Latest news with #Assad-linked
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
EU sanctions Syrian factions over Coast massacres
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the European Union imposed sanctions on three Syrian factions and two of their commanders, citing their involvement in deadly sectarian violence that swept parts of Syria in March. According to the EU's Official Journal, the sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans, targeting what the bloc described as 'arbitrary crimes' and acts of torture committed during attacks in several coastal cities and towns. The sanctioned groups—Sultan Murad, Suleiman Shah, and Hamza Division—were accused of orchestrating and carrying out atrocities. Commanders Mohammad Hussein al-Jassem (Suleiman Shah) and Saif Boullad Abu Bakr (Hamza) were named for 'serious human rights violations.' Earlier, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that over 1,700 people, mostly from the Alawite community, were killed during violence on March 7–8. In a parallel move, the EU also lifted its broader economic sanctions on Syria following a political agreement reached by foreign ministers last week. However, the EU Council said it would maintain restrictions on Assad-linked entities and measures tied to national security while keeping the door open for further targeted actions.
Arab News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Syrian forces seek to snuff out nascent Alawite insurgency
Authorities have not issued a death toll, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 120 people had been killedThe violence has shaken interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's efforts to consolidate control as his administration struggles to get US sanctions liftedDAMASCUS: Security forces battled for a second day on Friday to crush a nascent insurgency by fighters from Bashar Assad's Alawite sect in western Syria, with scores reported killed as the Islamist-led government faced the biggest challenge yet to its Arab Republic authorities said remnants of the ousted Assad regime launched a deadly and well-planned attack on their forces on Thursday in the coastal region which is heavily populated by the members of the Alawite have not issued a death toll, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 120 people had been killed. Reuters could not independently verify the violence has shaken interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's efforts to consolidate control as his administration struggles to get US sanctions lifted and grapples with wider security challenges, notably in the southwest where Israel has said it will prevent Damascus deploying violence was largely focused in the Jableh area but the unrest spread more widely. Curfews were declared in the coastal cities of Tartous and Latakia, state news agency SANA said. Security forces launched combing operations in both cities and nearby mountains, it said, citing a security were advised to stay at home, it said.A resident of Latakia city reached by phone said clashes had been going on there for 12 hours. Government reinforcements had arrived in the city, he said. A resident of Tartous city said heavy gunfire was heard as government forces entered the city on Friday morning and began firing into the air.A security source said reinforcements had managed to enter Latakia city on Friday morning, having been unable to on Thursday because the road had been were continuing on the city's outskirts, security forces were working to open the road to Jableh, which had also been cut, and Assad-linked militias were surrounding a number of positions in Jableh, the source AND ATTACKSAlawite activists say their community has been subjected to violence and attacks since Assad fell, particularly in rural Homs and Sharaa has pledged to run Syria in an inclusive way, no meetings have been declared between him and senior Alawite figures, in contrast to members of other minority groups such as the Kurds, Christians and Assad-led government recruited heavily from the Alawite community for the security apparatus and bureaucracy of the Syrian state, which the Islamist-led authorities are seeking to remake, including through mass Sharaa has brought much of Sunni Muslim majority Syria under the sway of Damascus, important areas remain outside its grasp, including the northeast and east which are controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.A statement by a grouping of Alawite clerics, the Alawite Islamic Council, laid blame for the violence on the government, saying 'military convoys had been sent into the coast with the pretext of 'regime remnants' to terrorize and kill Syrians.' It called for the coastal region to be put under UN Arabia, which has offered diplomatic backing to Sharaa's administration, condemned 'crimes being undertaken by outlaw groups' in Syria and their targeting of security forces. Riyadh 'stands alongside' the Syria government in its efforts to preserve security and civil peace, it said in a statement.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian forces seek to snuff out nascent Alawite insurgency
DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Security forces battled for a second day on Friday to crush a nascent insurgency by fighters from Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect in western Syria, with scores reported killed as the Islamist-led government faced the biggest challenge yet to its authority. Syrian authorities said remnants of the ousted Assad regime launched a deadly and well-planned attack on their forces on Thursday in the coastal region which is heavily populated by the members of the Alawite minority. Authorities have not issued a death toll, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 120 people had been killed. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The violence has shaken interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to consolidate control as his administration struggles to get U.S. sanctions lifted and grapples with wider security challenges, notably in the southwest where Israel has said it will prevent Damascus deploying forces. Thursday's violence was largely focused in the Jableh area but the unrest spread more widely. Curfews were declared in the coastal cities of Tartous and Latakia, state news agency SANA said. Security forces launched combing operations in both cities and nearby mountains, it said, citing a security source. Civilians were advised to stay at home, it said. A resident of Latakia city reached by phone said clashes had been going on there for 12 hours. Government reinforcements had arrived in the city, he said. A resident of Tartous city said heavy gunfire was heard as government forces entered the city on Friday morning and began firing into the air. A security source said reinforcements had managed to enter Latakia city on Friday morning, having been unable to on Thursday because the road had been cut. Clashes were continuing on the city's outskirts, security forces were working to open the road to Jableh, which had also been cut, and Assad-linked militias were surrounding a number of positions in Jableh, the source said. VIOLENCE AND ATTACKS Alawite activists say their community has been subjected to violence and attacks since Assad fell, particularly in rural Homs and Latakia. While Sharaa has pledged to run Syria in an inclusive way, no meetings have been declared between him and senior Alawite figures, in contrast to members of other minority groups such as the Kurds, Christians and Druze. The Assad-led government recruited heavily from the Alawite community for the security apparatus and bureaucracy of the Syrian state, which the Islamist-led authorities are seeking to remake, including through mass sackings. While Sharaa has brought much of Sunni Muslim majority Syria under the sway of Damascus, important areas remain outside its grasp, including the northeast and east which are controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. A statement by a grouping of Alawite clerics, the Alawite Islamic Council, laid blame for the violence on the government, saying "military convoys had been sent into the coast with the pretext of 'regime remnants' to terrorise and kill Syrians". It called for the coastal region to be put under U.N. protection. Saudi Arabia, which has offered diplomatic backing to Sharaa's administration, condemned "crimes being undertaken by outlaw groups" in Syria and their targeting of security forces. Riyadh "stands alongside" the Syria government in its efforts to preserve security and civil peace, it said in a statement.
Asharq Al-Awsat
14-02-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria's New Leaders Zero in on Assad's Business Barons
Syria's new rulers are combing through the billion-dollar corporate empires of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's allies, and have held talks with some of these tycoons, in what they say is a campaign to root out corruption and illegal activity. After seizing power in December, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that now runs Syria pledged to reconstruct the country after 13 years of brutal civil war and abandon a highly-centralized and corrupt economic system where Assad's cronies held sway. To do so, the executive led by new president Ahmed al-Sharaa has set up a committee tasked with dissecting the sprawling corporate interests of high-profile Assad-linked tycoons including Samer Foz and Mohammad Hamsho, three sources told Reuters. Days after taking Damascus, the new administration issued orders aimed at freezing companies and bank accounts of Assad-linked businesses and individuals, and later specifically included those on US sanctions lists, according to correspondence between the Syrian central bank and commercial banks reviewed by Reuters. Hamsho and Foz, targeted by US sanctions since 2011 and 2019 respectively, returned to Syria from abroad and met with senior HTS figures in Damascus in January, according to a government official and two Syrians with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The two men, who are reviled by many ordinary Syrians for their close ties to Assad, pledged to cooperate with the new leadership's fact-finding efforts, the three sources said. Accused by the US Treasury of getting rich off Syria's war, Foz's sprawling Aman Holding conglomerate has interests in pharma, sugar refining, trading and transport. Hamsho's interests, grouped under the Hamsho International Group, are similarly wide-ranging, from petrochemicals and metal products to television production. Hamsho, whom the US Treasury has accused of being a front for Assad and his brother Maher, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Foz