Israel is voting on Monday. Here's what you need to know - CNN

Like the two polls held in 2019, Monday's vote pits Israel's longest-serving leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, against former military chief, Benny Gantz.

Opinion polls have barely shifted in this third round of campaigning -- with neither Gantz's Blue and White party nor Netanyahu's Likud party appearing set to win the support they need to build a successful coalition.

Likud looks to be finishing the campaign the stronger, but probably not by enough to break the stalemate. Already, doomsayers predict the country is headed for a fourth poll sometime in the summer.

Here's what you need to know about the Israeli election:

How does it work and who are the key players?

Thirty parties are taking part, but Netanyahu's Likud and Gantz's Blue and White are sure to be comfortably ahead of anybody else in the battle for the 120-seat parliament, known as the Knesset.

Likud is a party on the right of Israeli politics, while Blue and White has positioned itself as centrist.

Three major pre-election polls showed Likud narrowly in front of Blue and White, but neither party is anywhere close to the 61 seats needed for a majority. By itself, that is not surprising -- Israel is well used to governing coalitions made up for several parties.

Usually, two or three smaller parties find a way to come together with a bigger party to form a government. But that logic has broken down, and since April neither Netanyahu, who tried twice to form a government, nor Gantz, who tried once, have been able to pull enough support behind them.

The key man, arguably, has been former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who leads the Yisrael Beiteinu party.

He stunned Netanyahu after April's poll when he failed to agree on terms with the Prime Minister, despite a relationship that goes back decades. In September, he stuck by that position, and also decided he could not join a center-left coalition led by Gantz.

What has changed in this election?

Despite being under investigation for years, it was only at the end of January that Netanyahu was formally indicted, on charges of bribery and fraud and breach of trust, in three separate corruption cases. His trial is set to begin 15 days after the election.

Prosecutors say that in the most serious case, known as Case 4000, Netanyahu advanced regulatory benefits worth more than 1 billion shekels (approximately $280 million) to his friend, millionaire Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for improved coverage on the Walla! News website, which Elovitch owned.

Netanyahu has repeatedly professed his innocence, decrying the investigations as an "attempted coup" driven by the left and the media -- a view shared by his supporters. Elovitch also denies the accusations.

Under Israeli law, Netanyahu does not have to resign the prime ministership until any possible conviction is upheld through the appeals process, and that could be months, if not years away.

Has Trump given Netanyahu a leg-up?

The US President unveiled his Middle East plan on the same day Netanyahu was indicted.

The plan, roundly rejected by Palestinian leaders, envisions Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital, and gives Israel a green light to annex all settlements in the West Bank, as well as the Jordan Valley.

It was viewed as a political and personal lifeline to Netanyahu at the time, as it marked a huge shift by the United States towards the position favored by Israel's right-wing. But the potentially game-changing move appears to have done little to shift the electoral needle.

For his part, Gantz has offered the Trump plan his backing but said he will only move forward with annexation in coordination with the international community.

In an effort to throw more red meat to his supporters in the last ten days of the campaign, Netanyahu announced plans to advance thousands of new housing units in settlement locations near Jerusalem.

Will the coronavirus have an effect on the vote?

Confirmed cases of the illness in Israel remain in the single digits. Even so, authorities have announced the first case of local transmission, and a poll last week suggested more than 1 in 20 voters were mulling whether to stay at home Monday over fears of catching the virus.

Authorities are constructing special polling stations in about 10 locations around the country to give those voters under self-quarantine the chance to cast their ballot.

How does voting take place?

Israelis still vote using pieces of paper. They choose parties, not individuals. In the polling station, each voter selects one piece of paper, corresponding to the party list they want to support. They put that piece of paper in an envelope and drop it into the ballot box.

Even though there are thirty parties contesting the election, only eight (possibly nine) are expected to cross the 3.25% threshold required to enter parliament.

Two parties representing the ultra-Orthodox communities can expect to win seats. There is also a party that positions itself to the right of Likud, and another to the left of Blue and White, that can expect to secure representation.

And there is also an alliance of parties representing Israel's Arab communities. Called the Joint List, it is confident it will finish third.

Potentially, the Joint List could play a role supporting a government led by Benny Gantz. That has happened only once before, when Arab parties offered parliamentary support to a Labor government led by Yitzhak Rabin in 1992, without actually joining it in coalition.

However, the presentation of the Trump Mideast plan has possibly put a wedge between the Joint List and Blue and White, making co-operation more difficult.

When will we know the results?

By law, the first exit polls released on election day come out at 10 p.m. local time. This will give us the first indication of where the parties stand. But these exit polls come with a health warning: sometimes, they are remarkably prescient; other times, they are woefully wide of the mark.

