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☆ Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The United States, United Kingdom and European Union have all placed new sanctions on Damascus in recent weeks over captagon. The United States has said it will not normalize ties with Assad and its sanctions remain in full effect. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

☆ Jordan strikes Iran-linked drugs factory in southern Syria - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The sources said one strike hit an abandoned drug facility in Syria's southern Deraa province linked to the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which is allied to Syria's government. Ramthan, a major drug dealer in southern Syria, has recruited hundreds of Bedouin transporters who join the ranks of Iran-linked militias that hold sway in southern Syria, Jordanian and regional intelligence sources say. He had been sentenced to death on several occasions in recent years in absentia by Jordanian courts for drugs trafficking, judicial sources say. The incident comes only days after Safadi threatened to strike inside Syria if Damascus would not rein in smuggling. The Iran-linked drug war posed a threat not only to Jordan's national security but also to Gulf countries, Safadi said.

☆ Jordan ends emergency laws that stifled public freedoms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It would mean a return to implementing scores of ordinary laws that were suspended as the government enacted many defence orders that touched every aspect of public life, according to government officials. Advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Jordan had in the last few years intensified persecution and harassment of political opponents and ordinary citizens using a string of laws to silence critical voices. "Shelving the emergency law would be a good first step in increasing respect for basic rights," Coogle added. Dozens of activists were imprisoned and harassed and officials deny widespread abuses but said they would not tolerate civil unrest in Jordan at a time of economic hardship. Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Arab ministers discuss how to normalise ties with Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, May 1 (Reuters) - A group of Arab foreign ministers held a landmark meeting with their Syrian counterpart in Jordan on Monday to discuss how to normalise ties with Syria as part of a political settlement of the country's more than decade-old conflict, officials said. Jordan has called on Syria to engage with Arab states jointly on a step-by-step roadmap to end the conflict, tackling the issues of refugees, detainees, drug smuggling and Iran-backed militias in Syria - all of which affect its neighbours. Amman has been fighting armed groups smuggling narcotics from Syria, including the highly-addictive amphetamine captagon. Arab states and those most impacted by the conflict are trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to the Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh, to discuss the pace of normalising ties with Assad and on what terms Syria could be allowed back. Washington, which said it would not change its policy towards the Syrian government which it terms a "rogue" state, has urged Arab states to get something in return for engaging with Assad.

☆ Jordan to host talks on Syria's return to Arab League
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Meeting brings Syrian FM together with group of Arab statesJordan seeks an Arab-led peace road mapAMMAN, April 30 (Reuters) - Jordan will host a meeting of Arab foreign ministers and Syria's top diplomat on Monday to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League as part of a broader political settlement of Syria's more than decade-old conflict, officials said. The meeting comes two weeks after talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, failed to reach agreement on Syria's possible return to the Arab fold. Arab states and those most affected by the conflict are trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to the Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh, to discuss the pace of normalising ties with Assad and on what terms Syria could be allowed back. Officials said the Jordanian initiative calls on Damascus to engage with Arab governments collectively on a step-by-step road map to end the conflict. At the Jeddah meeting there was resistance to the move to invite Assad to the Arab League summit, with Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait saying it was premature before Damascus accepts to negotiate a peace plan.

☆ Jordan says Israel detains lawmaker on suspicion of arms smuggling
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, April 23 (Reuters) - Israel has detained a Jordanian lawmaker on suspicion of smuggling arms and gold into the West Bank and Amman is working to secure his release, the kingdom's foreign ministry said on Sunday. A spokesperson for Israel's foreign ministry declined to comment on reports of the arrest. Prominent lawmaker Khalil Atiya, known for his vocal opposition to Israel and who has led campaigns to repeal the country's peace treaty with Israel, said the government would be held responsible if it failed to act quickly. "There should be no room left for the enemy to harm the dignity of Jordanians by detaining and jailing a member of the parliament," Atiya said. Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi, additonal reporting by Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Summary Sources: Military equipment disguised as relief suppliesSyria is a conflict zone for Israel and IranIsrael mounts swift campaign against IraniansAMMAN, April 12 (Reuters) - Iran has used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment into its strategic ally Syria, nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli and Western sources said. The sources told Reuters that the goal was to buttress Iran's defences against Israel in Syria and to strengthen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The supplies included advanced communications equipment and radar batteries and spare parts required for a planned upgrade of Syria's Iran-provided air defence system in its civil war, said the sources, two regional sources and a Western intelligence source said. Regional sources told Reuters that Israel quickly became aware of the flow of weapons into Syria and mounted an aggressive campaign to counter it. A radar station used for drones was also hit on April 3, the regional source added, corroborating what two Western intelligence sources had told Reuters.

