are going tary intervention in Syria.
humanitarian coordina- BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian Presi- West in the wake of military to the polls to elect a new “Hollande himself said
tor in Yemen, said he was dent Bashar Assad lashed victories on the ground in president on April 23. it was a mistake not to
“saddened and appalled” out at his French counter- Syria. Outgoing Hollande main- launch a war in 2013,”
by the attack on the funeral part on Thursday, accusing In the interview, Assad said tained former President Assad said. The interview
gathering. Francois Hollande of spon- the French president’s pol- Nikolas Sarkozy’s position to comes on the heels of
“It is not the first time that a soring terror in Syria and en- icy is tantamount to “sup- support Syria’s 2011 upris- Assad’s remarks last week
funeral gathering is struck couraging Western nations porting terrorists” in Syria, ing against the Assad fam- to Yahoo News, in which
by airstrikes, nor is it the to reset their relations with adding that he would pre- ily rule. The revolt descend- the Syrian president said he
first time that women and his pariah government, af- fer someone who is “not a ed into all-out civil war, would welcome U.S. troops
children are killed in civil- ter six years of civil war. warmonger” to be the next sparked by the govern- on the ground in Syria, to
ian premises such as hos- The comments, which French president. ment’s brutal crackdown join the battle against “ter-
pitals, schools and private came in an interview with Assad’s government has la- on demonstrations. rorists” — as long as it is in
homes,” he said in a state- to French media outlets belled all armed opposition Hollande pushed hard for cooperation with his gov-
ment. “The manner in which Europe 1 and TF1, were the to his rule — including the an international interven- ernment and respects his
the parties to the conflict latest in a string of Assad’s Western-backed rebels — tion in 2013, after more country’s sovereignty.q
are waging this war is tak-
ing an unacceptable toll Israel warns Hezbollah after threats to hit reactor
on the civilian population in
Yemen.” JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel lah marked the first time his gunmen crossed into Israel national infrastructure, all of
The war in Yemen has killed warned Lebanon’s Hezbol- group explicitly threatened and captured two Israeli Lebanon will be hit,” Yisrael
more than 10,000 civilians lah on Thursday against to target the reactor in the soldiers. Katz, Israel’s Minister of In-
and displaced over three attacking the Jewish state southern Israeli town of Di- The ensuing conflict killed telligence, said in response
million people. It pits the after the leader of the Ira- mona. about 1,200 Lebanese and to Nasrallah’s threats.
Houthis and allied army units nian-backed militant group Israel and Hezbollah bat- 160 Israelis before ending in The Israel-Lebanon border
against the U.S.-backed threatened to strike its nu- tled to a stalemate during a United Nations-brokered has remained mostly qui-
coalition, which is fighting clear reactor. a monthlong war in the cease-fire. et since the 2006 war but
to restore an internationally The comments by Hezbol- summer of 2006. The war “If Nasrallah dares to fire at there have been sporadic
recognized government.q lah leader Hassan Nasral- broke out after Hezbollah the Israel homefront or at its outbursts of violence.q