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Celebrations broke out across Syria over the weekend, with statues depicting his father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad, pulled down from their pedestals. “I’m not looking to go back into the past,” Trump said when asked he was whether he would go after outgoing President Joe Biden. Foreign dignitaries in attendance included President-elect Donald Trump, first lady Jill Biden, Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. South Korean president’s impeachment failsAn image of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is raised at a rally in Seoul calling for his ouster on Dec. 5. End of an Era(s)Tears will be ricocheting as Taylor Swift's record-shattering world tour draws to a close Sunday night with a final stop in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Persons: Assad, Bashar al, Hafez al, Hassan Abdul, Ghani, Joe Biden, Trump, Donald Trump, Kristen Welker, ” Trump, Pam Bondi, Jack Smith, “, Biden, Kash Patel, ’, Trump’s, Jay, Sean Combs Jay, Bauer, Griffin, Shawn Carter, Sean “ Diddy ” Combs, Jane Doe, ”, Combs, Carter, ” Carter, Brian Thompson, Notre Dame, Jill Biden, Prince William, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron, Yoon Suk, Anthony Wallace, Yoon, ” Yoon, Taylor Organizations: U.S, United Nations, Capitol, NBC, Press, Justice Department, Trump, Lone Star, FBI, MTV, of, NBC News, New York police, NYPD, Notre, Notre Dame, Zelenskyy, Getty, South, Federal Locations: Damascus, Moscow, Syria, Hayat Tahrir, Al Qaeda, Free Syria, Texas, Los Angeles, Southern, of New York, Notre, Massachusetts, Seoul, AFP, Vancouver , British Columbia

Smoke rises as a member of the rebels, led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen in Aleppo, Syria, on November 29. Mahmoud Hasano/ReutersSyria’s rebel coalition consists of Islamist and moderate factions who, despite their differences, are united in fighting the Assad regime, ISIS and Iran-backed militias. The Syrian National Army (SNA): The “Syrian National Army” incorporates dozens of factions with various ideologies that receive funding and arms from Turkey. In Syria’s south, fighters from the country’s Druze religious minority have also joined the fight, a local activist group told CNN. Druze are fighting in the southern city of as-Suwayda, which neighbors the Daraa province, where opposition forces claim to have taken control of Daraa city.

Persons: Mahmoud Hasano, Assad, Al Sham, Abu Mohammad al, al, Sham, Tal Rifaat Organizations: Reuters, ISIS, Hayat, Organization for, Jolani, Syrian National Army, Liberation, Sharia, Free Syrian Army, Syrian Democratic Forces, Peoples ’, CNN Locations: Rashideen, Aleppo, Syria, Iran, al Qaeda, United States, Iraq, Syrian, Turkey, Kurdish, Tal, Daraa

Smoke rises as a member of the rebels, led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, drives on a motorbike in al-Rashideen in Aleppo, Syria, on November 29. Mahmoud Hasano/ReutersSyria’s rebel coalition consists of Islamist and moderate factions who, despite their differences, are united in fighting the Assad regime, ISIS and Iran-backed militias. He created Jabhat al-Nusra, al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, and operated the group until a public split with in 2016 over ideological differences and opposition to ISIS. The Syrian National Army (SNA): The “Syrian National Army” incorporates dozens of factions with various ideologies that receive funding and arms from Turkey. In Syria’s south, fighters from the country’s Druze religious minority have also joined the fight, a local activist group told CNN.

☆ Syrian rebels advance into Damascus, claiming they seized control of the capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-08 | by ( Ammar Cheikh Omar | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Rebel fighters claimed they captured the Syrian capital of Damascus early Sunday as government forces loyal to the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, were routed in a mater of days. The rebels' claim would open a new chapter in the 13-year-long civil war that has ravaged the ancient land. The Syrian government has detained thousands at the military prison on the outskirts of Damascus, according to Reuters. HTS rebels claimed Saturday that they had captured the city, a day after also claiming to have seized the city of Daraa. A 2020 ceasefire left Assad in control of 70% of Syria, but some 6.8 million Syrians have fled the country.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Hassan Abdul, Ghani, “, ” Hassan Abdul, Deir, ”, Charles Lister Organizations: NBC, Command, Reuters, Russian, U.S, Hamas, Syrian, Human Rights, Al, United Nations, Middle East Institute Locations: Damascus, mater, Free Syria, Russia, Iran, Iranian, Homs, Daraa, The U.S, Syria, Aleppo, Hama, “, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Raqqa, Al Qaeda, United States, Europe, Portugal, Poland, Washington

