Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa makes surprise visit to Istanbul
The surprise visit of Syria's interim leader to Istanbul came after his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia.
Announced on 29 January as the leader of Syria's interim administration, al-Sharaa made his first visit to Turkey in February at the invitation of President Erdogan.
Syria's interim leader, who arrived in Ankara on a plane provided by Turkey, emphasised in his speech that they wanted to transform their relations with Turkey into a "deep strategic cooperation".
The meeting took place at the Dolmabahçe Working Office and was attended by Turkish Head of National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) İbrahim Kalın, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Turkish Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler and Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan Şeybani.
President Erdogan stated that the EU and the US's move to ease sanctions on Syria was "welcomed by Turkey". The Turkish leader also emphasized the need to protect Syria's territorial integrity, referencing Israeli troops within the country's borders.
In turn, the Syrian leader thanked President Erdogan "for his critical support and efforts" in lifting sanctions.
US President Donald Trump met with Syria's interim leader al-Sharaa in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as part of his Middle East tour. The meeting came after the surprise announcement that the US would lift all sanctions against the new Syrian government.
Trump's decision to abruptly lift sanctions against Syria has accelerated a long-standing roadmap in Brussels. On 20 May, the European Union decided to lift all remaining economic sanctions against Syria.
Despite concerns among some in his administration about the Syrian leadership's past ties to al-Qaeda, Trump signalled a significant policy shift by announcing that he would lift sanctions against Syria at the meeting. President Erdogan attended the meeting online with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Trump.
Trump's decision to lift sanctions is seen as a major diplomatic win for al-Sharaa, who overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December. However, incidents such as the killing of hundreds of Alawite civilians in March showed how fragile the country remains. Western governments, including the United States, condemned these attacks.
For years, al-Sharaa was the leader of the official branch of al-Qaeda in Syria. He first joined the organisation in Iraq and spent five years in US prisons. Later, al-Sharaa founded the al-Nusra organisation in Syria, affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Later, he announced his defection from ISIS and founded the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organisation, which is still recognised as a 'terrorist' organisation by many countries. However, things began to change slowly after the overthrow of brutal, long-time dictator Assad. In December, the US cancelled the $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa's head.
Israel continues its major offensive in the Gaza Strip, with the military claiming to have struck more than 100 targets in the past 24 hours, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The targets included buildings used by Hamas, a rocket launcher, tunnels and other infrastructure, the IDF claims.
At least 60 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in a 24 hour period, Gaza's health ministry said on Friday.
On Saturday, six armed Palestinian men who were guarding humanitarian aid trucks—reportedly to prevent them from being looted—were killed in a drone strike by Israeli forces. The IDF alleges the men were members of Hamas, a claim that the group has denied, insisting that they were "members of the aid security and protection teams… who were performing purely humanitarian tasks.'
Since easing the aid blockade on Monday, Israel has said that 388 aid trucks have entered Gaza. However, Palestinian aid groups dispute this, stating that only 119 trucks have made it through the Karem Shalom crossing.
In a separate development, a recent Associated Press report cited testimonies from Palestinians and Israeli soldiers alleging that Israeli forces have used Palestinian detainees as human shields during operations in Gaza.
Dressed in uniform and with a camera on his head, Ayman Abu Hamadan said he was forced into homes in Gaza to check for bombs and gunmen. When an Israeli unit was done with him, he was handed to another.
'They beat me and told me: 'You have no other option; do this or we'll kill you,'' the 36-year-old said, describing the two and a half weeks he was held by the Israeli military in northern Gaza last summer.
An Israeli officer, who spoke anonymously out of fear of reprisal, said orders often came from higher up and that many platoons used Palestinians to clear sites.
Palestinians and Israeli soldiers told the AP that troops are routinely using Palestinians as human shields in Gaza, forcing them into buildings and tunnels to look for explosives or militants. They said the dangerous practice has become widespread during the 19-month war.
While Israel has denied the accusations, it stated that it strictly forbids the use of civilians as human shields and is currently investigating several reported cases.
The new round of fighting began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 58, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.
A subsequent Israeli offensive has to date killed more than 53,762 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry whose figure does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
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