Latest news with #Homs
Mada
4 days ago
- Health
- Mada
Israeli unit abducts Gaza's field hospitals director in raid on ambulance in Khan Younis
An armed Israeli unit abducted Marwan al-Homs, director of Gaza's field hospitals, spokesperson for Gaza's Health Ministry and head of Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital. An eyewitness told Mada Masr that, at around noon on Monday, a group of armed individuals infiltrated an area near the Fish Fresh coastal resort in Khan Younis. Homs was in an ambulance on his way to a field hospital in southern Gaza, 'carrying out routine humanitarian and medical duties,' the Government Media Office stated. The eyewitness said they saw the armed unit exit the car and open heavy fire on nearby civilians while carrying out the abduction. The media office said fire also directly targeted the vehicle. The ambulance Homs was travelling in was also carrying three other people, one of whom was killed, according to the media office. Al-Aqsa radio station said the person killed was journalist Tamer al-Zaanin. The ambulance driver and another passenger were injured, according to the media office. The Israeli vehicle then headed southward along the coastal road leading to Rafah, the eyewitness said. Israeli aerial bombardment and ground operations have increasingly targeted Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip's south over recent weeks. The Israeli military has issued a series of evacuation orders, forcibly displacing residents from their homes in the city. Journalists in Gaza have also described Israeli tanks advancing toward Khan Younis neighborhoods. Hospitals and clinics in Khan Younis remain vital for those still in the area, including thousands of aidseekers who make their way daily to nearby Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution centers. Doctors in the area continue to treat fatalities and injuries caused by Israeli fire targeting those seeking aid. Homs joins other medical professionals who have been targeted for arrest by Israeli troops, including the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Hossam Abu Safiya, in December last year. Safiya's lawyer has since told media that his client has been subject to torture in detention. Gaza's Health Ministry condemned the kidnapping in a statement on Monday, describing the incident as 'a dangerous precedent that constitutes a direct targeting of the voice of the sick, the hungry and the tormented in Gaza.' The 'cowardly act' reflects a 'deliberate intent to silence the truth and obscure the suffering of an entire population enduring the worst humanitarian and health catastrophe.'
Al Jazeera
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel reportedly targets Bedouin convoy in Syria in wake of strikes
Israeli forces have carried out an attack on Syria's Palmyra-Homs highway, targeting a convoy of Bedouin fighters who were reportedly making their way towards restive Suwayda in the south of the country, according to Israel's public broadcaster Kan News, two days after carrying out heavy attacks on Damascus. Bedouin fighters in Syria said they launched a new offensive against Druze fighters late on Thursday, despite the withdrawal of Syrian government forces from the southwestern province of Suwayda, and an attempt by the Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to draw a line under a recent eruption of deadly violence that killed hundreds. A Bedouin military commander told the Reuters news agency that the truce only applied to government forces and not to them, adding that the fighters were seeking to free Bedouins whom Druze armed groups had detained in recent days. Bedouin fighters have managed to reach the Suwayda area in the last few hours, the Kan report said, confirming earlier reports from Arabic-language news media. Syria's leadership has condemned Israel's attacks as a violation of its sovereignty amid attempts to cement a ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Israel has justified its latest bombing of Syria under the pretext that it is protecting the Druze minority. But the country has more self-serving reasons. Israel has long attacked Syria, even before the latest outbreak of violence involving the Druze in Suwayda. Since the removal of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad after a devastating 14-year war, Israel has struck Syria hundreds of times and invaded and occupied about 400sq km (155sq miles) of its territory, excluding the western Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967. Leading analysts within Israel suggest that these latest attacks may not have been entirely motivated by concern for the welfare of the Druze, so much as the personal and political aims of the Israeli government and its embattled prime minister. The latest reports of violence come despite a ceasefire agreed on Wednesday, after Israel had conducted its own attacks on Syria, striking the Ministry of Defence and near the presidential palace in Damascus. Al-Sharaa said in a televised speech on Thursday that protecting the country's Druze citizens and their rights was a priority as he announced that local leaders would take control of security in Suwayda in a bid to end sectarian violence in the south and stop Israel from attacking. Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, one of the spiritual leaders of the Syrian Druze community said, ' We are not sectarian, and we have never wanted to cause division. We hold full responsibility for anyone who tampers with security and stability. We affirm that whoever engages in sabotage or incitement represents only himself, and we reject that his actions be attributed to any sect or region.' Condemnation from Qatar, Turkiye; US 'did not support Israeli strikes' In the meantime, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has condemned Israel's days of attacks on Syria in a phone conversation with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The emir described Israel's bombing of Syria as a 'flagrant violation' of the country's sovereignty, international law, the United Nations Charter, 'and a threat to regional stability', according to a statement from Sheikh Tamim's office on Friday. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkiye would not allow Syria to be divided or its multicultural structure and territorial integrity harmed, after Israel's actions sought to 'sabotage' a ceasefire in the country. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian leader al-Sharaa discussed Israel's attacks on Damascus in a phone call on Thursday, the presidency said, adding Erdogan had voiced support for Damascus. Turkiye played a crucial role in securing a ceasefire in Syria following Israeli air attacks on Damascus. Turkish intelligence officials held talks with Syria's Druze leader, a Turkish security source said on Thursday. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has said the United States condemns violence in Syria and called on the Syrian government to lead the path forward. 'We are engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between the two sovereign states,' she said on Thursday. Bruce continued that 'regarding Israel's intervention and activity' in Syria, the US 'did not support recent Israeli strikes'. It was unclear if Bruce's comments referred to just US logistical support for the Israeli military's attacks against Syria.
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Shi'ite cleric shot dead near Syria's Homs
Shi'ites are estimated to number just 300,000 in Sunni-majority Syria. (EPA Images pic) BEIRUT : An influential Shi'ite cleric was shot dead in central Syria, a conflict monitor said today, with the faith's highest body in the country denouncing his 'assassination'. Sheikh Rassul Shahud was the first Shi'ite religious leader to be killed since predominantly Sunni Islamists toppled long-time leader Bashar al-Assad in December, raising concerns for the safety of religious and ethnic minorities in the country. His bullet-riddled body was found yesterday near Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 'Armed men fired on Sheikh Shahud, who was in a car near a checkpoint of the security forces' leading to his village of Mazraa, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. The Islamic scholarly council representing Syria's Shi'ite community denounced his 'assassination' as a 'flagrant attack on the voice of moderation and unity, and a desperate attempt to sow discord'. The statement, signed by the body's vice-president Adham al-Khatib, urged authorities to 'shed light on the circumstances of this heinous crime' and to 'prosecute its perpetrators and instigators so that they are punished'. Shi'ites are estimated to number just 300,000 in Sunni-majority Syria, and the community was quick to offer support to the country's new authorities, with a delegation of dignitaries meeting interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in March. Shahud's killing comes after other recent incidents of violence targeting religious minorities, including massacres of Alawites along the country's coast, clashes with the Druze community in the south and a suicide bombing at an Orthodox church in Damascus.
