Latest news with #MohammadOthman
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Arab News
How ‘catastrophic' Latakia wildfires deepened Syrians' suffering
LONDON: Wildfires swept across Syria's northwestern Latakia province this month, scorching more than 16,000 hectares of forest and farmland, damaging 45 villages, displacing thousands of civilians, and fragmenting the fragile livelihoods of rural communities. On July 2, fast-moving fires erupted in the mountainous, densely wooded northern countryside of Latakia, escalating rapidly into a full-blown emergency. Fueled by extreme temperatures, dry conditions, and strong seasonal winds, the fires surged across rugged terrain with little resistance. After nearly two weeks of relentless burning, Syrian authorities declared the fires fully contained on July 15. Firefighting crews from Turkiye, Iraq, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan joined Syrian civil defense units in the battle to control the flames, which raged through difficult-to-access forested highlands. At a joint press conference, Latakia Governor Mohammad Othman and Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed Al-Saleh outlined the formidable challenges crews faced. These included landmines, unexploded ordnance, winds exceeding 60 kph, and an absence of firebreaks after years of forest neglect. Although the flames have been extinguished, the crisis is far from over. 'The flames are gone, but the mission has just begun,' Al-Saleh said, cautioning that the long-term effects of the fires could endure for years. Recovery efforts are now focused on rehabilitating burned land and aiding thousands of displaced families. The fire's aftermath has compounded an already dire humanitarian crisis in a region battered by more than a decade of war and economic collapse. Entire harvests — a vital source of food and income — have been lost, and returning residents find their homes and farms reduced to ashes. Among the most severely affected areas are Qastal Maaf, Rabeea, Zinzaf, Al-Ramadiyah, Beer Al-Qasab, Al-Basit and Kassab, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 'The humanitarian situation is catastrophic,' said Rima Darious, a Belgium-based activist who is in close contact with communities in the affected areas. 'In general, there is extreme poverty in these villages, and people largely live off their land.' She said houses were destroyed and entire livelihoods wiped out. In Kassab, an Armenian-populated town, 'the apple, peach, and nectarine orchards were incinerated,' she said. 'After the displacement, there's nothing left for them. 'Across Latakia's mountains, people depend on the harvest — they sell it to survive the whole year. They grow vegetables to feed themselves. Now that the crops have burned, it's a devastating crisis. A disaster.' By July 7 — just five days into the fires — SARD, a Syrian NGO assisting in the response, cited official estimates that about 5,000 people had been affected, with more than 1,120 displaced. Urgent needs include temporary shelter, clean drinking water, emergency food, hygiene and medical kits, respiratory aid, and psychosocial support. Darious also warned of a looming hunger emergency. 'We're going to witness a level of hunger never seen before,' she said, adding that widespread damage to beehives — an essential part of local agriculture — has already led to soaring honey prices. In addition to farming, many locals rely on seasonal tourism. 'That source of income is gone too,' she said. 'Who's going to visit a burned forest or mountain? No tourism. No agriculture.' Despite the scale of destruction, formal relief is limited. 'There are no serious efforts to help the affected families — only individual initiatives,' Darious said. 'Some local groups are trying to assist specific cases that are worse off than others.' Compounding the tragedy, the fires were not merely a natural disaster. On July 3, the militant group Ansar Al-Sunnah claimed responsibility for deliberately starting the fires in the Qastal Maaf mountains. The group said in a statement its intent was to forcibly displace members of the Alawite sect — an ethno-religious community historically aligned with the Assad regime, although many of its members have lived in poverty for decades. The arson is a chilling escalation in Syria's ongoing instability, transforming environmental destruction into a weapon of sectarian violence. With villages burned, communities uprooted, and essential industries devastated, the damage extends far beyond ecological loss, deepening the schisms in Syrian society. The attack followed a surge of violence in March in Syria's coastal provinces, particularly in Latakia and Tartus, where clashes erupted between Assad loyalists and transitional opposition forces. The conflict quickly escalated into sectarian bloodshed. Human rights observers reported summary executions and house raids in which attackers selected victims based on religious affiliation. Entire Alawite families were reportedly killed, underscoring the deliberate and systematic nature of the violence. Since then, sectarian tensions have continued to spread. In other parts of the country, Christian communities have faced renewed violence and rising insecurity. High-profile incidents include a deadly bombing at Mar Elias Church in Damascus in June and a wave of arson attacks on Christian homes and churches in Suweida. In mid-July, the southern city of Suweida and surrounding areas endured intense clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribal fighters. Urban gun battles and retaliatory attacks left more than 300 dead in just two days. Meanwhile in Latakia, as the smoke begins to clear, displaced families are returning to what little remains. 'People left their homes briefly due to the fire and then returned once it was contained,' said Marwan Al-Rez, head of the Mart volunteer team that supported civil defense and firefighting efforts. 