Chechen fighters take over security in Syrian Alawite village
Shafaq News/ Chechen fighters have taken over security duties in the Alawite-majority village of Al-Raqama in Syria's Homs province, sparking fear and unrest among residents, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday.
The UK-based monitor said Syrian authorities appointed the non-Syrian fighters as local security heads, a move that prompted concerns over possible violations against the local Alawite population.
A resident told SOHR that the deployment of Chechen personnel had triggered panic. 'People are afraid they will commit abuses against Alawite villagers,' he said, noting that previous local fighters and intelligence affiliates had already fled the area following the fall of al-Assad's regime, fearing arrest or retribution.
The change in control came a day after Syrian security forces launched a raid on Al-Raqama, detaining five civilians. According to the Observatory, the arrests followed an incident where an unidentified gunman fired into the air inside the village, prompting a swift response from General Security patrols.
Al-Raqama, located in eastern rural Homs, had remained largely untouched by armed conflict throughout the Syrian war, making the recent developments particularly unsettling for its residents.
#حمص #الرقاما العلويةحملة اعتقالات عشوائية تشهدها قرية الرقاما في الريف الشرقي لمدينة #حمص ، حيث تم اعتقال 7 أشخاص يوم أمس، ومساء اليوم اعتقال عددٍ آخر . تزامناً مع إطلاق نار كثيف في الهواء.تجدر الإشارة إلى أن قرية الرقاما لا تشهد أي مشكل وتتمتع بعلاقات طيبة مع القرى المجاورة pic.twitter.com/VJJraQ4Kfi
— ⚔️💚علوية وافتخر 💚⚔️ (@MemoKh1644524) May 1, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraq Business
12 minutes ago
- Iraq Business
Businessmen Arbitrarily Detained in Iraq Released
By John Lee. Ireland's Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris, has confirmed the release on bail of Robert Pether, an Australian engineer resident in Ireland, who has been imprisoned in Iraq since 2021. The announcement comes following a phone call from Iraq's Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, who personally informed the Tánaiste of the development. Pether, who remains in Iraq for now, has been at the centre of an ongoing diplomatic effort by the Irish government. Minister Harris described the release as " very welcome news " in what has been a " long and distressing saga " for Pether's wife and family. The Tánaiste also thanked Irish diplomatic staff in the region for their continued support and advocacy. He reiterated concerns about Pether's health and outstanding legal charges but expressed hope for a positive resolution and Pether's eventual return to his home in Roscommon. Pether and his Egyptian colleague, Khalid Radwan, were detained in April 2021 in relation to a dispute over the construction of the new Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) headquarters in Baghdad. They have been sentenced to five years in prison and jointly fined $12 million on charges of fraud. Their families claim they were tricked into travelling to Iraq to attempt to resolve the dispute. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found that they were " arbitrarily detained on discriminatory grounds ", and referred the case to the Special Rapporteur on torture. In February 2023, the International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) Court of Arbitration ruled that the CBI was at fault in the dispute, and ordered it to pay $13m to Abu Dhabi-based Cardno ME (CME). The statement from the Irish Tánaiste did not refer to Radwan, but AFP news agency cites an Iraqi official as confirming his release. (Sources: Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; AFP)
Memri
15 minutes ago
- Memri
Editor Of Qatari Government Daily: Hamas Must Not Disarm – It Will Defeat Israel With The Strength Of Its Weapons Like The Taliban Defeated Both The U.S. And The West
According to numerous recent reports in Arab media, a demand to disarm has been presented to Hamas, as part of the contacts for a ceasefire in Gaza, and this demand was rejected by Hamas officials.[1] Joining Hamas in its position are journalists in Qatar, who call the weapons of the Palestinian resistance an "existential necessity" that "are not to be bargained over"; they also refer to them as "honor" and that "relinquishing them is humiliation" and as a means that "caused heavy losses to the occupation." Particularly noticeable among these journalists was the position of Jabar Al-Harmi, editor of the Al-Sharq government daily, who called on Hamas not to give up its weapons and not to disavow its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, because "what was taken by force will be restored only by force." He called on Hamas to act like the Taliban in Afghanistan, which despite its sacrifices never gave up its weapons and, "armed from head to toe," forced the U.S. to sit at the negotiating table with it to discuss "not what it [the U.S.] would achieve and what it would gain, but how it would escape [from Afghanistan]." Hamas's holding on to its weapons, he said, would stop Israel from recovering from October 7; he added that in any case, Israel's disappearance was nearer than people think. It should be noted that Al-Harmi also holds antisemitic views and has called for the destruction of Israel. In his articles in the newspaper, and on his X account, he regularly expresses support for Hamas and its October 7, 2023 attack, in which 1,200 were killed and 251 were taken to Gaza as hostages.