Final results can take a few days, as ballot boxes are checked, and votes come in from Israelis overseas.

But the results should be obvious long before that, and it is usually fairly clear by sunrise the following day what shape possible coalition negotiations could take.

Officially, it's up to Israel's president to decide who is tasked with forming the next government. He announces his decision after consulting with the heads of the political parties that have secured enough votes to enter the Knesset. These consultations take a few days, and the President is likely to announce his decision about a week after the elections.

From that point, the party leader appointed to the task has six weeks to form a government. If he or she fails, the task is then assigned to another party leader.

If neither Netanyahu nor Gantz succeed in forming a governing coalition, the country could well end up in a fourth election later this year.

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2020-03-02 07:47:00Z
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‘This Will Be a Long Battle’: More Countries Report First Coronavirus Deaths - The Wall Street Journal

Medical staff wearing protective suits outside a hospital in Daegu, South Korea.

Photo: Kim Hyun-tae/Associated Press

By

Wenxin Fan

Wenxin Fan
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @xinwenfan
• wenxin.fan@wsj.com

Updated March 1, 2020 2:21 pm ET

More countries reported their first coronavirus fatalities and the toll grew in places such as China, as the number of deaths from the epidemic globally nears 3,000.

Hours after the U.S. reported its first fatality, Australia on Sunday announced its first death from the disease known as Covid-19. So did Thailand, more than a month after it became the first country outside of China to report an infection. Italy added five more deaths, with 528 new confirmed cases since Saturday.

In China, health authorities said 35 patients died on Saturday, bringing the total number of deaths from the disease in the hardest-hit country to 2,870. A doctor in the city of Wuhan died early Sunday morning after he was infected while fighting the virus, his hospital said.

As Iran fights to contain the coronavirus epidemic, governments including Saudi Arabia and Iraq are closing some of the world's largest religious sites and canceling prayers. Here's why countries in the Middle East are particularly concerned. Photo: Ganoo Essa/Reuters

The fast-rising number of cases and the spreading death toll from a disease long concentrated in China has sparked fears of a global pandemic. That has set off a new round of travel restrictions, sending markets spiraling down and forcing closures of popular public events and tourist sites—including Paris’s Louvre museum, which shut down Sunday morning after workers expressed concern about the illness.

The epidemic threatens to stress hospital systems in less-prepared countries and has crimped economic activity, depriving many people of their livelihoods.

“This will be a long battle,” said Ben Cowling, head of the epidemiology and biostatistics division at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health.

China’s count of confirmed cases grew by 573 Saturday to nearly 80,000. Only eight new cases were recorded outside the city of Wuhan, where the global epidemic started.

Armenia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Ecuador and Qatar each reported their first infections over the weekend.

The Latest on the Coronavirus

• U.S., Australia and Thailand report their first coronavirus deaths
• Global death toll is now about 3,000—China’s death toll as of Saturday was 2,870
• Armenia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Ecuador and Qatar each reported their first infections over the weekend
• Japan ran a slimmed-down marathon in Tokyo to protect the Olympics from the threat of the epidemic

TRACKING THE CORONAVIRUS

VIEW In Depth

The Australian who died was a passenger on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that had more than 700 coronavirus infections confirmed among the 3,700 passengers and crew. Six of those who were infected died in Japan.

Government officials in Australia said the man had begun to feel sick during an evacuation flight from Japan, and had been taken to a hospital in Western Australia, where he died overnight.

In South Korea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced 586 new confirmed cases Sunday, including one death.

Countries have tightened restrictions on travel. The U.S. will bar foreign nationals who have traveled to Iran in the past 14 days, Vice President Mike Pence said, and the U.S. government is also strongly advising against travel to areas in Italy and South Korea that have been affected by the virus.

In Italy, 1,577 people are infected with the virus and 34 have died, Italy’s Civil Protection agency said late Sunday. Eighty-three people have fully recovered.

Italian authorities said the rapid increase in new cases—50% since Saturday—reflects the disease’s long incubation period and the fact that containment measures were put in place around a week ago, after many people were infected. They said they expect the emergence of new cases to start to slow down in about a week.

As the coronavirus continued to spread in Italy, Pope Francis announced that he had a cold and would be sitting out a week-long spiritual retreat for Vatican officials starting Sunday evening.

The pope made his first public appearance since Wednesday, when he had spoken with a hoarse voice and wiped his nose during Ash Wednesday Mass. He worked on a restricted schedule for the following three days, canceling speeches to large groups but holding private meetings, on account of what the Vatican described as a “slight indisposition.”

