Web Desk/AFP

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian holds a telephonic conversation with Pope Leo XIV on Saturday, May 16. (Photo: Tasnim News Agency)

Middle East

The Iranian president has sent a message to the Pope thanking him for his ethical and logical position on recent military aggressions against Iran, according to Iranian Tasnim News Agency.

Day 78: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

ROME: The UN said Wednesday it was cutting emergency food assistance to Syria by 50% and halting a bread subsidy program&nbsp;that had supported millions because of funding shortfalls. The World Food Programme, the UN&#39;s Rome-based food aid agency, said in a statement it was reducing the number of people covered by emergency aid from 1.3 million to 650,000. The agency said Syria has stabilized since the end of the civil war, but there are still 7.2 million people suffering acute food insecurity. As part of its operations, WFP said it had supported more than 300 bakeries with fortified wheat flour. &quot;The bread subsidy program has been a vital lifeline, keeping this staple food affordable,&quot; the organization said. &quot;The reduction in WFP&rsquo;s assistance is driven solely by funding constraints, not by a decrease in needs,&quot; said Marianne Ward, WFP director in Syria. &quot;This is a critical moment for Syria. Recovery remains fragile, needs are still severe, and we are being forced to withdraw a vital safety net.&quot; The organization said funding shortfalls were also affecting Syrian refugees in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon. &ldquo;Across the region, vulnerable families are facing the cumulative effects of prolonged crises, rising costs, and shrinking assistance,&rdquo; said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP regional director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. The agency said it needed $189 million over the next six months to sustain and restore assistance in Syria.

A food distribution in Aleppo - since the escalation of conflict on 27 November, WFP has distributed 50,000 hot meals. Photo: WFP/Emad Etaki

The agency said Syria has stabilized since the end of the civil war, but there are still 7.2 million people suffering acute food insecurity.

UN cuts emergency food aid to Syria by 50%

BERLIN: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday pledged to work with Germany to enable more Syrians to return home and rebuild their country after its devastating civil war, as he made a historic visit to Berlin. Europe&#39;s top economy is home to the largest Syrian diaspora in the European Union at more than a million, many of whom arrived during the peak of the migrant influx in 2015-2016. After meeting Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Sharaa said that &quot;we are working with our friends in the German government to establish a &#39;circular&#39; migration model&quot;. This would &quot;enable Syrians to contribute to the reconstruction of their homeland without giving up the stability and lives they have built here, for those who wish to stay&quot;, he said. Merz, who has made a tougher immigration policy a priority since taking office last year, also said he and Sharaa were &quot;working jointly towards more Syrians being able to return to their homeland&quot;. Sharaa, 43, a former rebel leader, was speaking on his first trip to Germany since ousting his country&#39;s longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. He has managed to build relations with Western governments and made several overseas trips, including to the United States, France and Russia. As a result, many international sanctions on Syria have been lifted to help the country rebuild after a bloody 14-year civil war. &#39;Wealth of human resources&#39; Earlier, Sharaa told a foreign ministry forum in Berlin that Syria had experienced a &quot;huge amount of destruction&quot; during its long conflict, saying that Syrians &quot;want to catch up with the rest of the world&quot; as Germany did after World War II. He pointed to investment opportunities in Syria&#39;s energy, transport and tourism sectors, describing his homeland as very diverse and with &quot;a great wealth of human resources&quot;. Merz said Germany wanted to &quot;support&quot; reconstruction in Syria as it struggles to rebuild after a long and bloody civil war, adding that a German government delegation would travel to the Middle Eastern country in the next few days. However, Merz also said that he had stressed to Sharaa in their meeting &quot;that many joint projects in the future will depend on our finding a state governed by the rule of law&quot;. Rights campaigners have criticized Sharaa&#39;s Germany visit, pointing to his militant&nbsp;past and ongoing violence and instability in Syria. Protesters gathered in front of the foreign ministry on Monday waving Kurdish flags and placards, highlighting Sharaa&#39;s time as a&nbsp;militant. Near the chancellery, dozens of Syrians also turned out to welcome Sharaa, waving Syria&#39;s new revolutionary flag and a banner showing the president surrounded by hearts. The German Green party&#39;s foreign affairs spokeswoman Luise Amtsberg told AFP Germany should not engage in a &quot;premature normalization&quot; with Sharaa&#39;s government. Merz had reduced Syria policy to the question of returns &quot;and is ignoring the situation on the ground&quot;, she said. &#39;Authoritarian tendencies&#39; Since Sharaa has been in power, sectarian tensions have continued to cause repeated bloodshed in Syria, while the ISIS&nbsp;group remains at large. After Assad&#39;s overthrow, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions. Sharaa was initially planning to visit Germany in January, but the trip was postponed as he sought to end fighting between government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in his country&#39;s north. KGD, a group that represents the Kurdish community in Germany, has said that Sharaa &quot;bears responsibility for numerous human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity&quot;. Sophie Bischoff, president of the German-Syrian NGO Adopt A Revolution, told reporters that any support from the German government &quot;must be linked to clear conditions&quot; and warned that &quot;authoritarian tendencies are on the rise again in Syria&quot;.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) welcomes Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Chancellery in Berlin on March 30, 2026. (AFP)

