Latest news with #pro-Assad
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Dramatic moment ‘Israeli airstrike' blitzes Syrian military HQ on LIVE TV sending news reporter fleeing in panic
THIS is the terrifying moment an Israeli airstrike hits a Syrian military HQ on live TV - with a news reporter captured fleeing in panic. It's the third day in a row that Israel has hit Syria where government security forces have clashed with local fighters in the southern city of Sweida. 3 It's thought an Israeli airstrike hit a Syrian military HQ 3 The news reporter fled in sheer panic 3 Smoke rises from a building after strikes at Syria's defense ministry in Damascus, Syria Credit: Reuters The apparent Israeli occupation airstrike targeted the Ministry of Defence building in the centre of the capital Damascus, reports claim. As the news reporter is presenting, a fiery explosion is captured erupting in the backdrop. The camera then shakes, before the news reporter jumps out of her seat to safety. A massive grey smoke cloud is captured billowing behind her following the strike. read more news The Israeli army hit near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus before targeting the same site several hours later with a larger strike. Israel has also launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces in southern Syria since the clashes erupted a few days ago. Syria's Defence Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire. It said they were adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes . Most read in The US Sun Meanwhile, reports of attacks on civilians continued to surface, and Druze with family members in the conflict zone searched desperately for information about their fate amid communication blackouts . A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control. The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities, whose fears increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos . Like us on Facebook at
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Israel threatens to escalate involvement in Syria as a cease-fire collapses
A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control over the territory. The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities. The fears of minorities increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks in which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. Advertisement Reports of killings and looting in Druze areas The latest escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province, a center of the Druze community. Government forces that intervened to restore order have also clashed with the Druze, while reports have surfaced of members of the security forces carrying out extrajudicial killings, looting and burning civilian homes. Advertisement No official casualty figures have been released since Monday, when the Syrian Interior Ministry said 30 people had been killed. The U.K.-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 250 people had been killed as of Wednesday morning, including four children, five women and 138 soldiers and security forces. The observatory said at least 21 people were killed in 'field executions.' Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces since the clashes erupted, saying that it is acting to protect the Druze. The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Israel threatens to scale up its intervention In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the military. In Syria, the Druze have been divided over how to deal with the country's new leaders, with some advocating for integrating into the new system while others have remained suspicious of the authorities in Damascus and pushed for an autonomous Druze region. On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli army 'will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday night that Israel has 'a commitment to preserve the southwestern region of Syria as a demilitarized area on Israel's border' and has 'an obligation to safeguard the Druze locals.' Advertisement Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria's new leaders since Assad's fall, saying it doesn't want Islamist militants near its borders. Israeli forces have seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria.
Middle East Eye
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US ends foreign terrorist designation on Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham group
The United States announced on Monday that it was revoking the foreign terrorist organisation designation for Syria's Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, months after it spearheaded the overthrow of the long-serving Assad dynasty. A State Department memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio read: "In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusra Front, also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham." The memo was dated 23 June but went into effect at the time of publication. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa commanded HTS, a Syrian militant rebel group that overthrew the government of former strongman Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. Born out of al-Qaeda's Syria branch, the al-Nusra Front, HTS has since rejected transnational jihad, and Sharaa has said he aims to rule for all Syrians. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters However, earlier this year, some 1500 people from the Alawite minority were killed after pro-Assad militias launched attacks on government forces. A Reuters investigation revealed 40 sites of revenge killings, massacres and looting against the religious minority. Since assuming power, Sharaa has admitted that his government is holding "indirect talks" with Israel, and last week, Syrian authorities said they were willing to cooperate with Washington on reimplementing a 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel. Speaking earlier on Monday, the US special envoy to Syria and Lebanon, Tom Barrack, said "dialogue has started" between the two countries. Sharaa is likely to face opposition from his base and the broader Syrian population over a possible normalisation deal, as Israel continues to wage war on hungry and besieged Palestinians in Gaza. Moreover, anger has also been steadily growing over Israel's invasion of Syria's southwest and occupying a UN buffer zone between the two countries, and bombing Syria's military installations. Trump hastens to end sanctions Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump met Sharaa during a trip to Saudi Arabia, where he called him an "attractive" and "tough guy". The Trump administration has also vowed to terminate four decades of US sanctions on Syria but has struggled to navigate multiple layers of restrictions. Trump signed an executive order last week to end the US sanctions programme. It permitted the relaxation of export controls on certain goods to Syria and waived restrictions on certain foreign assistance. Trump lifts bulk of US sanctions against Syria Read More » The decision to lift sanctions on HTS underscores how quickly the US is moving