Pope Francis coughs during the Angelus noon prayer from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, on Sunday.

Photo: Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

It was the pope’s longest stretch of time off for health reasons since his election almost seven years ago, and it raised speculation that he might have been infected with the virus. But on Sunday, the pope described his ailment as a cold.

“Unfortunately, a cold requires me to not participate [in the retreat] this year,” he said. “I’ll follow the meditations from here.”

The pope coughed twice during his 10 minutes at a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square and seemed slightly tired but alert, improvising remarks about his concern for war refugees. When he was a young man he had part of a lung removed after a battle with respiratory illness.

Iran’s foreign ministry had advised its citizens to stay away from South Korea, while the country’s state-controlled news agency IRNA reported Azerbaijan had closed its border with Iran for two weeks starting Saturday afternoon.

City officials in Beijing said both of its two new cases confirmed on Saturday in the Chinese capital were Chinese citizens who flew back from Iran. Ningxia, a Muslim region in northwestern China, also reported two such cases earlier this week.

In Moscow, the Chinese embassy issued a statement confirming that 80 Chinese citizens who had violated self-quarantine rules imposed in Russia have been moved to a quarantine facility.

In a news conference later, China said it understands most countries’ restrictions on travel by Chinese citizens, but saw some as overreaction.

“Some countries had taken unnecessary steps,” said Cui Aimin, director-general of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, without elaborating.

Ballet dancers demonstrate movements during an open course on live stream, in Shanghai.

Photo: Ren Long/Zuma Press

In the same press conference, Chinese officials said air travel with South Korea and Japan had been cut back and would be further reduced next week.

Mr. Cui also acknowledged that Chinese cities have been monitoring foreigners arriving from affected countries and have subjected them to the same home quarantines and other disease-control measures applied to Chinese citizens.

Such steps “effectively prevented cross-border transmission and benefited both China and foreign countries,” he said.

—Stuart Condie, Giovanni Legorano and Francis X. Rocca contributed to this article.

More

• The Lonely Marathon Japan Ran to Protect Olympics From Coronavirus
• China Touts Slowing Coronavirus Toll
• What We Know About the Coronavirus
• Coronavirus Live Coverage

Write to Wenxin Fan at Wenxin.Fan@wsj.com

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2020-03-01 19:21:00Z
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Coronavirus Spreads in U.S., as Rhode Island Confirms State’s First Case - The Wall Street Journal

At a hastily arranged White House news conference on Saturday, President Trump and other officials sought to project confidence in how the U.S. is handling the coronavirus situation.

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

By

Brianna Abbott,

Brianna Abbott
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
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• brianna.abbott@wsj.com

Alex Leary and

Alex Leary
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @learyreports
• alex.leary@wsj.com

Joe Barrett

Joe Barrett
The Wall Street Journal
• Biography
• @jbarrchicago
• Joseph.Barrett@wsj.com

March 1, 2020 11:34 am ET

Rhode Island health officials confirmed the state’s first case of coronavirus on Sunday, signaling a widening spread of the virus a day after the first death in the U.S. was reported in Washington state and the White House imposed additional international travel restrictions.

The Rhode Island patient, the 25th confirmed local case in the U.S., is a person in their 40s who had traveled to Italy in mid-February, the state health department said in a press release. Officials said they are working closely with the hospital where this person is being treated.

The family of the Rhode Island patient has been in self-quarantine since the person’s symptoms and travel history made the person a candidate for monitoring for Covid-19, the state agency said. The person hadn’t returned to work and extensive efforts are underway to reach anyone who the person did have contact with since returning to the U.S., it said. Any of those contacts will be monitored and directed to self-quarantine for 14 days as well.

The Latest on the Coronavirus

• The global death toll is now about 3,000—China’s death toll as of Saturday was 2,870
• U.S., Australia and Thailand report their first coronavirus deaths
• Armenia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Ecuador and Qatar each reported their first infections over the weekend
• Japan ran a slimmed-down marathon in Tokyo to protect the Olympics from the threat of the epidemic

TRACKING THE CORONAVIRUS

VIEW In Depth

Vice President Mike Pence, head of the government’s task force on the virus, said at a briefing Saturday that the U.S. will bar foreign nationals who have traveled to Iran in the past 14 days. The government is also strongly advising people against travel to areas in Italy and South Korea that are affected by the virus and has asked those countries to ensure adequate screening of travelers to the U.S.

