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Japan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Israel strikes Syria after clashes involving Druze minority
Israel launched attacks in southern Syria on Monday after deadly clashes that involved the Druze community, a minority group that the Jewish state has pledged to protect. The Israel Defense Forces struck several tanks advancing toward Suwayda province, where confrontations broke out Sunday and persisted into Monday. "The IDF struck the tanks in order to prevent their arrival to the area,' the army said on Telegram. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the strikes as a "clear warning' to the Syrian regime that Israel would not allow the Druze to be harmed. Three Israeli airstrikes targeted different parts of Suwayda's countryside, Syria's state-run news agency Sana reported. Israel has periodically bombed its neighbor's military infrastructure since the December ouster of President Bashar Al-Assad. The violence in Suwayda, where the Druze are concentrated, killed about 100 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It said Druze groups battled with tribal fighters as well as state military and police forces. The battles started between armed groups in Suwayda and surrounding areas. Attacks on state forces leave no doubt there are organized attempts to destabilize the country, the Syrian foreign ministry said. A spokesman for Syria's defense ministry, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, said government troops were deployed in Suwayda to end the violence that had erupted earlier. Attacks from armed men killed 18 members of the state forces, he added. In May, Israel struck a target near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus after the Druze community in both countries called for help following a series of violent clashes between the minority group and Syrian state forces. After that strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz said they would not allow any threat to the Druze, an ethnically Arab group whose faith is an offshoot of Islam. Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, whose Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group led an Islamist uprising against Assad, has been trying to prevent violence that flared up in Syria a few months after the downfall of his predecessor. He has been seeking to seize all weapons and dissolve armed factions in the country. In March, armed men that the authorities said were affiliated with the ousted regime attacked security sites and state premises along Syria's Mediterranean coast. This stirred up violence against the Muslim Alawite minority, to which Assad belongs. Three months later, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a church in eastern Damascus, killing 22.
The Star
17-06-2025
- The Star
UiTM Dungun fatal crash: Court grants bail to woman charged with students' murder
KUALA TERENGGANU: The High Court here has granted bail of RM40,000 with two sureties to a woman charged with murdering three Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Dungun students in a road crash on Oct 9. In delivering his decision Tuesday (June 17), Justice Datuk Hassan Abdul Ghani found the defence argument that the collision was unintentional and that the accused, Norizan Ismail, 50, had skidded into a drain, to be reasonable. ALSO READ: Murder charge over deaths of UiTM Dungun students "Just like a plane crash, you wouldn't assume the pilot flew the plane intending to kill people. Perhaps the same can be said of Norizan," he said. The court also imposed additional conditions: that the accused must report to the Dungun police station once every two months; that she be prohibited from operating any vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, or bicycles; and her husband or bailor must ensure she has no access to any vehicle keys. The accused also may only leave her home when accompanied by her husband and must continue receiving hospital treatment. Additionally, she is prohibited from contacting or interfering with any witnesses until the trial concludes. If the accused breaches any of the conditions, the bail will be automatically revoked and the bail sum forfeited. ALSO READ: Dungun court awaits mental health report in UiTM students collision case Earlier, DPP Mohd Khairuddin Idris proposed bail at RM30,000 with two sureties but urged the court to deny bail altogether, citing the potential risk of further offences. In response to a query from the judge, defence counsel Mohd Shahir Mat Jusoh informed the court that Norizan had a scheduled hospital appointment in Kuala Lumpur and was also undergoing alternative treatment. On Oct 15, Norizan was charged with three counts of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code in connection with the deaths of UiTM Dungun students Muhammad Akmal Md Tukirim, 25; Ku Adib Aizad Ku Azmi, 20; and Khairil Anuar Jamaluddin, 20. Subsequently, the court ordered Norizan to be sent to Hospital Permai for psychiatric evaluation, which found her fit to stand trial. Norizan is also facing a charge under Section 307(1) of the Penal Code at the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court for attempted murder involving another UiTM student who was injured in the same crash. – Bernama
The Star
22-04-2025
- The Star
High Court orders ex-assistant coach to begin jail term for sexual assault
Mat Salleh (centre) had his appeal dismissed by the High Court on April 22. – BERNAMApic KUALA TERENGGANU: A former assistant bowling coach found guilty of sexually assaulting a Malaysia Games (Sukma) athlete has been ordered to serve his six-year jail sentence with immediate effect. High Court judge Justice Datuk Hassan Abdul Ghani made the order after dismissing an appeal by Mat Salleh Jalani, 62, to set aside the conviction and sentence handed down by the Sessions Court on May 16 last year. "The court dismisses his appeal and upholds the sentence imposed by the Sessions Court,' he said on Tuesday (April 22), directing Mat Salleh to begin serving his prison sentence immediately. The Sessions Court had found Mat Salleh guilty of physical sexual assault on a teenage boy, aged 14 at the time of the offence, and sentenced him to six years' jail. The offence was committed at a housing estate in Marang in March 2018. The charge was framed under Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, which provides for imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and caning upon conviction. DPP Nur Nabihah Hanin Ayim appeared for the prosecution while Mat Salleh was represented by Wan Suhaili Wan Ismail, who said her client would file with the Court of Appeal against today's decision. – Bernama