☆ Syria says Israel hits Homs outposts, sources say air bases bombed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iranian military personnel alongside fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah are stationed at both airports and there is a strong presence of pro-Iranian militias in that area of Homs province, the sources said. Syria denies Western and Israeli allegations that Iran, whose top military officials frequently visit Syria, has an extensive military presence in the country. A Syrian military source said on state media that the strikes caused some material damage with five military personnel injured. Israel has intensified strikes in the last year on Syrian airports and air bases to disrupt what it says is Iran's use of aerial supply lines to deliver arms to militias. read moreIran declined to comment on the Western and Israeli accusations.

☆ Israeli strike hits near Aleppo airport - Syrian officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN March 22 (Reuters) - An Israeli air strike hit near Syria's Aleppo airport early Wednesday, causing "material damage" and shutting down operations there, Syrian officials said, while regional intelligence sources said the attack hit an Iranian arms depot. In the third attack on Aleppo airport in six months, Israel launched "a number of missiles from the Mediterranean Sea, west of the coastal city of Latakia, at 3:55 a.m.", the Syrian defence ministry said in a statement on state media. Two regional intelligence sources said the strike hit an underground munitions depot linked to the nearby Nairab military airport, where missile systems delivered on several Iranian military planes had been stored. Nairab military airport has been used regularly for Iranian arms deliveries and the movement of troops, the intelligence sources said. An Israeli strike on March 7 that knocked Aleppo airport out of service blew up an Iranian arms cargo shipment hours after it was delivered by a plane that Damascus said was carrying aid, the Western intelligence sources say.

☆ Syria's Assad arrives in United Arab Emirates in official visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad meets with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates March 19, 2023. Hamad Al Kaabi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERSDUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday for an official visit, accompanied by his wife Asma al Assad, at a time when more Arab states have signalled openness to easing the isolation of Damascus. "We held constructive talks aimed at developing relations between our two countries," Sheikh Mohammed later said in a Twitter post. The Syrian presidency said Asma al Assad, on her first known official visit abroad with Assad since 2011, would meet with Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak who is the Emirati president's mother and regarded in the UAE as the "Mother of the Nation". Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent the UAE, once backed rebels against Assad.

☆ Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania's eldest daughter ties the knot
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, March 12 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah and his wife Queen Rania's eldest daughter Princess Iman on Sunday married a New York-based financier from a prominent Greek family in a private ceremony attended by some Gulf royals and family friends. Earlier Princess Iman, wearing a white dress with a long train and lace-cuffed sleeves with a diamond tiara, was escorted through the palace gardens by Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, her eldest brother. "Congratulations my dearest Iman, your smile has always been a gift of love that I’ve cherished since the day you were born. King Abdullah's eldest son Crown Prince Hussein is set to marry Rajwa Al Saif, the youngest daughter of Saudi businessman Khaled Al Saif on June 1. The Hashemite ruling monarchy enjoys solid support in a kingdom that has escaped relatively unscathed the upheaval that has swept the Middle East.

☆ Israel hits areas in Syria's Hama and Tartous countryside - Syrian state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMMAN, March 12 (Reuters) - Israel launched several rocket strikes on areas in Syria's Hama province and the coastal Tartous countryside on Sunday, Syrian state media reported. Rockets flew from across northern Lebanon towards their targets, with three military personnel injured according to the report, which gave no further details. An Israeli military spokesperson declined comment. An Israeli air strike knocked Aleppo airport out of service on Tuesday and caused "material damage" to the airport, according to Syrian state media. Iran's proxy militias, led by Hezbollah, now hold sway in vast areas in eastern, southern and northwestern Syria and in several suburbs around the capital.