☆ Assad dynasty collapses in Syria as rebel forces claim Damascus
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-08 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

TOPSHOT - Fighters fire towards Syrian Army troops in the Rashidin district on the outskirts of Aleppo on Nov. 29, 2024. The more than 50-year Assad dynastic dictatorship was on the cusp of collapse on Sunday, as rebel forces seized the capital of Damascus in a lightning offensive that has swept the country's largest cities in a matter of days. "We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," Hassan Abdul-Ghani, senior HTS commander, said in a post on WhatsApp. The whereabouts of President Bashar al-Assad, who assumed leadership in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez, were uncertain. Multiple media reports, which CNBC could not independently confirm, state he has fled Damascus.

Persons: Assad, Bashar al, Hassan Abdul, Ghani, Hafez, Ghazi al, Jalali, Syria Geir Pedersen, Joe Biden, Sean Savett Organizations: Fighters, Syrian Army, Security, CNBC, NBC News, U.S, White House National Security Locations: Rashidin, Aleppo, Damascus, Russia, Iran, Hama, Deir el, Free Syria, Syrian, Syria

☆ In a country splintered by civil war, could Syria’s rebels usher in a new dawn?
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-08 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

‘Extremely challenging’ transition of powerSyria’s armed opposition ultimately plans to form a government defined by institutions and a “council chosen by the people,” Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the militant figure driving the latest rebel swing, told CNN. He heads the dominant group in the coalition, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), a former Al Qaeda affiliate. Jolani told CNN that abuse in prisons “were not done under our orders or directions” and HTS had already penalized the perpetrators. Thousands of people assembled at the foot of the main square in Damascus, where rebels ransacked Assad’s residence. Muhammad Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty ImagesAnd further afield, Syrian refugees forced to flee the war shared their hopes of returning to a peaceful country.

Persons: jubilation –, Bashar al, Assad, Firas, ” Abu Mohammad al, Hayat Tahrir, Jolani, God, ” Jolani, ”, Assad’s chokehold, –, ” Abu Mohammed al, Hayat, Abdulaziz Ketaz, Mohammad Ghazi Al, Jalali, Jerome Drevon, al, “, ” Adam Coogle, ” Maksad, ” Omar Daher, Mohammed Amer Al, Muhammad Haj Kadour, ” Wissam Ahmed, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Free Syrian Army, East Institute, Hayat, Al, “ Militant Operations Command, Getty, Syrian, Crisis, United, Terrorist Organization, ISIS, Human Rights, Middle East Institute, Associated Press, Reuters Locations: Damascus, Syria, East, Lebanese, Washington, DC, ”, Assad Syria, Al Qaeda, Tehran, Turkey, Hayat Tahrir, AFP, Brussels, Iraq, United States, al Qaeda, Idlib, Homs, Aleppo, Syrian, Hayat, Lebanon

☆ Russian state news agencies say ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad is in Moscow and given asylum
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad fled to Moscow on Sunday, Russian media reported, hours after a stunning rebel advance took over the capital of Damascus and ended the Assad family's 50 years of iron rule. The Russian agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source on Assad and his family being given asylum in Moscow, his longtime ally and protector. RIA also said Moscow had received guarantees from Syrian insurgents of the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria. Syrian state television broadcast a rebel statement early Sunday saying Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been released. They called on people to preserve the institutions of "the free Syrian state."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Bashar al, Assad, Bashar Assad, RIA, Russia's, Dmitry Polyansky, Abu Mohammed al, Ahmad al, Bassam, Anas Salkhadi Organizations: Tass, RIA, Associated Press, Kremlin, . Security, Golani, U.S, Islamic Locations: Sochi, Moscow, Damascus, Syria, Russia, Turkey, Kurdish

☆ Syrian rebels take control of most of Aleppo city
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-30 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Syrian opposition forces have taken control of much of the country’s second largest city Aleppo, according to video verified by CNN and residents in the city. It is the first time Syrian rebels have set foot in Aleppo since government forces regained control during the Civil War in 2016. By Saturday morning, rebel fighters had taken control of large swathes of the city, according to footage geolocated by CNN. In response to the rebel advance, the Russian air force on Friday launched an aerial offensive against Syrian armed opposition forces in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, Russian state media reported. Prior to this week’s attack they held two Kurdish neighborhoods but have now moved into areas that the Syrian regime used to control.

