Sweida evacuations and Turkey to cancel Iraqi Kurdistan oil deal
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Khaleej Times
6 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to 'contain escalation'
A Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday (July 26) that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris sought to "contain the escalation" after recent sectarian violence in southern Syria prompted Israeli intervention. Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting both in support of the religious minority and to enforce its demands for a demilitarised southern Syria. The Syrian diplomatic source told state television on Saturday that the Paris meeting "brought together a delegation from the foreign ministry and the general intelligence service with the Israeli side", and addressed "recent security developments and attempts to contain the escalation in southern Syria". Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. On Thursday (July 24), US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had said he held talks with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris. A senior diplomat had previously told AFP that Barrack would be facilitating talks between Damascus's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. According to the source cited by state TV, the meeting "addressed the possibility of reactivating the disengagement agreement with international guarantees, while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from points where they recently advanced". After the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the countries' forces in the strategic Golan Heights. It has since conducted incursions deeper into southern Syria, demanding the area's total demilitarisation. Damascus has previously confirmed holding indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement that created the buffer zone. The Paris meeting "did not result in any final agreements but rather represented initial consultations that aimed to reduce tensions and reopen communication channels in light of the ongoing escalation since early December", the diplomatic source said. More meetings were planned, the source said, adding that the Syrian side emphasised that the country's unity and sovereignty were non-negotiable. "Sweida and its people are an integral part of the Syrian state," the delegation said, according to the source. Syrian and Israeli officials had previously met in Baku on July 12, according to a diplomatic source in Damascus, coinciding with a visit to Azerbaijan by Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The two countries have technically been at war since 1948, and Israel has occupied the Golan Heights, which it seized from Syria, since 1967. After Assad's ouster, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets from falling into the hands of the new Islamist-led administration.
The National
13 hours ago
- The National
US forces kill ISIS leader in Syria raid
American forces killed an ISIS leader in a raid in Syria's Aleppo province on Friday, the US military's Central Command said. The raid resulted 'in the death of senior ISIS leader Dhiya Zawba Muslih Al Hardani, and his two adult ISIS-affiliated sons', Centcom said in a statement. 'These ISIS individuals posed a threat to US and Coalition Forces, as well as the new Syrian government,' it said. Three women and three children at the raid location were unharmed in the operation, Centcom added. ISIS rose out of the chaos of the Syrian civil war to seize swathes of territory there and in neighbouring Iraq more than a decade ago. The US has been engaged in military operations against the group since 2014, as part of a broader international coalition aimed at dismantling its territorial control and leadership. While ISIS no longer holds significant territory, the group continues to operate sleeper cells and carry out attacks, particularly in eastern Syria. US forces, working alongside local Kurdish-led partners, maintain a presence in Syria to prevent the group's resurgence and to target its remaining leadership. 'ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate and where they hide,' said Gen Michael Kurilla, US Centcom Commander. 'Alongside our partners and allies, US Central Command is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists that threaten the region, our allies and our homeland,' he added. President Trump signed an executive order in late June lifting the bulk of US sanctions on Syria. This rolled back decades of restrictions and offered economic relief to Damascus's new government, which overthrew longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad.
The National
14 hours ago
- The National
Paris to host Syria talks on integrating Kurds
Syria, France and the US said they agreed on Friday to convene "as soon as possible" talks in Paris to integrate the autonomous Kurdish administration into the Syrian state. The Kurds, who control large swathes of north-east Syria, are negotiating with the central government in Damascus on the integration of their civil and military institutions into the state. Those include the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The three countries agreed to 'host as soon as possible the next round of consultations in Paris between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces regarding the full implementation of the March 10 agreement ', according to a joint statement. The statement was issued after a Friday meeting in Paris between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani. In March, Syria 's government reached a deal with the SDF to integrate the group into state institutions. The deal was signed between Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara and the head of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi. Damascus had previously accused the SDF of delays in implementing a March deal to integrate into the country's armed forces, warning that inaction would undermine stability. Several rounds of talks have been held but the process has stalled, with Kurdish officials criticising a constitutional declaration announced by the new authorities, saying it failed to reflect Syria's diversity. A meeting was set to take place in Paris on Thursday between Kurdish representatives and a Syrian government delegation, but it was postponed. Mr Barrot held a phone call on Friday with the Mr Abdi, Paris said, to "confirm the upcoming negotiations session". Damascus insists on reunifying the country at any cost and demands that the Kurds hand over their weapons. But this week, the SDF said it is 'impossible' to lay down their arms amid a flurry of sectarian violence in the country. An outbreak of fierce fighting in the south of Syria, with troops sent to quell unrest involving Bedouin tribes and the Druze minority, has cast further doubt on Mr Al Shara's efforts to hold Syria together. And under pressure from Washington, Syria has mounted raids against members of ISIS as the extremist group threatens to stage a resurgence. 'In light of the continuing tensions in Syria, the escalating violence, and the threat of ISIS, it is impossible for our forces to surrender their weapons,' Kurdish media quoted SDF spokesman Abjar Daoud as saying.
