War monitor: Israeli strike targeted missile depot in Syria

Air Force F-35 fighter jets fly over the Mediterranean Sea during an aerial show in Tel Aviv. (REUTERS)
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Updated 29 August 2022
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War monitor: Israeli strike targeted missile depot in Syria

  • Aurora Intel tweeted that initial analysis of satellite imagery showed that some buildings and areas sustained heavy damage from the reported airstrikes

BEIRUT: Satellite imagery showed widespread destruction at a giant military facility in western Syria targeted in a recent Israeli airstrike, and the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Sunday the strike targeted a depot housing hundreds of middle-range missiles for Iran-backed fighters.
Syrian state media reported after the Thursday night attack near the cities of Tartus and Hama that two people were wounded and fires were sparked in nearby forests. It added that the missiles were fired from over the Mediterranean and most of them were shot down.
Syrian opposition activists at the time said the strike targeted an arms depot and a scientific research center near the central town of Masyaf, a government stronghold. Masyaf is almost half way between the coastal city of Tartus and the central city of Hama.
The Times of Israel on Sunday published images taken by Planet Labs PBC and provided by Aurora Intel, a network that provides news and updates based on open-source intelligence.
Aurora Intel tweeted that initial analysis of satellite imagery showed that some buildings and areas sustained heavy damage from the reported airstrikes. It added that areas around the Scientific Studies and Research Center sustained “heavy fire damage due to the secondary explosions.”
The imagery showed that part of the green areas surrounding the facility had been burned.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based opposition war monitor known as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Israelis struck several positions but the main target hit was a giant arms depot housing about 1,000 precision-guided middle-range missiles. He said the explosions at the facility lasted for more than five hours after the strike.
Abdurrahman added that an underground facility to develop missiles in the area under the supervision of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was not affected by the strikes, probably because it was dug deep in the mountains. He said the strike left one Syrian army captain dead and 14 other Syrians wounded.
“The explosions were among the largest since Israel began carrying out airstrikes in Syria,” he said.
There was no official comment from Israel’s military.
Israel has made hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over the past decade of its civil war, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
It has, however, acknowledged that it targets bases of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s allies, including Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and other Iran-backed militias. Israeli military officials have said in the past that the strikes are against Iranian entrenchment in Syria.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the top US Air Force officer in the Middle East, said he was “certainly aware” of reports that Israel targeted an arms depot in Syria in recent days but stressed there was “no connection” between that attack and the US airstrikes that hit Iran-linked targets in Syria last week.
He said that the recent actions that the US military took “are entirely disconnected from any other actors, whether the Israelis or anyone else.”
On the tit-for-tat attacks that raised tensions between the US and Iran-backed militias in Syria last week, Grynkewich said he hoped “things have de-escalated and now we’ve reached a point where deterrence is once again established.”

 


Saudi FM arrives in Madrid for talks on Gaza crisis and two-state solution conference

Updated 43 sec ago
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Saudi FM arrives in Madrid for talks on Gaza crisis and two-state solution conference

  • Upcoming conference will be co-chaired by the Kingdom and France

MADRID: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Madrid on Saturday to take part in an expanded ministerial meeting convened by the committee formed during the Extraordinary Joint Arab-Islamic Summit on developments in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting, which includes representatives from the Madrid Group and several European nations, will address the latest developments in both Gaza and the West Bank, with a focus on efforts to halt the ongoing conflict and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Discussions will also include preparations for a high-level international conference on the two-state solution, set to take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York this June.

The upcoming conference will be co-chaired by the Kingdom and France.


WWF-Pakistan hails community-led efforts to protect markhor on international awareness day

Updated 24 min 50 sec ago
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WWF-Pakistan hails community-led efforts to protect markhor on international awareness day

  • Markhors are large wild goats native to the mountainous regions of South and Central Asia
  • They are Pakistan’s national animal and are currently listed as ‘Near Threatened’ by IUCN

KARACHI: A leading conservation group in Pakistan on Saturday praised local communities for helping protect the endangered markhor species, saying people’s efforts had reversed population decline and expanded habitat ranges, as the country marked the International Day of the Markhor.

