Thousands of Lebanese civilians are returning to their destroyed homes, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect

The US-brokered ceasefire to end 13 months of fighting began at 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) and so far appears to be holding

"My family spent their lifetime building this. We lived here for 25 years and now it is all gone," a resident of Dahieh, southern Beirut, tells the BBC

Meanwhile traffic jams line the main highway out of the city as families return to their homes in the south, the BBC's Hugo Bachega reports from Lebanon

Israeli troops began a land invasion of Lebanon almost two months ago, in response to almost a year of rocket attacks from Hezbollah

The ceasefire in Lebanon will not directly affect Israel's war in Gaza. Hamas officials have reacted positively to the deal, saying they are "ready" for a ceasefire in Gaza

https://www.nzz.ch/meinung/waffensti..._x_tr_pto=wapp


[NZZ] The ceasefire in Lebanon is making everything as bad as it was before. Instead of striving for real peace and normal relations between Israel and Lebanon, the international community is limiting itself to a return to the old, unresolved problems.

The Lebanon ceasefire is a respite, not a solution for the Middle East

Syria's Assad arrived in Moscow for an unplanned visit, with rebel forces at the gates of Aleppo wonder if Ukraine has helped the Free Syrian Army. Now Russian and Iranian military die in Syria, karma sure hurts.

Ceasefire largely holds but Israelis near Lebanon border have their doubts

Syrian state TV reports that Assad regime has fallen in Aleppo Assad did not return to Syria and is still in Moscow. Syrian rebels are taking over the center of Aleppo. Assad's forces are retreating. Rebels in Syria have now cleared the Russians and Assadists out, with only a 3-hour drive from Putin's puppet Assad in Damascus. Syrian rebels from the Sunni militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), together with a number of affiliated groups, launched an offensive towards the Syrian city of Aleppo in the northwest of the country. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is considered as one of the strongest armed groups in the region. The group was formerly known as the Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, but eventually distanced itself from that terror organization.

Yesterday, rebels advanced further and cut off the M5 highway south of Aleppo towards capital Damascus. The junction between the M5 and the M4, another major link road in the region, is also said to be controlled by the rebels. The jihadist rebels also took control of strategic positions on the front lines in western Aleppo and in Idlib, and allegedly seized a military base and several vehicles and other military equipment. Several government soldiers were reportedly captured. According to the rebels, they reportedly approached the village of Khan al-Assal, 5 kilometres west of Aleppo, yesterday. The Observatory for Human Rights reported Friday afternoon that fighting is even taking place as far as 2 kilometers from Aleppo. In total, more than 50 villages and towns are now said to be in rebel hands.

According to the rebels, they launched their offensive just to counter aggression by the government army and ‘thwart the enemy's plans’. Thousands of families who had fled the violence in recent weeks can return home thanks to the offensive, it sounds. Turkish diplomatic efforts to stop the violence are said to have been to no avail. Moreover, it looks like HTS and the other rebels have taken advantage of the unrest in the Middle East and the weakening of Syria's allies to launch their offensive just now. Israel attacked several Iranian targets in the country in recent months, reducing the regime's resources to come to Assad's aid. The Iranian news agency SNN reported on Thursday that a general from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was also killed in Aleppo. The officer, Kioumars Pourhashemi, was allegedly killed by ‘terrorists’ linked to Israel, it sounded. At the same time, the military clout of Lebanese Hezbollah, another Assad ally, has also been seriously affected by the war in Lebanon. Finally, Russia seems to have its hands more than full with the war in Ukraine. Just last month, Geir Pedersen, United Nations special envoy to Syria, warned that the wars in Gaza and Lebanon ‘seemed to be dangerously reigniting conflicts in north-western Syria’. That prediction now seems to have come true.

SDF arriving in Aleppo https://x.com/RojavaNetwork/status/1862581448286384254
Idlib city now https://x.com/nedalalamari/status/1862583504334098561
SDF military convoys heading towards Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood of Aleppo city Al-Qaeda terrorist groups will end the same as in Serê Kaniyê in 2013: Crushed and destroyed https://x.com/RojavaNetwork/status/1862577942657667254
Opposition forces inside #Aleppo city have captured a whole stock of MANPADS. Sources tell me more tanks, BMPs, anti-tank guided missiles & more have been seized in multiple weapons stores left behind by fleeing #Assad regime forces. https://x.com/Charles_Lister/status/1862507049436803443

Syrian rebels are trolling me that they re-captured Aleppo in 3 days and I can't get Kiev after more than a 1000.

I remain a master strategist. https://bsky.app/profile/darthputink.../3lc4li7gyh22z
https://i.postimg.cc/902Ppdz7/assad.jpg

Israel’s army has launched strikes inside Lebanon despite terms of the ceasefire and is restricting people from returning to their homes in parts of the south. Will Hezbollah respond?

Clause 2 of the ceasefire agreement says Israel will not carry out offensive operations inside Lebanese territory and the Lebanese government will prevent Hezbollah or other armed groups from attacking Israel.

However, several incidents of Israel attacking within Lebanon have surfaced.

“Technically it looks like the Israelis have already breached clause 2 by opening fire inside Lebanon,” Nicholas Blanford, senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, told Al Jazeera.

Israel has also been trying to restrict people’s movement in southern Lebanon, releasing a map with a zone marked in red, demanding that people from there not go home, “which is not part of the ceasefire agreement”, Blanford said.