At the hastily arranged White House news conference, President Trump and other officials sought to project confidence in how the U.S. is handling the situation, which has sent markets tumbling. “This too will end,” the president said.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “The risk is low. We need to get on with our normal lives.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Mr. Trump said the U.S. is also considering restrictions at the Mexican border. On Sunday, Mr. Trump said on Twitter that travelers from high-risk countries or areas wouldn’t only be screened for the virus prior to boarding but also when they arrive in the U.S.

The patient in Washington, a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, died Friday night after test results confirmed he had novel coronavirus, according to a letter from the EvergreenHealth health-care system. He didn’t have any travel history to areas where the virus was circulating.

The CDC on Saturday also announced the first case of novel coronavirus in a U.S. health-care provider. The woman, who is in her 40s and is currently in good condition, is connected to yet another case in Washington state—a woman in her 70s in serious condition.

President Trump, Vice President Pence and health officials held a press conference on Saturday after Washington state health officials reported the country’s first coronavirus death. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

Both are associated with a long-term care facility called Life Care Center of Kirkland in Kirkland, Wash. Health officials warned of a potential outbreak in the facility and said that an additional 27 residents and 25 staff are experiencing symptoms.

So far, roughly 80% of the cases are mild, with the most common symptoms being a fever and a dry cough. Many patients recover within a few weeks. But the rapidly spreading virus can also be deadly, especially among older adults and those with underlying health conditions, such as chronic cardiac disease, lung disease and diabetes.

Federal health officials said that the overall risk to the general public in the U.S. is still low, though the risk is rising in some areas and is higher for certain groups. People can protect themselves and their communities by taking steps such as frequent handwashing, avoiding contact with people who are sick and staying home if they develop symptoms, health authorities say.

Coronavirus

What We Know

How to Prepare

Travel Q&A

“We are facing a historic public health challenge,” Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a press call. “While we still hope for the best, we continue to prepare for this virus to become more widespread in the United States.”

A total of 25 people have been diagnosed with the novel infection within the U.S., not including repatriated Americans.

Late Saturday, health officials in Illinois said a third person there had tested positive for coronavirus. They didn’t say how the person had contracted it. The patient, who wasn’t identified, remains in the hospital and is in isolation. Two people in the state previously confirmed to have the virus have made full recoveries, officials said in a statement.

New cases in patients who currently have no clear path of exposure signal a wider spread of the novel coronavirus in some American communities. On Saturday, officials in Santa Clara County, Calif., announced a fourth confirmed case, a woman they said had been a “household contact“ of another woman who contracted the disease through apparent community transmission.

They released few details about the case other than to say the unidentified woman isn’t hospitalized or ill. The other woman, who also hasn’t been identified, remains under hospital treatment.

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That woman was one of three new cases reported by health officials in California, Washington and Oregon on Friday in which the patients had no relevant travel history or known exposure to carriers.

The patients were tested following a change in the CDC guideline, which the agency expanded on Thursday to include people with recent travel history to Japan, Italy, Iran and South Korea as well as people with severe respiratory illnesses and a fever without a clear cause of infection.

The agency expanded the guideline after a patient in California wasn’t tested right away because the woman didn’t meet the stricter guidelines but ended up testing positive.

On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it would allow some 300 to 400 academic-hospital labs to begin testing for the virus, allowing for checks of thousands of people rather than the few hundred already tested.

Until Saturday’s announcement, there were relatively few diagnostic tests conducted in the U.S., with most state and local health departments sending patient samples to the CDC and waiting days for results. Even those initially had some accuracy problems, though the CDC has said those problems have been remedied.

Washington state started testing patient samples locally on Friday, officials said, which contributed to the quick uptick of reported cases in the region.

Mr. Trump is scheduled to meet Monday with pharmaceutical companies as work continues on a vaccination.

Write to Brianna Abbott at brianna.abbott@wsj.com, Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com and Joe Barrett at joseph.barrett@wsj.com

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2020-03-01 16:34:00Z
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Rebecca Grant: After peace deal with Taliban, many uncertainties remain about what comes next in Afghanistan - Fox News

The signing of the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement Saturday in Qatar is a hopeful and historic moment, but the Trump administration knows full well that the security situation across Afghanistan is shaky at best.

That’s why Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed Taliban leaders that he would "closely watch the Taliban’s compliance with their commitments and calibrate the pace of our withdrawal to their actions.”

The peace agreement is designed to end the longest war in American history, which began after Al Qaeda terrorists using Afghanistan as their base to stage the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States that killed almost 3,000 people.

LINDSEY GRAHAM ON US-TALIBAN PEACE AGREEMENT: 'LET'S GIVE IT A TRY'

The agreement calls for U.S. forces in Afghanistan to be reduced from the current 13,000 to 8,600 in three or four months, after which there could be further U.S. troop withdrawals if the Taliban keep their commitments to stop backing Al Qaeda and make peace a reality in Afghanistan.