Europe

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, on a Berlin visit, pledged cooperation with Germany to enable refugee returns and reconstruction, while critics warned against normalization of relations amid ongoing violence, instability and rights concerns within Syria.

Syrian leader pledges to work with Germany on migration, recovery

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar, expressed cautious optimism during a United Nations Security Council briefing on the situation in Syria on Friday regarding recent developments, while underscoring the complexity of the challenges facing the country. Ambassador Iftikhar welcomed the 30 January agreement between the Syrian Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), voicing hope that its faithful implementation would bring stability and strengthen Syria&rsquo;s unity and territorial integrity.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 767px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2022517880252772697&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=1dfd8a62c6207cbc21c0529808556923ad9aba06&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2022517880252772697">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>He noted that over the past 14 months, notable steps have been taken to advance Syria&rsquo;s political transition.&nbsp; Although gradual and intricate, these measures reflect movement toward stabilization after years of conflict. He emphasized the importance of continuing this trajectory in a steady and inclusive manner, anchored in national ownership, reinforcing state institutions, consolidating security and creating conditions conducive to durable peace.&nbsp;&nbsp;Constructive steps&nbsp;In this context, Ambassador Iftikhar also appreciated recent state initiatives, including the 16 January presidential decree concerning the rights of the Kurdish community, describing them as constructive steps toward national cohesion. At the same time, Ambassador Iftikhar stressed that significant challenges persist.&nbsp; He warned that the threat of terrorism remains acute, citing the continued presence and activities of terrorist groups, including foreign terrorist fighters, especially ETIM, as serious risks to Syria&rsquo;s stability and regional security.&nbsp; He called for these elements to be addressed in a coordinated and effective manner, consistent with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.&nbsp; Counter-terrorism efforts, he said, must remain precise and focused, without conflating state institutions with non-state actors, and detention facilities holding terrorists must be managed and transitioned responsibly to prevent instability or spillover.&nbsp;Humanitarian situation&nbsp;He also highlighted the dire humanitarian situation, with millions of Syrians in need of sustained assistance as infrastructure, basic services, and livelihoods remain under severe strain.&nbsp; Ensuring safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, alongside enhanced early recovery support, he said, is essential to alleviate suffering and restore dignity.&nbsp; With the lifting of sanctions, he noted, there is an opportunity to gradually shift toward revitalizing economic and commercial activity to enable meaningful recovery. Ambassador Iftikhar strongly condemned violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and other destabilizing actions by Israel, calling them unacceptable.&nbsp; He stressed the need for full respect for existing agreements and for Syria&rsquo;s sovereignty and territorial integrity, urging the Council to ensure Israel&rsquo;s full withdrawal from occupied Syrian territory in compliance with its resolutions. Reaffirming Pakistan&rsquo;s solidarity with the Government and people of Syria, he said the country would continue to engage constructively in support of a stable, unified, and sovereign Syria.&nbsp;

Foreign Affairs

Ambassador Iftikhar welcomes the 30 January agreement between the Syrian Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), voicing hope that its faithful implementation will bring stability and strengthen Syria’s unity and territorial integrity. 

Pakistan welcomes Syria-SDF Agreement, urges inclusive political transition

RAQA: Syria said early on Friday that government forces had begun transferring Kurdish fighters from a prison in the north where they had been holding Islamic State group detainees, as part of a weekend agreement. An AFP correspondent in Raqa saw buses and cars heading away from the Al-Aqtan prison on the city&#39;s outskirts overnight, escorted by government vehicles, after roads to the facility were cut on Thursday. Syrian state television reported that the transfer of SDF members has begun &quot;after five days of negotiations with the Syrian state.&quot; They will go to the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, in Aleppo province on the northern border with Turkey &quot;according to the security arrangements agreed upon by both parties,&quot; it reported. Under military pressure from Damascus, which is seeking to extend its control across the country, the SDF has relinquished swathes of territory in recent days and withdrawn to parts of Syria&#39;s Hasakeh province in the far northeast. On Sunday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a deal with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi that had included a ceasefire and the integration of the Kurds&#39; administration into the state, which will take responsibility for IS prisoners. State news agency SANA quoted the army as saying the Al-Aqtan transfer was &quot;the first step in implementing the January 18 agreement under which the interior ministry will take over administration of the prison.&quot; A government source told the broadcaster that around 800 fighters would exit the facility under &quot;an internationally sponsored agreement aimed at de-escalation.&quot; IS detainees will be managed &quot;according to Syrian law,&quot; the source added.

