N. Korea fires more missiles, South says
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea launched cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea to protest its military drills with the United States.
North Korea has stepped up its weapons testing activities, saying they are in response to the ongoing South Korean-U.S. military training that it sees as an invasion rehearsal. Analysts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un likely intends to enlarge his arsenal to win greater outside concessions, while trying to boost an image of a strong leader amid domestic economic hardships.
The 11-day South Korean-U.S. drills are to end today. But North Korea is expected to continue its weapons tests as the United States reportedly plans to send an aircraft carrier in coming days for another round of joint drills with South Korea.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected "several" cruise missile launches from the North's eastern coastal town of Hamhung. It said the missiles flew into the waters off the North's east coast and that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analyzing further details.
Israelis knock out airport, Syria says
DAMASCUS, Syria -- An Israeli airstrike early Wednesday targeted the international airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, causing material damage and putting it out of service, Syria's state news agency reported. It was the second attack on the facility this month.
SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying Israeli warplanes fired the missiles toward Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once commercial center, while flying over the Mediterranean Sea. It did not mention any casualties.
Bassem Mansour, head of Syria's civil aviation, told the pro-government Sham FM radio station the strike damaged the airport's runway and put the facility out of service. Repair work has started, he said, adding that "the airport will resume work within a short period."
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that in addition to the airport, the airstrike also destroyed a nearby arms depot of Iran-backed militiamen.
The airport has been a key channel for the flow of aid into the country after the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, killing over 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria.
Opposition gains steam in Turkish vote
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey's pro-Kurdish political party and its allies said Wednesday that they won't field a candidate to run in the country's May 14 presidential election, a move considered likely to boost an opposition bloc's chances of unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
With Turkey entangled in economic turmoil and in the midst of a difficult recovery from a devastating earthquake last month, Erdogan is facing the toughest reelection bid of his two-decade rule as prime minister and as president.
A six-party opposition coalition known as the Nation Alliance has united behind the candidacy of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the secularist Republican People's Party. The coalition has vowed to dismantle a presidential system that has concentrated a vast amount of powers in Erdogan's hands. Critics say the system amounts to a "one-man rule" without checks and balances.
In announcing that the Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, wouldn't put up its own candidate for the presidency, co-chairperson Pervin Buldan didn't express outright support for Kilicdaroglu, but the decision was widely seen as the party's tacit backing of the anti-Erdogan bloc.
The HDP is the No. 2 opposition party in Turkey's parliament and commands about 10% of the vote, so its support is crucial for the opposition's bid to defeat Erdogan. In 2019, HDP's support helped Kilicdaroglu's party win the municipalities of Ankara and Istanbul in 2019 local elections.
400 sentenced in Chad leader's killing
N'DJAMENA, Chad -- More than 400 rebels accused of killing Chad's former president have been sentenced to life in prison.
The rebels were convicted of terrorism, using child soldiers and undermining Chad's integrity and security, an appeals court ruled in a closed hearing on Tuesday.
The month-long mass trial charged 454 members of the Front For Change and Concord rebel group with killing longtime President Idriss Deby Itno, who died in murky circumstances in 2021 just two days after winning a sixth term in office. Two dozen people on trial were acquitted and it's unclear exactly how many were convicted.
In addition to life imprisonment, the leader of the rebel group, Mahamat Mahdi Ali has been fined some $30 million to be paid to Chad's government for damages.
Lawyers for the defendants said they'll appeal the verdict with Chad's Supreme Court. "As this decision has been made public by the court of appeal, there is only the right to appeal," said Lokoulde Francis, a lawyer for the accused.
U.S. Army soldiers prepare to participate in a combined live fire exercise between South Korea and the United States at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People watches a TV screen reporting North Korea's missile launch with file image during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. The letters read "North, launched multiple cruise missiles." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
U.S. Army soldiers prepare to participate in a combined live fire exercise between South Korea and the United States at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A South Korean army K1A1 tank fires during a combined live fire exercise between South Korea and the United States at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. and South Korean, top, army soldiers gather before a combined live fire exercise between South Korea and the United States at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Navy's the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island is escorted into Busan port, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. (Sohn Hyung-joo/Yonhap via AP)
A South Korean army K1A1 tank fires during a combined live fire exercise between South Korea and the United States at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A TV screen is seen reporting North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles toward the sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, three days after the North carried out what it called a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea. The letters read "North, launched multiple cruise missiles." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
FILE - A TV screen shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on March 13, 2023. South Korea said Wednesday, March 22, 2023, North Korea has test-launched multiple cruise missiles toward the North's eastern waters. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)