As it turns out, the seven-day “reduction in violence” in Afghanistan preceding the signing of the peace agreement almost unraveled. Two motorcycle vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks took place in Kabul last week. The attacks were immediately disavowed by the Taliban and claimed by ISIS.

U.S. Army Gen. Scott Miller, who commands the NATO support mission and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, ultimately ruled in favor of continuing with the peace process. Pompeo reiterated Saturday that the Taliban must “keep up the fight to defeat ISIS” in Afghanistan.

It’s naïve to think Afghanistan will settle down and become what the military calls a “permissive environment” anytime soon.

More from Opinion

President Ashraf Ghani’s government does not control the rural areas. ISIS is still out there, along with a dozen other non-Taliban terrorist groups. And Iran has been meddling in Afghanistan across their common border for years. However, the truce put the Taliban to the test and they passed.

Intra-Afghan talks between Ghani’s government and the Taliban are tentatively scheduled to start March 10 in either Norway or Qatar. The fact is, the Taliban leadership was ready for the deal last fall.

A big dilemma was getting the Afghan government in a position to enter talks with the Taliban. This has been made possible by the Trump administration’s investment in Afghanistan’s military and security sector.

Recently Afghan special forces – with a little coalition command and control assistance – rescued several Afghan military hostages from Taliban control. And the Afghan Air Force is now carrying out up to 50 percent of the airstrike missions, up from zero a few years ago.

From a military standpoint, the Afghans are in a much better place today. Over the last three years, Afghanistan’s forces have shown they can carry out better-coordinated, intensified military operations against the Taliban and other insurgent groups.

Afghan forces are not perfect by any means, but their improved military record has shown that the Taliban can’t conquer Kabul and take over as they did from 1996 to 2001.

As a result, the Afghan government has the stature and confidence to enter into negotiations with the Taliban. However, Afghanistan’s position of strength requires continued U.S. and NATO backing.

Don’t expect an immediate Afghanistan “peace dividend” for the U.S.  In fact, the U.S. Defense Department budget request for Afghanistan operations has actually increased slightly.

This is a critical time, and Afghan military forces still need contractor logistic support even when U.S. military forces leave. Two prime examples are maintenance and training support for the Afghan Air Force A-29 attack aircraft and the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. Both systems depend almost exclusively on American contractors.

Central Command reported a total of 24,202 contractors in Afghanistan as of December. Some 4,951 provide base security, while others drive, translate, cook, clean and maintain equipment.

If the Taliban behave and peace proves durable, it might be possible to close down smaller bases in due course.

The biggest security risk is that the Taliban could regroup for a spring offensive. Right now it’s unclear whether they are making plans to fight or stand-down this spring. Last year the Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive on April 12 and launched attacks in Nangarhar province hours later.

So far, the Taliban have made no announcement about an offensive this year. Much will depend on what they say and do in the coming weeks.

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However, the Trump administration has at last crafted the right moment to make this deal and empower Afghanistan’s government to negotiate from a position of strength.

Of course, U.S. Special Representative for Afghan Peace Talks Zalmay Khalilzad will be on hand to coach, referee and drive momentum forward. But he’s not alone.

Norway started hosting informal talks between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives over five years ago, and German diplomats have also been very helpful in keeping the Taliban talks on track.

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Afghanistan’s Vice President-elect Amrullah Saleh was once a Northern Alliance fighter with Ahmed Shah Massoud, who was killed by Al Qaeda on Sept. 9, 2001. Saleh himself was later hunted by the Taliban.

Yet on Friday Saleh said in an essay for Time Magazine: “I am ready to make peace with the Taliban on the battlefield, and fight them in a very different arena: at the ballot box.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY REBECCA GRANT

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2020-03-01 16:02:10Z
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Syria war: Turkey intensifies Idlib onslaught after air strike - BBC News

Turkey shot down two Syrian fighter jets on Sunday as it intensified military action in northern Syria.

The pilots parachuted to safety over Idlib province, where Turkish troops and rebels have been clashing with Syrian government forces.

Turkey, which backs the opposition, said it had also targeted Syrian air defence systems and dozens of tanks.

Tensions in Idlib escalated sharply last week when at least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in an air strike.

The incident sparked fears of a major escalation involving Turkey and Syria's main military ally, Russia.

But, on Sunday, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the country did not want conflict with Russia.

"We expect Russia to stop the regime's attacks," he said in a televised statement. "We don't have the desire or intention to clash with Russia."