Persons: “, Bassel, Assad, Bashar al, Muhammad Haj Kadour, Hassan Abdelghani, ”, –, Russia – Organizations: CNN, Rebel, Rebels, Operations Command, US, Free Syrian Army, United Nations Locations: Aleppo, reigniting, AFP, Idlib, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United States, Russia

CNN —Syrian armed rebels have entered Aleppo just three days into their surprise offensive, marking the first time they have set foot in the country’s second largest city since government forces recaptured the city in 2016. Rebel forces launched a surprise attack this week, sweeping through several villages outside the city and reigniting conflict that had been largely static for years. “Our forces have begun entering the city of Aleppo,” said the newly formed rebel coalition, the Military Operations Command. Earlier Friday, the rebel group said it seized control of the Syrian government’s Military Scientific Research Center on the outskirts of Aleppo city after “intense clashes with the regime forces and Iranian militias.” It later shared a video of Syrian regime tanks leaving Aleppo as rebel forces advanced. Syrian opposition fighters enter the village of Anjara, west of Aleppo, on Thursday.

Persons: God, ”, Bashar al, Assad, “, Bassel al, President Assad, Omar Albam, SANA, Hassan Abdulghani, General Kioumars Pourhashemi, Abbas Araghchi, He’s, Dmitry Peskov, –, Russia – Organizations: CNN, Rebel, Military Operations Command, Syrian government’s, Scientific Research Center, Aleppo University, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Free Syrian Army, United Nations Locations: Aleppo, Abidine, Anjara, ”, Aleppo University, Idlib, United States, Israel, Iran, Syrian, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia

☆ Syria’s rebels exploit weaknesses in Iran’s proxies to launch surprise offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-28 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

On Friday, the armed rebel groups claimed to have entered the city, which has been under government control since 2016. The Syrian military said it’s “confronting terrorist organizations” and claimed to have inflicted “heavy losses” on the groups since Wednesday. Wednesday’s surprise operation marks the first significant conflagration between Syrian rebels and the regime since March 2020, when Russia and Turkey mediated a ceasefire in the north of the country. The militant group, which was credited for helping save the Assad regime from Syrian rebels, is now significantly weakened, with most of its leaders assassinated. Iran’s proxy Hezbollah has been instrumental in assisting Assad regain territory lost to militias and rebel groups.

Persons: SANA, Hassan Abdulghani, ” Abdulghani, it’s “, ”, Assad, –, Russia –, Izzettin Kasim, General Kioumars Pourhashemi, Abbas Araghchi, “ reactivating, “, Dmitry Peskov, Ukraine …, Nanar, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Tehran’s, Syria’s, Iran’s, Hawach, Hassan Nasrallah Organizations: CNN — Rebels, Syrian, CNN, United Nations, Free Syrian Army, Anadolu, Getty, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Analysts, Crisis Locations: Syria, Aleppo, reigniting, ”, Idlib, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United States, Lebanon, Syrian, Gaza, Iranian, Israel, Ukraine, Brussels, Turkish, Damascus, Iran’s, Arab

☆ Syrian rebels launch major attack on regime forces in Aleppo province
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-27 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Syrian rebels have launched a large-scale attack on regime forces in western Aleppo, according to a Free Syrian Army source and local residents, marking the first major flare-up in years between both sides. Rebels seized 13 villages, including the strategic towns of Urm Al-Sughra and Anjara, as well as Base 46, the largest Syrian regime base in western Aleppo, according to a Wednesday statement by opposition factions. It added that 37 people from the regime forces and allied militia were killed in the offensive. Wednesday’s surprise attack marks the first significant conflagration between Syrian rebels and the regime since March 2020, when Russia and Turkey mediated a ceasefire agreement in the country. The opposition factions conducting the offensive range from Islamic groups to the moderate Free Syrian Army, which was previously supported by the US and Turkey.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, –, Russia – Organizations: CNN, Free Syrian Army, Assad . Rebels, Military Operations Command, United Nations Locations: Aleppo, Syrian, Urm, Russia, Turkey, Anjara, “, New Aleppo, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, United States

