Syrian forces retake 18 villages from Daesh

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power, have retaken control of 18 villages from Daesh terrorists in the northern province of Aleppo. Syrian forces also continue to push back terrorists in Raqqah province. Military officials say army units are advancing toward the Daesh stronghold city of Raqqah.

Russia's Foreign Minister has accused Turkey of provocative actions that violate Syria's territorial integrity. Sergei Lavrov made the remarks in a phone call with US Secretary of State John Kerry. On Friday, the UN Security Council rejected a Moscow-drafted resolution, which urged Turkey to stop military action against Syria.

The Saudi foreign minister says he supports the idea of arming foreign-backed militants in Syria with surface-to-air missiles. Adel al-Jubeir argues that such deployment would shift the balance of power in Syria. He, however, says the decision lies with the so-called US-led coalition.

Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen have captured the southern key town of Ahwar. Yemen's Ansarullah fighters and allied army units had pushed back the terrorist organization in many areas across the south. But, the security vacuum that followed the Saudi war has led to the resurgence of al-Qaeda there.

Libya's Western-backed government has condemned the US airstrikes, which killed at least 40 people near the city of Tripoli. US officials say a senior ISIL facilitator linked to last year’s Tunisia attacks was the target. It remains unclear whether he was among the dead.

US Republicans have begun casting their ballots in South Carolina's primary. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are the frontrunners in the party’s presidential nomination contests. Meanwhile, Democrats are holding the Nevada caucus amid a tight race between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has set June 23 as the date for a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union. He said remaining in a reformed EU would make Britain safer and stronger. A deal has been reached on the re-negotiation of the UK's EU membership.

Colombian health officials say they've registered over 37-thousand cases of Zika virus infection. More than 63-hundred of them are pregnant women. Colombia has reported the largest number of Zika cases in Latin America after Brazil, where some one-point-five million infections have been reported.

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