Correspondent says he saw buses and cars heading away from the Al-Aqtan prison on the city's outskirts overnight, escorted by government vehicles, after roads to the facility were.

Kurdish SDF fighters leave north Syria prison under govt deal: report

HASAKEH: Syria&#39;s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed on a new ceasefire on Tuesday as Washington said the SDF&#39;s purpose in fighting the Islamic State group was largely over. The announcement came after the army sent reinforcements to the Kurds&#39; Hasakeh province stronghold in the northeast, and Kurdish forces withdrew from the Al-Hol camp, which houses thousands of people with suspected IS links, including foreign women and children. The latest truce opens the way for further talks on a deal announced Sunday between President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi that includes integrating the Kurds&#39; de facto autonomous administration into the state, in a major blow to the Kurds. The SDF once controlled vast areas of north and east Syria, which it seized from IS with support from a US-led international coalition. But they have now withdrawn from Arab-majority Raqa and Deir Ezzor provinces after a government military escalation that began in Aleppo earlier this month. The defense ministry in Damascus announced a four-day ceasefire starting Tuesday evening. The SDF said it was committed to the truce and ready to &quot;move forward with implementing&quot; Sunday&#39;s agreement. An AFP correspondent saw major military reinforcements moving toward Hasakeh province, while a military official said his tank convoy had &quot;assault and defensive vehicles behind us for support.&quot; Sharaa&#39;s forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The new authorities are seeking to extend state control across Syria, resetting international ties, including with the United States, now a key ally. US President Donald Trump backed Sharaa as a &quot;tough guy&quot; on Tuesday, adding, &quot;But you&#39;re not gonna put a choir boy in there and get the job done.&quot; &#39;Largely expired&#39;US envoy Tom Barrack said earlier, &quot;The original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.&quot; Syria&#39;s presidency on Tuesday announced a fresh &quot;understanding&quot; with the Kurds over the fate of Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh province, and gave the Kurds &quot;four days for consultations to develop a detailed plan&quot; for the area&#39;s integration. If finalized, government forces &quot;will not enter the city centers of Hasakeh and Qamishli ... and Kurdish villages,&quot; it added. In Hasakeh city earlier Tuesday, an AFP correspondent saw Kurdish residents, including women and the elderly, bearing weapons in support of the SDF, which patrolled and manned checkpoints. Fighter Shahine Baz told AFP: &quot;We promise our people to protect them until the end.&quot; In northeast Syria&#39;s Qamishli, Hasina Hammo, 55, holding a Kalashnikov, said, &quot;We will not surrender.&quot; Earlier Tuesday, the SDF said its forces &quot;were compelled to withdraw from Al-Hol camp and redeploy&quot; near north Syria cities &quot;that are facing increasing risks and threats.&quot; Northeast Syria&#39;s Kurdish-administered camps and prisons hold tens of thousands of people, many with alleged or perceived IS links, nearly seven years after the group&#39;s territorial defeat. Al-Hol is the largest camp. The defense ministry said it was ready to take responsibility for Al-Hol camp &quot;and all IS prisoners.&quot; &#39;Red line&#39;&nbsp;SDF chief Abdi urged the coalition to &quot;bear its responsibilities in protecting facilities&quot; holding IS members. &quot;We withdrew to predominantly Kurdish areas and protecting them is a red line,&quot; he added. Al-Hol director Jihan Hanan told AFP in December that the camp was home to more than 24,000 people, including thousands of foreigners. The Kurds have repeatedly urged countries to take their citizens from the facility, which has a high-security section holding non-Syrian and non-Iraqi women and children, but most have repatriated only a trickle. Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday that he had helped stop a prison break of European fighters in Syria, a day after the army accused the SDF of releasing IS detainees from the Shadadi prison. The Kurds said they lost control of the facility after an attack by Damascus. The SDF on Monday had urged Kurds at home and abroad to &quot;join the ranks of the resistance&quot; in Syria. The Kurds are spread across Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey, where the outlawed Kurdistan Workers&#39; Party (PKK) said it would &quot;never abandon&quot; Syria&#39;s Kurds. Clashes erupted on the Syria-Turkey border on Tuesday between police and pro-Kurdish protesters angered by the Syrian military offensive, an AFP correspondent said. Dozens of Kurds residing in Iraqi Kurdistan headed for Syria in response to the call, a correspondent there said. Nadia Murad, the Iraqi Yazidi survivor of sexual slavery at the hands of IS, condemned what she said was the world&#39;s abandonment of Syria&#39;s Kurds.

