Hundreds of White Helmet rescue workers and their families were extracted out of Syria after Russian officials described them as “vermin” who deserved to be wiped out, according to a report on last week’s multinational rescue mission.
The 422 made it out of Syria at night via three crossings into Israel dubbed Tom, Dick and Harry — named after three escape tunnels dug under German prison camps during the Second World War — according to accounts by rescuers and the White Helmets.
Preparations for their flight began after informal soundings of the Russian military police indicated that rescue workers would not be allowed safe passage, as Syrian troops defeated the resistance by rebels in Deraa, southern Syria, The Sunday Times reported.
Syrian-led forces swept through the south-west of the country over the last month in one of the swiftest offensives of the seven-year war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.
The rescue group, officially known as Syria Civil Defence, has been credited with saving thousands of lives in rebel-held areas during years of regime bombing attacks.
But President Bashar Al Assad has described them as western-sponsored propaganda agents aiding anti-regime forces. Concern over their welfare prompted an informal approach to Syria’s Russian allies.
"They said that the White Helmets were vermin who should be eradicated," James Le Mesurier, a former soldier and founder of Mayday Rescue which helped to train the rescuers, told The Sunday Times.
With government forces closing in, the White Helmets' southern headquarters in Amman, Jordan, started receiving calls for help from its volunteers.
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Read more:
Syrian refugees in Lebanon alarmed by Russian involvement in planned repatriation
'We are trapped': White Helmets plead for evacuation from Syria
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Preparations for their flight began on July 4 when the White Helmets director Raed Al Saleh spoke with a senior Canadian envoy during Independence Day celebrations at the United States consulate In Istanbul, according to the newspaper.
The rescue attempt took shape at the Nato summit in Brussels the following week, with the US, Canada, the UK and Germany pledging to work together to extract the White Helmets. Israel agreed it would allow them passage into its territory on the journey to Jordan, before eventual resettlement in western nations.
About 1,200 names were sent to western governments for screening, with those planning to make it out encouraged to head towards the secret crossing points. The number of checkpoints in the region, the expansion of ISIS in the area and the fear of travelling at night meant many did not reach the designated areas.
Abu Ahmad, 35, a White Helmets co-ordinator on the Syrian side of the border, calculated that regime forces were just a mile away when a group made the crossing on July 21. One of those who crossed safely was a woman who had given birth just two days before.
The Syrian government on Monday condemned last week's evacuation as a "criminal operation" undertaken by "Israel and its tools".
But with hundreds left behind, a senior official from the White Helmets called on the United Nations to step in. The group has more than 3,700 men and women volunteers in Syria. More than 200 have been killed during the seven-year war.
“We want the UN or any international agency to remove the White Helmets volunteers from Deraa to Idlib so we can continue to work in the north of Syria," said Majd Khalaf, one of the rescue group's founders.
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
WE NO LONGER PREFER MOUNTAINS
Director: Inas Halabi
Starring: Nijmeh Hamdan, Kamal Kayouf, Sheikh Najib Alou
Rating: 4/5
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 + VAT and Dh166,464 + VAT
On sale: now
THE SPECS
Battery: 60kW lithium-ion phosphate
Power: Up to 201bhp
0 to 100kph: 7.3 seconds
Range: 418km
Price: From Dh149,900
Available: Now
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside