Russia ships diesel to Syria on tanker under US sanctions, data shows: Reuters
The final destination of the cargo is unclear. Russia has two main military installations in Syria: an air base in Hmeimim and a naval base in Tartus, integral to Russia's military reach in the Middle East and Africa.
Russia's control over the bases is under threat following the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad last year. Moscow has said it wanted to keep its hold over them.
According to LSEG data, the Barbados-flagged vessel Prosperity (previously known as Gabon-flagged NS Pride) was loaded with about 37,000 metric tons of ultra-low sulphur diesel at the Russian Baltic port of Primorsk on February 8.
The tanker, managed by the Dubai-based Fornax Ship Management, is anchored near the Syrian port of Banias, LSEG shipping data shows. Fornax itself is also under the U.S. sanctions. The company was not immediately available for comment.
Reuters
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L'Orient-Le Jour
12 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Massacres on the Syrian coast: The national commission submits its report to Sharaa
Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa received on Sunday the full report from the 'independent' National Commission tasked with investigating the deadly events that took place along Syria's coastline in early March, the presidency announced in a statement. The clashes, which erupted between militias loyal to the former regime of Bashar al-Assad and the new Syrian security forces, resulted in over 1,000 deaths, including many Alawite and Christian civilians who were victims of executions and massacres. In the statement, the presidency said that the commission — established on March 9, just days after the bloody events in western Syria — was created to ensure that Syria 'moves forward on a path where neither violations nor attempts to cover up the truth have any place,' whether regarding what happened on the coast or any other situation across the country, from north to south. Report delivered after more than 90 days The commission is composed of five judges, a military officer and a lawyer — most of whom were formerly part of the Syrian Constitutional Committee based in Geneva. Its mandate was to investigate the causes of the outbreak of violence, the atrocities committed against civilians and violations against institutions and state personnel. The five judges are Jomaa el-Anzi, Khaled Helou, Ali Naassan, Alaeddine Youssef and Hanadi Abou Arab. The officer is Awad el-Ali and the lawyer is Yasser Farhan. The presidency expressed its 'gratitude for the sincere efforts of the commission members,' stating that it would review the report's conclusions 'with the utmost seriousness and attention' in order to take the necessary measures to promote truth, justice and accountability — and to prevent the recurrence of similar violations, both in this case and more broadly in the process of building the 'new Syria.' Although the commission was originally required to submit its findings within 30 days of its creation, by early April, the report was only delivered after more than 90 days, against the backdrop of renewed violence in the country's south. In the province of Sweida, deadly clashes have broken out between Druze fighters and rival groups. The Syrian government announced a ceasefire overnight Saturday into Sunday, which was immediately broken by renewed Druze mobilization. The fighting, which erupted on July 13 between Druze factions and Sunni Bedouin groups, has left over 1,000 people dead. 'In respect of the Syrian people's right to know the truth,' the presidency called on the national commission 'to organize a press conference to present its work and main findings,' in a manner that respects the dignity of the victims, ensures the integrity of judicial procedures, and preserves evidence for it to be held as soon as practically possible.


Ya Libnan
3 days ago
- Ya Libnan
Disarm Hezbollah now, before it destroys Lebanon completely
File : Masked Hezbollah fighters as they march through a suburb of Beirut in May 2008 , when the party occupied a large section of Beirut but unsuccessfully tried to occupy The Druze and Christian stronghold of Mount Lebanon. The majority of the Lebanese now consider the heavily armed and Iran backed militia as the biggest threat to Lebanon's sovereignty Hezbollah continues to claim that its vast arsenal exists solely to defend Lebanon from Israeli aggression and to support resistance. But nearly two decades of evidence tell a different story—one of regional entanglements, internal repression, and national devastation. Today, Hezbollah's arms are less a shield and more a sword hanging over Lebanon's sovereignty, its people, and its very survival. Twice, Hezbollah's weapons failed in their core mission of defending Lebanon. In the 2006 war with Israel, the group's so-called 'divine victory' resulted in massive destruction across the south and Beirut's southern suburbs. Instead of repelling Israel, it brought ruin to Lebanese towns. More recently, its last confrontation with Israel ended in the loss of several strategic hills in southern Lebanon—hardly the sign of a victorious resistance. Rather than defending the homeland, Hezbollah has repeatedly turned its guns inward. After the 2006 war, it occupied downtown Beirut—an area rebuilt over 12 years by the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri—paralyzing Lebanon's economic and political life. Then, in May 2008, it launched an armed assault on West Beirut and attempted, unsuccessfully, to overrun the Druze and Christian strongholds of Mount Lebanon. These were not acts of national defense, but internal intimidation and political blackmail. The group's violence has not stopped at the battlefield. In the wake of Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005, a wave of political assassinations began, targeting those who opposed Syria's and Hezbollah's domination. Among the most prominent was the assassination of Rafik Hariri himself. Journalists, lawmakers, and security officials who dared speak out met similar fates. The message was clear: dissent would be punished by death. Even more devastating was Hezbollah's role in the 2020 Beirut Port explosion. In 2013, the group facilitated the illegal storage of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate—reportedly to aid the Assad regime's barrel bomb campaign after Syria surrendered its chemical weapons to the OPCW. When that stockpile ignited, it wiped out entire neighborhoods, killed over 220 people, wounded more than 6,000, and left 300,000 homeless. This was not collateral damage. This was criminal negligence rooted in Hezbollah's obsession with weapons and war. Hezbollah's arms are not just a danger to the Lebanese people—they now leave Lebanon dangerously isolated. To the south, Israel openly targets Hezbollah operatives. To the east, even Syria—once an ally—is increasingly wary, as Hezbollah's unchecked actions jeopardize Assad's own fragile grip on power. Lebanon now finds itself surrounded by neighbors that view Hezbollah as an enemy, not a partner. And it is Lebanon that pays the price. Meanwhile, Hezbollah's own Shiite base has suffered the most. In every war, it is their homes that are destroyed, their families displaced, and their towns left in rubble. And yet, no country in the world is willing to help rebuild as long as Hezbollah remains armed and unaccountable. Their suffering has become the currency Hezbollah uses to justify its next confrontation. Let us be clear: Hezbollah's weapons have not liberated a single inch of Palestine. Instead, they have brought destruction to Lebanon. They have not defended the nation—they have dismantled it. Their continued existence violates both UN Resolution 1559 , which calls for the disbandment of all militias in Lebanon, and the Taif Agreement , which mandates one army under one state. It is time for President Joseph Aoun—and all Lebanese leaders—to show courage. The Lebanese Army must be empowered to take control of all weapons on Lebanese soil. Sovereignty cannot coexist with a private army loyal to a foreign power. Lebanon must no longer be held hostage to Hezbollah's decisions, wars, and weapons. This is not a sectarian demand. This is a national survival imperative. Hezbollah's arms have become a burden not just for Lebanon—but for Hezbollah itself. The choice is no longer between war and peace. The choice is between a free, sovereign Lebanon—and no Lebanon at all. Mr Aoun. The time to act is now.


