Latest news with #BasharalAssad
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Syria hails US lifting of Assad-era sanctions
Syrian authorities on Saturday announced an interior ministry restructuring that includes fighting cross-border drug and people smuggling as they seek to improve ties with Western nations that have lifted sanctions. Keen to reboot and rebuild after 14 years of devastating civil war, the new authorities in Damascus have hailed Washington's lifting of US sanctions. The move was formalised Friday after being announced by President Donald Trump on a Gulf tour this month during which he shook hands with Syria's jihadist-turned-interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said the interior ministry restructure included reforms and creating "a modern civil security institution that adopts transparency and respects international human rights standards". It includes setting up a citizens' complaints department and incorporating the police and General Security agency into an Internal Security command, he told a press conference. A border security body for Syria's land and sea frontiers will be tasked with "combating illegal activities, particularly drug and human smuggling networks", Baba said. The restructure includes "strengthening the role of the anti-drug department and further developing its importance within Syria and abroad" after the country became a major exporter of illicit stimulant captagon, he added. Another department will handle security for government facilities and foreign missions, as embassies reopen in Syria following Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December. A tourism police body will secure visitors and sites as the war-torn country -- home to renowned UNESCO World Heritage sites -- seeks to relaunch tourism. - 'Of critical importance' - Syria's foreign ministry welcomed Washington's lifting of sanctions, calling the move "a positive step in the right direction to reduce humanitarian and economic struggles in the country". Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said the recent US and European Union steps to lift sanctions were "of critical importance in efforts to bring stability and security to Syria". The European Union announced the lifting of its economic sanctions on Syria earlier this month. Sharaa met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday on his third visit to Turkey since taking power on a visit to discuss "common issues", Syria's presidency said. Ankara is a major backer of Syria's new authorities, who are negotiating with Kurdish forces that control swathes of the northeast and that Turkey considers "terrorists". A government delegation made a first visit Saturday to the notorious Al-Hol camp in the northeast that hosts families of suspected Islamic State group jihadists. Trump said he wanted to give Syria's new rulers "a chance at greatness" after their overthrow of Assad. US sanctions were first imposed on Syria in 1979 under the rule of Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez. They were sharply expanded after the bloody repression of anti-government protests in 2011 triggered Syria's civil war. The new administration has been looking to build relations with the West and roll back sanctions, but some governments expressed reluctance, pointing to the Islamist past of leading figures. - 'Recovery and reconstruction' - The sanctions relief extends to the new government on condition that Syria not provide safe haven for terrorist organisations and ensure security for religious and ethnic minorities, the US Treasury Department said. Concurrently, the US State Department issued a 180-day waiver for the Caesar Act to make sure that sanctions do not obstruct foreign investment in Syria. The 2020 legislation severely sanctioned any entity or company cooperating with the now ousted government. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the waiver would "facilitate the provision of electricity, energy, water and sanitation, and enable a more effective humanitarian response across Syria". However, Rubio cautioned that Trump "has made clear his expectation that relief will be followed by prompt action by the Syrian government on important policy priorities". He said lifting the sanctions aims to promote "recovery and reconstruction efforts". Syria's 14-year civil war killed more than half a million people and ravaged its infrastructure. The interior ministry's Baba said around a third of the population had been under suspicion by the Assad regime's feared intelligence and security services. Analysts say a full lifting of sanctions may take time, as some US restrictions are acts that need to be reversed by Congress. Syrian authorities also need to ensure an attractive environment for foreign investment.
Express Tribune
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
American forces begin exit from Syria, troop levels to drop below 1,000
Listen to article The United States has begun withdrawing around 600 troops from Syria, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday, marking a significant shift in its military posture in the region. The reduction will bring the total number of American forces in the country to under 1,000 in the coming months. The move is being described by the Department of Defense as a 'consolidation' of forces and a response to changing conditions on the ground, particularly in the wake of recent developments in Syria and the broader Middle East. 'This is a deliberate and conditions-based process,' said Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell in a statement. 'Recognising the success the United States has had against ISIS (Daesh), including its territorial defeat in 2019, the Secretary of Defense has directed a repositioning of US forces to select locations under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.' While the Pentagon has not publicly detailed which locations will be affected, The New York Times reported that three outposts in northeastern Syria are being shuttered: Mission Support Site Green Village, M.S.S. Euphrates, and a smaller unnamed facility. Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the closures and noted that the troops have already begun redeploying. The United States had maintained roughly 900 troops in Syria for several years following ISIS's territorial defeat, serving as both a counterterrorism force and a stabilising presence alongside Kurdish allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). However, the troop count was raised to over 2,000 in late 2023, following attacks on US interests in the region by Iranian-backed groups, which came in response to the war in Gaza. The Pentagon's decision to now reduce troop numbers is not without risks. ISIS claimed 294 attacks in Syria in 2024, more than double the 121 attacks recorded in 2023, according to a US defence official. So far in 2025, the militant group has carried out at least 44 attacks, according to the Middle East Institute. In January, three American soldiers were killed in Jordan by a drone launched by an Iran-aligned militia. That incident sparked further debate in Washington over the future of US involvement in the region. The troop drawdown also follows the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime in December 2024, a major turning point in Syria's more than decade-long civil war. Since then, some displaced Syrians have returned home, but large areas of the country remain unstable, and violence continues to flare. Despite the reduction, US officials say the remaining forces will continue to support the fight against ISIS and deter Iranian-backed militias. They also serve as a buffer between Kurdish forces and Turkish military operations. The YPG/SDF is the Syrian branch of the PKK, which is recognsised as a terror group by the US, UK, EU, Turkiye and NATO. During his first term, President Donald Trump attempted a full withdrawal from Syria in 2018, but the plan met resistance from Pentagon leadership and led to the resignation of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Trump's new administration has reiterated its aim to reduce military commitments abroad while still maintaining pressure on terrorist groups. The Pentagon stressed that the drawdown will not compromise mission objectives. 'Our remaining forces will be able to maintain pressure on ISIS and respond to any terrorist threats that arise,' Parnell said. Officials have not indicated whether further reductions are planned, but analysts say the consolidation reflects a longer-term recalibration of US military priorities in the Middle East.