'Qastal Maaf was completely burned down. Its people were displaced again — some had only recently returned after the fall of the regime.' Indeed, OCHA reported that many of the hardest-hit areas were predominantly communities of returning refugees. After the fires, returns have slowed significantly, with a noticeable decline even at the still-operational Kassab border crossing. Qastal Maaf, a subdistrict of Latakia, comprises 19 localities and had a population close to 17,000 in 2004, according to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics. While the town itself is majority Sunni, surrounding villages are largely Alawite, highlighting the region's complex sectarian makeup. On July 9, the UN Satellite Centre released a fire damage assessment based on satellite imagery from a day earlier. The analysis identified burn scars in Qastal Maaf, Rabeea and Kassab — the first satellite overview of the extent of the fire. Using WorldPop data and mapping the affected zones, UNOSAT estimated that approximately 5,500 people lived in or near the fire-affected areas. About 2,400 buildings may have been exposed to the flames. UNOSAT stressed that these figures were preliminary and had not yet been validated through on-the-ground assessments at the time of publication. The physical and environmental toll is staggering. 'Some agricultural lands in Kassab were completely burned,' Al-Rez said. 'These were lush with trees — those were lost too.' Civil defense responders also suffered, with injuries including fractures and smoke inhalation. The fires spread across more than 40 ignition points in the Jabal Al-Akrad and Jabal Turkmen regions, near the Turkish border, according to OCHA. This proximity triggered cross-border aerial firefighting efforts. Efforts to contain the fires were hampered by high winds, soaring temperatures, and more than a decade of war-related damage. 'Excessive winds, high temperatures, and prolonged drought conditions have created a runaway disaster with no signs of slowing down,' said Abdulkarim Ekzayez, Syria country director for Action for Humanity, on July 6. Further complicating the mission were '14 years' worth of unexploded remnants of war — landmines and bombs — that litter the country, threatening the lives of both emergency response crews and civilians evacuating,' Ekzayez added. Action for Humanity sent teams to deliver water and fuel and to coordinate volunteers, who provided food and helped evacuate residents overcome by heat or smoke. 'The fire was spreading uncontrollably,' Al-Rez said. 'It would leap across valleys and mountains, burning entire peaks in half an hour. Helicopters were the only way to reach many places. 'It was a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight,' he added, describing how entire mountainsides lit up in minutes. Alongside these organizations, the Red Crescent and Syrian American Medical Society were among several aid groups mobilized to assist. Beyond the human toll, the fires have wrecked Syria's ecosystems. 'The consequences of the fires are severe for both humans and the environment,' Majd Suleiman, head of the Forestry Directorate, told local media. Syria's forests are home to aromatic trees used in industry and to shelter wildlife. They also play a role in regulating rainfall, humidity and temperatures. Images and reports on social and traditional media show the broader ecological devastation — charred landscapes littered with dead deer, ducks, turtles and other animals. As Syria begins the long process of recovery, the wildfires have laid bare the interconnected crises of conflict, climate and displacement, turning a seasonal hazard into a multifaceted catastrophe.
Shafaq News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
After 12 days: Syria contained Latakia wildfires
Shafaq News – Damascus The Syrian government announced, on Tuesday, that it has fully extinguished the wildfires that raged for 12 consecutive days across the mountains of Latakia province, leaving behind a trail of destruction that affected more than 16,000 hectares of forests, damaged 45 villages, and impacted around 1,200 families. At a joint press conference with Latakia Governor Mohammad Othman, Minister of Emergency Management Raed Saleh confirmed that firefighting teams overcame major operational challenges, including landmines, war remnants, shifting winds, rugged terrain, and the absence of firebreaks due to prolonged neglect of forested areas. 'The real disaster lies not only in what we've lost, but in what lies ahead—soil erosion, vegetation loss, and the increased risk of landslides amid the worst drought and climate conditions in decades,' SANA quoted Saleh as saying. He explained that early warning systems played a key role in managing the crisis. Using drone surveillance, satellite imagery, and meteorological data, the command center coordinated precision interventions across affected areas. These tools, Saleh said, were critical in identifying fire hotspots and accelerating containment efforts. The minister announced that a new national early warning system for forest fires would soon be installed as part of a broader plan to protect woodlands and engage local communities. 'The flames are out—but our mission is just beginning. We now begin the task of bringing life back to these mountains,' he said. Saleh extended gratitude to firefighting teams and aid workers from Turkiye, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Qatar, as well as Syrian ministries, civil defense units, and volunteers. 'You wrote a heroic chapter in this country's history,' he said. 'Together, you created a shining example of solidarity.' Latakia Governor Mohammad Othman added that full coordination between Syrian fire and civil defense crews, backed by international support, was key to containing the fires. He detailed the emergency response, including daily field kitchens providing over 2,500 meals, logistical support, and equipment mobilized in cooperation with the interior and defense ministries. The governor confirmed that ministerial delegations have begun assessing damages and drafting a compensation plan. A long-term rehabilitation strategy is being developed in coordination with relevant ministries. On July 12, Iraq had dispatched more than 20 firefighting teams to Latakia to assist in controlling the massive wildfires, a senior official from Iraq's Civil Defense Directorate told Shafaq News.