on the executive order signed on 30 June. It called on the secretary of state to review the sanctions designation on HTS and Sharaa along with Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terror, which was imposed in 1979 when the country was ruled by Hafez al-Assad. The order also instructed the secretary of state to review suspending the Caesar Act. Signed into law in 2019, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act allowed the US to punish companies in other countries if they engaged in transactions with sanctioned Syrian companies and entities, a mechanism called secondary sanctions. Although the Assad dynasty was toppled in December by Sharaa's forces, the Caesar sanctions were passed by Congress. Some experts have said they might take longer to undue than the foreign terrorist designations. Rubio told lawmakers in May that in order to attract much-needed foreign investment in Syria, the US will begin by issuing waivers under the Caesar Act. Since entering office, Trump has approved efforts by Gulf allies Qatar and Saudi Arabia to bring Syria back into the regional fold. The two Gulf states also repaid Syria's $15m debt to the World Bank. The Gulf states are also paying the salaries of Syrian government employees. In March, Qatar began supplying gas to Syria via Jordan.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Reuters counted the dead in the March killings of Syrian Alawites
LATAKIA, Syria -A Reuters investigation pieced together how the March 7-9 massacres of Syrian Alawites along the country's Mediterranean coast unfolded, identifying a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. The investigation found 1,479 Syrian Alawites were killed and dozens were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings, rampages and looting against the religious minority, long associated with the Assad government. Reuters spoke with over 200 families of victims during visits to massacre sites and by phone, 40 security officials, fighters and commanders, and government-appointed investigators and mediators. Journalists for the news agency also reviewed messages from a Telegram chat established by a Defense Ministry official to coordinate the government response. Journalists examined dozens of videos, obtained CCTV footage and compiled handwritten lists of victims' names. Reuters counted the dead by gathering local lists of names of victims, many of them handwritten, from community leaders and families of the victims. Villagers also gathered pictures and personal details about the victims. For each list, written in Arabic, Reuters cross-checked the names with activists who are either in the relevant village, run Facebook pages, or in the diaspora and have relatives in the places that came under attack. For each massacre site, Reuters also gathered pictures of victims, and photos and locations of mass graves. On March 11, the U.N. said it had counted 111 deaths but acknowledged it as an undercount. It hasn't updated its death tally since. The most recent count from the Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent monitoring group, shows 1,334 people killed, including 60 children and 84 women. Of that total, 889 were killed by government forces while 446 were killed by pro-Assad fighters, it said. Of the 446, SNHR said that half were civilians and half were government forces. SNHR did not explain how it confirmed the identity of the perpetrators. Reuters could not confirm the SNHR toll for Alawites killed by Assad loyalists or that for the government forces. On March 17, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another civil society organization, said it had tallied 1,557 civilian deaths but did not detail how it arrived at the figure. The group also counted 273 dead among government forces and 259 among Alawite gunmen affiliated with pro-Assad forces. President al-Sharaa has said 200 government forces died. The government has not released a tally of the dead among Alawite civilians.
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
How Reuters counted the dead in the March killings of Syrian Alawites
A man pushes an elderly woman on an airport luggage trolley at Hmeimim Air Base, in Latakia, western Syria, March 20, 2025. Thousands of Alawite families sought refuge there after deadly attacks by pro-government forces targeting their villages. A Reuters investigation found the violence left nearly 1,500 people dead. REUTERS/Stringer To match Special Report SYRIA-SECURITY/COASTAL-KILLINGS LATAKIA, Syria -A Reuters investigation pieced together how the March 7-9 massacres of Syrian Alawites along the country's Mediterranean coast unfolded, identifying a chain of command leading from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. The investigation found 1,479 Syrian Alawites were killed and dozens were missing from 40 distinct sites of revenge killings, rampages and looting against the religious minority, long associated with the Assad government. Reuters spoke with over 200 families of victims during visits to massacre sites and by phone, 40 security officials, fighters and commanders, and government-appointed investigators and mediators. Journalists for the news agency also reviewed messages from a Telegram chat established by a Defense Ministry official to coordinate the government response. Journalists examined dozens of videos, obtained CCTV footage and compiled handwritten lists of victims' names. Reuters counted the dead by gathering local lists of names of victims, many of them handwritten, from community leaders and families of the victims. Villagers also gathered pictures and personal details about the victims. For each list, written in Arabic, Reuters cross-checked the names with activists who are either in the relevant village, run Facebook pages, or in the diaspora and have relatives in the places that came under attack. For each massacre site, Reuters also gathered pictures of victims, and photos and locations of mass graves. On March 11, the U.N. said it had counted 111 deaths but acknowledged it as an undercount. It hasn't updated its death tally since. The most recent count from the Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent monitoring group, shows 1,334 people killed, including 60 children and 84 women. Of that total, 889 were killed by government forces while 446 were killed by pro-Assad fighters, it said. Of the 446, SNHR said that half were civilians and half were government forces. SNHR did not explain how it confirmed the identity of the perpetrators. Reuters could not confirm the SNHR toll for Alawites killed by Assad loyalists or that for the government forces. On March 17, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another civil society organization, said it had tallied 1,557 civilian deaths but did not detail how it arrived at the figure. The group also counted 273 dead among government forces and 259 among Alawite gunmen affiliated with pro-Assad forces. President al-Sharaa has said 200 government forces died. The government has not released a tally of the dead among Alawite civilians. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
