Syria asks Turkey for defense support after sectarian clashes, Turkish officials say
The defense ministry officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to procedures, said Wednesday that Syria has also sought assistance to combat 'terrorist organizations,' including the Islamic State group.
Turkey — which has long expressed readiness to assist Syria — was working toward providing training, advisory services and technical support to help strengthen Syria's defense capacity, the officials added.
Syrian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Tensions escalated in southern Syria last week, with violent clashes erupting between Bedouin Arab tribes and Druze militias in Sweida province. The conflict triggered Israeli airstrikes on convoys of government forces in Sweida and on the Ministry of Defense headquarters in central Damascus, which Israel justified as efforts to protect Druze communities.
The U.S. envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, announced a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria on July 19.
Ankara strongly supports Syria's interim government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa and has been seeking a defense agreement with Damascus that could reportedly include establishing Turkish military bases on Syrian territory.
In an interview with the Associated Press earlier this week, Barrack said the U.S. has 'no position' on the prospect of a defense pact between Syria and Turkey.
'It's not in the U.S.' business or interest to tell any of the surrounding nations with each other what to do,' he said.
Ankara also backs an agreement reached between the interim Syrian administration and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to integrate into Syria's national army. Implementation of the deal has stalled, with a major sticking point being whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or be dissolved completely.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Kurdish and other groups in Syria against exploiting the tensions to pursue autonomy, stating that any attempt to divide Syria would be viewed as a direct threat to Turkey's national security and could prompt intervention.
Turkey considers the SDF as a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey.
The Turkish officials said Turkey expects the SDF to follow through on its commitments under the agreement, adding that Turkey would be 'following' the situation.
The situation in Syria has increased tensions between Turkey and Israel. In April, Israel struck five cities in Syria, including more than a dozen strikes near a strategic air base in the city of Hama, where Turkey reportedly has interests in having a military presence. Israel accused Turkey of trying to build a 'protectorate' in Syria.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Erin Molan Stellar magazine cover sparks furious backlash over her views about Israel's war in Gaza: 'Never reading this publication again'
A magazine cover featuring Erin Molan has sparked a ferocious backlash over the TV presenter's strong stance supporting Israel in its conflict with Gaza. This weekend's edition of Stellar, which is published in News Corp's Sunday newspapers, is being promoted on Instagram and some readers are furious that Molan appears on the front. The former Sky News Australia host has publicly condemned Hamas since its raids on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, and in recent months has been reporting from Israel on the Middle East war. While some fans - including model and influencer Bec Judd - were quick to congratulate Molan on taking out the cover position, others could not see past her pro-Israel views. 'No thanks Stella... No one I would support,' wrote one. 'So tone deaf,' said another. A third posted: 'Free Palestine ps never reading this publication again.' Several other users threatened to boycott Stellar. Some of the comments are too inflammatory to publish. The Times of Israel ran a profile piece on Molan in May under the headline 'Erin Molan vs. the world: From Australian news anchor to pro-Israel firebrand.' 'Molan has found herself increasingly recognized in Israel, where people on the street often flock to her, eager to thank her for her support,' it reported. The story quoted Molan, who is Catholic, describing her reaction to the October 7 outrages. 'It was never complex to me or grey or fuzzy,' she said. 'It was black and white as to who evil was in this scenario.' Molan has maintained that stance amid Israel's retaliation and the ongoing human crisis in Gaza. Former Sky News Australia colleague Sharri Markson moved quickly last year to quash a conspiracy theory that Molan had been sacked from the network for her pro-Israel views. In December, Markson wished Molan her well in her future pursuits and wrote on X that it was 'categorically untrue' the 41-year-old had been booted off Sky 'because of her Zionism'. in their reporting of the onetime Footy Show presenter's removal by Sky. Daily newspaper Israel Hayom referred to Molan's response to the October 7 massacre in which more than 1,200 Israelis - mostly citizens - were killed and 254 taken hostage. 'Molan has been a vocal supporter of Israel on her Sky News Australia program,' the newspaper stated. 