SYRIA UPDATE

Two humanitarian corridors opened to evacuate besieged civilians in al-Rukban Camp

Around 50 thousand displaced Syrians are staying at al-Rukban Camp in al-Tanf area where U.S. troops are deployed, living under catastrophic humanitarian conditions.

The plan to open the two corridors was announced two days ago by the Syrian-Russian joint coordination committees to secure the return of the besieged civilians.

The two corridors are equipped with centers to facilitate a secure voluntary exit and return of the displaced to any area they choose to go to around the clock.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=159024

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Leader Is Evacutated To Turkish Hospital After Explosion In Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani received injures and was evacuated to a hospital in the city of Antakya in the Turkish province of Hatay, Russia’s RIA Novosti reported on February 19 citing a Turkish medical source.

According to the report, Al-Joulani received a shell fragment wound as a result of the explosion, which hit Idlib on February 18. The terrorist group’s leader is reportedly in coma.

https://southfront.org/hayat-tahrir-al-sham-leader-is-evacutated-to-turkish-hospital-after-explosion-in-idlib-report/

Shaaban: Syria’s war on terrorism continuous…Everything related to constitution sovereign matter decided by Syrians

” The countries which claim the fight against terrorism in Syria, on top the United States of America and Turkish regime , are its real backers to prolong crisis in Syria,” Dr. Shaaban said during the Valdai Discussion Club’s Middle East Conference titled “Middle East: New stage, old problems?” in Moscow Tuesday. ” The Constitution and everything related to it is a purely sovereign matter decided by the Syrian people without any outside interference through which some parties and states seek to impose their will on the Syrian people,” She said .

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=158977

Military Situation In Syria On February 19, 2019 (Map Update)

At least 2 Turkish-backed militants were injured in a fresh attack by Kurdish rebels in Afrin’s Sharan;

The Syrian Democratic Forces vowed to retake Afrin, demands Damacsus to recongize its autonomy and says it’s ready to accept a northeastern Syria safe zone only under international supervision;

ISIS continues to hold a small pocket near Baghuz Fawqani. The fate of the remaining terrorists is unclear;

Gunmen killed a civilian in Raqqa city;

A Turkish soldier was killed in a supposed IED explosion in Afrin city;

Artillery duels and sporadic clashes continue in Northern Hama and northern Lattakia.

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-syria-on-february-19-2019-map-update/

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US Seeks To Split Syria And Create Quasi-State On Euphrates West Bank: Russia

They are actively investing and are forcing their allies to pay for redevelopment of that part of Syria. However, they are prohibiting their allies to invest in the restructuring of the infrastructure of the other parts of Syria which are controlled by the legitimate government,” Lavrov noted.

https://southfront.org/us-seeks-to-split-syria-and-create-quasi-state-on-euphrates-west-bank-russia/

SDF Demads Damascus To Recognize Northeastern Syria Autonomy, Vows To Liberate Afrin

On February 17, the SDF released a statement declaring their public attitude in the current situation. According to this statement:

After the defeat of ISIS in the Euphrates Valley, the SDF will work on to eliminate cells within its areas in northeastern Syria;

The Kurdish group described Turkey as occupier, but declared readiness to solve the issues with Ankara via negotiations;

The SDF said that it’s ready to establishment of a safe area in northeastern Syria under “international supervision”;

The SDF said that it’s ready for negotiations with Damascus, but the Syrian government should take into account the SDF’s specificity and recognize the “self-declared and effective autonomy in the northeast”;

The SDF emphasized the role of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), the female branch of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), within the group and vowed to work to “liberate” Afrin;

The Kurdish also said that it will restruct, train and redeploy its forces to achieve the newly declared goals.

https://southfront.org/sdf-demads-damascus-to-recognize-northeastern-syria-autonomy-vows-to-liberate-afrin/

European Leaders Reject Trump’s Call to Repatriate Syria Militants

“Europe will not be able to respond unanimously to the US demand to repatriate ISIS fighters held in Syria,” Austria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Karin Kneissl, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“I think it will depend on each country’s vision on how to deal with this file, because some countries have a large number of fighters and others have very few.”

“Each country will also have to consider this subject in a legal framework,” she added.

https://syrianobserver.com/EN/news/48698/european-leaders-reject-trumps-call-to-repatriate-syria-militants.html

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Saudi Arabia heart of evil in region, world: Senior IRGC commander

The second-in-command of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has slammed Saudi Arabia as “the heart of evil” in the Middle East region and the entire world as well, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic has been making plans for defeating its enemies and avenging the blood of its terror victims.

Speaking during a ceremony commemorating the victims of a recent terrorist attack in southeastern Iran on Tuesday, Brigadier General Hossein Salami warned that the assault, which was carried out by Saudi-backed terrorists, is not just one isolated terrorist incident; rather, it stems from “a dangerous strategy” which has emerged at the global level.

Iran’s IRGC forces “have been standing up to the ominous triangle of the US, the Zionist regime and the regional Arab reactionary governments, and that is no easy task,” he said.

“Today, Saudi Arabia is the heart of evil in the region and the world,” the senior commander said.

Last week, an explosives-laden car rammed into a bus in Iran’s Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province, killing 27 IRGC personnel and wounding 13 others.

The so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group, which is based in Pakistan and linked to al-Qaeda and the Saudi regime, claimed responsibility for the bombing.

In the aftermath of the terror attack, the IRGC’s chief commander, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, issued a stern warning to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying they could face retaliatory measures for supporting terrorists on behalf of the US and Israel.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/02/19/588964/Iran-Saudi-Arabia-IRGC

Andrew McCabe Says NO ONE in ‘Gang of Eight’ Objected to Spying on Trump

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told NBC’s “Today” Show on Tuesday that members of the Gang of Eight congressional leaders knew about the deep state FBI spying on President Trump.

Members of the Gang of 8 included Paul Ryan, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Devin Nunes, Adam Schiff, Richard Burr and Mark Warner.

The Gang of 8 members did not respond to the accusation today.

The Politico reported:

Fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said on Tuesday that no members of the “Gang of Eight” congressional leaders objected when he informed them in May 2017 that the FBI had opened a counterintelligence investigation into President Donald Trump over his ties to Russia.

McCabe, who was serving then as acting FBI director after Trump fired Director James Comey, said on NBC’s “Today” show that no one in the briefing objected to the bureau’s inquiry of whether Trump was being used as a Russian asset — “not on legal grounds, constitutional grounds or based on the facts.”

The purpose of the briefing with the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate and the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees “was to let our congressional leadership know exactly what we’d been doing” after Comey’s firing, McCabe said.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/02/andrew-mccabe-says-no-one-in-gang-of-eight-objected-to-spying-on-trump-video/

19 Palestinians arrested in fresh Temple Mount clashes

Palestinian worshipers clashed with Israeli police on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on Tuesday, trying to force their way into an area of the flash-point holy compound that has been closed for years. Police said 19 Palestinians were arrested.

The incident follows a similar confrontation on Monday in which Palestinians tried to break the gate that Israel placed on the closed area last week after the Muslim Waqf religious council broke into the area and held prayers there.

Palestinian medics reported that several protesters were injured in the standoff.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/19-palestinians-arrested-in-fresh-temple-mount-clashes/