Mr Akar dubbed the latest operation against the Syrian army "Spring Shield". He said it had destroyed a drone, eight helicopters, 103 tanks, as well as rocket launchers and other military equipment.

He added that 2,212 members of the Syrian forces had been "neutralised", a term used to mean killed, wounded or captured.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 74 Syrian government troops and pro-Damascus fighters had been killed since 27 February.

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The latest developments have strained relations between Ankara and Moscow. But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.

Meanwhile, the EU has called an emergency foreign ministers' meeting over the conflict.

What's the context?

Syrian government forces, supported by Russia, have been trying to retake Idlib from jihadist groups and Turkish-backed rebel factions.

Idlib is the last Syrian province where Syrian rebel groups still control significant territory.

The Syrian government advance has displaced nearly a million civilians who have fled to areas near the Turkish border. Turkey says it is already hosting millions of refugees and does not have the resources to let more enter.

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Turkey has some troops in observation points in Idlib under a 2018 agreement with Russia. President Erdogan had earlier threatened to confront Syrian government forces if they did not withdraw from positions near the Turkish observation posts.

The attack on Turkish troops last week came after Turkish-backed rebels retook the key town of Saraqeb, north-east of Balyun. Russia denies its own forces were involved in the fighting in the Balyun area.

But Russia and Turkey are backing opposing sides in the civil war. Turkey is opposed to the government of Bashar al-Assad and supports some rebel groups.

Russia has rejected calls in the UN Security Council for a humanitarian ceasefire in northern Syria, saying the only solution is to chase what it calls terrorists from the country.

The Syrian government, which has regularly been accused of committing atrocities against civilians, says it is liberating Idlib from "terrorism".

The Turkish and Russian presidents spoke by phone on Friday. They both expressed concern and agreed on the need for "additional meaWhy is Turkey so deeply involved in Syria?

Why is Turkey so deeply involved in Syria?

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Its long border with Syria has brought it into close contact with the civil war and its strong opposition to the Assad government has made it a natural destination for refugees.

But President Erdogan has said it cannot deal with the amount of people fleeing the civil war. Turkey has vowed to open its doors for migrants to travel to the EU.

Turkey is also actively trying to prevent Syria's Kurdish community establishing control over the border region, fearing that this would encourage Kurdish separatism within Turkey itself.

It has been accused of seeking to drive Kurds away from the border in order to establish a safe area within Syria to rehouse two million of the refugees it is hosting.

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2020-03-01 15:44:45Z
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Turkey shoots down two Syrian government fighter jets over Idlib - Al Jazeera English

Antakya, Turkey - Turkey's military shot down two Syrian government fighter jets over northwest Idlib, hours after forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad brought down a Turkish drone over the region. 

In a Twitter post on Sunday, Turkey's defence ministry said its forces struck two SU-24 aircraft in response to the downing of the drone.

Syria's SANA news agency confirmed the fighters were hit over Idlib, but said no one was hurt in the attack. The pilots used parachutes and landed safely, it added. 

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Earlier on Sunday, Turkish and Syrian state-run media offered contradicting reports on the downing of the drone. Turkey's Anadolu news agency said an "Assad regime jet" was hit over Idlib, but Syria's SANA denied it promptly, saying a Turkish drone crashed over the town of Saraqeb. 

The Turkish defence ministry's Twitter post is the first confirmation of the downing of the drone. It also said three Syrian air defence systems were destroyed in the retaliatory attack. 

Bir SİHA’mızı düşüren Hava Savunma Sistemi ile diğer iki Hava Savunma Sistemi imha edilmiş, uçaklarımıza taarruz eden Rejime ait iki adet SU-24 tipi uçak düşürülmüştür.https://t.co/pTpScFhR6M#MSB #TSK #BaharKalkanıHarekatı

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) March 1, 2020

Amid the escalating tensions, the Syrian government closed the airspace over Idlib, with one official telling SANA any aircraft "that violates our airspace will be treated as a hostile flight that must be shot down and prevented from achieving its objectives".

Forces loyal to al-Assad, backed by Russian airpower, have renewed an offensive to capture Idlib from opposition forces, who are backed by Turkey.

Since the operation intensified in December, Syrian government forces have rapidly advanced into the last opposition stronghold, retaking the strategic M5 highway and solidifying control over parts of Aleppo province, which borders Idlib. 

Erdogan vows to keep doors open for refugees heading to Europe (1:55)

Turkey says the operation violates deals signed with Russia in 2017 and 2018 to set up de-escalation zones in the region.

Tensions have escalated in recent days after 34 Turkish troops were killed in Syrian government air raids on Idlib. The toll was the biggest military loss the Turkish military has suffered since it intervened in the Syrian conflict in 2016. In response, Ankara said it struck scores of Syrian government targets and "neutralised" 2,212 soldiers.