'Strongly condemning both Hamas' actions against Israeli civilians and the pro-Hamas demonstrations that have erupted worldwide, repeatedly using her platform to address the ongoing war.' Israel National News covered the presenter's axing under the headline: 'Sky News Australia fires pro-Israel host Erin Molan.' 'Australian news anchor Erin Molan, who repeatedly defended Israel in the year since the October 7 massacre, has been fired by Sky News Australia,' its story began. Molan posted an impassioned nine-minute video to X in December, repeatedly mentioning the Middle East conflict and thanking everyone who had supported her. 'So that's done now,' she said of her Sky job. 'But I am not. In fact, I'm just getting started. 'So I'm sorry to those who had hoped otherwise. I'm somewhat surprisingly much harder to kill off than you'd think. 'You see the problem is - and it's always been this way with me - I just care too much. 'About you, about the world, about a peaceful existence for every single child.' Molan has called Hamas terrorists 'blood-thirsty killers' and said she would continue 'fighting for every single hostage still captive in Gaza'. Markson's post on X came shortly after Molan's video went live. 'I have to clear up this notion that her departure from Sky is because of her Zionism - this is categorically untrue,' she said. 'No media outlet globally has shown more leadership or clarity on Israel's fight against terrorism and our own battle against antisemitism than us at Sky News Australia and News Corp.' Although network insiders suggested Molan was caught off-guard by the decision to cancel her show, Sky insisted they had ended their partnership with the host on amicable terms. Molan presented her weekly news program, Erin, for the final time on November 29. The decision to cancel Molan's show comes just months after the breakfast radio program she co-hosted alongside comedians Dave Hughes and Ed Kavalee was scrapped by Southern Cross Austereo's struggling 2DayFM station in August. The cancellation of Molan's two key hosting roles is understood to have come at a significant financial cost to the journalist. Sources said she had been pulling in about $200,000 a year for her 2DayFM radio gig and a further $150,000 a year from her job with Sky. Molan joined Sky News Australia in July 2022 after parting ways with Nine after 11 years at the network.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Where do France, Britain and Canada stand on a Palestinian state?
Canada has now joined France and Britain in saying it intends to recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations general assembly in September. If a week is a long time in politics, then a month is even longer in the Middle East, and what Israel, the West Bank and Gaza will look like by then is an open question. France has decided to ignore all that, and make its recognition unconditional — at least in theory. President Macron's statement said: 'True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine. 'We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza.' In other words, although he is — like most western states — demanding the disarming of Hamas and its removal as the governing force in Gaza, he would recognise Palestine anyway. He would argue that recognising Palestine in practice means recognising Hamas's rival, the Palestinian Authority, as its government, so this would not be 'rewarding Hamas'. Britain tried a different tack, in keeping with Sir Keir Starmer's constant attempts to forge a middle way between his backbenchers and his desire to keep good relations with the pro-Israel Trump administration. David Lammy, the foreign secretary, in a statement to the UN conference on the two-state solution, used similarly grandiose terms to Macron's. He said: 'It is with the hand of history on our shoulders that His Majesty's government therefore intends to recognise the state of Palestine when the UN general assembly gathers in September here in New York.' But unlike Macron, he gave Israel, which is deeply hostile to the idea, a way out. 'We will do it unless the Israeli government acts to end the appalling situation in Gaza, ends its military campaign and commits to a long-term sustainable peace based on a two-state solution,' he said. In his speech, Lammy also made 'absolute and unwavering' demands on Hamas. 'It must immediately release the hostages, agree to an immediate ceasefire, accept it will have no role in governing Gaza and commit to disarmament,' he said. • What will happen to the West Bank if Palestine becomes a state? But there was 'no conditionality' attached and no statement that anything Hamas might do or not do would cause the British government to change its mind. The main criticism raised by pro-Israel critics is that this gives Hamas an incentive to stall any ceasefire deal, since only Israel will be punished if one is not agreed. Lammy said: 'No one side will have a veto on recognition through their actions or inactions.' But only Israel would want to veto this development. The critics are now demanding the government explicitly insert balancing conditions on the 'other side'. Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, appears to have hewed more to the British path. His statement said that Canada 'intended' to recognise Palestine but also made the decision conditional. His conditions, though, were aimed at the Palestinian Authority of President Abbas, rather than Israel. He said: 'This intention is predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to much-needed reforms, including the commitments by Palestinian Authority President Abbas to fundamentally reform its governance, to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarise the Palestinian state.' Many people have demanded reforms of the Palestinians — the West, the Gulf states, Palestinians themselves. Few have been forthcoming.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australian activists allege they were ‘brutalised psychologically' after Israeli military detained Gaza aid boat
