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☆ 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.

☆ Earthquake piles misery on war-ravaged Syrians in wintry north
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] People gather as rescuers search for survivors under the rubble, following an earthquake, in rebel-held town of Jandaris, Syria February 6, 2023. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake sent people rushing into the streets in the country's north, where air strikes and shelling have already traumatised the population and weakened the foundations of many buildings. In the rebel-held town of Jandaris in Aleppo province, a mound of concrete, steel rods and bundles of clothes lay where a multi-storey building once stood. "We were pulling people out ourselves at three in the morning," he said, his breath visible in the cold winter air as he spoke. Further west, the main hospital in the rebel-held town of Afrin was teeming with wounded residents writhing on the ground and women struggling to reach loved ones by phone as the lines were down.

☆ Lebanon's top Christian cleric says judge probing port blast must be allowed to pursue truth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view shows the site of the 2020 port blast, in Beirut, Lebanon January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirAMMAN, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's top Christian cleric called on Sunday for the judge struggling to investigate the Beirut port explosion to be able to pursue his work and get help from any outside authority to pinpoint those responsible for the devastating blast. "We hope investigating Judge Tareq Bitar continues his work to uncover the truth and issue a decision and get help from any international authority that can help disclose the truth...," Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, influential patriarch of Lebanon's largest Christian community, said in a sermon. Rai has long said that Lebanon's judiciary should be free of political interference and sectarian activism. "We won't allow however long it takes and rulers change to let the crime of the port pass without punishment."

☆ King Abdullah meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in surprise Jordan visit, royal court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise trip to Jordan on Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah, who the royal court said underlined the need for Israel to respect the status quo of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, under heavy security this month. It is hopeful that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will pressure Israel to preserve the status quo in the Al-Aqsa mosque, whose upkeep is paid for by Jordan. Officials told Reuters that King Abdullah is expected to visit Washington at the end of January. Blinken underscored the importance of preserving the historic status quo at the site, according to a statement by the State Department.

☆ King Abdullah meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in surprise Jordan visit -royal court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

New Delhi CNN —India has banned a BBC documentary critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged role in deadly riots more than 20 years ago from being shown in the country, in a move critics decried as an assault on press freedom. CNN has contacted Twitter and YouTube for comment but is yet to hear back. The two-part documentary “India: The Modi Question,” criticizes Modi, who was the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat in 2002 when riots broke out between the state’s majority Hindus and minority Muslims. The Indian government had declined to reply when contacted by the BBC, the statement added. The documentary explores an unpublished British government report obtained by the BBC, which the British public broadcaster said came in the form of a diplomatic cable.

☆ Thirteen killed after building collapses in Syria's Aleppo, state media report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Thirteen people were killed when a residential building collapsed in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday and rescue workers were searching for people believed still buried under the rubble, state media said. The five-storey building in the Sheikh Maksoud district of Syria's second largest city collapsed due to water leakages that weakened its foundation, government officials were quoted as saying by state media. Many displaced Syrians have been moved during the more than decade long conflict to damaged buildings as there has been no systematic reconstruction of residential areas and state services remain minimal, residents say. The opposition has accused President Bashar al-Assad of withholding services from districts where the rebellion against him flared, in order to punish residents. Work to renovate war-damaged buildings is in many cases done and paid for by local people, residents say.

☆ Jordan truckers' strike exposes woes of impoverished south
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"Diesel is my lifeline," said 54-year-old Abu al-Zait, who has seen his livelihood thrown into jeopardy by high fuel price rises since Russia invaded Ukraine. The month-long sit-in cost Jordan tens of millions of dollars in losses when it paralysed unloading at the Red Sea port of Aqaba, according to officials and industrialists. It was the latest bout of unrest in Maan, a poor tribal stronghold about 250 km (156 miles) south of the capital. Fuel price rises, combined with high taxes and spiralling food costs in a nation that imports most goods, has made life unaffordable for many. Like many Arab states, Jordan has in the last decade seen widespread unrest as it reduced food and fuel subsidies.

