US pulls out of two more bases in Syria, worrying Kurdish forces
U.S. forces have pulled out of two more bases in northeastern Syria, visiting Reuters reporters found, accelerating a troop drawdown that the commander of U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said was allowing a resurgence of Islamic State, Reuters reported.
Reuters reporters who visited the two bases in the past week found them mostly deserted, both guarded by small contingents of the Syrian Democratic Forces - the Kurdish-led military group that Washington has backed in the fight against Islamic State for a decade.
Cameras used on bases occupied by the U.S.-led military coalition had been taken down, and razor wire on the outer perimeters had begun to sag.
A Kurdish politician who lives on one base said there were no longer U.S. troops there. SDF guards at the second base said troops had left recently but declined to say when. The Pentagon declined to comment, according to Reuters.
It is the first confirmation on the ground by reporters that the U.S. has withdrawn from Al-Wazir and Tel Baydar bases in Hasaka province. It brings to at least four the number of bases in Syria U.S. troops have left since President Donald Trump took office.
Israeli tanks kill 59 people in Gaza crowd trying to get food aid, medics say
Israeli tanks fired into a crowd trying to get aid from trucks in Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least 59 people, according to medics, in one of the bloodiest incidents yet in mounting violence as desperate residents struggle for food, Reuters reported.
Video shared on social media showed around a dozen mangled bodies lying in a street in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military, at war with Hamas-led Palestinian militants in Gaza since October 2023, acknowledged firing in the area and said it was looking into the incident.
Witnesses interviewed by Reuters said Israeli tanks had launched at least two shells at a crowd of thousands who had gathered on the main eastern road through Khan Younis in the hope of obtaining food from aid trucks that use the route, according to Reuters.
"All of a sudden, they let us move forward and made everyone gather, and then shells started falling, tank shells," said Alaa, an eyewitness, interviewed by Reuters at Nasser Hospital, where wounded victims lay sprawled on the floor and in corridors due to the lack of space.
Macron fears regime change chaos as Trump ups threats on Iran
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday underlined his differences with U.S. President Donald Trump over Iran, appearing to oppose tougher military action against Tehran that could lead to regime change and plunge Iran and the region into chaos.
Macron on Monday had suggested to reporters that Trump was leaving the G7 as part of efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
He was firmly rebuffed Tuesday morning when Trump on X said Macron was mistaken and said his departure had nothing to do with securing a ceasefire.
Since Tuesday morning, Trump has upped the bellicose rhetoric demanding Iran's "unconditional surrender" and warning that U.S. patience was wearing thin as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a fifth day.
Israel has said it launched its operation to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, something Tehran has repeatedly denied.
Israel-Iran air war enters sixth day, Trump calls for Iran's 'unconditional surrender'
Iran and Israel launched new missile strikes at each other on Wednesday as the air war between the two longtime enemies entered a sixth day despite a call from U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran's unconditional surrender, Reuters reported.
The Israeli military said two barrages of Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel in the first two hours of Wednesday morning. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv.
Israel told residents in the area of Tehran to evacuate so its air force could strike Iranian military installations. Iranian news websites said explosions were heard in Tehran and the city of Karaj west of the capital.
Trump warned on social media on Tuesday that U.S. patience was wearing thin. While he said there was no intention to kill Iran's leader "for now," his comments suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen U.S. involvement, according to Reuters.