Shafaq News
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Syria's Latakia: Three major blazes controlled
Shafaq News – Latakia Fire crews in Syria's Latakia province have contained three major wildfires, local officials confirmed on Wednesday, as blazes continued for a seventh straight day across the northern countryside. Latakia Governor Mohammad Othman stated that more than 80 Syrian Civil Defense teams, supported by international responders and aircraft from Turkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon, remain active in the field. The fires have scorched over 14,000 hectares, Othman noted, adding that rough terrain, intense heat, and shifting winds have hampered operations, while landmines and unexploded ordnance from past conflicts continue to endanger crews and block access routes. 'Flames are still active near Sheikh Hassan village,' he said. 'We've moved engines and teams forward to stop the spread into mountainous zones.' Meanwhile, Syrian Civil Defense Director Munir Mustafa described the situation as 'improving,' though several zones still need cooling to prevent flare-ups. He reported that the fire swept through forested areas in Wadi, Mount Zahia, and the al-Farnlaq reserve as winds intensified Tuesday night. Despite the conditions, responders protected six villages after preemptive evacuations. Authorities evacuated more than 25 families from al-Ghassaniyeh in the Kessab subdistrict as flames advanced on residential areas.
Shafaq News
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Shafaq News
Syria's Latakia: Three major blazes controlled
Shafaq News – Latakia Fire crews in Syria's Latakia province have contained three major wildfires, local officials confirmed on Wednesday, as blazes continued for a seventh straight day across the northern countryside. Latakia Governor Mohammad Othman stated that more than 80 Syrian Civil Defense teams, supported by international responders and aircraft from Turkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon, remain active in the field. The fires have scorched over 14,000 hectares, Othman noted, adding that rough terrain, intense heat, and shifting winds have hampered operations, while landmines and unexploded ordnance from past conflicts continue to endanger crews and block access routes. 'Flames are still active near Sheikh Hassan village,' he said. 'We've moved engines and teams forward to stop the spread into mountainous zones.' Meanwhile, Syrian Civil Defense Director Munir Mustafa described the situation as 'improving,' though several zones still need cooling to prevent flare-ups. He reported that the fire swept through forested areas in Wadi, Mount Zahia, and the al-Farnlaq reserve as winds intensified Tuesday night. Despite the conditions, responders protected six villages after preemptive evacuations. Authorities evacuated more than 25 families from al-Ghassaniyeh in the Kessab subdistrict as flames advanced on residential areas.