could not be reached. The establishment of the committee, whose members are not public, and the conversations between Syria's new government and two of the Assad government's closest tycoons who control large parts of Syria's economy have not been previously reported. The new Syrian government's approach towards powerful Assad-linked businesses, yet to be fully clarified, will be key in determining the fate of the economy as the administration struggles to convince Washington and its allies to remove sanctions, Syrian analysts and businessmen say. Trade Minister Maher Khalil Al-Hasan and Syrian investment chief Ayman Hamawiye both confirmed to Reuters the government had been in contact with some Assad-linked businessmen, but did not identify them or provide further details. Khaldoun Zoubi, a long-term partner of Foz, confirmed his associate had held talks with Syrian authorities but did not confirm if he had been in the country. "Foz told them he is ready to cooperate with the new administration and provide all the support to the Syrian people and the new state," Zoubi said from the gilded lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in central Damascus, which Foz's group majority owns. "He is ready to do anything asked of him." The two Syrian sources said Foz, who holds a Turkish citizenship, had left Damascus after the talks. Reuters could not ascertain Hamsho's whereabouts. 'ECONOMY IN THEIR HANDS' The US has sanctioned Foz, Hamsho and others with a prominent economic role, including Yasser Ibrahim, Assad's most trusted advisor. Syrian analysts say around a dozen men make up the close ring of business barons tied to the former regime. HTS-appointed government officials consider all of them to be persons of interest. Syrian authorities have ordered companies and factories belonging or linked to the tycoons to keep working, under supervision of HTS authorities, while the committee investigates their various businesses. "Our policy is to allow for their employees to continue working and supplying goods to the market while freezing their money movements now," Trade Minister Hasan told Reuters in an interview early in January. "It's a huge file. (Assad's business allies) have the economy of a state in their hands. You can't just tell them to leave," he added, explaining the new government could not avoid engaging with the tycoons. Hamsho International Group is among those put under HTS supervision, according to the sources with direct knowledge. A Reuters visit in late January showed little work was being carried out at its modern multi-story headquarters in Damascus, where some offices had been looted in the wake of Assad's fall. Staff have been instructed to cooperate fully with the new Syrian administration, members of whom regularly visit the company seeking information, said one employee, who asked not to be identified by name. Some economists say the country's dire economic situation required major domestic corporations to continue to operate regardless of who they may be affiliated with. The UN says 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line. While basic goods shortages have eased after strict trade controls dissolved in the aftermath of Assad's fall, many Syrians still struggle to afford them. "Syrian authorities need to be wary of a harsh crackdown on former regime cronies because this could create significant shortages (of goods)," said Karam Shaar, director of a Syria-focused economic consultancy bearing his name. 'TOTAL JUSTICE' Assad's rapid fall, culminating with his December 8 escape to Russia, left many Syrian oligarchs with no time to dispose of or move their local assets that have since been frozen, giving Syria's new rulers strong leverage in dealing with the tycoons, according to two prominent businessmen and the government official. But a lack of transparency by HTS authorities in dealing with the tycoons and their businesses risks backlash. "The overall approach to these Assad regime cronies is not clear and it might depend on the actor and also how much backing they have," said Shaar, who advocates following a strict legal path. Hamawiye, who has been appointed to deal with potential foreign investors and advises the new ruling authorities on economic policy, acknowledged public concerns over the future of regime-linked businesses, which vary in size and importance. He said ordinary businessmen who were forced to pay bribes or work with the regime so they could function were not under the new administration's microscope. But the process would be different for a few who partnered with Assad and made fortunes at the expense of the state and engaged in illegal activities, he said. For example, Assad's brother Maher, whom the US says had links with Hamsho, ran the Fourth Division of the Syrian army that was later linked to the production of the amphetamine-like drug captagon. "If you beat one of (the business tycoons) or throw them in jail, who will benefit? You need to work slowly, with committees and information and investigations, so that you get as much justice as possible," Hamawiye said. Meanwhile Zoubi, who maintained links to some Syrian opposition groups alongside his partnership with Foz, said he had understood from his dealings with the new rulers that they sought a "conciliatory" approach. "I'm optimistic the new administration is not personalizing matters," he said.