Iraqi News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Syria announces end to ‘military operation' after mass killings
Latakia – Syria's new authorities announced on Monday the end of an operation against loyalists of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, after nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in the worst violence since his overthrow. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported the mass killings of at least 973 civilians since Thursday, the overwhelming majority of them members of the Alawite minority executed by security forces or allied groups. The fighting in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority to which the ousted president belongs has threatened to throw into chaos the country's fragile transition after decades of the Assad clan's iron-fisted rule. The authorities on Monday ended their sweeping 'military operation' against security threats and 'regime remnants' in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the Mediterranean coast, defence ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement on official news agency SANA. The announcement came after interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, said the country would not be dragged into civil war again. 'Syria… will not allow any foreign powers or domestic parties to drag it into chaos or civil war,' Sharaa said in a speech posted by SANA. He also vowed to 'hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians… or who overstepped the powers of the state'. In Jableh in Latakia province, an resident spoke to AFP in tears, requesting anonymity for safety concerns and saying they were being terrorised by armed groups who had taken control of the town. 'More than 50 people from among my family and friends have been killed. They gathered bodies with bulldozers and buried them in mass graves.' – 'Anxiety and fear' – In some areas, residents began tentatively venturing out but many were still afraid to leave home after dark and complained of a lack of basic supplies. 'Today the situation in Latakia is a little calmer, people are out and about after five days of anxiety and extreme fear,' said Farah, a 22-year-old university student who gave only her first name. But with the situation still 'very tense', she said that 'after six o'clock, you do not see anyone in the street… the neighbourhood turns into a ghost town.' Clashes broke out on Thursday after gunmen loyal to the deposed president attacked Syria's new security forces. The ensuing violence killed 231 security personnel and 250 pro-Assad fighters killed, according to the Britain-based Observatory which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. The authorities did not provide any casualty figures. In addition to the mass killings of Alawites, there have been reports of Christians being caught up in the wave of attacks. During a sermon in Damascus on Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John X said that 'many innocent Christians were also killed' alongside Alawites. Obituaries were shared on social media for several members of the small Christian community living on the coast. Sharaa's group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has its roots in the Syrian branch of jihadist network Al-Qaeda, has vowed to protect Syria's religious and ethnic minorities since toppling Assad. HTS is still listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States and other governments. – 'Not in control' – Analysts have said the latest violence calls into question the new authorities' ability to rule and rebuild a country devastated by 13 years of civil war. 'The militia chaos that we saw in the Alawite coastal cities tells us… that the new Syrian army is not in control,' said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria at the University of Oklahoma. The violence 'will hinder Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to consolidate his rule and to convince the international community that he is in control', Landis added. Iran, a key backer of Assad, on Monday rejected accusations that Tehran may have been involved in the latest violence. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the claims in media reports, including from the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV channel, as 'completely ridiculous'. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said Sunday the killings 'must cease immediately', while the Arab League, the United Nations, the United States and other governments have condemned the violence. The presidency also announced that an 'independent committee' had been formed to 'investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them', who would face the courts.
Observer
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Syria announces end to 'military operation'
LATAKIA: Syria's new authorities announced on Monday the end of an operation against loyalists of deposed president Bashar al Assad, after nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in the worst violence since his overthrow. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported the mass killings of at least 973 civilians since Thursday. The authorities on Monday ended their sweeping "military operation" against security threats and "regime remnants" in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the Mediterranean coast, defence ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement. The announcement came after interim president Ahmed al Sharaa said the country would not be dragged into civil war again. "Syria... will not allow any foreign powers or domestic parties to drag it into chaos or civil war," Sharaa said in a speech posted by SANA. He also vowed to "hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians... or who overstepped the powers of the state". — AFP