Ya Libnan
4 days ago
- Ya Libnan
Syria withdraws army from Sweida after Israel bombs Damascus
A Syrian government soldier, injured in Sweida during clashes between government forces and Druze militias, gets treated at a clinic in Busra al-Harir village, southern Syria, on Tuesday. (Omar Albam / Associated Press) . The Syrian government forces have been targeting the minorities, including the Aalwites , the Christians and the Druze Syria's army began withdrawing from violence-hit Sweida on Wednesday after Israeli strikes on Damascus and US calls for a pullback from the Druze-majority city, state media said. Washington, which seeks to mend ties with Syria, said a deal was reached to restore calm and urged all sides to uphold commitments. Syria announced that its army had begun to withdraw from violence-hit Sweida on Wednesday, following a wave of Israeli strikes on the capital and a US call for government forces to leave the majority-Druze southern city. The United States, which is close allies with Israel and has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria, said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, and urged 'all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made'. The Syrian government earlier announced a new ceasefire in Sweida that would bring a halt to military operations there, after clashes that a war monitor said had left more than 300 people dead since Sunday. The Syrian army 'has begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the adopted agreement, after the end of the sweep of the city for outlaw groups', a defence ministry statement said. The statement did not mention any withdrawal of other government security forces, which had deployed to the city on Tuesday with the stated aim of overseeing a previous truce agreed with Druze community leaders following days of deadly fighting with local Bedouin tribes. That ceasefire appeared to have little effect, however, with witnesses reporting that the government forces joined with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians in a bloody rampage through the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that the violence in Sweida province had left more than 300 people dead, including government forces, local fighters and 27 Druze civilians killed in 'summary executions'. The Syrian presidency vowed to investigate the 'heinous acts' in Sweida and to punish 'all those proven to be involved'. Israel, which has its own Druze community , has presented itself as a defender of the group, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible. Following the fall of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the Israeli military took control of the UN-monitored demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria. After carrying out air strikes in Sweida province earlier this week in what it said was defence of the Druze, Israel launched a series of attacks on the capital Damascus on Wednesday. AFP images showed the side of a building in the defence ministry complex in ruins after one strike, as smoke billowed over the area. Israel said it had also struck a 'military target' in the area of the presidential palace, while a Syrian interior ministry source reported strikes outside the capital in 'the vicinity of the Mazzeh (military) airport'. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called on Damascus to 'leave the Druze in Sweida alone', and threatened to unleash 'painful blows' until government forces pulled back. Syria's foreign ministry slammed the attacks as a 'dangerous escalation', while Israel's military chief insisted his forces were 'acting with responsibility, restraint and sound judgment'. The Syrian health ministry said that at least three people were killed and 34 wounded in the strikes on Damascus. Announcing the new ceasefire on Wednesday, Syria's interior ministry said there would be a 'total and immediate halt to all military operations', as well as the formation of a committee comprising government representatives and Druze spiritual leaders to supervise its implementation. An AFP correspondent in Sweida, however, reported hearing gunfire in the city even after the announcement. In a video carried by state television, Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, one of Syria's main Druze spiritual leaders, read out the 10 points of the accord, which also includes 'the full integration of the province' of Sweida into the Syrian state. Until now, Druze areas have been controlled by fighters from the minority community. The latest fighting was the most serious outbreak of violence in Syria since government forces battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead. The clashes between the Bedouin and the Druze that first prompted the government deployment were triggered by the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, according to the Observatory. The two groups have been at loggerheads for decades. The Islamist authorities have had strained relations with Syria's patchwork of religious and ethnic minorities, and have been repeatedly accused of not doing enough to protect them. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed concern on Wednesday about the Israeli bombings, adding 'we want it to stop'. A State Department spokesperson said Washington was also asking Syria to 'withdraw their military in order to enable all sides to de-escalate'. Rubio later announced on X that all sides had 'agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end'. 'This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do,' he wrote, without elaborating on the nature of the agreement. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)