Arab News
13-02-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Syria's new leaders zero in on Assad's business barons
DAMASCUS: Syria's new rulers are combing through the billion-dollar corporate empires of ousted President Bashar Assad's allies, and have held talks with some of these tycoons, in what they say is a campaign to root out corruption and illegal activity. After seizing power in December, the new administration that now runs Syria pledged to reconstruct the country after 13 years of brutal civil war and abandon a highly-centralized and corrupt economic system where Assad's cronies held sway. To do so, the executive led by new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa has set up a committee tasked with dissecting the sprawling corporate interests of high-profile Assad-linked tycoons including Samer Foz and Mohammad Hamsho, three sources told Reuters. Days after taking Damascus, the new administration issued orders aimed at freezing companies and bank accounts of Assad-linked businesses and individuals, and later specifically included those on US sanctions lists, according to correspondence between the Syrian Central Bank and commercial banks reviewed by Reuters. Hamsho and Foz, targeted by US sanctions since 2011 and 2019 respectively, returned to Syria from abroad and met with senior HTS figures in Damascus in January, according to a government official and two Syrians with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The two men, who are reviled by many ordinary Syrians for their close ties to Assad, pledged to cooperate with the new leadership's fact-finding efforts, the three sources said. Accused by the US Treasury of getting rich off Syria's war, Foz's sprawling Aman Holding conglomerate has interests in pharma, sugar refining, trading and transport. Hamsho's interests, grouped under the Hamsho International Group, are similarly wide-ranging, from petrochemicals and metal products to television production. Hamsho, whom the US Treasury has accused of being a front for Assad and his brother Maher, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Foz could not be reached. The establishment of the committee, whose members are not public, and the conversations between Syria's new government and two of the Assad government's closest tycoons who control large parts of Syria's economy have not been previously reported. The new Syrian government's approach toward powerful Assad-linked businesses, yet to be fully clarified, will be key in determining the fate of the economy as the administration struggles to convince Washington and its allies to remove sanctions, Syrian analysts and businessmen say. Trade Minister Maher Khalil Al-Hasan and Syrian investment chief Ayman Hamawiye both confirmed to Reuters the government had been in contact with some Assad-linked businessmen, but did not identify them or provide further details. Khaldoun Zoubi, a long-term partner of Foz, confirmed his associate had held talks with Syrian authorities but did not confirm if he had been in the country. 'Foz told them he is ready to cooperate with the new administration and provide all the support to the Syrian people and the new state,' Zoubi said from the gilded lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in central Damascus, which Foz's group majority owns. 'He is ready to do anything asked of him.' The two Syrian sources said Foz, who holds a Turkish citizenship, had left Damascus after the talks. Reuters could not ascertain Hamsho's whereabouts. The US has sanctioned Foz, Hamsho and others with a prominent economic role, including Yasser Ibrahim, Assad's most trusted adviser. Syrian analysts say around a dozen men make up the close ring of business barons tied to the former regime. HTS-appointed government officials consider all of them to be persons of interest. Syrian authorities have ordered companies and factories belonging or linked to the tycoons to keep working, under supervision of HTS authorities, while the committee investigates their various businesses. 'Our policy is to allow for their employees to continue working and supplying goods to the market while freezing their money movements now,' Trade Minister Hasan told Reuters in an interview early in January. 'It's a huge file. (Assad's business allies) have the economy of a state in their hands. You can't just tell them to leave,' he added, explaining the new government could not avoid engaging with the tycoons. Hamsho International Group is among those put under HTS supervision, according to the sources with direct knowledge. A Reuters visit in late January showed little work was being carried out at its modern multi-story headquarters in Damascus, where some offices had been looted in the wake of Assad's fall. Staff have been instructed to cooperate fully with the new Syrian administration, members of whom regularly visit the company seeking information, said one employee, who asked not to be identified by name. Some economists say the country's dire economic situation required major domestic corporations to continue to operate regardless of who they may be affiliated with. The UN says 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line. While basic goods shortages have eased after strict trade controls dissolved in the aftermath of Assad's fall, many Syrians still struggle to afford them. 'Syrian authorities need to be wary of a harsh crackdown on former regime cronies because this could create significant shortages (of goods),' said Karam Shaar, director of a Syria-focused economic consultancy bearing his name. Assad's rapid fall, culminating with his Dec. 8 escape to Russia, left many Syrian oligarchs with no time to dispose of or move their local assets that have since been frozen, giving Syria's new rulers strong leverage in dealing with the tycoons, according to two prominent businessmen and the government official.
