Syrian conflict: the Assad regime condemns the evacuation of the white helmets

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The Government Syrian condemned the evacuation of the weekend group of a war zone in the south of the country.

Damascus described the movement, carried out by Israel, as a "criminal operation" by "Israel and its tools".

Some 422 volunteers and their families were taken to Jordan via the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

It was feared that they would be persecuted by advancing government forces in southern Syria

. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that "the words of condemnation are not enough to denounce this despicable act".

He added that the White Helmets supported the "terrorists" and that the world had been warned of the "dangers" of the group.

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The administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sees the White Helmets as agents of the Western powers. Its supporters, as well as its Russian allies, claim that the volunteers support the rebels and also have links with jihadist groups.

But opponents of Assad regard them as heroes for their rescue operations in bombed and rebel cities. Helmets describe themselves as a voluntary work force that acts to save people in Syrian war zones.

How and why was the operation conducted?

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to the United Kingdom and other European countries

The White Helmets were trapped in an area of ​​southwestern Syria near the border with the United States. Golan Heights after Syrian Army offensive

The offensive, which began in June, gave rise to a number of agreements that led to the evacuation of rebel forces from the regions of Deraa and Quneitra to more remote areas. North.

White Helmets Operate Only in Rebel-held Areas

Evacuees were taken to the border with the Golan Heights and taken there by Israeli troops to Jordan.

The plan had been to evacuate 800 white helmets and their families. but only 422 did it.

Mark Lowen of the BBC said that others had been stranded by the expansion of the Islamic State group in the pockets of southwestern Syria and, as it was a one-off operation fears remain.

Those who were successfully evacuated included about 100 White Helmets, along with the other members of the family

Who are White Helmets?

Their official name is Syrian Civil Defense, which began in early 2013 as a volunteer organization of Its main task was soon to rescue civilians in war zones immediately after the air strikes, and it says his volunteers saved the lives of more than 100,000 people during the civil war.

With approximately 3,000 volunteers, they also carry out essential repairs. Some 200 members were killed.

The White Helmets have received worldwide praise, were nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize and were the subject of a Netflix documentary and a Panorama BBC program . accused the group of links to jihadist groups.

President Assad said that he used "humanitarian masks and umbrellas only to implement a certain program".

The group was funded by public donations as well as foreign government funds.