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Several hundred white helmets, the Syrian group saving civilians from bombed out buildings, and their family members were evacuated to Jordan as Syrian government forces close down on the last rebel-held territory in southern Somalia. country. 19659002] Israel, officially neutral in the Syrian civil war, facilitated the transfer of 400 members of the White Helmet and their families through the occupied Golan Heights, where it maintains a huge military presence.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, said that US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had asked him to facilitate the evacuation.
"I approved their move to Israel to other countries, humanitarian gesture," Netanyahu said. He added that Israel "will not stop acting in Syria against Iran 's attempts to establish a military presence there".
An official of the National Security Council of the White House told the Financial Times that Theresa May, British Prime Minister, had raised the issue. Mr. Trump when they met last week. The official said Trump then told Mike Pompeo, secretary of state, and John Bolton, national security advisor, to find a solution.
The evacuation took place while the Assad regime, supported by the Iranian militia and the Russia, is in the process of liquidating the last bastions of the opposition. White helmets were caught between advancing fighters and the borders with Israel and Jordan, which are closed to refugees.
"The magnitude of the suffering caused by the violence in Syria is astronomical," said the NSC official. "We decided that simply because we can not do everything is not an excuse to do nothing."
The NSC official said the Trump administration was also looking for ways to evacuate more Syrian civilians. in advance by government forces.
White helmets are hated by the Syrian regime for exposing its brutal campaign in cities like Aleppo. Officially known as the Syrian Civil Defense, they were praised for their bravery by entering buildings destroyed by barrel bombs or regime airstrikes or Russian planes.
Financed by the United States and the United Kingdom relief operations. He received worldwide recognition after a documentary based on his work won an Oscar.
Rights groups claimed that their rescues had occurred while the regime was using so-called "double-tap" methods – when a second round of bombs was dropped on the same building shortly after the first one. – to kill rescuers. were the target of attacks and. . . we judged. . . Volunteers Need Immediate Protection
The Assad regime accuses White Helmets of spreading propaganda and having links with terrorists. The group denies these claims.
Jeremy Hunt, British Foreign Secretary, said that Britain, France and Canada had asked Israel to facilitate the transfer. "Because of their high visibility, we felt that in these particular circumstances volunteers needed immediate protection," he said.
The UK, Germany and Canada have pledged to take evacuees after a stay in Jordan, which already hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
Asked if the United States would take one of the evacuees, the NSC official said, "This is not necessary at this stage."
But the official said that the United States had had discussions with other countries that had offered to take some of the evacuees, and that they might be called upon to help when more civilians were helped to leave the country
" There are a lot of people who are targeted indiscriminately and so we will try to do what we can, "said the NSC official. . .
According to reports, 800 permits were granted to volunteers and their families, but not all could be evacuated. Other members of the White Helmets remain in Syria, in opposition-controlled cities like Idlib. The head of the NSC said that it was very difficult to estimate the total number
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"We are preparing for this operation for about 10 days, in coordination with mainly the UN and several countries, "said Raed al-Saleh, chief of the White Helmets.
State-controlled Syrian media accused the White Helmets of being co-ordinated with "the enemy". According to Sana, the Syrian news agency, "the Israeli enemy has evacuated its tools" that are "organically linked to terrorist organizations".
million. Saleh replied, "It is quite natural for the regime to speak this way, we are the ones who have discovered their lies and their crimes around the world."