Speaking in Hatay on Sunday, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara's response also destroyed eight Syrian helicopters, 103 tanks, 72 artillery and rocket launchers, and three air defence systems. He also said the Turkish response is called operation "Spring Shield". 

Damascus is yet to comment on the Turkish claims. 

"We have no intention of clashing with Russia. Our aim is to stop massacres Syrian regime's massacres, radicalisation and migration," Akar was quoted as saying by Turkish media.

He went on to pledge retaliation against attacks on Turkish forces and its observation posts in Idlib and said: "Turkey will only target Syrian regime soldiers and elements in Idlib who attacked Turkish troops... Turkey expects Russia to use its influence to end to Syrian regime attacks." 

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

The renewed hostilities in Idlib has displaced nearly one million people, mostly women and children, according to the United Nations. Some 299 civilians have also been confirmed killed. 

Syrian civil defence rescuers told Al Jazeera that four civilians were killed, including a child, in an air strike on Sunday by government forces near the town of Maaret Masreen in Idlib. 

Mark Lowcock, head of UN's humanitarian agency, has described the situation as the "biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st century" and called for an immediate ceasefire.

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2020-03-01 14:11:00Z
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Turkey downs 2 Syrian warplanes as tensions soar, officials say - Fox News

KASTANIES, Greece (AP) — Syria’s official news agency said two of its warplanes were shot down by Turkish forces inside northwest Syria, amid a military escalation there that's led to growing direct clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces.

SANA says the jets were targeted over the Idlib region, and that the four pilots ejected with parachutes and landed safely. These confrontations have added to soaring tensions between Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides of the Syrian civil war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday announced his country had opened its western borders to migrants and refugees hoping to head into the European Union. The United Nations said Sunday that at least 13,000 people were massed on Turkey’s land border with Greece,

TURKEY TO ALLOW SYRIAN REFUGEES FREE ACCESS TO EUROPE AFTER TROOP ATTACK

Erdogan did not explicitly link his decision to open the gates to Europe to the military escalation in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province. However, he has warned that Turkey “can’t handle a new wave of migration,” an apparent reference to Idlib where hundreds of thousands of desperate Syrian civilians fleeing Syrian troop advances moved toward the Turkish border.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his ruling party's lawmakers, in Istanbul, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Erdogan said Saturday that his country's borders with Europe were open, as thousands of refugees gathered at the frontier with Greece.(Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, speaking from military headquarters near the Syrian border, said Turkey aimed to confront Syrian government forces rather than Russian troops. He called on Moscow to persuade Syrian President Bashar Assad to withdraw to 2018 cease-fire lines on the edges of Idlib.

Referring to losses inflicted on Syria, he said Turkey had “neutralized” more than 2,200 Syrian troops, 103 tanks, and eight helicopters.

“The Spring Shield operation, which was launched following the abominable attack in Idlib on Feb. 27, continues successfully," Akar said, referring to air strikes that killed 33 Turkish soldiers.

The operation is Turkey's fourth in the war-torn country since 2016.

DANIEL DAVIS: ALL US TROOPS SHOULD LEAVE SYRIA - WE SHOULDN'T GET SUCKED INTO WAR

The heavy fighting in northwest Syria has also triggered a humanitarian catastrophe and the single largest wave of displacement in the nine-year Syrian civil war.

Greek border guard use teargas to push back migrants who try to enter Greece, at Pazarkule border gate, Edirne, Turkey, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (Ismail Coskun/IHA via AP)

Ankara is worried it might come under renewed international pressure to open its now sealed border with Syria and offer refuge to hundreds of thousands more Syrian civilians. Turkey already hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to open his country's borders with Europe made good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into the continent. His announcement marked a dramatic departure from the current policy and an apparent attempt to pressure Europe into offering Turkey more support in dealing with the fallout from the Syrian war to its south.

The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said Sunday that by the previous evening, its staff working along the Turkish-Greek land border “had observed at least 13,000 people gathered at the formal border crossing points at Pazarkule and Ipsala and multiple informal border crossings, in groups of between several dozen and more than 3,000.”

Greek authorities fired tear gas and stun grenades through Saturday to prevent repeated attempts by a crowd of more than 4,000 people massed at the border crossing in Kastanies to cross, and fought a cat-and-mouse game with groups cutting holes in a border fence along the border to crawl through.

Erdogan’s communications director Fahrettin Altun later said Turkey had changed its focus to preparing for the possibility of new arrivals from Syria “instead of preventing refugees who intend to migrate to Europe.”