Presidency announces fresh 'understanding' with Kurds over fate of Kurdish-majority areas, gives Kurds 'four days for consultations to develop a detailed plan' for the area's integration; if finalized, government forces 'will not enter the city centers of Hasakeh and Qamishli ... and Kurdish villages.'

Syria government agrees new truce with Kurdish forces

<div id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2;">ISLAMABAD: US and allied forces carried out &ldquo;large-scale&rdquo; strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead.</div> Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra &mdash; home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters &mdash; that killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. &ldquo;The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria&rdquo; and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched &ldquo;in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra,&rdquo; US Central Command said in a statement on X, using an acronym for the jihadist group.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2010089772120002721&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a555e0839506d554b9f8f5179cd37236169c3a89&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 225px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2010089772120002721"></iframe></div></div>Jordan strikesJordan&#39;s air force also carried out targeted air strikes against IS as part of the operation, its military said on Sunday. It said in a statement it struck &quot;a number of targets... in several areas within Syria territory&quot;. The United States and Jordan carried out a previous round of strikes as part of the same operation last month, hitting dozens of Islamic State group targets. The Palmyra attack was the first such incident since the overthrow of Syria&rsquo;s longtime ruler, Bashar al-Assad, in December 2024. The US personnel who were targeted were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the international effort to combat the Islamic State group, which seized swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014. The jihadists were ultimately defeated by local ground forces backed by international airstrikes and other support, but the group still has a presence in Syria, especially in the country&rsquo;s vast desert regions. US President Donald Trump has long been skeptical of Washington&rsquo;s presence in Syria, ordering the withdrawal of troops during his first term but ultimately leaving American forces in the country. The Pentagon announced in April that the United States would halve the number of US personnel in Syria in the following months, while US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said in June that Washington would eventually reduce its bases in the country to one.

Americas

US and allied forces struck an Islamic jihadist group in Syria in response to a deadly Palmyra attack, the US said. Jordan’s air force also carried out targeted strikes on multiple sites inside Syria.

US announces 'large-scale' strikes against IS in Syria

DAMASCUS: Clashes between government troops and Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria&rsquo;s Aleppo killed at least nine people on Tuesday, mostly civilians, in one of the worst flare-ups between the sides in months. The implementation of a March deal to merge the Kurds&rsquo; semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria&rsquo;s new government has largely stalled.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 552px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008632287907270862&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=1f47463563661dc86ac6b6e51315a5a78e9350ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2008632287907270862"></iframe></div></div>Tensions have occasionally erupted into clashes, particularly in Aleppo, which has two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods. Deadliest violenceBoth sides traded blame over who started Tuesday&rsquo;s fighting, which continued into the night and is among the deadliest violence between the government and Kurdish forces since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad more than a year ago.&nbsp; It also adds to concerns about progress on the integration deal. On Tuesday morning, the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said factions affiliated with the government &ldquo;targeted the Sheikh Maqsud neighbourhood&rdquo;. By evening, the SDF said the death toll in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh districts had risen to four civilians, including two women and a child. It reported &ldquo;indiscriminate artillery and missile shelling&rdquo; on the areas, including &ldquo;the use of drones... direct sniper fire and heavy-weapon fire&rdquo;. Sheikh Maqsud and Ashrafiyeh have remained under the control of Kurdish units linked to the SDF, despite Kurdish fighters agreeing to withdraw from the areas in April. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Stalled integration&nbsp;</h2>In a statement carried by state news agency SANA, the defense ministry said the SDF targeted &ldquo;a number of neighborhoods in Aleppo city adjacent to the districts it controls&rdquo;. SANA reported five people killed by SDF fire -- four civilians, including a child, in addition to a member of the Defense Ministry personnel. The agriculture ministry said two of the dead were workers at a research center. &ldquo;The SDF is again proving that it does not recognize the March 10 agreement and is trying to undermine it,&rdquo; the defense ministry said. Suspension of flights&nbsp;Civil aviation authorities announced &quot;the suspension of flights to and from Aleppo airport for 24 hours and their diversion to Damascus airport&quot; due to the violence, SANA reported. Governor Azzam al-Gharib announced schools, universities, and government offices in Aleppo city would be closed on Wednesday and public events cancelled, citing &ldquo;the current situation and the targeting of several hospitals and institutions by indiscriminate SDF artillery shelling&rdquo;. The SDF&nbsp;controls swathes of Syria&rsquo;s oil-rich north and northeast, and, supported by a US-led international coalition, was key to the territorial defeat of the Islamic State group in Syria in 2019.The March agreement on its integration into the state was supposed to be implemented by the end of 2025. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;Lay down&rsquo; weapons&nbsp;</h2>In Ankara, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said, &ldquo;the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers&#39; Party) and all affiliated groups must immediately cease all terrorist activity in regions where they are present, including in Syria, and lay down their weapons without condition&rdquo;. The SDF is dominated by the People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militant group seen by Ankara as an extension of the PKK, which earlier this year agreed to end its four-decade armed struggle against Turkey. &ldquo;We will not allow any terrorist organization -- particularly the PKK, the PYD, the YPG, and the SDF -- to establish a foothold in the region,&rdquo; Guler added. A close ally of the new authorities, Turkey shares a 900-kilometer (550-mile) border with Syria and has launched successive offensives to push Kurdish forces from its frontier. Also, on Tuesday, the SDF accused factions affiliated with Syria&#39;s army of attacking Deir Hafer, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Aleppo, and near the strategic Tishreen Dam to the city&#39;s northeast. The Kurdish-led force affirmed its right to &ldquo;respond legitimately to these attacks&rdquo;. On Sunday, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi held further talks with officials in Damascus on integrating the Kurdish-led forces, but state media reported no tangible results. The Kurds are pushing for decentralized rule, an idea which Syria&#39;s new authorities have rejected. Last month in Aleppo, clashes killed five people, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged the SDF not to be an obstacle to Syria&#39;s stability.

