Damascus: Army forces of Syria’s interim administration have begun deploying assault helicopters in opposition to what it described as “remnants of the previous regime” within the nation’s coastal areas, media reported.
The helicopters are taking off from Istamo Airfield in rural Latakia, concentrating on armed components nonetheless lively within the coastal countryside, media channels cited a press release by the administration, which didn’t elaborate on the variety of helicopters in use or the scope of the operation.
The deployment got here as a part of a collection of safety initiatives nationwide, geared toward consolidating the brand new management’s authority, Xinhua information company reported.
On Saturday, Syria’s newly-appointed intelligence chief Anas Khattab pledged in an official assertion to restructure the nation’s safety equipment “in a way befitting our individuals’s sacrifices and lengthy heritage”.
All present safety branches in Syria shall be dissolved and reorganised, Khattab stated, with out outlining a timeline or offering particular particulars for the overhaul.
Khattab’s announcement got here as Syria navigates a delicate political transition following the downfall of the earlier authorities on December 8.
A army coalition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham waged a significant army operation from northern Syria on November 27. It swept southwards, captured the capital Damascus, and overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s authorities inside 12 days.
The Syrian Data Ministry declared a ban on what it described as “the circulation or publication of any media content material or information with a sectarian tone geared toward spreading division” amongst Syrians.
The Syrian civil conflict took on sectarian dimensions as Assad drew on Shia militias from throughout the Center East, mobilised by his ally Iran, to battle the insurgency dominated by members of the Sunni Muslim majority, a lot of them Islamist.
Dissent has additionally surfaced within the metropolis of Homs, 150 km (90 miles) north of Damascus.
State media reported that police imposed an in a single day curfew on Wednesday evening, following unrest linked to demonstrations that residents stated have been led by members of the Alawite and Shia spiritual communities.
Footage posted on social media on Wednesday from Homs confirmed a crowd of individuals scattering, and a few of them working, as gunfire was heard.
Assad’s long-time Shia regional ally, Iran, has criticised the course of occasions in Syria in current days.
On Sunday, Iranian Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to as on Syrian youth to “stand with agency dedication in opposition to those that have orchestrated and caused this insecurity”.
Khamenei forecast “{that a} robust and honourable group can even emerge in Syria as a result of right now Syrian youth don’t have anything to lose”, calling the nation unsafe.
Syria’s newly appointed Overseas Minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, stated in a social media submit on Tuesday that Iran should respect the desire of the Syrian individuals and Syria’s sovereignty and safety.
“We warn them in opposition to spreading chaos in Syria and we maintain them accountable for the repercussions of the newest remarks,” he stated.
Lebanon stated on Thursday it was trying ahead to having the most effective neighbourly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the brand new administration in Damascus.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah performed a significant position in propping up Assad through the civil conflict, earlier than bringing its fighters again to Lebanon during the last yr to combat in a bruising conflict with Israel — a redeployment that weakened Syrian authorities strains.
