Scores killed as US, Turkish proxies clash in northern Syria

About 40 militants have been killed during the most recent fierce fighting between Turkish-backed groups and US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria , a London-based war monitor says.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported “fierce battles in the Manbij countryside... in the past hours between the (Kurdish) Syrian Democratic Forces and the (Turkish-backed) National Army factions... with Turkish air cover.”

“The attacks killed 37 people in a preliminary toll,” mostly Turkish-backed combatants, but also six SDF militants and five civilians, said the British-based Observatory.

At least 322 people have been killed in fighting in the troubled region since armed militants, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took control of Damascus following the President Assad’s rule  on December 8.

The pro-Ankara groups succeeded in capturing Kurdish-held Manbij and Tal Rifaat in northern Aleppo province in recent weeks.

The latest reported fighting comes despite the United States assuring that it was working to address Turkey’s concerns in Syria to dissuade the NATO ally from escalating an offensive against Kurdish fighters.

Washington’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Turkey had “legitimate concerns” about Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants inside Syria and called for a resolution in the country that includes the departure of “foreign terrorist fighters.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in a recent interview threatened to launch an offensive against the the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, which it accuses of being aligned with the PKK.

Top Turkish diplomat stressed  that the ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) administration in Syria must address the issue of the YPG’s presence.

Fidan further noted that the United States supported the YPG for various reasons when it was present in Syria.

However, he said, many of these reasons no longer exist, adding, "The ultimatum we gave them (the YPG) through the Americans is obvious."

Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed PKK, which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

Syria’s Kurds control much of the oil-rich northeast of the country, where they enjoyed de facto autonomy.

Erdogan threatens to eliminate Kurdish militia in Syria if they refuse to surrender weapons

The Turkish president has warned that the Kurdish militia in Syria will be eliminated if they fail to lay down arms.

For years, the US policy has relied on collaborating with Kurdish militants in northern Syria with a goal of maintaining some leverage over the future of the conflict.

US president-elect Donald Trump earlier admitted on more than one occasion that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil

Turkey, which shares a 911-kilometer- (566-mile-) long frontier with Syria, has been a main backer of opposition groups aiming to topple Assad since 2011.

Turkey has mounted multiple operations against the SDF since 2016.

While Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the anti-government campaign that led to Assad's fall, observers believe that the offensive, which appears to be aligned with Turkey’s long-time goals, could not have gone ahead without Ankara’s consent.

Top official: US forces to remain in Syria after Assad’s fall

A senior White House official says American military forces will be staying in Syria after Assad

Israeli arrests lawyer, journalists in southern Syria

In southwestern Syria, Israeli forces detained a Syrian lawyer and a French journalist in Quneitra province, as well as a team of journalists, confiscating cameras and other equipment.

The lawyer was identified as Mohammed Fayyad, a local resident, while the French journalist was named Sylvain Mercadier.

Mercadier had recently written an article about Israeli attacks in Quneitra and its attacks on the local population.

The journalists were detained by Israel despite clearly wearing vests indicating their status as members of the press.

Following the fall of President Assad’s government last month, Israel which has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967 invaded a UN-patrolled buffer zone in southwestern Syria, taking over the Syrian side of Mount Hermon as well as a number of Syrian towns and villages.

Israel claims destroying Syrian army weapons in Golan Heights

In another development, the Israeli army claimed on Thursday to have destroyed Syrian army weapons found in the demilitarized zone in the occupied Golan Heights.

A military statement said Syrian weapons and military infrastructure were seized and destroyed in the demilitarized zone it seized last month. 

Israel conducted about 800 airstrikes across Syria since Assad's fall

The Israeli military has launched more than 60 new strikes on Syria, bringing the total number of attacks in a week to about 800.

The army claimed that it found an armored personnel carrier (APC) containing numerous weapons, anti-tank missiles and explosive devices.

The Israeli army launched massive airstrikes against Syrian military installations in recent weeks, drawing widespread condemnation for violating Syria’s sovereignty.

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