☆ Inspired by Muhammad Ali, meet the judo star who fled civil war conscription in Syria and will now compete at the Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Rory Fleming | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“He was someone who stood up and said ‘no.’ To have that sort of strength was something that inspired me,” says Adnan Khankan ahead of his Olympic judo debut in Paris later this month. Ed Kolenovsky/APConscription into the Syrian Army“I didn’t see it as my war, how could it be when it was Syrian people killing other Syrian people? The Syrian Civil War, which initially broke out in 2011, is now considered the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II. Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP“It really motivated me when I found out about the existence of a refugee team,” said Khankan. Adnan Khankan“The refugee team speak different languages, are different ethnicities, come from different cultures, but we are all one team competing together.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Muhammad Ali, Brown, ”, Ali, Adnan Khankan, Khankan, Bashar al, spiralled, ” Khankan, Ed Kolenovsky, Bashar Al, Assad, Diaa Al, “, ” Adnan Khankan, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Mardini, Yusra Mardini, Michael Kappeler, Marius Vizer, Adnan, “ Adnan, Vizer, Adnan Khankan “, I’ve Organizations: CNN, International Olympic Committee, Syrian Army, CNN Sport, Al, Free Syrian Army, Reuters, taekwondo, Getty, Rio Olympics, IOC, Rio, Tokyo, Japan, Judo, International Judo Federation, UNHCR, “, Olympic Locations: Vietnam, America, Paris, Cologne, Germany, Damascus, Syria, Houston, Arbeen, Ghouta, Tashkent, AFP, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungarian, Cairo, Tokyo, Europe, Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, East, Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Cuba

☆ Turkish officials call for calm as social media hysteria fuels anti-Syrian riots in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Scott Mclean | Isil Sariyuce | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Istanbul CNN —Allegations of sexual abuse against a child by a Syrian man in Kayseri, Turkey, have sparked overnight riots that targeted Syrian businesses and cars in the city. Protesters in al-Bab, Aleppo, Syria, attack a Turkish truck during demonstrations against Turkey on July 1, 2024. Bakr Alkasem/AFP/Getty ImagesIn another town, Ghazawiah, also in northwest Syria, protesters were seen pulling the Turkish flag town from a military site. At the “Bab al-Salama” border crossing with Turkey, the Turkish flag was removed, burned and replaced with a Free Syrian Army flag, according to a local resident and images circulating on social media. Turkey hosts more Syrian refugees than any other country, but Turkey has often struggled to integrate Syrian refugees fully into society.

Persons: Ali Yerlikaya, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ” Erdogan, ”, Bakr, Bab, Salama, Forces ”, Yerlikaya, “, Erdogan, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: Istanbul CNN, Anadolu, CNN, Getty, Free Syrian Army, “ National Coalition for Syrian Revolution, Forces Locations: Istanbul, Syrian, Kayseri, Turkey, Turkish, Anatolian, “, Syria, Atareb, Bab, Aleppo, AFP, Ghazawiah

☆ Mohammad Faris: ‘Armstrong of the Arab World’ and Syria’s first astronaut dies in exile
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In 1987, Faris, a pilot in the Syrian Air Force, spent eight days in space with the Soviet Union’s Interkosmos spaceflight program. Faris flew with a Soviet crew to Mir space station becoming the first and only Syrian astronaut and second Arab to make it to space. Upon his return to Syria, Faris was celebrated as a national hero by tens of thousands of Syrians. Faris decided in 2012 to defect and publicly oppose the Syrian regime, putting his family and himself in life-threatening danger. In 2020, Faris was granted Turkish citizenship, as reported by the Turkish state broadcaster TRT.