“Europe and others must take robust action to address this monumental challenge,” Altun said. “We can’t be expected to do this on our own.”

FILE - This file frame grab from video released on July 22, 2017 and provided by the government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media, shows Hezbollah fighters advancing up a hill during clashes with al-Qaida-linked militants in an area on the Lebanon-Syria border. Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group lost at least eight fighters in northwestern Syria in fighting against insurgents and airstrikes by the Turkey's air force following the death of at least 33 Turkish soldiers earlier this week, a Syrian opposition war monitor and the militant group said Saturday. (Syrian Central Military Media, via AP, File)

THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS MASS AT GREEK BORDER, MORE FLEE SYRIA

He accused critics of Turkey’s refugee policy of “rampant hypocrisy.”

He claimed 80,888 had left Turkey for Europe “in the past several days” and called on Europe to share the burden of looking after refugees. But there was no evidence to support his claim. Greece has shut its border, and there were a few dozen arrests of people who managed to cross through the border, Greek authorities have said.

Greek Deputy Defense Minister Alkiviadis Stefanis told the local broadcaster Skai there were around 9,600 attempts to illegally cross Greece’s border during the night Saturday to Sunday. Stefanis said all were successfully thwarted. Previously several dozen migrants had managed to make it through.

Greek officials said they arrested 66 migrants Friday, 17 of whom were sentenced to 3.5 years in jail for entering the country illegally. All Afghans, they were the first migrants sentenced for illegal entry since 2014. On Saturday, Greece arrested another 70 people who tried to cross the land border illegally.

Stavros Zamalides, president of the local community in Kastanies, said Turkish soldiers were actively helping people cross the Greek border clandestinely.

“Turkish soldiers with cutters in their hands were cutting the wires of the fence to lead the illegal migrants” into crossing the border, he said. “The attempt was thwarted by the intervention of our own patrol that happened to be passing that area on patrol at the time, and it repaired the damage in the fence,” he added.

Twenty-year-old Afghan Ayamuddin Azimi made it to the Greek border village of Nea Vyssa along with a compatriot. He said Turkey had opened its borders “to save the refugees” but when they got to the frontier they found the Greek side closed.

He crossed clandestinely, he said. “What can I do? We have nothing to do. This is our life.”

Others were making the short but often perilous sea crossing from the Turkish coast to the Greek islands.

Initial figures collected by Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry from the coast guard around the eastern Aegean islands showed a clear increase in the number of people arriving by dinghies from the nearby Turkish coast.

MOM OF MISSING AMERICAN AUSTIN TICE CLAIMS 'INSUBORDINATE' US OFFICIALS HOLDING UP RELEASE TALKS

By midday Sunday, the ministry said initial figures indicated 390 people had arrived since Sunday morning in several boats. The vast majority arrived on the island of Lesbos, with smaller numbers on Chios and Samos. More were believed to be attempting to reach the islands.

In parallel, the heavy fighting in northwest Syria has pushed nearly 950,000 displaced Syrian civilians to flee toward the border with Turkey.

Turkey is a strong backer of the rebels in Syria’s Idlib province. But the presence of thousands of Turkish troops there has done little to stop Assad's relentless campaign to seize the last rebel-held territories.

Dozens of Turkish soldiers have been killed by the Russian-backed Syrian government forces around Idlib in recent days.

Erdogan has warned of an “imminent” operation against Assad's forces unless they pull back from Turkish lines in Syria by the end of February.

As that deadline passed Saturday night, Turkish drones bombed Syrian government targets in Idlib, and Turkey-backed rebels shelled Syrian army positions. Fighting raged near the strategic town of Saraqeb as government troops sought to take it back from rebels, opposition activists and Syrian state-media said. The town, which lies on the Damascus-Aleppo highway, had changed hands several times in the last month.

Turkey has lost 55 soldiers in Idlib in February, including 33 killed in an airstrike on Thursday, and now feels the need to respond strongly. Talks between Turkey and Russia, the main power brokers in Syria, have so far failed to defuse tensions.

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On Saturday, Erdogan said Turkey would no longer stand in the way of refugees and migrants already in the country who hope to head to Europe.

“We will not close the gates to refugees,” he said. “The European Union has to keep its promises. We are not obliged to look after and feed so many refugees."

Under a 6 billion euro deal in 2016, Turkey agreed to stem the tide of refugees to Europe in return for financial aid after more than a million people entered Europe in 2015. It has since accused the EU of failing to honor the agreement. Erdogan has frequently threatened to “open the gates” and allow refugees and migrants to head to Europe unless more international support was provided.

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2020-03-01 13:07:32Z
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