logo
Syria appeals to EU for help battling massive wildfires in Latakia

Syria appeals to EU for help battling massive wildfires in Latakia

Euronews08-07-2025
Authorities in Syria appealed to the European Union on Tuesday for help in battling massive wildfires that have been spreading across the north-western coastal region for the sixth consecutive day.
"Communication has also been established with the European Union, and there is a possibility of air support from Cyprus today to bolster the extinguishing efforts," Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed Saleh wrote in a post on X.
"We are facing significant field challenges, most notably the rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, active winds, and the presence of mine remnants and unexploded ordnance."
Since the beginning of July, the Syrian civil defence have responded to 334 wildfires across the country, most of them concentrated in Latakia followed by Tartous, Saleh wrote on X.
The fires, which started last week, have proven difficult to bring under control despite reinforcements from Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon that came to the country to help Syrian teams fight the blazes.
On the second day of the fire, firefighters managed to bring 90% of the wildfires under control but explosions of left-over war ordnance and heavy winds helped spread the fires again.
There are currently 120 teams fighting the fires.
On Monday, the Lebanese army said it sent two helicopters to help fire crews in coordination with Syrian authorities.
While at the weekend, UN teams deployed to the Syrian coast where they are conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the damage.
"UN teams are on the ground conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the disaster and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs," UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, said in a statement.
"The UN reiterates its solidarity with the people of Syria at this critical moment and stands ready to work alongside all stakeholders to ensure that no one is left behind in the response and recovery efforts."
Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions that then lead to blazes.
Also, below-average rainfall over the winter left many Syrians struggling with water shortages this summer, as the springs and rivers that normally supply much of the population with drinking water have gone dry.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

France's top court annuls arrest warrant against Syria's Assad
France's top court annuls arrest warrant against Syria's Assad

Local France

time29 minutes ago

  • Local France

France's top court annuls arrest warrant against Syria's Assad

The Court of Cassation ruled there were no exceptions to presidential immunity, even for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. But its presiding judge, Christophe Soulard, added that, as Assad was no longer president after an Islamist-led group toppled him in December, "new arrest warrants can have been, or can be, issued against him" and as such the investigation into the case could continue. Human rights advocates had hoped the court would rule that immunity did not apply because of the severity of the allegations, which would have set a major precedent in international law towards holding accused war criminals to account. They said that, in this regard, it was a missed opportunity. "This ruling represents a setback for the global fight against impunity for the most serious crimes under international law," said Mazen Darwish, the head of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, a civil party to the case. French authorities issued the warrant against Assad in November 2023 over his alleged role in the chain of command for a sarin gas attack that killed more than 1,000 people, according to US intelligence, on August 4 and 5, 2013 in Adra and Douma outside Damascus. Assad is accused of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the case. Syrian authorities at the time denied involvement and blamed rebels. Universal jurisdiction The French judiciary tackled the case under the principle of universal jurisdiction, whereby a court may prosecute individuals for serious crimes committed in other countries. An investigation -- based on testimonies of survivors and military defectors, as well as photos and video footage -- led to warrants for the arrest of Assad, his brother Maher who headed an elite army unit, and two generals. Advertisement Public prosecutors approved three of the warrants, but issued an appeal against the one targeting Assad, arguing he should have immunity as a head of state. The Paris Court of Appeal in June last year however upheld it, and prosecutors again appealed. But in December, Assad's circumstances changed. He and his family fled to Russia, according to Russian authorities, after Islamist-led fighters seized power from him. In January, French investigating magistrates issued a second arrest warrant against Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes for a bombing in the Syrian city of Deraa in 2017 that killed a French-Syrian civilian. 'Great victory' The Court of Cassation said Assad's so called "personal immunity", granted because of his office, meant he could not be targeted by arrest warrants until his ouster. But it ruled that "functional immunity", which is granted to people who perform certain functions of state, could be lifted in the case of accusations of severe crimes. Thus it upheld the French judiciary's indictment in another case against ex-governor of the Central Bank of Syria and former finance minister, Adib Mayaleh. Advertisement He has been accused of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity over alleged funding of the Assad government during Syria's civil war. Mayaleh obtained French nationality in 1993, and goes by the name Andre Mayard on his French passport. Darwish, the Syrian lawyer, said that part of the court's ruling was however a "great victory". "It establishes the principle that no agent of a foreign state, regardless of the position they hold, can invoke their immunity when international crimes are at stake," he said. Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions from their homes since its eruption in 2011 with the then-government's brutal crackdown on anti-Assad protests. Assad's fall on December 8, 2024 ended his family's five-decade rule.