Ya Libnan
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
The Lebanese army seizes missiles and arms in Rashaya and Bekaa, several arrested
The Army Command announced the seizure of a quantity of missiles and weapons in the outskirts of the town of Aiha Marj al-Tut in Rashaya, and the arrest of eight people in Kfar Zabad in the Bekaa. The Army explained in a statement that 'After security surveillance and follow-up operations, an Army unit, supported by a patrol from the Intelligence Directorate, seized a quantity of missiles, weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices in the outskirts of the town of Aiha Marj al-Tut in Rashaya. An Intelligence Directorate patrol also arrested eight citizens in the town of Kfar Zabad in the Bekaa for forming a gang involved in smuggling arms and ammunition from Syria to Lebanon . A quantity of weapons and ammunition was also seized , in addition to several vehicles used to carry out their operations.' The seized items were handed over, and investigations with the detainees were initiated under the supervision of the competent judiciary. Hezbollah is the only armed militia in Lebanon and used to store all its arms that came from Iran in Syir , during the regime of deposed dictator Bashar al Assad who was a key ally of Iran and Hezbollah. Hezbollah was weakened in its war with Israel and most of its top leaders have been killed . Its current leader Naim Qassem fled Iran as soon as he succeeded former slain leader Hassan Nasrallah .Hezbollah is reportedly disintegrating since very few follow Qassem's orders , according to analysts who follow closely the Iran backed militia. 3 prominent Shiite activiists ; Journalist Muhammad Barakat , University professor Dr. Ali Khalifa and attorney Hanan Jawad blasted today the The Supreme Shiite council , which is controlled by Hezbollah , accusing it of corruption and money laundering and declared that they are suing members of the council over abuse of power and breach of duty. In an editorial article in Ya Libnan, prominent Lebanese political analysts Ali Hussein urged yesterday Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Counci to ' turn his attention to our beloved Shiite community—our brothers and sisters—who have suffered more than anyone from Hezbollah's reckless decisions.' Ali Hussein wrote ' It's time to focus on rebuilding the tens of thousands of Shiite homes destroyed in wars Hezbollah provoked. It's time to shift allegiance from Iran to Lebanon, from perpetual conflict to lasting peace. He added' Sheikh al-Khatib must recognize this reality: No international friend of Lebanon will help rebuild our nation so long as Hezbollah remains armed.' He added: It is time for peace. It is time for prosperity. It is time to bury the culture of death and rise together as one Lebanese people. ' Source : El Nashra , translated from Arabic
Observer
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Over 175,000 Syrians have returned home from Türkiye
ISTANBUL: More than 175,000 Syrians who fled their country's civil war to neighbouring Türkiye have returned home since the fall of president Bashar al Assad in December, the Turkish interior ministry said on Wednesday. Nearly 2.8 million Syrian refugees are still in Türkiye, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, adding that the 175,412 returns between December 9 and April 13 were all "voluntary". Overall, around 400,000 Syrians have returned from neighbouring countries since Assad's fall, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. The agency also says more than one million Syrians displaced within their country by the conflict had also returned to their homes. Save the Children said on Wednesday that more than 400,000 children in Syria were at risk of "severe malnutrition" after the United States suspended aid, forcing the charity to slash operations in the war-torn country. Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children's Syria director, in a statement called on the international community to urgently fill the funding gap, warning that needs were "higher than ever" after years of war and economic collapse. "More than 416,000 children in Syria are now at significant risk of severe malnutrition following the sudden suspension of foreign aid," Save the Children said in a statement, adding separately that the cuts were those of the United States. — AFP
Ya Libnan
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Syria's Ex-Mufti was arrested at Damascus airport on way to Jordan
File: Former Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun a close ally of Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad Former Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun was arrested at Damascus Airport while Trying to leave for Jordan, the Syrian Observatory reported on Wednesday The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that former Grand Mufti of Syria, Sheikh Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun, was arrested by General Security at Damascus International Airport after attempting to leave the country for Jordan to undergo surgery in Amman. Former Grand Mufti of Syria, Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun shown blindfolded at Damascus airport According to information from the Syrian Observatory, Hassoun's passport was stamped by the Immigration and Passports Department at the airport before he was taken by a group of General Security personnel to an unknown location. A photo of him blindfolded has circulated on social media. El Nashra
