Page 16 - Syria

Arab leaders, joined by Bashar Assad, at key summit in Saudi Arabia

Washington has objected to any steps towards normalisation with Assad, saying there must first be progress towards a political solution to the conflict

Assad emerges victorious, as Arab governments accept Syria back to the fold

Apparently, most Arab governments see that they have to recognize Assad's rule as a reality and as a means to avoid further destabilization in the region

Saudi Arabia to reopen embassy in Syria as diplomatic relations improve

The diplomatic mission of Saudi Arabia in Syria will resume its work 11 years after it was closed as the two countries' relations have improved recently, the kingdom's news agency reported late Tuesday. The announcement came nearly a month after Syria and Saudi Arabia said they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming airline flights. Last month's development followed a visit by Syria's top diplomat to the kingdom, the first since Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012 and a visit by Syria's foreign minister to Riyadh. On Sunday, the 22-member Arab League agreed to reinstate Syria, ending a 12-year suspension and taking another step toward bringing Syrian President Bashar Assad, a long-time regional pariah, back into the fold. Syria was widely shunned by Arab governments over the Assad government's brutal crackdown on protesters in a 2011 uprising that descended into civil war. The breakdown in relations culminated with Syria being ousted from the Ar

Arab League to readmit Syria after more than a decade of isolation

The decision was unanimous, Hossam Zaki, the Arab League's assistant secretary-general, told Bloomberg. The move, taken at an Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo

'Dramatic decrease' in Islamic State activities in Iraq and Syria: US

This past Ramazan, normally a time when IS ramps up its attacks and activities, was "one of the most peaceful in years," said US Major General Matthew McFarlane

Syria earns more from drug Captagon than from its legal narco exports

Captagon is a synthetic stimulant composed of amphetamine and caffeine, and it is an internationally-recognized illegal drug (UNODC, 2021)

Syria, Saudi Arabia agree to resume consular services, air flights

Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed in a joint statement to resume consular services and flights, after the bilateral ties have been stranded for years

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Rocket explosion in Jordanian air near border with Syria: Jordanian army

The Jordanian armed forces said in a statement that a rocket exploded in the air over Jordanian territories near the border with Syria, and no injuries were reported

6 rockets fired within few hours from Syria, says Israeli military

The Israeli military said three more rockets were launched from Syria toward Israel early Sunday, raising to six the number of missiles fired within hours in a rare attack from Israel's northeastern neighbour. Israel's army said it was retaliating with artillery strikes on the area in Syria from where the rockets were fired at Israel. The rocket firings come after days of escalating violence on multiple fronts over tension in Jerusalem and an Israeli police raid on the city's most sensitive holy site. In the second barrage, two of the rockets crossed the border into Israel, with one being intercepted and the second landing in an open area, the military said. In the first attack, one rocket landed in a field in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Fragments of another destroyed missile fell into Jordanian territory near the Syrian border, Jordan's military reported. There were no reports of casualties. Meanwhile, a Damascus-based Palestinian group loyal to the Syrian regime claimed .

Israel launches missile attack on sites in Syrian capital: Report

No casualties have been reported so far

Suspected Iranian drone strike kills US contractor in Syria: Pentagon

A US contractor was killed and five US service members and one other US contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In a statement released late Thursday, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said US Central Command forces retaliated with precision airstrikes against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The Defence Department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle was of Iranian origin. The airstrikes were conducted in response to today's attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria" by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, Austin said. Overnight, videos on social media purported to show explosions in Syria's Deir Ez-Zor, a strategic province that borders Iraq and contains oil fields. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area, which also has

Humanitarian earthquake aid in Syria continues to scale up, says UN

Despite operating challenges, relief workers in Syria have scaled up aid delivery to victims of the devastating February 6 earthquakes, UN humanitarians said

World was slow to send aid to Syria after earthquake, says United Nations

The international community and the Syrian government did not act quickly last month to help people in need in the rebel-held northwest after a deadly earthquake hit Turkiye and Syria, a U.N. commission said Monday. The Feb. 6 magnitude 7.8 earthquake and strong aftershocks that ravaged southern Turkiye and northwestern Syria killed more than 50,000 people, including over 6,000 in Syria. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said there should be an investigation into why it took a week to open border crossings for aid to flow. It added that war-torn Syria now needs a comprehensive cease-fire that is fully respected for civilians, including aid workers, to be safe. It took a week for the U.N. and Syria's President Bashar Assad's government to agree on opening two more border crossings into the rebel-held region bordering Turkiye as many people were still under the rubble. Since the earthquake, we have seen many acts to help victims by the Syrians themselves,

Death toll from last month's quake nears 48,000 in Turkiye, 6,000 in Syria

The head of Turkiye's disaster and emergency management agency has raised the country's death toll from a magnitude 7.8 earthquake last month to 47,975. Yunus Sezer said during a news conference on Saturday that the people who died included 6,278 foreigners, with Syrian nationals accounting for the largest share. The Feb. 6 quake affected 11 Turkish provinces and parts of neighbouring Syria. The United Nations has estimated Syria's death toll at 6,000. The quake was followed by a magnitude 7.5 temblor hours later, as well as thousands of aftershocks. At least 230,000 buildings were destroyed or badly damaged in Turkiye. Experts have pointed at lax building code enforcement as a major reason why the earthquake was so deadly.

Apollo Hospitals donates monitoring patches for Turkey earthquake victims

Apollo Hospitals collaborated with LifeSigns to donate 1,000 remote patient monitoring patches to support victims after last month's earthquake in southeast Turkiye and northern Syria, it said in a statement on Monday. These patches, manufactured by LifeSigns, can be used in settings where patients need close monitoring of vital signs, including cardiac rhythm. According to the statement, "They allow doctors to reliably monitor a patient's heart rate, ECG (electrocardiogram) rhythm, respiratory rate, temperature, and position, and can also be used to connect to oxygen saturation monitoring devices. "This will free up critical care beds for the sickest patients, and those who need care outside of hospitals or in the field can use the patches." Dr Sai Praveen Haranath of Apollo Hospitals said, "Apollo Hospitals stands ready to assist Turkiye in this hour of need to help with medical assistance and guidance from our entire critical care and sub-specialist teams..." The February 6 ...

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Recent earthquake caused damage worth $5.1 billion in Syria: World Bank

The World Bank said on Friday that Syria sustained an estimated USD 5.1 billion in damages in last month's massive earthquake that struck southeast Turkey and northern parts of the war-torn country. The quake killed at least 50,000 people, including about 6,000 in Syria, according to the United Nations. Tens of thousands are still missing and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. In a report released on Friday, the World Bank says the level of the damage in Syria is about 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product. Syria's northern province of Aleppo was the most severely hit region, accounting for 45 per cent of the total damages in Syria and amounting to about USD 2.3 billion in damages. Also badly hit was the rebel-held region in the northwest, home to some 4.6 million people, many of them previously displaced by Syria's war. Aleppo was followed by the northwestern province of Idlib, with estimated damages of USD 1.9 billion and Latakia, government-controlled territ

Better building standards would have saved lives in Turkey earthquakes

It's safe to say that Turkey and war-torn Syria are far from the most-prepared countries. The death toll from February's quakes is nearing 50,000, and expected to rise further

Turkey launches salary support scheme, bans layoffs in earthquake zone

Turkey has launched a temporary salary support scheme and banned job cuts in southern provinces hit by the devastating earthquakes that killed over 42,000 people in the country as well as in Syria