
16 killed in ‘most violent' Syria unrest since Assad ouster: monitor
'Our forces in the city of Jableh managed to arrest the criminal General Ibrahim Huweija,' SANA said Huweija, who headed air force intelligence from 1987 to 2002, has long been a suspect in the 1977 murder of Lebanese Druze leader Kamal Bek JumblattDAMASCUS: Gunmen loyal to Syria's Bashar Assad killed 16 security personnel on Thursday, a war monitor said, in attacks it described as the 'most violent' since the longtime president's ouster.The fighting took place in the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia, the heartland of the ousted president's Alawite minority who were considered bastions of support during his rule.During the operation, security forces captured and arrested a former head of air force intelligence, one of the Assad family's most trusted security agencies, state news agency SANA reported.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes in the coastal town of Jableh and adjacent villages were 'the most violent attacks against the new authorities since Assad was toppled' in December.It said most of the security personnel killed were from the former rebel bastion of Idlib in the northwest.'Our forces in the city of Jableh managed to arrest the criminal General Ibrahim Huweija,' SANA said. 'He is accused of hundreds of assassinations during the era of the criminal Hafez Assad,' Bashar Assad's father and predecessor.Huweija, who headed air force intelligence from 1987 to 2002, has long been a suspect in the 1977 murder of Lebanese Druze leader Kamal Bek Jumblatt. His son and successor Walid Jumblatt retweeted the news of his arrest with the comment: 'Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest).'At least three of the gunmen in Jableh were killed, the Britain-based Observatory said.The provincial security director said security forces clashed with gunmen loyal to an Assad-era special forces commander in another village in Latakia, after authorities reportedly launched helicopter strikes.'The armed groups that our security forces were clashing with in the Latakia countryside were affiliated with the war criminal Suhail Al-Hassan,' the security director told SANA.Nicknamed 'The Tiger,' Hassan led the country's special forces and was frequently described as Assad's 'favorite soldier.' He was responsible for key military advances by the Assad government in 2015.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had earlier reported 'strikes launched by Syrian helicopters on armed men in the village of Beit Ana and the surrounding forests, coinciding with artillery strikes on a neighboring village.'SANA reported that militias loyal to the ousted president had opened fire on 'members and equipment of the defense ministry' near the village, killing one security force member and wounding two.Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported that its photographer Riad Al-Hussein was wounded in the clashes but that he was doing well.A defense ministry source later told SANA that large military reinforcements were being deployed to the Jableh area.Alawite leaders later called in a statement on Facebook for 'peaceful protests' in response to the helicopter strikes, which they said had targeted 'the homes of civilians.'The security forces imposed overnight curfews on Alawite-populated areas, including the port city of Tartus and third city Homs, SANA reported.In other cities around the country, crowds gathered 'in support of the security forces,' it added.Tensions erupted after residents of Beit Ana, the birthplace of Suhail Al-Hassan, prevented security forces from arresting a person wanted for trading arms, the Observatory said.Security forces subsequently launched a campaign in the area, resulting in clashes with gunmen, it added.Later on Thursday, large groups of young men, some bearing arms, gathered in Idlib, in support of the security forces fighting in Latakia, the Observatory said.Messages broadcast over the loudspeakers of mosques called for 'jihad' against the gunmen, it added.The tensions erupted after at least four civilians were killed during a security operation in Latakia, the monitor said on Wednesday.Security forces launched the campaign in the Daatour neighborhood of the city on Tuesday after an ambush by 'members of the remnants of Assad militias' killed two security personnel, state media reported.Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham launched a lightning offensive that toppled Assad on December 8.The country's new security forces have since carried out extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions.Residents and organizations have reported violations during those campaigns, including the seizing of homes, field executions and kidnappings.Syria's new authorities have described the violations as 'isolated incidents' and vowed to pursue those responsible.
Hashtags