[2] This mirrors Qatar's absolute support for Hamas.[3] Cartoon in Qatari daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi: Resistance fighter stands fast against attempts to take "the weapons of the resistance" from him. (Source: Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, April 25, 2025) This report will present the positions of writers in Qatar on the subject of the "weapons of the resistance," particularly the position of Al-Sharq editor Jabar Al-Harmi: Al-Sharq Editor Al-Harmi On X, May 24, 2025: Like The Taliban, Hamas Must Not Give Up Its Weapons – And Must Not Disavow Its October 7 Attack Al-Sharq editor Jabar Al-Harmi called on Hamas not to give up its weapons and not to disavow its October 7, 2023 attack. He likened Hamas's situation to that of the Afghan Taliban, who never relinquished their weapons and even, he said, forced the U.S. to negotiate with them by force of their weapons, in addition to "defeating Russia and then the U.S. and the West all together" who today seek "the love of the Afghans – love that comes by force of arms." In a May 24, 2025 post on X, Al-Harmi wrote: "Had the Afghans agreed to solutions of submission during the invasion of their country by two of the strongest countries – the U.S.S.R. in 1979 and the U.S. in 2002 [sic[4]] – and had they said 'We have no strength against these two countries, we are a poor country, and if we are in a position of inferiority, we have no weapons and the world is set against us,' they would not today have a state that is respected by all those who invaded them previously. "The Afghans opposed [the invaders] with their force and might, defeating Russia and then the U.S. and the West all together. Although the invaders used the most criminal weapons, including weapons banned by international conventions, the Afghans did not surrender, despite all the victims. This is what ultimately forced the invaders to sit at the negotiating table with them, by force of arms – not to negotiate over what it [the U.S.] would achieve and what it would gain, but how it would escape [from Afghanistan]. "This did not happen by virtue of the Afghans' consent to disarm – it was by virtue of their strong opposition to the invaders and their defense by means of everything they had, and by means of the weapons of the enemies that they had seized. This is the path to liberation. What was taken by force will be restored only by force, and anything else is an attempt to anesthetize and distract the occupied peoples. Today, Russia and the U.S. seek the love of the Afghans – a love that comes by force of arms. "Consent to disarm the resistance in Gaza and to disavow the October 7 [attack] means that the enemy [Israel] will revive, [and will continue to exist] for the next 100 years. Even if the Palestinian people is wounded, and if the Gazans are dead, do not think that the enemy is relaxed – on the contrary, its fear is greater, and it is now focusing on its entity's future. Will this entity, which is [weaker than] a spiderweb,[5] survive, or will it disappear and not see out its eighth decade? Its disappearance is nearer than you think. 'If you should be suffering – so are they suffering as you are suffering' – but the difference [between the two comes at the end of the verse]: 'You have hope of reward, help, and support from Allah, which they cannot hope for.'[6]"[7] Post by Jaber Al-Harmi ( May 24, 2025) Al-Harmi On X, April 14, 2025: The "Weapons Of The Resistance" In Gaza Are Not For Sale And Are Nonnegotiable In a previous X post, on April 14, 2025, Al-Harmi rejected the demand that Hamas disarm, using the same parallel to the Taliban's refusal to negotiate over disarming. He wrote: "The resistance in Gaza, whether Hamas or another [resistance movement], will not fall into the trap of disarmament, no matter what guarantees [it receives]... "[In the case of the] Taliban in Afghanistan, the U.S. tried to set this [disarmament] as the main condition for negotiations, [but the] Taliban would not negotiate at all about this, and the U.S. was forced to go back to the negotiating table with the Taliban while the latter was armed from head to toe. They told the U.S.: 'It was only the weapons that brought you to sit at the negotiating table with us. Therefore, the resistance must not negotiate over its weapons in any way.' The weapons of the resistance in Gaza are not for sale and are nonnegotiable."