
Which capital is next? Iran foreign minister slams Israeli airstrikes on Damascus
Videos shared online from Damascus show the damage to several military buildings, including Syria's Ministry of Defence and the General Staff Command. Syria's health ministry confirmed that at least three civilians were killed, and 34 others were injured in the strikes.The airstrikes come amid an escalation in the region, especially between Israel and Syria. The Israeli government claims that the attacks were in response to Syrian government forces failing to stop violence against the Druze minority in southern Syria's Sweida region, which lies near Israel's Golan Heights.FRESH CLASHES ERUPT IN SWEIDAThe situation in southern Syria has become more dangerous in recent days. The Syrian army has sent troops to the Sweida region to establish peace between local Druze fighters and armed Bedouin groups. However, instead of bringing peace, clashes broke out between Syrian government troops and the Druze militias.On Tuesday, a ceasefire was briefly declared by Syria's interior ministry and Druze leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou, but it fell apart within hours.Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli military will continue its actions in the Sweida region. "We will continue to operate vigorously in Sweida to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until they withdraw completely," Katz said.The latest wave of violence puts more pressure on Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is trying to rebuild Syria after years of war, but many groups remain deeply suspicious of his Islamist-led government.The mistrust grew worse in March after reports of mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, who are often seen as opponents of the current leadership.- EndsMust Watch
Hashtags

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


Hans India
5 minutes ago
- Hans India
Op Sindoor got support of many nations but not Congress: PM Modi lampoons opposition
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack at the Congress-led Opposition for 'giving a clean chit' to Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack and mocked the grand old party for not supporting India's war on terror. Brushing aside Congress's claims of India's foreign policy failure, in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, PM Modi said that none of the countries voiced any opposition to India's military strikes against Pakistan. 'Out of 193 countries, only three countries supported Pakistan either through dialogue or by other means. All nations and organisations, including BRICS and others, supported India's military strikes and war on terror,' PM Modi told the house. Further mocking the grand old party, PM Modi said, 'We got the support of countrymen, support of countries, but it is unfortunate the armed forces didn't get the support of the Congress party.' PM Modi claimed that the grand old party gloated over the Pahalgam terror attack, hoping that it would allow them to target him and corner the government. 'They were trying to score political points at the cost of loss of innocent lives. They lowered the morale of the armed forces and undermined their valour,' PM Modi said. He further said that information and narratives play a key role in today's warfare strategy and cautioned against using technology to undermine the armed forces and misguide the public on issues of national importance. Doubling down his attack, PM Modi accused the grand old party of being hand in glove with Pakistan and said, 'Today, Congress is bereft of issues and is forced to draw agenda from outside.' He said that Congress leaders have repeatedly demanded proof and evidence of India's surgical strikes, but sensing public backlash, it changed tack and went to claim that such strikes happened in the Congress regime too. 'It's good that they didn't seek similar credit like Operation Sindoor because such air strikes never happened before,' he said, taunting the Opposition. He said that Congress wants a reason to oppose the government's decisions even at the cost of national security and also highlighted its 'disdain' for the armed forces. 'There is a negativity towards armed forces; it's an old Congress habit of finding faults in their action,' he said.


Time of India
5 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Only realistic solution…': UN chief calls for implementation of two-state solution to end Gaza war
At a high-level conference in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a powerful plea to end the war in Gaza and push forward with a two-state solution. Guterres emphasised that 'time is running out' and that the only just and sustainable path is the creation of both Israeli and Palestinian states. Show more Show less


The Hindu
5 minutes ago
- The Hindu
In India's first outreach to post-Assad regime, MEA Joint Secretary meets Syrian Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani
Marking a fresh beginning in ties with Damascus in the post-Assad era, India reached out to the Syrian provisional government under the leadership of President Ahmed Hussein Al-Sharaa this week. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Joint Secretary Suresh Kumar, of the West Asia and North Africa division, met with the Syrian provisional government's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani on Monday (July 28, 2025) in Damascus, according to officials here. Sources said he was accompanied by several other Indian officials, including the Indian Ambassador to Syria, Irshad Ahmed. Both teams held 'constructive dialogue on issues of mutual interest and explored new avenues to strengthen bilateral ties for the benefit of both nations', Syria's Foreign Ministry said on its official Telegram channel. This is India's first outreach to Syria since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, who was ousted in December 2024 after a quarter century in power. India had maintained close ties with the Syrian Arab Republic under his rule and that of his father Hafiz Al Assad, who was President for three decades, from 1970 onwards. Since the end of the Assad era though, India has been championing a 'Syrian-led' government to resolve the political crisis that has gripped the country. Medical aid Apart from his meeting with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr. Kumar also met Syrian Health Minister Musab Al-Ali. Syria has a large war-affected population in need of urgent medical care and the two sides discussed cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector and in the training of medical personnel to help the affected population. In a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India had also handed over a 'consignment of 5 MT of essential life saving medicines, including anti-cancer, antibiotics and anti-hypertensives to Syria'. He added: 'India's humanitarian support to the people of Syria continues.' Pharma cooperation had also featured in the India-Syria Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) of November 2024 — barely a week before Mr. Assad's ouster — when Mr. Kumar had led the Indian delegation in talks with a Syrian team led by the Assad regime's Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Raad. Seeking global legitimacy Mr. Kumar's current meetings come against the backdrop of increased internal strife in Syria, with various political, religious, and sectarian groups fighting for control in Damascus since the fall of the Assad government on December 8, 2024. Syria's current provisional government is headed by Ahmed Hussein Al-Shara, a former Al Qaeda leader who also led the Al Qaeda-allied Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terrorist group. He is also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad Al Jolani. Since the fall of the Assad regime, several governments have reached out to President Al Shara as Syria grapples with internal and external challenges. In recent months, the Foreign Minister, Mr. Al Shaibani has met a number of foreign delegates, including the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Turkiye, as the provisional government seeks global legitimacy. Recharging Syria policy Reacting to the meeting in Damascus, former Indian diplomat Zikrur Rahman said that India's outreach is in sync with its policy of wait and watch regarding Syria. 'India has not evacuated its embassy in Damascus since the crisis in Syria escalated and ended with the fall of the government of Bashar Al Assad. Therefore, it was a matter of time before India would formally reach out to the new rulers in Damascus and recharge its Syria policy in consultation with other regional partners like the Gulf countries,' said Prof Rahman. Syria is expected to adopt a new Constitution and India has supported the drafting of an inclusive Constitution. India's policy on the future of Syria has been reiterated on multiple occasions since the fall of the Assad government. A day after Mr. Assad fled to Moscow, the MEA's Mr. Jaiswal had said: 'We underline the need for all parties to work towards preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We advocate a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political process respecting the interests and aspirations of all sections of Syrian society.'