The logic behind recognizing Palestine
The logic behind recognizing Palestine

LeMonde

time40 minutes ago

  • LeMonde

The logic behind recognizing Palestine

French President Emmanuel Macron's historic commitment to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September has sparked polarizing and often irreconcilable reactions in France, as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict always does. This comes as no surprise, especially given the criticism from the right and far right. Some within those ranks have chosen to align with Israel's positions, even when the country is led by a coalition that advocates the destruction of Gaza, the annexation of the West Bank and ethnic cleansing. Since Hamas's terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, these three threats have ceased to be part of a dystopian scenario. The first threat is nearing completion before our eyes, despite the shameful media blackout imposed by Israel. The second threat is advancing inexorably, fueled by extremist settlers supported by an ultranationalist government where the right and far right are becoming indistinguishable. That same government is also actively working to normalize the third threat. Decades of Israeli fait accomplis demand that we take this seriously. This necessary reminder of the brutal reality is essential to understanding Macron's decision. France can no longer adhere to its previous position that recognition would come at the end of a territorial compromise negotiated by both sides. The door to such a prospect has long since closed, and responsibility is broadly shared. What is now at stake makes it impossible to accept inaction or further delay. The fact that some of France's allies are content with this resignation does not make it virtuous. It may already be too late to save the two-state solution. Waiting and doing nothing only ensures that, eventually, there will be nothing left to recognize – definitively. Even without the slightest guarantee of success, trying to halt this downward spiral is an argument in favor of recognizing Palestine. Staying true to the values France has proclaimed to uphold, including supporting the Palestinians' right to self-determination in land seized by Israel in 1967, also leads to this decision. The two-state solution would guarantee an irreversible defeat for Hamas by further strengthening the legitimacy of Israel following the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) recognition of Israel in 1988 and 1993. The solution also safeguards against a shift that, if unchecked, will cause Israel to abandon its democratic nature and impose an apartheid regime on Palestinians confined to enclaves. Turning away from these values because upholding them is risky is, in fact, an endorsement of resignation – a point that makes such criticism all the more peculiar when it comes from people who often invoke Gaullism (a French doctrine of national independence and moral leadership inherited from former president Charles de Gaulle). Either Palestine represents an injustice and must be opposed, or Palestine is the only solution to save the Palestinians and to protect Israelis from themselves. In that case, it must be recognized.

Bashar al-Assad: France's highest court upholds personal immunity for sitting heads of state
Bashar al-Assad: France's highest court upholds personal immunity for sitting heads of state

LeMonde

time2 hours ago

  • LeMonde

Bashar al-Assad: France's highest court upholds personal immunity for sitting heads of state

On Friday, July 25, the Cour de Cassation, France's highest court of appeals, decided that the personal immunity granted to sitting heads of state allows for no exceptions. The ruling is a major disappointment for human rights defenders and international law experts fighting against impunity. And as a result, the arrest warrant issued in November 2023 by Parisian investigating judges against former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who was accused of ordering chemical attacks in the suburbs of Damascus in 2013, has been annulled. This decision was made just days before the 12 th anniversary of the sarin gas attack on Ghouta, which killed around 1,000 to 1,500 people, including several French-Syrians. This decision effectively prevents French courts from prosecuting sitting heads of state, who, like prime ministers and foreign affairs ministers, enjoy personal immunity. The court did not uphold Prosecutor General Rémy Heitz's suggestion that the arrest warrant for al-Assad be maintained by setting aside his personal immunity, since France had not recognized him as the "legitimate sitting head of state" since 2012, given the "mass crimes committed by the Syrian regime."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store