The implementation of a March deal to merge the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration and military into Syria’s new government has largely stalled.

Nine dead in clashes between Syrian govt, Kurdish forces in Aleppo

ISLAMABAD: Israel and Syria have resumed diplomatic talks with US support, according to a statement from Israel&rsquo;s Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office on Tuesday. The dialogue is part of what Israel described as a US initiative to promote peace in the Middle East. &ldquo;During the talks, Israel emphasized the importance of protecting its citizens and preventing cross-border threats,&rdquo; the statement said. Israel reaffirmed its commitment to regional stability and security, highlighting the potential for economic cooperation and the protection of Syria&rsquo;s Druze minority.&nbsp; Officials said the dialogue would continue to advance shared goals and address security concerns. A joint statement on the Trilateral meeting between the governments of the United States of America, the State of Israel, and the Syrian Arab Republic was shared by the US State Department on X on Tuesday.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 665px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008609639441854572&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=1f47463563661dc86ac6b6e51315a5a78e9350ca&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2008609639441854572"></iframe></div></div>&quot;Non-negotiable national rights&quot; Syria&rsquo;s state news agency, SANA, reported that the Syrian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama. Damascus framed the resumption of talks as an effort to reclaim what it called its non-negotiable national rights. The discussions reportedly focus on reviving the 1974 disengagement agreement, which established a UN-monitored buffer zone along the Israel-Syria border following the 1973 Middle East war. Tensions escalated after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was toppled on December 8, 2024, by forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, prompting deeper Israeli troop movements along the border. Israel has also cited missions to protect the Druze minority in southwestern Syria. Syria is calling for Israel to return to pre-2024 positions and seeks a reciprocal security framework to safeguard its sovereignty and prevent foreign interference in its internal affairs.&nbsp;

Israel and Syria have resumed US-backed diplomatic talks focusing on regional stability, border security, revival of the 1974 disengagement agreement, protection of civilians, and addressing cross-border threats amid heightened tensions

Israel, Syria resume US-backed talks to advance regional stability

LONDON: The British Ministry of Defence said it cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the Islamic State group to store weapons. &quot;Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,&quot; the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS. &quot;This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is devoid of any civilian habitation,&quot; the statement added. The ministry said there was no indication the bombing north of the ancient site of Palmyra had posed any risk to civilians. IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintains a presence, particularly in the country&#39;s vast desert. Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins, was once controlled by militants. Last month, Washington said a lone IS gunman in Palmyra attacked American personnel, killing two US soldiers and a US civilian. US forces said they struck dozens of IS targets in Syria in retaliation.

The British Ministry of Defence said it cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the Islamic State group to store weapons.

Articles tagged with "Syria"