☆ Syria says Israel attacks areas around southern Damascus city
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The Syrian army said on Monday that Israel struck parts of southern Damascus in the latest string of strikes that regional intelligence sources say target Iran-linked assets. Israel has repeatedly bombed Iranian backed militia targets in Syria, saying its goal was to erode Tehran’s military presence which Western intelligence sources say has expanded in recent year in the war-torn country. Two regional intelligence sources say the strikes hit an outpost by Iran’s Quds Force and militias it backs, whose presence has spread in Syria in recent years. They say the Iranians have a strong presence in the Sayeda Zainab neighbourhood of southern Damascus where Iranian backed militias have a string of underground bases. Iran’s proxy militias led by Lebanon’s Hezbollah now hold sway in vast areas in eastern and southern Syria and northwest as well as several suburbs around the capital.

☆ Police officer killed during protests in Jordan over high fuel prices
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Dec 16 (Reuters) - One senior police officer was killed on Thursday in clashes with demonstrators in the southern Jordanian city of Maan during protests over high fuel prices that spread to several cities across the kingdom, police and witnesses said. A police source had earlier said the officer was shot by unknown assailants during clashes in the Husseiniya area of Maan. Witnesses said a long convoy of armoured vehicles was seen entering Maan as reinforcements were sent to the neighbourhood where the police officer was killed. Tensions have been mounting in Maan and several cities in southern Jordan after days of sporadic strikes by lorry drivers protesting high fuel prices. Some activist strikers have threatened to stage street protests in provincial cities on Friday.

☆ Protesters storm governor's office in Syrian city, gunshots heard
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMMAN, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Dozens of demonstrators angry over worsening economic conditions in Syria stormed the governor's office in the southern city of Sweida on Sunday and set fire to parts of the building amid a heavy exchange of gunfire, residents and witnesses said. Earlier, more than 200 people had gathereed around the building in the centre of the Druze-majority city chanting slogans calling for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, they said, amid spiralling prices and economic hardship. Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Islamic State leader Quraishi blew himself up after being surrounded -sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMMAN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Islamic State (IS) militant leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, who was killed in mid-October in Syria, blew himself up after he and his aides were surrounded by local fighters in the town of Jasem, fighters involved in the clash told Reuters. The province was brought under the control of the Syrian army following Russian-brokered reconciliation agreements in 2018 that gave control of southern Syria back to Damascus. Islamic State has selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as its new leader, a spokesman for the group said in a recording. Islamic State emerged from the chaos of the civil war in neighbouring Iraq and took over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Former IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamic caliphate from a mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul that year and proclaimed himself caliph of all Muslims.

☆ Turkish strikes hit oil installations in northern Syria, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A view shows the aftermath after Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes, in Derik countryside, Syria November 21, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan QeremanAMMAN, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Turkish drones are targeting key oil installations run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria, three local sources said, in air strikes which drew strong condemnation from the United States overnight. Turkey's warplanes began conducting air strikes on Syrian Kurdish YPG militia bases in northern Syria at the weekend, prompting retaliatory strikes along the Syrian border. The Pentagon said the Turkish air strikes threatened the safety of U.S. military personnel and that the escalating situation jeopardized years of progress against Islamic State militants in the area. The United States has roughly 900 soldiers in Syria, mainly working with the SDF in the northeast.

The comments came as Turkish artillery kept up bombardment of Kurdish bases and other targets near Tal Rifaat and Kobani, two Syrian military sources told Reuters. Turkey said the Syrian Kurdish YPG killed two people in mortar attacks from northern Syria on Monday, following Turkish air operations against the militia at the weekend and a deadly bomb attack in Istanbul a week earlier. The YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said 15 civilians and fighters were killed in Turkish strikes in recent days. Turkey has mounted several major military operations against the YPG and Islamic State militants in northern Syria in recent years. More than 40,000 people have been killed in fighting between the PKK and the Turkish state which began 1984.

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