Markhors are large wild goats native to the mountainous regions of South and Central Asia, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and parts of the Himalayan range. They are Pakistan’s national animal and are currently listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network, due to habitat loss, poaching and human disturbance.

The World Wide Fund for Nature’s Pakistan office (WWF-Pakistan) credited close coordination between communities, conservationists and government departments in regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan for positive conservation outcomes.

“Through capacity-building programs and engagement of local communities in conservation initiatives, a positive population trend has been observed in the markhor species,” it said in a statement.

Observed annually on May 24, the International Day of the Markhor was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 to raise awareness of the species’ ecological importance and the need for its protection.

“Conservation is not just about saving a species, but it is about preserving our shared future in harmony with nature,” said Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF-Pakistan.

The organization noted the International Day of the Markhor was an opportunity to recognize the ecological value of mountain landscapes, raise awareness of conservation challenges and honor the communities that helped pull the species back from the brink of extinction.


Lando Norris shrugs off gremlins with record lap for Monaco pole

Updated 4 min 32 sec ago
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Lando Norris shrugs off gremlins with record lap for Monaco pole

  • 25-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in one minute and 9.954 seconds to outpace local hero and last year’s winner Charles Leclerc

MONACO: Lando Norris shrugged off his gremlins and revived his world championship bid on Saturday when he became the fastest driver in the history of the Monaco Grand Prix to claim pole position for Sunday’s classic race.

Driving with impeccable judgment, pace and purpose, the 25-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in one minute and 9.954 seconds to outpace local hero and last year’s winner Charles Leclerc of Ferrari by 0.109.

It was the first time any driver had lapped the sinuous barrier-lined Mediterranean street circuit in less than 70 seconds and came only seconds after Leclerc had appeared to have secured his fourth Monaco pole position.

For Norris it was his first Monaco pole, his second this year and the 11th of his career — and a critical advantage for the slowest and shortest circuit of the season where only 10 drivers have won from lower than third on the grid since 1950.

While a disappointed Leclerc lamented traffic that hampered his first flying run, affecting his overall rhythm, Norris was buoyant after ending a dismal run in qualifying and falling 13 points behind McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ title race.

“The team has done a fantastic job so thank you to everyone here and back at the factory,” he said. “These days don’t come easy and I am proud to give something back to them.

“It’s been a long time coming. I feel good and I don’t think you realize how good this feels with quite a few struggles over the last couple of months, especially here in Monaco. It’s a beautiful place and the hardest track probably to do it.

“Up against the home-town hero (Leclerc), I’m very proud of the whole team so I am pleased after all the hard work in the last few months.”

Norris’s McLaren team-mate and championship leader Oscar Piastri was third ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari, four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull and remarkable rookie Isack Hadjar of RB.

Norris agreed that his mentality had been a key part of his success after admitting to self-doubts in recent weeks.

“Honestly, that’s the tricky part and to consistently find a lap time because you know it’s what the others are going to be doing and improving more and more.

“You’ve got to take a similar amount of risks, but when you get to Q3, the final lap is just about who can risk a little bit more and commit a little bit more.

“It was a nice and well put together lap and it feels very good when you cross the line and you know it’s all paid off.”

He said he had not considered the mandatory two pit-stops strategy required on Sunday.

“Honestly, at the minute, I have no idea. I’m going to enjoy today and I’ve worked hard for today. I’m happy with qualifying and I’m going to live the moment a little bit and then I will focus on tomorrow.”

Team-mate Piastri, who leads him by 13 points after seven of this year’s 24 races, admitted he had endured a messy two days of practice and qualifying.

“I think I’ve hit more walls this weekend than I have in my whole career so it’s been untidy. I’ve been struggling to get into the groove a little bit and I think in qualifying I was much happier with things and I felt pretty good.