Al Jazeera previously reported that Israel could be attempting to create a buffer zone in south Lebanon through the use of white phosphorus and other tactics.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/...ceasefire-hold

Russian strikes hit Aleppo as rebels take control

Looks like Russians have fled another Syrian base, Russian forces are retreating from their base at As Suqaylabiyah to their main Syrian stronghold at Hmeimim. Assad after losing much terrain, cities and towns still in Moscow hoping Putin gives him what he does not have to give because it is still bogged down in Ukraine. Love the smell of another proxy in the morning seeing Russia flee is always what makes the day. :D :up: If the southern front reopens, and has as much success as the Idlib factions, it's game over for the regime, who have no allies capable of bailing them out anymore. That's still a long way off, but it now exists within the realms of possibility.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHwKd-Hx2mo

Markus

The Women's Defense Units (YPJ part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the armed forces of Rojava closely affiliated with the male-led YPG) has been sending bused to Aleppo for the people fleeing HTS militia, bringing them free of charge to Tabqa and Raqqa. The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria announced that 2,892 people have crossed into the autonomous regions so far, including 2,158 students. This fight is not a united front, it consists of mostly Turkish backed Islamic forces remnants of Al-Qaeda and IS no surprise Erdoğan family always in the back support those extremist. Also reports coming in that the Syrian rebels attacking the Kurdish YPJ and YPG all off course backed by the Erdoğan regime.

In Russia's current situation, when it is experiencing a shortage of military and equipment in the war with Ukraine and is forced to ask for help from North Korea, sending planes, equipment, and soldiers to help Bashar al-Assad was definitely not part of Putin's plans.

Reports have appeared that in Damascus, Syria, there is an attempt of a coup against Assad. It is reported that gunshots are heard by the presidential palace. Syria state TV stopped broadcasting. The videos and information are not verified. https://bsky.app/profile/antongerash.../3lc6pwdehyk24

Rebel forces inside Hama city center. Safe to say the city has been left by the SAA. https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.../3lc6ngdyuv22b

An estimated 5,000 Kurdish forces have been sent to Aleppo, #Syria, to prevent further gains by al-Qaeda affiliates. There are reports that the SDF has advanced into new neighborhoods of Aleppo to protect the Christian population from the Islamists. https://x.com/D_abdulkader/status/1862853119450747319

BREAKING — Very violent clashes between the Syrian Republican Guard and the Fourth Division in Damascus are being reported by the opposition media. The clashes are concentrated inside the capital, specifically in the Kafr Sousa area. https://x.com/ragipsoylu/status/1862914673588187267

Kremlin officials responded to Syrian opposition forces' offensive into Syrian regime-held territory on November 29 and 30 and expressed interest in using the Astana Process to respond to the situation. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on November 29 that the Syrian opposition forces' offensive is an "encroachment on Syria's sovereignty" and that Russia advocates for Syrian authorities to restore "constitutional order."[1] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on the phone with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on November 30 to discuss the situation in Syria.[2] The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) claimed that both parties expressed serious concerns about the "dangerous developments" in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Lavrov and Fidan reportedly discussed the need to coordinate joint Russian-Turkish actions to stabilize the situation, primarily through the Astana Process that Russia, Turkey, and Iran launched in December 2016. (The Astana Process is a rival political process to the United Nations [UN]-led Geneva Process under UN Security Council Resolution 2254.) Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also reportedly initiated a telephone conversation with Lavrov on November 30, during which Lavrov and Araghchi expressed "extreme concern" about the "dangerous escalation" in Syria.[3] Lavrov reportedly reaffirmed Russia's strong support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and both agreed to intensify joint efforts to stabilize and review the situation through the Astana Process. It remains unclear whether the Kremlin will be able to deploy additional assets to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime given the high tempo and operational requirements for Russia to continue conducting operations in Ukraine – the Kremlin’s priority theater. Russia withdrew S-300 systems from Syria back to Russia in 2022, likely to support Russian operations in Ukraine.[4] ISW collected unconfirmed reports in March 2022 that Russia withdrew Russian soldiers and Wagner militants from Syria, likely to support Russian operations in Ukraine.[5] https://www.understandingwar.org/bac...vember-30-2024

Ex-minister Yaalon accuses Israel of 'ethnic cleansing' in Gaza.........

Israel's former defence minister Moshe Yaalon on Saturday accused the Israeli army of "ethnic cleansing" in the Gaza Strip, sparking an outcry in the country.

"The road we are being led down is conquest, annexation and ethnic cleansing," Yaalon said in an interview on the private DemocratTV channel.

Pressed on the "ethnic cleansing" appraisal, he continued: "What is happening there? There is no more Beit Lahia, no more Beit Hanoun, the army intervenes in Jabalia and in reality the land is being cleared of Arabs."

The north of the Gaza Strip, which includes the areas Yaalon mentioned, has been the target of an Israeli offensive since 6 October. Israel has imposed a crippling siege on the area and forcibly expelled residents and displaced Palestinians.

Yaalon, 74, was the head of the Israeli army between 2002 and 2005, just before Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

https://www.newarab.com/news/ex-mini...cleansing-gaza


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAT9NQ4WkE0

Food charity pauses Gaza work after staff killed in Israeli strike

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