Two Australian activists say they were 'brutalised psychologically' and treated 'like criminals' by the Israeli military, including being strip-searched, shackled and denied external communication, after a boat they were on was intercepted and detained while attempting to transport aid to Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. Journalist Tania 'Tan' Safi and human rights activist Robert Martin were among 21 activists on board the Handala when it was intercepted on Sunday and transported to Israel. It had carried food, baby formula, nappies and medicine, as Palestinians continue to starve in what UN-backed hunger experts have called a 'worst-case scenario of famine' unfolding. Sign up: AU Breaking News email On Friday morning local time, the Australians landed at Sydney airport after spending days in Israeli custody. Safi told reporters they were still 'a little bit wobbly' and felt 'very sore and weak'. The Handala crew had previously confirmed they would go on a hunger strike if the IDF intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. 'It feels like a bit of a dream at the moment to be honest … it's been a rough ride,' Safi said. 'We were dehydrated and exhausted. We've been disconnected from the world.' Safi said at least 30 IDF members boarded Handala when it was intercepted, and claimed all were armed, some with four guns. 'They knocked me in the leg with one of their machine guns,' Safi said. 'They were playing this odd psychological game of offering water and food with the camera crew, trying to get us to accept things from them, but none of us would. 'We don't want to take anything from an entity that is starving babies to death.' Safi said after arriving at the port of Ashdod, about 40km south of Tel Aviv, their bags were taken and they were placed in an interrogation room. Many items were still missing, she said. They confirmed reports that US labor activist Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by the IDF – including being choked and kicked in the legs. 'Chris, the only black man, was pinned down by seven or eight men,' Safi said. 'When I asked about him they came into the room and dragged me out by my arms, I'm still bruised from it. 'They pulled me out and threw me down on the floor, they made me take off all my clothes, they strip-searched me right there, made me squat up and down … they treated us like we were criminals.' Eventually Safi said they were able to see someone from the Australian embassy, who lobbied for the pair to be able to contact their friends and family and to access legal representation. 'In these prisons, we saw face-to-face the soullessness and the cruelty and brutality,' Safi said, adding that they had awoken to the sounds of a fellow inmate 'howling and screaming and crying in pain'. 'There were moments where they would handcuff me and grab the handcuffs and just throw me against the wall.' Martin said he had been 'manhandled' along with a few others when initially demanding legal representation. 'We had no rights … I have a lot of medication, they didn't allow any medication at all,' he said. 'The Australian government demanded I be able to make phone calls to my loved ones, they did not allow me to do that either, and anybody else.' Eventually, Martin said, the pair were shackled and transported from Tel Aviv to Jordan. In Jordan, they received assistance from the embassy and were taken to hospital, where they were temporarily deemed unfit to fly due to their weak condition. 'We thought they were going to just dump us there, that was very, very scary for us not knowing, having no phone, no money, no access to anything,' Martin said. Safi said they didn't realise how poor their condition was until they were hooked up to the IV in hospital and told they were 'really unwell'. 'I just passed out and slept for like 16 hours,' Safi said. 'I couldn't sleep [in prison] … they shine the torch in your face until you wake up, or they bang on the door every time you fall asleep. 'We did not commit any crimes. They tried to get us to sign documents that said we had entered Israel illegally, which is not true … we were taken completely against our will and brutalised psychologically in every way.' The last boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was intercepted by the Israeli army in international waters on 9 June and towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners on board, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who were eventually expelled by Israel. In 2010, nine flotilla activists en route to Gaza on board the Mavi Marmara flagship vessel were shot a total of 30 times by Israeli soldiers. Five were killed by close-range gunshot wounds to the head. The Israeli embassy in Canberra and Israeli ministry for foreign affairs were approached for comment.
