
US envoy doubles down on support for Syria's government; slams Israel's intervention
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Tom Barrack also slammed Israel's recent intervention in Syria, calling it poorly timed and saying it complicated efforts to stabilize the region.
Barrack is ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, with a short-term mandate in Lebanon. He spoke in Beirut following more than a week of clashes in Syria's southern province of Sweida between militias of the Druze religious minority and Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes.
Syrian government forces intervened, ostensibly to restore order, but ended up siding with the Bedouins before withdrawing under a ceasefire agreement with Druze factions.
Hundreds have been killed in the fighting, and some government fighters allegedly shot dead Druze civilians and burned and looted homes.
Neighboring Israel intervened last week on behalf of the Druze, who are seen as a loyal minority within Israel and often serve in its military. Israel launched dozens of strikes on convoys of government forces in Sweida and struck the Ministry of Defense headquarters in central Damascus.
Over the weekend, Barrack announced a ceasefire between Syria and Israel. Syrian government forces have redeployed in Sweida to halt renewed clashes between the Druze and Bedouins, and civilians from both sides were set to be evacuated Monday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NDTV
34 minutes ago
- NDTV
Fired Immigration Judges Vow To Fight Back Against Trump Administration Terminations
Chicago: Federal immigration judges fired by the Trump administration are filing appeals, pursuing legal action and speaking out in an unusually public campaign to fight back. More than 50 immigration judges - from senior leaders to new appointees - have been fired since Donald Trump assumed the presidency for the second time. Normally bound by courtroom decorum, many are now unrestrained in describing terminations they consider unlawful and why they believe they were targeted. Their suspected reasons include gender discrimination, decisions on immigration cases played up by the Trump administration and a courthouse tour with the Senate's No. 2 Democrat. "I cared about my job and was really good at it," Jennifer Peyton, a former supervising judge told The Associated Press this week. "That letter that I received, the three sentences, explained no reason why I was fired." Peyton, who received the notice while on a July Fourth family vacation, was appointed judge in 2016. She considered it her dream job. Peyton was later named assistant chief immigration judge in Chicago, helping to train, mentor and oversee judges. She was a visible presence in the busy downtown court, greeting outside observers. She cited top-notch performance reviews and said she faced no disciplinary action. Peyton said she'll appeal through the Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent government agency Trump has also targeted. Peyton's theories about why she was fired include appearing on a "bureaucrat watchdog list" of people accused by a right-wing organization of working against the Trump agenda. She also questions a courthouse tour she gave to Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois in June. Durbin blasted Peyton's termination as an "abuse of power," saying he's visited before as part of his duties as a publicly-elected official. The nation's immigration courts - with a backlog of about 3.5 million cases - have become a key focus of Trump's hard-line immigration enforcement efforts. The firings are on top of resignations, early retirements and transfers, adding up to 106 judges gone since January, according to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, which represents judges. There are currently about 600 immigration judges. Several of those fired, including Peyton, have recently done a slew of interviews on local Chicago television stations and with national outlets, saying they now have a platform for their colleagues who remain on the bench. "The ones that are left are feeling threatened and very uncertain about their future," said Matt Biggs, the union's president. Carla Espinoza, a Chicago immigration judge since 2023, was fired as she was delivering a verdict this month. Her notice said she'd be dismissed at the end of her two-year probationary period with the Executive Office for Immigration Review. "I am personally committed to my career. We're not political appointees," she told AP. "I'm entitled to a reason." She believes the firings have disproportionately affected women and ethnic minorities, including people with Hispanic-sounding surnames like hers. She plans to take legal action before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which has also shifted focus under Trump. "There's a very strong pattern of discriminatory factors," she said. Espinoza thinks another reason could be her decision to release a Mexican immigrant falsely accused of threatening to assassinate Trump. Ramon Morales Reyes was accused of a writing a threatening letter by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. But the claims quickly fell apart as Wisconsin authorities determined that Morales Reyes was actually framed by a man who had previously attacked him. Espinoza said she felt pressure with public scrutiny, media coverage and Noem's statements about Morales Reyes, which weren't corrected or removed from social media. "It's hard to silence the noise and just do your job fairly when there's so much distraction," she said. "I think I did. And I stand by my decision as having been a fair one to release an individual who I believe was twice victimized." The Executive Office for Immigration Review, part of the Justice Department that oversees the immigration courts, declined to comment on the firings through an agency spokesperson. Peyton said she isn't sure that working as an immigration judge is still her dream job. "It's important that everyone in our country knows what's happening in our immigration courts," she said. "The Department of Justice that I joined in 2016 is not the same one now."


News18
3 hours ago
- News18
ISIS Leader Killed in Aleppo as Syria, US, France Sign Post-Assad Deal; Court Clears Assad Warrant
A joint Syrian-US raid in Aleppo killed multiple terrorists, including a senior ISIS leader, in a major counterterrorism operation backed by CENTCOM. Meanwhile, Syrian, US, and French officials met in Paris to push Syria's political transition, unity, and regional stability. They agreed to resume consultations with the SDF and uphold March's governance deal. France's top court voided Assad's arrest warrant due to past immunity but allowed a new one. Assad was ousted in 2024; France had probed his 2013 chemical attacks. 00:00 - INTRODUCTION03:05 - FRANCE'S TOP COURT VOIDS ASSAD WARRANT, NEW POSSIBLEn18oc_world n18oc_crux


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Israel claims to have killed senior Hezbollah commander
Tel Aviv [Israel], July 26 (ANI): The Israel Defence Forces on Saturday said they killed Ali Abd al-Qader Ismail , a senior Hezbollah commander in the Bint Jbeil sector. The IDF said that Ismail was involved in efforts to rehabilitate the terrorist organization in southern Lebanon. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Cybersecurity Design Thinking Degree Healthcare Others Operations Management Finance others healthcare Artificial Intelligence Management Leadership MBA Product Management Data Analytics MCA Project Management Public Policy Data Science CXO Digital Marketing PGDM Data Science Technology Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months MIT xPRO CERT-MIT xPRO PGC in Cybersecurity Starts on undefined Get Details In a post on X, the IDF said, "ELIMINATED: Ali Abd al-Qader Ismail, a senior Hezbollah commander in the Bint Jbeil sector, involved in efforts to rehabilitate the terrorist organization in southern Lebanon. The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat posed to the State of Israel." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo — IDF (@IDF) Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz visited the home of the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel , Sheikh Muafak Tarif, vowing to aid their brethren in Syria. Visiting the village of Julis, Katz said the military would work to provide medical assistance to the Druze of southern Syria, which suffered deadly attacks from Bedouin tribes earlier this month, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry. Live Events A boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid supplies approached the Gaza Strip , according to the organizers. The Handala boat, with 15 activists, set sail from Sicily earlier this month, a month after Israel intercepted a different vessel that had made a high-profile attempt to break the maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip, as per the Times of Israel. Handala is operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition , which also dispatched the earlier boat, the Madleen, on a mission to challenge Israel's blockade on the Strip. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told former hostages and hostage families yesterday that the Trump administration needs to "rethink" its strategy regarding solving the war in Gaza, after being unable to end the conflict since coming into office in January, The Times of Israel reported. Rubio said that it was necessary to "come to the president with new options" on strategy regarding the war, the report quotes him as saying, without detailing what those options may be. Captivity survivors and hostage families met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday, as per The Times of Israel.