“We’ve been doing some digging this weekend and to come out with this result is a decent effort.”

He added: “We’re in good positions, but it’s still going to be an exciting race tomorrow with the two-stop so let’s see what happens.”

Last year’s winner and local hero Leclerc said: “I’m just frustrated. We know we don’t have the car for wins this year.”


Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs meets US delegation in Riyadh

Updated 39 min 48 sec ago
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Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs meets US delegation in Riyadh

  • Two sides review relations between countries, regional, international developments 

RIYADH: Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir met a delegation from the US House of Representatives on Saturday at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The delegation was headed by Michael Lawler, member of Congress and the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee.

The two sides reviewed the long-standing relations between Saudi Arabia and the US, and also discussed key regional and international developments, as well as issues of mutual concern, the SPA added.

The meeting followed the visit of US President Donald Trump to the Kingdom earlier this month and reflects ongoing diplomatic engagement between the two nations.


Djokovic becomes third man to win 100 ATP titles with Geneva victory

Updated 31 min 34 sec ago
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Djokovic becomes third man to win 100 ATP titles with Geneva victory

  • The 38-year-old recovered from losing the first set to clinch a 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2) win
  • “I had to work for it, that’s for sure,” said Djokovic, who is the first man to win titles in 20 consecutive years

GENEVA: Novak Djokovic became just the third man to win 100 ATP titles with a typically dramatic comeback victory over Hubert Hurkacz in the final of the Geneva Open on Saturday.

The 38-year-old, playing in Switzerland in a bid to find form ahead of the French Open, recovered from losing the first set to clinch a 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/2) win after three hours and five minutes on court.

Djokovic joins Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer as the only players with a century of tour titles.

“I had to work for it, that’s for sure. He was probably closer to the victory the entire match than me,” said Djokovic, who is the first man to win titles in 20 consecutive years.

“I was just trying to hang in there... this is what happens at this level. A few points decide it, an incredible match... and I’m delighted to clinch the 100 here.”

It was the former world number one’s first tournament triumph since clinching his maiden Olympic gold medal against Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Games last summer.

Djokovic had lost both of his previous matches on clay this season prior to the Geneva tournament, against Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi at the Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters respectively.

But he decided to play at the low-key clay-court event in a bid to find form ahead of the start of the year’s second Grand Slam event on Sunday at Roland Garros, where the Serb will be targeting a record-breaking 25th major singles trophy.

It was Djokovic’s first tournament since splitting from coach and old rival Andy Murray, but he showed no ill-effects.

Poland’s former world number six Hurkacz, now ranked 31st, is still waiting for his first title since April 2024.

“It’s really inspiring how you conduct yourself on and off the court,” Hurkacz said to Djokovic.

The three-time Roland Garros champion starts his French Open campaign against American Mackenzie McDonald on either Monday or Tuesday.

After a tight start, Djokovic saw two break points come and go in the fifth game as Hurkacz battled to keep the first set on serve.

The opener appeared to be meandering toward a tie-break until Djokovic cracked in game 12, following a loose forehand at deuce with a double-fault on set point to give Hurkacz a one-set advantage.

Hurkacz dug deep to secure a hard-fought hold to kick off the second set, staving off another break point.

The second set followed a similar pattern to the first, but this time Djokovic was able to hold at 6-5 down to force a tie-break with an ace.

The Serb found his groove in the breaker, reeling off four straight points to send the match into a deciding set.

But Djokovic immediately gave up his serve in the first game of the third set, serving a double-fault when 40-30 up and then blasting a backhand long on break point.

Hurkacz then reeled off three successive holds to love to edge toward the title, only to crumble in the eighth game of the decider with two unforced errors and a double-fault to gift Djokovic a way back into the final.

The Pole gathered himself to secure a deciding tie-break in a tense 12th game.

But he crumbled at the crucial moments with back-to-back errors from 3-2 behind in the breaker, leaving Djokovic to reach yet another milestone in his illustrious career with an ace.