☆ Jordan's king tells US defense secretary West Bank violence threatens stability
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Jordan's king Abdullah II meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Amman, Jordan March 5, 2023. Jordanian Royal Palace/Handout via Reuters REUTERSAMMAN, March 5 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday a surge in West Bank violence threatened regional stability and asked for assistance to fight a growing drug war along its borders with Syria blamed on Iranian-backed militias, Jordanian officials said. He wrote on Twitter before his departure that he would meet key leaders and "reaffirm the U.S. commitment to regional stability and advancing the shared interests of our allies and partners." The U.S. Defense Department said ahead of the visit that discussions would focus on the growing threat Iran poses to regional stability, and on advancing multilateral security cooperation with integrated air and missile defenses. Amman wants more U.S. military aid to bolster security on the border, where Washington has since the more than decade-long conflict began given around $1 billion to establish border posts, Jordanian officials say.

☆ Two people died of cholera in northwest Syria post-quake -civil defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows damaged buildings in the aftermath of an earthquake, in rebel-held town of Harem, Syria February 13, 2023. The opposition-run civil defence, known as the White Helmets, said that the total number of cholera deaths recorded in the northwest since the outbreak began last year had risen to 22, with another 568 non-fatal cases reported. "The destruction of infrastructure, water and sewage lines after the earthquake increases the possibility of an outbreak of the disease," the White Helmets said in a tweet. First linked in September 2022 to contaminated water near the Euphrates river, the outbreak spread across various areas of control in the nation fractured by more than a decade of war. Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alex Richardson and Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Twenty-two people died in cholera outbreak post-quake in northwest Syria -civil defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] A view shows damaged buildings in the aftermath of an earthquake, in rebel-held town of Harem, Syria February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mahmoud HassanoAMMAN, Feb 28 (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition-run civil defence said on Tuesday 22 people had died from an outbreak of cholera in the northwestern region in the aftermath of the devastating quake that hit Turkey and Syria. The Western-backed main rescuer in the border region that has been hardest hit within Syria, which cited medical bodies, said there were also another 568 cases of infection as a result of the widespread damage to water systems and infrastructure. Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israel and Palestinians agree to deepen ties to avert violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows mobile homes in the Jewish settlement of Givat Haroeh in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunAMMAN, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Israel and Palestinian officials pledged to work towards reviving efforts to reach a "just and lasting peace" deal at the end of talks in Aqaba, saying on Sunday they would work closely to prevent "further violence". Israel was committed to stop "discussing setting up any new settlement units for four months and stop approving any new settlements for six months", the joint statement said. The statement came at the end of a meeting also attended by U.S., Egyptian and Jordanian officials in the Jordanian city, as concerns mount over an escalation of violence in the run-up to the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that begins in late March. Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jordan hosting Israeli-Palestinian talks to avert escalation in violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The meeting is aimed at giving Palestinians hope for a political future, a senior Jordanian official told Reuters. In addition to averting violence, it is hoped Sunday's meeting will halt unilateral measures by Israel, the Jordanian official said. Jordan has been concerned about stepped-up Jewish settlement building, and has accused Israel of trying to change the status quo in Jerusalem's holy sites. Most world powers view as illegal the settlements Israel has built on land it captured in a 1967 war with Arab powers. Israel disputes that and cites biblical, historical and political links to the West Bank, as well as security interests.

[1/2] Police officers stand amid the rubble of a damaged building at the site of a rocket attack in the Kafr Sousa neighbourhood of central Damascus, Syria, February 19, 2023. Its support for Damascus and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has drawn regular Israeli air strikes meant to curb Tehran's extraterritorial military power. A source close to the Syrian government with knowledge of Sunday's strike and its target said it hit a gathering of Syrian and Iranian technical experts in drone manufacturing, though he said no top-level Iranian was killed. "The strike hit the centre where they were meeting as well as an apartment in a residential building. On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as attacks on "residential buildings in Damascus which killed and maimed innocent Syrian citizens".

