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BEIRUT – The Israeli army in coordination with its American and European allies evacuated hundreds of Syrian rescuers known as White Helmets near its volatile border with Syria , in a complex Operation of a kind. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Sunday that 422 White Helmets volunteers had been evacuated, instead of the 800 initially authorized to operate.
The evacuees, encircled on one side by the advance of hostile Syrian troops and another by militants the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been transported to Jordan, where they are expected to be resettled in Europe and Canada in the coming weeks.
The Israeli army stated that the night operation was "an exceptional humanitarian gesture". the demand of the United States and European allies because of an "immediate threat to (Syrian) life". He posted a video showing his soldiers distributing water bottles to evacuees.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a separate statement that US President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others had asked him to help evacuate
"These are people who have saved lives and whose lives are in danger and I have allowed their passage through Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian gesture, "said Netanyahu. "We renew our call to the Assad regime and Russia to honor their commitments, end the violence and protect all Syrian civilians," said Reporters Without Borders. including humanitarian aid workers such as the White Helmets, in areas previously part of the south-west de-escalation zone and throughout Syria, "State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. Britain said the operation was possible thanks to joint diplomatic efforts, hailing the efforts of White Helmets volunteers to save lives in opposition areas.
Jeremy Hunt , British Foreign Minister, called the evacuation of "and thanked Israel and Jordan in a tweet for acting promptly following the request." White Helmets, he said, "are the bravest of the brave and in a desperate situation, it is at least a ray of hope. "
White Helmets and their families were stranded along Israel's border with Israel's Golan Heights after the Syrian government offensive in southwestern Syria which began in June
. Also known as the Syrian Civil Defense, a number of volunteers and their families were evacuated from a dangerous and besieged area.
This was the first Israeli intervention in the long civil war in Syria, now in its eighth year. Although she sent aid to Syria and provided medical care to thousands of Syrians who reached the Golan Heights border, the Israeli army declared that its actions did not reflect the Israeli non-intervention policy in the Syrian war. It was an unprecedented operation to provide protection and asylum to the allies of Western nations in the complex battlefield of Syria.
White Helmets have received support and received finance and training from the United States and other Western nations for years. . Because of their work in the opposition areas, where they were almost exclusively the only ones offering rescue services in the face of the government's military advances, they were considered the number one public enemy by the Syrian government
. and the services are non-existent. Their facilities were targeted, and their volunteers were attacked in what became known as "double taps" attacks that drew volunteers into attack areas only to hit them once on the site. "terrorists", accused them of being "agents" of foreign powers and cooperating with radical insurgent groups. Moscow and Damascus accuse whites Helmets for sending rescue missions and chemical attacks on the government
![People get on a bus during the extraction of Syrian White Helmets in the Golan Heights [19659013] Soldiers board a bus while white helmets are evacuated from Golan Heights on Sunday, July 22, 2018. </p>
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Israeli Army via Reuters
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<p> On Sunday, the Syrian state media continued the campaign against the group, pointing out that Israel facilitated the evacuation, citing as evidence that the group was collaborating with an enemy power. Syrian public television al-Ikhbariya called the evacuation a "scandal". The official SANA news agency said that the "secret" of the group had been revealed and that their "agent role had ended". </p>
<p> Syrian President Khaled Abboud declared that "foreign powers withdraw their agents from the battlefield". Syrian military victories that annulled "aggression" against Syria </p>
<p> In a swift offensive, Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air forces, advance from east to areas held by Syria. Opposition in the strategic area of the south-west Jordanian border and the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel in 1967. They first seized the border with Jordan, squeezing the opposition to the center and s & d. Gradually taking over areas that the rebels had held for years. For the first time since the beginning of the war in 2011, government forces regained positions along the line of demarcation after a ceasefire agreement with Israel in 1974. </p>
<p> Rebels and White Helmets besieged by the government of a sealed border side with Israel, and by the group affiliated with the Islamic State of the South. </p>
<p> Surrender agreements were reached with the armed groups, allowing thousands to evacuate to the northern province of Idlib, where opposition still reigns. But a civil defense official, refusing to be identified for his safety, said that the Russians were refusing to evacuate the White Helmets to the north. </p>
<p> The Associated Press announced Friday that US authorities were finalizing the evacuation plans. several hundred Syrian civil defense workers and their families in southwestern Syria as Russian-backed government forces closed the area along the Golan Heights border </p>
<p> Evacuation plans were accelerated after the NATO summit. to be assisted by the United Nations refugee agency in Jordan pending international resettlement. </p>
<p> Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said the Syrians would remain in a closed area in Jordan for three months. Safadi, Jordan's foreign minister, said in a tweet that his government had approved the evacuation after a pledge from Britain, Germany and Canada that evacuees will be resettled in three months </p>
<p>. Evacuees to Idlib from other parts of Syria will receive similar treatment. </p>
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Since the beginning of the offensive, Jordan has declared that it will not open its borders to newly displaced Syrians. Jordan hosts at least 650,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to the United States, but Amman says that a similar number of Syrian undocumented migrants are also in the kingdom. Some 300,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, with only a few thousand having opted for evacuation to Idlib, which should be the target of the next government offensive.
Aron Lund, a Syrian expert of the Century Foundation, said after funding the international community and promoting White Helmets for years, the evacuation should not be a surprise.
"It seems obvious to me that when the uprising fails, they should try to bring out their living types with their families," he told AP in an email. "If the international community had done this much earlier and also offered refuge to the rebel leaders they supported, they could have helped get the irreconcilable out of the equation and reduced the number of killings and destruction. . "
"All parties Separately on Sunday, al-Ikhbariya TV quoted a military official as saying that a military post in Masyaf town in Hama province had been hit by an Israeli air strike. Department of Defense facilities.
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