
Turkey's Erdogan says Syria's al-Sharaa showed strong stance against Israel
Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday as part of a US-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, state media and witnesses said.
In comments to Turkish media released on Monday, Erdogan said Syria's government had established some control in Sweida and the country's south with around 2,500 soldiers, with all but one Druze faction agreeing to respect the ceasefire during talks in Amman.
He also told reporters on his flight returning from northern Cyprus that the United States now understood it needed to 'own' the issue more, warning that the main issue was Israel using the fighting as an excuse to invade Syrian lands.
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Israel to allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants
Israel will allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants, COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said on Tuesday.'This aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the UN and international organizations,' the agency Sunday, Hamas said it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western and UN officials said Gaza needs around 600 aid trucks to enter per day to meet the humanitarian requirements — the number Israel used to allow into Gaza before the Gaza war began when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli offensive has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials who do not distinguish between fighters and to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas, thus far, has barred humanitarian organizations from having any kind of access to the hostages and families have little or no details of their conditions.


Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Envoy Urges Calm and Dialogue to Resolve Syria Disputes
The US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, on Monday voiced concern over fresh outbreaks of violence in Sweida in southern Syria and Manbij in the northeast, calling for dialogue to resolve disputes. 'Disturbing violence erupted yesterday in Sweida, and in Manbij. Diplomacy is the best way to stop violence and build a peaceful, lasting solution,' Barrack wrote on X. 'The path ahead belongs to Syrians — urging all sides to uphold calm and resolve differences through dialogue, not bloodshed. Syria deserves stability. Syrians deserve peace,' he added. Meanwhile, Syrian authorities reopened a humanitarian corridor in Busra al-Sham in southern Daraa province after securing the area from what state media described as 'mutinous al-Hijri gangs,' who reportedly violated a ceasefire in Sweida the day before. According to the state-run SANA news agency, the armed groups attacked internal security forces at several points and shelled villages in Sweida's western countryside, leaving several security personnel dead or wounded. The Interior Ministry had temporarily closed the crossing on Sunday, citing concerns for civilian safety, SANA reported. The ministry said security forces repelled the attacks on positions in Tal al-Hadid, Rimat Hazm, and Walgha, retaking control and restoring calm to preserve the ceasefire. Relief and humanitarian aid resumed delivery to Sweida through Busra al-Sham on Monday as part of government efforts to meet residents' needs. On Sunday, Sweida's internal security chief, Ahmad al-Dalati, said armed groups had launched deadly attacks in the province's countryside before security forces regained control. A commander in Sweida's 'Joint Operations Room' claimed coordination was underway with US and Israeli counterparts to secure international protection and establish an investigative committee into last month's violence. He described ties with Israel as 'positive,' calling it 'an important player in the region' and crediting it with repelling attacks on Sweida. 'We are asking for its protection,' he said. The remarks were made to Asharq al-Awsat after the first meeting of the Syrian investigative committee into the recent Sweida violence, which erupted between local and tribal armed groups. Tareq al-Maghoush, a prominent figure in the local opposition, reiterated rejection of the Syrian government's investigative committee, citing both factional and popular opposition. He said Sweida's 'Operations Room' had barred the committee from operating in the province, branding it 'illegitimate,' and would inform its members to leave 'politely.' The 'Operations Room,' composed of local Druze factions, was formed in December 2024 at the launch of the 'Deterrence of Aggression' campaign, which it claims expelled the Assad regime from several provinces, starting in Aleppo and reaching the outskirts of Damascus. Maghoush, who says he works under the spiritual leadership of Druze cleric Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, said the Sheikh personally approved the creation of the 'Operations Room' and tasked him with various files. A ceasefire agreement on July 20 ended a week-long conflict between Druze fighters and tribal militants. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said at least 814 people were killed and over 903 wounded in Sweida between July 13 and 20. The toll includes civilians—among them women, children, and medical staff—as well as fighters from tribal armed groups and local factions outside government control. Members of the Syrian opposition's internal security forces and defense ministry were also among the casualties. The violence displaced 176,000 people, according to United Nations data. Shelling reached central Damascus, hitting sites near the defense ministry, the presidential palace compound, and the national library. On Thursday, the Syrian justice ministry announced the formation of an official committee to 'investigate the causes and circumstances' behind the violence, look into 'assaults and violations,' and refer perpetrators to the judiciary. But protests broke out the next day in Sweida, with demonstrators demanding an independent international investigation and rejecting the Syrian committee. Some protesters waved the Israeli flag. Judge Hatim al-Nassan, head of the official inquiry, said during the committee's first meeting that they were open to engaging with the people of Sweida, calling them 'an essential component of the country.' But he warned that raising the Israeli flag on Syrian soil 'is a crime that must be punished.' The committee said it would immediately begin meetings with officials in Sweida and Daraa, as well as those affected by the violence. According to Syria TV, the committee insisted that an international inquiry was unnecessary as long as the Syrian state remained capable of investigating on its own.


Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Objection Forces Iraq to Delay Approval of New PMF Law to New Parliament
Opposition from the United States has led to the delay of the ratification of a law related to Iraq's pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The Iraqi parliament was supposed to convene to ratify the law, which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month said would 'institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty.' Informed political sources said the American objections mean it is unlikely for the current parliament to ratify the law and the issue will be delayed until a new parliament is elected. Parliamentary elections are expected to be held in November. Armed factions and some Shiite parties were pushing for the ratification of the law. The sources added, however, that there are doubts that even the new parliament would be able to approve the legislation given 'regional changes that may arise and with the possibility that the influence of the armed factions may diminish in wake of the elections results.' The US has for months expressed its opposition to the law during meetings with various Iraqi officials. On Saturday, US Chargé d'Affaires Steven Fagin explicitly expressed Washington's concern about the law after meeting with Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, First Deputy Speaker of parliament, reiterating Rubio's statement. Despite the firm American opposition, the political sources said Iran remains determined to ratify the law, a stance that was expressed during a secret visit to Baghdad by its Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani. Conflicts within the Coordination Framework American opposition is not the only reason for the delay in the ratification. Media reports have pointed to 'political conflicts' within the pro-Iran Coordination Framework over the leadership of the PMF, as well as top positions within the organization. MP Raed al-Maliki told the media that disputes within the Framework over 'minor details' prompted the delay. The Asaib Ahl al-Haq faction, meanwhile, has repeatedly called for referring head of the PMF Falih Al-Fayyadh to retirement given that he has reached the age, reflecting its desire to take over his position. Beyond Shiite circles, Kurdish and Sunni officials have also objected to the law given their existing reservations over the armed factions that are loyal to the PMF, most notably in wake of the recent attacks on oil and gas fields in the Kurdistan Region that have been blamed on them. Fayyadh had on Sunday urged parliament to ratify the law, saying it was not only a legislation, 'but a consolidation of the rights of those who have shed blood for the glory of the nation.' 'It is an embodiment of the people's gratitude to those who carried arms in defense of Iraq and its unity,' he added. His message fell on deaf ears at parliament as it was not included on its Monday agenda.