☆ Israeli missile strikes building in central Damascus, several casualties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - An Israeli rocket strike hit a building in the Kafr Sousa neighborhood of central Damascus early on Sunday, near a large security complex close to Iranian installations, witnesses and an official source said. The strike damaged several buildings in the densely populated district close to Omayyad square in the heart of the capital, where multi-storey security buildings are located within residential areas. A police official said on state media that there were several casualties and injured. An Israeli military spokesperson declined comment. For almost a decade, Israel has been carrying out air strikes against suspected Iranian-sponsored weapons transfers and personnel deployments in next-door Syria.

☆ Syrian rescue group criticises UN over Assad say on aid deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Syrian Presidency/Handout via REUTERSAMMAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The head of a Syrian opposition-run rescue group on Tuesday denounced a U.N. decision to give Syrian President Bashar al Assad authorisation over aid deliveries through border crossings with Turkey, saying it gave him "free political gain". U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday Assad had agreed to allow U.N. aid deliveries to opposition-held northwest Syria through two crossings on the border with Turkey for three months. Rescuers and aid groups have complained about the slow delivery of aid after the earthquake. U.N. officials have acknowledged aid was slow initially but said they were stepping up deliveries, including getting supplies from Turkey. Large deliveries of aid from Saudi Arabia and Qatar have begun arriving in the rebel-held enclave ahead of U.N. deliveries, Saleh said.

Shunned by the West, Assad has been basking in an outpouring of support from Arab states that have normalised ties with him in recent years, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia sent its first reported plane of aid to Assad-controlled Aleppo, a notable gesture from a Gulf state still at odds with Syria's president. 'BREAK THE SIEGE'The UAE has pledged $50 million in aid to Syria, without saying in which part of Syria it will be spent. Once a backer of Assad's foes, the UAE has been pressing other Arab states to re-engage with Damascus, according to two Gulf sources, despite opposition from its strategic ally the United States. Tunisia, which cut off ties with Syria a decade ago, has said it will strengthen relations with Damascus since the quake.

☆ Islamist group approval issues hold up Syria quake aid, U.N. says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Earthquake aid from government-held parts of Syria into territory controlled by hardline opposition groups has been held up by approval issues with Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a United Nations spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday. A spokesperson for the U.N.'s humanitarian aid office told Reuters "there are issues with approval" by HTS, without giving further information. An HTS source in Idlib told Reuters the group would not allow any shipments from government-held parts of Syria and that aid would be coming in from Turkey to the north. The European Union's envoy to Syria on Sunday urged authorities in Damascus to "engage in good faith" with aid workers to get help to those in need. "It is important to allow unimpeded access for aid to arrive in all areas where it is needed," Dan Stoenescu told Reuters.

[1/4] Survivors rest while a woman reacts at a hospital in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem 1 2 3 4Authorities say some 6,500 buildings in Turkey collapsed and countless more were damaged. The U.S. Agency for International Development will provide $85 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to Turkey and Syria. SYRIA OVERWHELMEDIn Syria, relief efforts are complicated by a conflict that has partitioned the country and wrecked its infrastructure. The Syrian government views the delivery of aid to rebel-held areas from Turkey as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

☆ Syrian opposition rescuers say hundreds of families still under quake rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] People gather on the rubble as the search for survivors continues, in the aftermath of the earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Firas MakdesiAMMAN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Time is running out to save hundreds of families still trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings after this week's devastating earthquake, the head of the Syrian opposition-run civil defence service said on Tuesday. The magnitude 7.8 quake hit Turkey and neighbouring Syria early on Monday, toppling entire apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands of people injured or homeless. Rescue teams worked early on Tuesday to free people trapped in the rubble of buildings in southern Turkey as the death toll in that country rose to nearly 3,000. Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Earthquake leaves Syrians across frontlines with shared catastrophe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

That’s humanity," said Suleiman, who was displaced to Idlib from Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria during the war. State media say at least 812 people perished in government-held areas including Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartous. It's a country that is inhabited by death," said Hassan Hussein, from the coastal city and government stronghold of Tartous. In the rebel-held city of Atareb, Yousef Haboush lamented how the quake had forced many from their homes yet again. One of the residents, Abu Hamid, said he felt a sense of "proximity" to other Syrians, including those in rebel-held areas.

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