At least 3 killed in blast targeting police station in eastern Syria
The explosion also injured several people, the report said, without providing further details.
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Syria interior ministry says Sweida clashes have ‘halted'
DAMASCUS: Tribal fighters have been evacuated from Syria's southern city of Sweida and violent clashes have ceased, the country's interior ministry said late Saturday. 'After intensive efforts by the Ministry of Interior to implement the ceasefire agreement, following the deployment of its forces in the northern and western regions of Sweida Governorate, the city of Sweida was evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighborhoods were halted,' interior ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba said in a post on Telegram. In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent 'jihadists from entering and 'carrying out massacres' in the conflict-stricken south of the country. 'If authorities in Damascus want to preserve any chance of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria... they must help end this calamity by using their security forces to prevent Daesh and any other violent terrorists from entering the area and carrying out massacres,' Rubio said in a statement posted to X. Sectarian clashes between armed Bedouin forces and the Druze in the community's Sweida heartland had drawn in Syria's Islamist-led government, Israel and other armed tribes. US-brokered negotiations have sought to avert further Israeli military intervention, with Syrian forces agreeing to withdraw from the region. 'The US has remained heavily involved over the last three days with Israel, Jordan and authorities in Damascus on the horrifying & dangerous developments in southern Syria,' Rubio said. He called for the Syrian government to 'hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks.' 'Furthermore the fighting between Druze and Bedouin groups inside the perimeter must also stop immediately,' Rubio added. Once in control of large swathes of Syria, the Daesh was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. Violence between the Druze and Bedouin groups that began on July 13 has left an estimated 940 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. The count included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory. The monitor also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin in the toll.
Asharq Al-Awsat
12 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Legal Complaints Target Hezbollah Officials in Lebanese Courts
Legal complaints are mounting against Hezbollah officials in Lebanon, accusing them of threatening national security and inciting violence against citizens, calling for the disarmament of all non-state actors, including the powerful Iran-backed group. The latest complaint was filed by Sami Gemayel, head of the Kataeb Party and an MP, against Hezbollah's deputy chief for the Bekaa region, Faisal Shukr. In the filing submitted to the Court of Cassation, Shukr is accused of 'death threats, inciting violence and sectarian strife, and endangering Lebanon's sovereignty and unity.' The complaint centers on remarks made by Shukr during a speech at a Hezbollah-organized Ashura procession in the Bekaa on July 6. 'Whoever calls for disarming the party, we will rip their soul out,' Shukr said in a video now submitted as evidence. Gemayel's legal team argued that the speech amounted to 'direct incitement to violence and civil strife,' calling for Shukr's arrest and prosecution. This is the second high-profile legal action against Hezbollah in recent days. A group of lawyers, journalists, and activists had earlier filed a complaint against Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem. The complaint cited Qassem's open declaration of support for Iran during its confrontation with the United States following the Gaza war. The plaintiffs say his statements constitute 'a direct threat to Lebanon's state policy' and 'an incitement to rebellion that endangers Lebanese lives.' While these legal actions may not advance quickly, observers say they mark a significant shift in Lebanon's political landscape. For years, few dared to challenge Hezbollah through the courts - even after the group's 2008 military takeover of parts of Beirut and a string of political assassinations targeting its critics. But the judiciary, which once routinely dismissed complaints against the group, is now formally registering them. A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that while investigations depend on the strength of the evidence, claims that the judiciary is biased in favor of Hezbollah are 'not entirely accurate.' 'All serious cases are documented,' the source said. 'But summoning individuals for questioning is easier when their whereabouts are known. That's not always the case with Hezbollah officials.' Beyond high-level political disputes, a number of Lebanese citizens, particularly southerners living abroad, have begun filing lawsuits against Hezbollah for allegedly endangering civilians during the recent war. The complaints accuse the group of storing weapons under residential buildings and digging tunnels beneath homes without the owners' knowledge, which plaintiffs say turned these areas into targets for Israeli airstrikes. A legal source said many lawyers refused to take on these cases for fear of reprisals by Hezbollah supporters. 'Some plaintiffs were attacked simply for inspecting the ruins of their homes,' the source said, adding that business owners also claimed their shops were looted during the conflict and blamed Hezbollah for failing to protect property in areas under its control. However, the judiciary has not yet launched formal investigations into these complaints. The legal source acknowledged that lawsuits filed against Hezbollah as an organization, without naming specific individuals, make it harder for courts to initiate proceedings. The growing number of complaints reflects what some legal experts call a historic shift. Political activist and lawyer Elie Kairouz said the public is beginning to shed its fear of challenging Hezbollah, as the party's once-firm grip on the state, security agencies, and judiciary weakens. 'The old consensus that the army, people, and resistance form Lebanon's defense doctrine is gone,' Kairouz told Asharq Al-Awsat. 'Today, the government is calling for exclusive state control over weapons and is working to enforce that.' He said Hezbollah's narrative of defending Lebanon and deterring Israel has lost traction along with the reverence once attached to its weapons. 'The real turning point,' he said, 'will be when courts stop merely registering these lawsuits and begin issuing rulings. Only then can Lebanese citizens be truly protected.'
Arab News
16 hours ago
- Arab News
Unidentified drone kills PKK member, injures another near Iraq's Sulaymaniyah, sources say
BAGHDAD: An unidentified drone attack killed a member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and injured another near Iraq's Sulaymaniyah on Saturday, security sources and local officials said, the first attack of its kind in months.
