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☆ 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

☆ 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.

NATO member Turkey has conducted a diplomatic balancing act since Russia invaded Ukraine, criticising the invasion but opposing Western sanctions on Russia. A Turkish defence ministry source said jets were never used in Syrian, Russian or U.S. airspace for the latest airstrikes on Kurdish militant bases in Syria, and that jets hit all targets from within Turkish airspace. "Turkish jets used the airspace under the control of the United States and Russia. "The Turks coordinated with the Russians and the Americans in the areas they have control over Syrian airspace," said Colonel Abduljabbar Akaidi, a senior Syrian opposition figure familiar with the latest developments. Turkey, the United States and others deem the PKK a terrorist group.

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.

"We have been bearing down on terrorists for a few days with our planes, cannons and guns," Erdogan said in a speech in northeastern Turkey. "God willing, we will root out all of them as soon as possible, together with our tanks, our soldiers." Turkey has mounted several major military operations against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and Islamic State militants in northern Syria in recent years. The YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said 15 civilians and fighters were killed in Turkish strikes in recent days. Turkey said its warplanes destroyed 89 targets in Syria and Iraq on Sunday, with 184 militants killed in operations targeting the YPG and PKK on Sunday and Monday.

☆ Israel strike hits major air base in central Syria, military sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO/AMMAN Nov 13 (Reuters) - Syrian air defences shot down Israeli missiles over Homs province on Sunday, state news agency SANA said, in what military sources said was a strike on a major Syrian air base. Syrian state television posted a short video of the "aggression" but gave no further details. A Syrian army source, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said that the strikes targeted Shayrat air base, a military complex southeast of Homs city. Its runway and underground facilities have undergone a major expansion by the Russia military in the last three years, he added. Russia, which maintains a major military presence in Syria, has forces stationed near to Shayrat air base, which has also been used recently by the Iranian air force, another security source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

☆ Jordan seeks more coordination with Russia to bring stability to southern Syria
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMMAN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Jordan and Russia have agreed to step up coordination in tackling instability in southern Syria, which Amman blames on Iran-linked militias and multi-billion dollar drug smuggling across its border, Jordan's foreign minister said on Thursday. Ayman al Safadi was speaking after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that centered on south Syria to "neutralise the potential dangers of instability" in the area. The danger of drug smuggling to Jordan and across its territory by hostile militias," Safadi told a news conference. The growing influence of Iranian-backed militias including Lebanon's Hezbollah group in southern Syria in recent years has already alarmed both Jordan and Israel. "With the continued situation in the south (Syria), the kingdom will do what is needed to preserve its national security," Safadi said.

☆ Analysis: Arabs view revived Netanyahu with concern but as balance against Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister predicted a new maritime border deal would hold, while Palestinians and Jordanian experts forecast new strains. "Netanyahu was part of the Abraham Accords and signed it so there is no change in the course of normalisation," he said. But in Jordan, home to millions of Palestinian refugees and their families, his expected triumph was met with concern. "Today the Israeli right is talking about expelling Palestinians, they are saying there is no (Palestinian) state ..so what is left for Arabs?" Netanyahu "has been terrible for even the semblance of a peace process which Egypt officially upholds," he said.

☆ Turkish troops deploy in Syrian town to halt inter-rebel fighting
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Turkish troops deployed on Tuesday in an area in northwestern Syria to try to halt fighting between rival rebel factions opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, witnesses and rebel forces said. HTS forces should be withdrawn from the area immediately," the U.S. Embassy in Damascus said. Turkey's large military presence, with thousands of troops stationed in a string of bases in northwest Syria, had held back Russian-backed Syrian forces from seizing the rebel-held area. A senior official in the coalition fighting HTS said they had reinforced positions around the city to repel any attempt by the jihadists to take it over. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Calm returns to Syria rebel enclave after deadly internecine fighting
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"In the latest battles after its control of Afrin, HTS now has a large security role compared to what it had. Turkey is the leading backer of mainstream rebel factions. Its strong military presence in northwest Syria has held back Russia and Damascus from seizing the remaining opposition area. Turkey had stepped up its intervention to end the fighting that left scores killed, a senior rebel commander who requested anonymity said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Turkey sells battle-tested drones to UAE as regional rivals mend ties - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Orhan Coskun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Bayraktar TB2 drone stands near the logo of Baykar Turkish defence company inside a hall of 30th international Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland September 5, 2022. A source with knowledge of the talks said Abu Dhabi and Riyadh were negotiating to acquire Bayraktar TB2 drones from Ankara. A senior Turkish official confirmed Turkey has delivered some drones to the United Arab Emirates and that the UAE was seeking more. It currently produces 20 Bayraktar TB2 drones a month, he told a Ukrainian military services foundation in August, and its order book for those drones and other models was full for the next three years. While Turkish drones cannot match the technology of the models produced by market leaders Israel and the United States, they are cheaper and come with fewer export restrictions.

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