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
It is time for Britain to help fill the Middle Eastern void left by Russia and Iran
Love him or hate him, I applaud President Donald Trump for lifting all sanctions on the new Syrian government. As someone who has spent a good deal of time in Syria I believe this is a positive step towards peace in the region. In my opinion, this move is Trump's best chance at his elusive but apparently much desired Nobel Peace Prize. With Israel also suggesting it would like to normalise relations with the new government in Damascus, there is a genuine hope for this ancient land – devastated though it is by 50 years of Assad tyranny, amply aided in recent times by Russia and Iran. However it is a shame that our own government is not as forward leaning as the US president, when we have so much opportunity to act. It is six months since I made my first trip to Damascus and Homs after the fall of Assad, and we have still not managed to get our embassy in Damascus open and aid and advice flowing in. Certainly, there appears to be some great work going on by the Syria team at the FCDO, but I've yet to see the Prime Minister in Damascus or any meaningful government money heading that way. We have no British Ambassador working to get this wonderful place back on its feet as a major force for good in the Middle East. A bit of soft power today is better than a whole lot of hard power tomorrow – have our politicians not learnt anything from our adventures in the Middle East over the last few decades? We need to find our inner Lawrence of Arabia, make friends and influence people rather than blowing things to smithereens. With some surprise last month, I read a piece in Russia Today saying that I am to be blamed for the downfall of Assad by exposing his use of chemical weapons to murder his own people. I know for certain I had very little to do with his downfall but I'm delighted if I helped in any way. President Putin is still using chemical weapons today, on an industrial scale, against Ukraine. People can see that Iran's nuclear programme is a danger: so are chemical weapons. The British Syrian diaspora cannot be praised enough in my opinion, and the British government must understand this jewel in the British crown. It was mainly the British Syrians who set up the Idlib Health Directorate, which they are now helping to turn into Syria's National Health Service. It is them, and a few other Brits, who helped set up the White Helmets civil emergency services in Idlib, which is now being replicated across Syria. It is the diaspora who are using their own money and resources to help rebuild Homs and other towns and cities across the country. They can help the British government make a difference in Syria. British soft power and a bit of hard currency will go a long way to rebuilding this genuinely secular place into a moderate, democratic-ish country. If those of us who operated in Syria during the oppressive rule of Assad and the tyranny of the Jihadists are prepared to give the new government a go, that should be a green light for those who stood back and held our coats to wade in now. I am told it is too dangerous to open the embassy in Damascus and the British government has no money. Perhaps it is time for an ambassador in Damascus who doesn't need six months of risk assessments or a squadron of SAS to protect him, who can get a building from the British Diaspora to fly the British flag from, and can probably get the funds to run it for 6-12 months. I can find such a person very easily. Prime Minister? Over to you.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
War refugee turned businessman to make 'long-awaited' return to Darlington
A man who fled war and moved to Darlington and set up his own business is now set to make his long-awaited return to the town this weekend. After a year away, popular food vendor Falafel Fella is back and will reopen to the public at the Darlington Community Carnival this Saturday, June 28. Mouhyedin Alkalil, the man behind the stall, fled his hometown of Homs in Syria at 18 to escape the civil war. Mouhyedin Alkhalil, owner of Falafel Fella, who fled Syria in 2012 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) In June 2024 he closed his shop but continued to attend events with a pop-up stall across Darlington and County Durham. In December, he returned to Syria to visit his family that he had not seen since he was a teen. Now, Mouhyedin is back in Darlington, where he first rebuilt his life and started the business that became a local favourite. Mouhyedin Alkhalil who fled Syria in 2012 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) After arriving in the UK in 2011, he settled in Darlington, working as an Uber driver and taking on odd jobs. A local family offered him accommodation to help him save money, which he later used to launch his first business. He eventually secured a lease for a shop, which he named Falafel Fella. In a Facebook post announcing the return, Mouhyedin said: 'Our dearest friends, the wait has been long. "After a whole year away, we've missed you, people of Darlington! "Get ready for this Saturday because Falafel Fella will be at the Darlington Community Carnival. "Come renew your memories, and taste the best falafel, chicken and halloumi wraps in town, back with the same beloved taste, and even better. "Come and enjoy all the fun and falafel flavours! See you this Saturday at Darlington Community Carnival' Falafel Fella will be set up in Stanhope Park as part of the food and drink stalls at the event. Mouhyedin Alkhalil in his old store Falafel Fella back in 2020 (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) The announcement sparked a wave of excitement online, with customers welcoming the news. 'Can't wait. The queue will go right round the park!' one said. 'Love love love this, Mouhyedin, I'll be there, I miss you and your delicious food every week!' wrote another. One more commented: 'We have a stall in the park this weekend. We will be visiting you to buy our lunch, delighted you are back.' Another simply said: 'Best news ever!' READ MORE: All 20 road closures across Darlington for return of Community Carnival Everything you need to know ahead of Darlington carnival this weekend Darlington falafel business owner to return to Syria after 14 years Mouhyedin also confirmed that Falafel Fella will appear at the Durham Miners Gala on Saturday, July 12. Now back in the town where he first built his business, he is ready to serve up his popular wraps once again.