Persons: CNN — Mohammad Faris, Armstrong, Faris, Hafez al, Assad, Bashar, “, Jazeera, Assad, Faris –, Hafez al - Assad, Prince Sultan bin Salman, Allah, “ let’s, ” Faris, Bashar al, Al Jazeera, Moscow propping Organizations: CNN, Syrian Air Force, Saudi, Free Syrian Army, Turkish, TRT, Star City, AP Locations: Turkish, Gaziantep, Soviet, Syria, ”, Aleppo, Turkey, Istanbul, Russia, Moscow, Soviet Union

CNN —A drone strike carried out by the US military this month in northwest Syria killed a 56-year-old father of ten out grazing his sheep, his relatives have told CNN, hours after US Central Command said a civilian may have been killed in the operation. The strike, carried out on May 3 in northwest Syria, targeted a senior al-Qaeda leader, Central Command said in a tweet announcing the operation that day. In the two weeks that have passed since the operation, Central Command has not released any more information about the intended target. The Washington Post first reported that the US military is investigating whether a civilian was killed in the strike. Killed alongside his sheepRelatives of a man who was killed in a lone strike on the same day in the same area have since come forward with their version of events, saying he was a family man with no links to militancy.

☆ Turkey kills ISIS leader in Syria operation, says Erdogan Turkish National Intelligence Organization kills ISIS leader in Syria - President Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Gul Tuysuz Hande Atay Alam Jessie Yeung | Gul Tuysuz | Hande Atay Alam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Sunday that the country’s intelligence forces had killed the leader of ISIS in Syria as he vowed to continue the country’s fight against terrorism. In a broadcast, Erdogan said Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization had been tracking a man known as Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini Al-Qurshi “for a long time.”“This person was neutralized in the operation carried out by MIT (Turkish National Intelligence Organization) yesterday in Syria,” he said. Little was known about Al-Qurshi, but at the time of his appointment, ISIS described him as an “old fighter.”Erdogan’s announcement came after a recent absence from the public eye due to illness. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during an election rally in Ankara, Turkey on April 30, 2023. Cagla Gurdogan/ReutersMedia reports had speculated that his health was deteriorating just two weeks before a crucial election.

☆ U.S. sanctions Syrian leader Assad's cousins, others over drug trade -Treasury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It said the trade in captagon was estimated to be a billion-dollar enterprise and the sanctions highlight the role of Lebanese drug traffickers and the Assad family dominance of captagon trafficking, which helped fund the Syrian government. Assad's government denies involvement in drug-making and smuggling and says it is stepping up its campaign to curb the lucrative trade. Also sanctioned were Khalid Qaddour, who the Treasury said was a Syrian businessman and close associate of Bashar al-Assad's brother, the head of the army's Fourth Division. Hassan Daqqou was sentenced in 2021 to seven years in prison in Lebanon on charges of captagon trafficking, according to the same source. Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Daphne Psaledakis and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Islamic State leader Quraishi blew himself up after being surrounded -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMMAN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Islamic State (IS) militant leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, who was killed in mid-October in Syria, blew himself up after he and his aides were surrounded by local fighters in the town of Jasem, fighters involved in the clash told Reuters. The province was brought under the control of the Syrian army following Russian-brokered reconciliation agreements in 2018 that gave control of southern Syria back to Damascus. Islamic State has selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as its new leader, a spokesman for the group said in a recording. Islamic State emerged from the chaos of the civil war in neighbouring Iraq and took over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamic caliphate from a mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul that year and proclaimed himself caliph of all Muslims.

☆ ISIS acknowledges the death of its leader, announces his successor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —ISIS acknowledged the death of its leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashmi al-Qurayshi on Wednesday and confirmed his successor. US Central Command confirmed his death on Wednesday, saying the ISIS leader was killed in mid-October by the Free Syrian Army. The deceased leader was appointed by ISIS after US President Joe Biden announced the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in a military operation in the northwest of Syria. Abu al-Hasan’s predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, died in February during a US counterterrorism raid in northwest Syria. The raid was the biggest US raid in the country since the 2019 operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and came amid a resurgence of the group in Syria and Iraq.

☆ US military confirms that another ISIS leader has been killed in Syria, revealing that he was taken out in a raid by local forces
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US military revealed on Wednesday that another ISIS leader was killed recently. Earlier on Wednesday, the Islamic State's media affiliate announced that the leader of the terror group had been killed fighting recently. The terror group didn't mention who killed al-Qurayshi — or where, according to multiple reports. "We welcome the announcement that another leader of ISIS is no longer walking the face of the Earth." He added that actions by Turkey have led the SDF to suspend its operations against the terror group.

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