Daily World Briefing, Feb. 24
U.S. reportedly withdrawing troops from Qasrak base in Syria
U.S. forces have begun withdrawing from the Qasrak military base in Syria's Hasakah governorate and redeploying toward Iraq, Syria TV reported on Monday, not providing further details.
The move marks another step in the drawdown of U.S.-led coalition forces from parts of the country. Earlier this month, Syria's interim authority said its army had taken control of the Shaddadi military base in the Hasakah governorate and the Tanf base near the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border following coordination with the United States.
Meanwhile, U.S. media reported that Washington was withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria. The remaining U.S. forces are expected to leave the country over the next two months, ending a decade-long U.S. military presence.
U.S. orders non-emergency personnel to evacuate from embassy in Beirut
The U.S. State Department on Monday ordered non-emergency U.S. personnel to evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
"The Department of State has ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and eligible family members from U.S. Embassy Beirut," the State Department said in a statement, giving no reasons.
"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," said the statement.
27 Mexican security personnel killed in cartel's retaliation attacks
Retaliation attacks from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel have left 27 security personnel dead, Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar Garcia Harfuch said Monday at a press conference.
Mexican authorities have recorded 27 attacks targeting law enforcement agencies. Among them, six attacks occurred in the western state of Jalisco, which killed 25 members of the National Guard, one prison guard, and one employee of the State Attorney General's Office.
Harfuch said that 30 members of organized crime groups also died in the attacks.
Hungary blocks EU sanctions, Ukraine loan over oil transit dispute
Hungary has blocked the European Union's (EU) 20th sanctions package against Russia as well as a planned 90-billion-euro (106-billion-U.S. dollar) military loan to Ukraine, citing Kyiv's suspension of crude oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said Monday.
"At today's meeting, I made it clear that we do not support and do not agree to the adoption of the 20th sanctions package," Szijjarto said at a video press conference following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
Moreover, Hungary does not consent to Ukraine receiving the 90-billion-euro military loan, Szijjarto said, noting that Hungary will not support any EU decision serving Ukraine's interests as long as oil transit to Hungary remains halted.
Iran rejects speculations on agreeing to interim nuclear deal with U.S.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday rejected rumors about the chance of reaching an interim nuclear deal in indirect talks between Iran and the United States.
Baghaei said at a weekly press conference in Tehran that the speculation about a temporary agreement has no basis, adding that details of any negotiation are discussed at the negotiating table.
He said Iran's position on ending "cruel" U.S. sanctions and the nuclear issue is clear, "and we are well aware of the U.S. side's viewpoints."
Iranian, Omani FMs discuss coming Iran-U.S. talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, discussed the coming indirect Iran-U.S. talks over the phone on Sunday night.
According to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the two sides exchanged views on the latest developments of the Iran-U.S. negotiations, the first and second rounds of which were held in Muscat, Oman's capital, and Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 6 and 17, respectively.
In an interview with the CBS News "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" program, which was broadcast earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said he would probably meet U.S. president's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the draft proposal of a possible nuclear deal to be prepared by Tehran.
At least 9 killed in 2 armed attacks in Ecuadorian coastal province
At least nine people were killed in two near-simultaneous armed attacks in Ecuador's Pacific coastal province of Manabi on Monday, the National Police said.
The first attack, which left seven dead, occurred in the rural area in the Jama municipality. The second attack took place in the seaside resort in the municipality of San Vicente, where two people died.
According to preliminary reports, both incidents happened in the early hours of Monday, when armed men intercepted the victims. The motives are still under police investigation.■