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


Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Will Lebanon learn from Al-Sharaa's government?
It has been about 150 days since Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam took office. On the one hand, Lebanon is experiencing its best chapter in two decades. On the other hand, there are concerns about the slow pace of progress — and that another war is on the verge of erupting. Regardless of whether the fighters on either side of the Litani River are preparing for a decisive battle — which is unlikely — the road is long before Lebanon can fully reclaim its sovereignty from both Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli forces still occupy Lebanese land and Hezbollah has handed over only a fraction of its weapons — barely the tip of the iceberg. The repeated rhetoric in both leaders' speeches about the 'Israeli enemy' carries no real weight today, nor is it necessary in modern political discourse. The bitter truth, for some, is this: it is Israel — not the Lebanese authorities — that will determine the shape of Hezbollah's future. Israel will define its size, the limits of its capabilities and its influence. Al-Sharaa did not attack Israel in his speeches. Nor did he inflate statements with false claims of confrontations and victories. Abdulrahman Al-Rashed Neighboring Syria is facing a similar situation, but it has chosen a different approach. Bashar Assad's regime has collapsed, just like Hezbollah's grip has weakened, leaving behind a complex legacy to navigate with the region's 'superpower' neighbor. Israeli forces are also present on Syrian soil and continue to frequently target Syrian sites. Amid this complex situation, President Ahmad Al-Sharaa's government has managed to turn crisis into opportunity — and has earned global praise not only for what it has done, but for what it has deliberately chosen not to do. It quickly abandoned the head-in-the-sand approach of previous regimes, which failed to address internal and external politics with realism. Al-Sharaa did not attack Israel in his speeches. He did not mobilize his forces or instruct his militias to clash or even respond to Israeli fire. Nor did he inflate government statements with false claims of confrontations and victories. In fact, he never even referred to Israel as 'the enemy,' nor did he reject mediation or negotiations with the 'evil' neighbor. He made it clear: his goal is to stabilize war-torn Syria — not destabilize those around it. Lebanon's president and prime minister come from elite circles — military and civilian, respectively. Salam is a graduate of the Sorbonne in France and Harvard in the US — arguably the most internationally qualified leader in Lebanese political history. In contrast, Al-Sharaa is a product of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and had seen nothing of the world before assuming power, except what lay between Iraq's Anbar and Syria's Idlib. Lebanon today has a rare opportunity — perhaps once in 40 years — to end decades of foreign domination. Abdulrahman Al-Rashed You do not need a magnifying glass to see that Al-Sharaa has advanced Syria's recovery, securing deals with both friendly and hostile powers. He has neutralized threats from Israel, Iran, Iraqi factions and US sanctions — through dialogue — and has lured foreign investors with contracts to build and operate airports, ports, energy facilities and industrial projects. We recognize that the challenges in Beirut differ from those in Damascus. Nevertheless, Lebanon today has a rare opportunity — perhaps once in 40 years — to end decades of foreign domination, from the Palestinians to the Syrians and now the Iranians. This moment demands flexibility and a new approach, unlike the rigid policies of the past. Hezbollah has only three possible futures. First, it could return as a cross-border regional force, threatening Israel, managing Yemen's Houthis and operating in Syria and Iraq. But that now seems impossible given Israel's insistence on a policy of preempting any force that poses a threat to its borders. Note that Egypt, Jordan and Syria — under their treaties with Israel — agreed to regulate weapon types and distances from the border, something Hezbollah used to reject. Yet, under last year's ceasefire agreement, it accepted withdrawing from the south of the Litani River, surrendering its heavy weapons and military production platforms, and dismantling its infrastructure. Second, Hezbollah could reposition itself as a purely local force. This would require acknowledging the shift in the balance of power and abandoning its role as a threat to Israel or as a bargaining chip for Iran. It may try to keep its weapons to maintain dominance in Lebanon. To counter that, Lebanese and Israeli authorities could cooperate — Israel providing Beirut with intelligence on hidden arms and the Lebanese side carrying out raids and seizures. But Hezbollah is skilled at the game of hiding — though the current environment is tougher than before. This time, there is no escape, even after sidelining US mediator Morgan Ortagus, whom Hezbollah and its allies portray as Benjamin Netanyahu's puppet. The reality is that it is Israel — not the US — that now dictates Lebanon's course. This is underscored by the unprecedented scale of recent Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs. The Lebanese presidency has promised to restore full state sovereignty by disarming Hezbollah and ending Lebanon's role as a proxy warfront. So far, it has not succeeded. Without this, the country will remain fragile and investment will stay limited. Lebanon's future over the next 10 to 20 years hinges on what happens in these very days, transforming the country from a militia playground into a sovereign state focused on its internal affairs and the needs of its citizens. This is exactly what Al-Sharaa is doing in Syria — with courage and cunning — even though his circumstances are arguably far more difficult and dangerous than those faced by Lebanon's leadership. And it is false to claim that the world simply rushed to support Al-Sharaa — not at all. He set his priorities clearly, forged his own alliances and refused to be blackmailed by local or regional propaganda about 'jihad' or the 'enemy.' His task now is to fight the remnants and separatists, repair the economy and focus on rebuilding a state that has been collapsing since the end of the Cold War.


Asharq Al-Awsat
5 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli Foreign Minister Says UK Sanctions on Ministers is 'Unacceptable'
A decision by Britain to sanction two Israeli ministers is "outrageous", Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday. Saar told reporters that the government would hold a special meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the "unacceptable decision". Britain and other international allies will formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, following their conduct over the war in Gaza, the Times newspaper reported earlier on Tuesday. London will join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other nations in freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on Israel's national security minister Ben-Gvir - a West Bank settler - and finance minister Smotrich, Reuters reported. Britain, like other European countries, has been ramping up the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to end the blockade on aid into Gaza, where international experts have warned that famine is imminent. London last month suspended free trade talks with Israel for pursuing "egregious policies" in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, summoned its ambassador, and announced further sanctions against West Bank settlers. Foreign minister David Lammy, who called Israel's recent offensive "a dark new phase in this conflict," has previously condemned comments by Smotrich on the possible cleansing and destruction of Gaza and relocation of its residents to third countries.


Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
UK will sanction Israel ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, Times reports
LONDON: Britain and other international allies will formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, following their conduct over the war in Gaza, the Times reported on will join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other nations in freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on Israel's national security minister Ben-Gvir — a West Bank settler — and finance minister foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the like other European countries, has been ramping up the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to end the blockade on aid into Gaza, where international experts have warned that famine is last month suspended free trade talks with Israel for pursuing 'egregious policies' in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, summoned its ambassador, and announced further sanctions against West Bank minister David Lammy, who called Israel's recent offensive 'a dark new phase in this conflict,' has previously condemned comments by Smotrich on the possible cleansing and destruction of Gaza and relocation of its residents to third countries.