[8] Article In Al-Sharq, April 23, 2025: The Weapons Of The Resistance Are An Existential Necessity And An Influential Means Of Action Opposition to disarming Hamas was also seen in many articles in the Qatari government press. For example, Palestinian writer Hadir Rashad explained in his column in Al-Sharq, under the headline "The Weapons Of The Resistance Are Not For Bargaining," that "it is not easy to raise the issue of disarming the resistance without this proposal crashing into the obvious wall of reality, according to which weapons in the hands of peoples under occupation are not a choice but an existential necessity... The weapons of the resistance in Gaza will never be a mere symbol or slogan – they are an influential means of action that caused the occupation heavy losses in lives and in [its] economy... "The call to disarm the resistance in Palestine before the occupation departs is a call for surrender, not peace; for permanent consent to the aggression and not for stopping it; for apparent calm whose hidden meaning is seizing the trump card from the hands of the people that has only force of will and arms."[9] Article In Al-Watan, May 16, 2025: Weapons Are Honor, Relinquishing Them Is Humiliation In his May 16, 2025 column in the Qatari government daily Al-Watan, Palestinian writer Samir Al-Barghouti presented the results of a Palestinian poll that showed widespread Palestinian support for Hamas amid the decline in the prestige of the Palestinian Authority and of Fatah. He stated that "82% of the Palestinian [respondents] said that they oppose handing over the weapons of the resistance." He summarized the survey, stating: "Since the first and second intifadas, and the [Al-Aqsa] Flood [the October 7 attack], Palestinians have believed that they have no other choice but resistance, and that weapons are honor, and relinquishing them is humiliation."[10]
Memri
16 minutes ago
- Memri
Iranian Regime Mouthpiece 'Kayhan': For The Houthis, It's 'Open Season On American F-35s' That Israel Uses To Strike Yemen
On May 31, 2025, the Iranian regime mouthpiece Kayhan highlighted statements by Mahdi Al-Mashat, the head of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, the executive body of the Ansar Allah movement, i.e. the Houthis, an Iranian proxy like Hizbullah in Lebanon, and Palestinian resistance organizations, including Hamas. Boasting of what it said was the Houthis' operational capability to locate and down advanced American F-35 fighter jets, which Israel uses against Yemen, Al-Mashat had said that "the hit and run era is over" and that now the Houthis have systems that can change the rules of the conflict, which will require the parties involved to reconsider their moves. Presenting the "defeat" of the U.S. by the Houthis, and stating that the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier had retreated from the Red Sea fearing that the F-35s on board would be downed, the Kayhan article stated that Yemen is one of only three countries, along with Russia and China, capable of "putting an end to the undisputed supremacy of the F-35." It added that President Donald Trump had submitted to Houthi pressure, begun to secretly negotiate with the group, and was even refraining from promising to defend Israel. It also said that the U.S. was concealing the downing of its planes, calling it a "technical glitch" and, in cases of successful Houthi strikes, launching a media campaign to obscure this. Kayhan went on to cast the Houthis as the most resolute and dangerous enemy the U.S. faces in the region. The following is a translation of Kayhan's May 31, 2025 article, which was titled "Open Season On F-35s." "Open Season On F-35s" – Kayhan, May 31, 2025 "The statements about Yemen's new air defense system by Mahdi Al-Mashat, head of Yemen's [the Houthis'] Supreme Political Council, are 'very important.' Yesterday [May 30, 2025], Al-Mashat told the [Hizbullah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen] television network that his country had acquired the technology and equipment needed to down American F-35 fighter jets. He added, 'In the coming days, we will make a laughingstock out of the Zionist planes. These statements came in response to the Israeli regime's attacks on Yemeni ports. The Zionist regime must travel over 1,000 kilometers to attack Yemen, and for this it usually uses F-15 and F-35 fighter jets accompanied by a Boeing 707 refueling plane. "Now, the Yemenis are explicitly saying that 'the hit-and-run era is over,' and that from now on, in addition to firing missiles at the occupied territories [Israel] they can also easily locate these fighter jets in the sky and strike them. This is a significant claim, so significant that perhaps some see it as 'the usual roars of war' whose message always arouses doubts on the part of the aggressor and makes him change his calculations. "If [the Houthis] succeed, this claim could change the equations of the war. It is interesting to note that a few days before Mahdi Al-Mashat['s statement], the American magazine National Interest announced, quoting several knowledgeable American sources, that 'only three countries possess the technology necessary to end the undisputed superiority of the American F-35 stealth fighter jet,' and these three are 'Russia, China, and... Yemen!' "Things get even more interesting when we learn that the prestigious American newspaper The New York Times also wrote, attempting to expose the background of the surprise U.S.