Gulf Today
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
50 years on, Lebanon still grapples with a civil war's legacy
It was an ordinary day in Beirut. In one part of Lebanon's capital, a church was inaugurated, with the leader of the Christian Phalange party there. In another, Palestinian factions held a military parade. Phalangists and Palestinians had clashed, again, that morning. What happened next on April 13, 1975, would change the course of Lebanon, plunging it into 15 years of civil war. It would kill about 150,000 people, leave 17,000 missing and lead to foreign intervention. Beirut became synonymous with snipers, kidnappings and car bombs. Lebanon has never fully grappled with the war's legacy, and in many ways it has never fully recovered, 50 years later. The government on Sunday will mark the anniversary with a minute of silence. Unrest had been brewing. Palestinian fighters had begun launching attacks against Israel from Lebanese territory. Leftist groups and many Muslims in Lebanon sympathised with the Palestinian cause. Christians and some other groups saw the Palestinian fighters as a threat. At the time, Mohammad Othman was 16, a Palestinian refugee in the Tel al-Zaatar camp east of Beirut. A man walks past a building full of bullet holes from previous fighting during Lebanon's civil war on a former Beirut frontline. AP Three buses had left camp that morning, carrying students like him as well as fighters from a coalition of hardline factions that had broken away from the Palestinian Liberation Organization. They passed through the Ein Rummaneh neighbourhood without incident and joined the military parade. The buses were supposed to return together, but some participants were tired after marching and wanted to go back early. They hired a small bus from the street, Othman said. Thirty-three people packed in. Sudden gunfire They were unaware that earlier that day, small clashes had broken out between Palestinians and Phalange Party members guarding the church in Ein Rummaneh. A bodyguard for party leader Pierre Gemayel had been killed. Suddenly the road was blocked, and gunmen began shooting at the bus "from all sides," Othman recalled. Some passengers had guns they had carried in the parade, Othman said, but they were unable to draw them quickly in the crowded bus. A camp neighbour fell dead on top of him. The man's 9-year-old son was also killed. Othman was shot in the shoulder. Mohammed Othman prays over the graves of those killed on April 13, 1975, at the Palestine Martyrs Cemetery in Beirut. Associated Press "The shooting didn't stop for about 45 minutes until they thought everyone was dead," he said. Othman said paramedics who eventually arrived had a confrontation with armed men who tried to stop them from evacuating him. Twenty-two people were killed. Some Lebanese say the men who attacked the bus were responding to an assassination attempt against Gemayel by Palestinian fighters. Others say the Phalangists had set up an ambush intended to spark a wider conflict. Wrong versions of news Marwan Chahine, a Lebanese-French journalist who wrote a book about the events of April 13, 1975, said he believes both narratives are wrong. Chahine said he found no evidence of an attempt to kill Gemayel, who had left the church by the time his bodyguard was shot. And he said the attack on the bus appeared to be more a matter of trigger-happy young men than a "planned operation." There had been past confrontations, "but I think this one took this proportion because it arrived after many others and at a point when the authority of the state was very weak," Chahine said. A woman walks past a poster bearing the portrait of Joseph Abou Assi, a Christian Phalangist party member, placed at the site where he was killed 50 years ago in the Christian neihbourhood of Ain al-Remmaneh district in Beirut. Agence France-Presse The Lebanese army had largely ceded control to militias, and it did not respond to the events in Ein Rummaneh that day. The armed Palestinian factions had been increasingly prominent after the PLO was driven out of Jordan in 1970, and Lebanese Christians had also increasingly armed themselves. "The Kataeb would say that the Palestinians were a state within a state," Chahine said, using the Phalange Party's Arabic name. "But the reality was, you had two states in a state. Nobody was following any rules." War was 'inevitable' Selim Sayegh, a member of parliament with the Kataeb Party who was 14 and living in Ein Rummaneh when the fighting started, said he believes war had been inevitable since the Lebanese army backed down from an attempt to take control of Palestinian camps two years earlier. Sayegh said men at the checkpoint that day saw a bus full of Palestinians "and thought that is the second wave of the operation" that started with the killing of Gemayel's bodyguard. The war unfolded quickly from there. Alliances shifted. New factions formed. Israel and Syria occupied parts of the country. The United States intervened, and the US embassy and Marine barracks were targeted by bombings. Beirut was divided between Christian and Muslim sectors. A Palestinian Fatah fighter fires a machine gun at Syrian troops, near the resort town of Bhamdoun, mount Lebanon. File/Associated Press In response to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, a Shiite group was formed in the early 1980s with Iranian backing: Hezbollah. It would grow to be arguably the most powerful armed non-state group in the region. Hezbollah was the only group allowed to keep its weapons after Lebanon's civil war, given special status as a "resistance force" because Israel was still in southern Lebanon. After the group was badly weakened last year in a war with Israel that ended with a ceasefire, there has been increasing pressure for it to disarm. Othman said he became a fighter because "there were no longer schools or anything else to do." Later he would disarm and became a pharmacist. He remembers being bewildered when a peace accord in 1989 ushered in the end of civil war: "All this war and bombing, and in the end they make some deals and it's all over." Of the 10 others who survived the bus attack, he said, three were killed a year later when Christian militias attacked the Tel al-Zaatar camp. Another was killed in a 1981 bombing at the Iraqi embassy. A couple died of natural causes, one lives in Germany, and he has lost track of the others. Bus a reminder of the shooting The bus has also survived, as a reminder. Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the attack, it was towed from storage on a farm to the private Nabu Museum in Heri, north of Beirut. Visitors took photos with it and peered into bullet holes in its rusted sides. Ghida Margie Fakih, a museum spokesperson, said the bus will remain on display indefinitely as a "wake-up call" to remind Lebanese not to go down the path of conflict again. The bus "changed the whole history in Lebanon and took us somewhere that nobody wanted to go," she said. Associated Press