-Yemen ceasefire and the USS Harry S Truman's escape from the Red Sea, that Trump, fearing damage from the Yemeni attacks and the downing of his F-35 jets, started negotiating with them and removed the aircraft carrier from the region. Asked 'If the Yemenis attack Israel after the ceasefire, what will be your reaction?' Trump replied, 'I will talk to both sides!' "Firing at huge ships whose main purpose is to intimidate the enemy, and downing expensive modern American fighter jets into the sea, is not something that every country can afford to do, or has the capability or courage to do. China and Russia may be able to attack the giant American planes, or down American F-35s – but have they the courage? The Houthis have shown that they do. Mahdi Al-Mashat says that we need to wait just a few days to see if they have the capability of downing F-35s! "In May, there were only a few days in which the Yemenis did not attack Tel Aviv, Israel's airports, and sensitive security centers, and [Israel] will apparently again attack Yemen in an attempt to stop this. In light of Mahdi Al-Mashat's statements, this potential [future] Israeli attack is expected to be particularly fateful! We must wait and see. But we must also consider that any news about downed Israeli F-35s jets will be censored, and no one will hear about it.[1] "The Tone Of Yemen's Supreme Political Council Head [Al-Mashat] Regarding The Yemenis' Powerful New Air Defense Is So Serious That It Can Be Said That Important News Is Imminent" "Experts on Yemen say that war with it, for whatever reason, is a very difficult challenge, even for the biggest military powers. This difficulty stems mainly from the 'character of the Yemeni people.' The Yemenis are a unique people; all those who have studied Yemeni society in depth unanimously confirm their uniqueness. For example, it is said that when [the Yemenis] encounter a problem or crisis, they do not 'wait,' but find a solution by themselves and continue moving forward in any way possible. Just as they have found a solution for the [problem of the] enormous American aircraft carriers, they say they have already found a solution for the [problem of the] F-35s. We must wait and see how effective their solution is. "'Courage' is one of the Yemeni people's most prominent characteristics, and this has made it hard for any enemy to fight them. They [the Houthis] have reiterated after every major attack by America and the Zionist regime that these attacks would not make them abandon their Palestinian brothers. The very fact that you have the courage to strike the world's largest military power and expel it from the region – is that not the height of courage? Israel and America, which were never seriously involved in fighting Yemen, know very little about this country and its people. In the words of that Zionist writer, 'Israel knows every single point in Lebanon, because it is a very close neighbor – but about Yemen, we have almost no information... Therefore, the war against the Houthis is especially difficult'... "As mentioned above, the coming days will be critical, in light of Mahdi Al-Mashat's claim. If the Yemenis successfully down the advanced and strategic F-35 fighter jet, we may well face a major psychological and media operation by America and the Zionist regime. They will try to downplay the significance of the incident. "They'll say, for example, that a 'technical glitch' was what caused the downing of the advanced fighter jet – just like they did in in the case of the three American F-18s, when they tried to claim that their downing was the result of evasive maneuvers by the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier – not by the precision firing of Yemeni missiles. At the same time, there may be barbaric Israeli attacks on civilian centers in Yemen, as well as an even more cruel massacre of Gazans. The Zionists generally advance their interests while taking civilians hostage. "'The option of starting secret negotiations' is another scenario that could materialize if an Israeli F-35 is downed. Israel may enter into secret negotiations with Yemen with American mediation, just as Trump conducted secret negotiations with the Yemenis, since neither Israel nor America can bear such great humiliation to its image. "The tone of Yemen's Supreme Political Council head [Al-Mashat] regarding the Yemenis' powerful new air defense is so serious that it can be said that important news is imminent. The best thing to do in this situation is to wait and see what happens. If the Yemenis' promise is kept, it can be said that the rules of this war will change. "The main question is: Are the Israeli regime and the U.S. willing to accept the risk of losing F-35s? Or would they rather avoid direct confrontation with Yemen?"[2]
