Israel says the Syrian regime, aided directly by Iran, has established a secret plutonium production facility in Deir-ez-Zor as part of an undisclosed nuclear project.
The head of Israel’s atomic energy agency, Moshe Edri, has accused the Syrian regime of constructing a facility in Deir-ez-Zor to produce radioactive plutonium, with support from Iran.
This news roundup covers a series of developments related to the ongoing conflicts in Syria and its neighbouring regions. In Lebanon and Syria, Hezbollah members and others were wounded in a coordinated attack involving exploding pagers, which officials suspect was carried out by Israel. Meanwhile, the persistent use of torture in Syria continues despite recent legal efforts by Canada and the Netherlands at the International Court of Justice to hold the Syrian government accountable. Additionally, an op-ed discusses the risks of the United States withdrawing its forces from Iraq, which could allow the resurgence of ISIS in Syria. Finally, French cement company Lafarge faces legal challenges over its payments to ISIS during the Syrian civil war, raising questions about corporate complicity in crimes against humanity.
The KNC demanded the removal of the representative of the al-Amshat faction from the General Authority of the Coalition, according to Enab Baladi.
The Kurdish National Council (KNC) has suspended its involvement with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SOC) following reports of attacks by military groups affiliated with the Syrian National Army (SNA) on Kurdish civilians in Afrin, northern Aleppo.
The 47th Regiment is one of the IRGC’s most significant military formations, DEIR EZZOR 24 says.
Local sources from the countryside of al-Bukamal, under the control of the Syrian regime and Iranian militias, reported that residents demanded the withdrawal of the 47th Regiment of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday.
In recent years, Türkiye has made significant strides in indigenizing its defense industry, emerging as a key arms exporter. The country’s advancements in producing high-quality, cost-effective defense equipment have bolstered its strategic influence in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and the Gulf. Turkish drones, notably the Bayraktar TB2, played a pivotal role in Azerbaijan’s sweeping victory over Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, showcasing the efficacy and sophistication of Turkish defense technology. Coming off a record year for defense exports in 2023, Türkiye is poised to continue its upward trajectory, albeit not without competition or challenges to its market share.
“Before el-Sissi, but also during his tenure, cars, motorcycles, clothes, drugs, medicines, alcoholic beverages, and weapons were smuggled through the Philadelphi Corridor over the years, lots of weapons: improved RPG-29 rockets that killed our soldiers in the Iron Swords War, hidden rocket parts, machine guns, mines, and more.” — Nadav Shragai, Israeli author and journalist, Israel Hayom, July 10, 2024.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to maintain equidistance in the Yemen conflict: Moscow’s growing interaction with the Houthis, including at the military level, is making itself felt. We have seen this before in Syria, Libya, and Sudan.
The partnership between Russia and Iran, which is growing stronger as a result of military cooperation in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, is reverberating in various parts of the world. In war-torn Yemen, it is bringing about Moscow’s rapprochement with pro-Iranian Houthi rebels.
Latest Developments
An Israeli air strike on Beirut on September 20 eliminated Hezbollah’s top military commander, Ibrahim Aqil, and 10 other senior commanders belonging to the Iran-backed terrorist organization. Aqil’s death was confirmed by both the Israel Defense Forces and two “security sources in Lebanon” who spoke to the Reuters news agency. The strike came at the close of a week that plunged Hezbollah into disarray after thousands of pagers and hand-held devices carried by the group’s operatives detonated without warning on September 17 and 18.
La situation en Israël devient extrêmement tendue. Non seulement aux frontières, qui sont désormais quasiment sur pied de guerre, compte tenu des choix du gouvernement Netanyahou. À l’intérieur même d’Israël, et peut-être surtout à l’intérieur d’Israël, la tension atteint des sommets. Avec, d’un côté, les oppositions, dont les travaillistes, qui sont désormais à la tête d’une contestation populaire grandissante. D’autre part, le gouvernement de Bibi, de moins en moins populaire, fort de son Likoud et de quelques petits partis influents s’inscrivant dans l’orbite ultra-orthodoxe. Une coalition qui vise directement le conflit non seulement avec le Hamas, mais aussi avec tout le monde arabe qui n’a pas accepté les accords avec Israël. Et qui considère Téhéran comme une référence clé.
The Case for an Israeli-Palestinian Confederation
In July, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the war in Gaza and the future of the Middle East. Afterward, Harris stressed her commitment to a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians—in her words, “the only path that ensures Israel remains a secure Jewish and democratic state, and one that ensures Palestinians can finally realize the freedom, security, and prosperity that they rightly deserve.” She is hardly alone in this sentiment. Across the world, leaders continue to pledge support for a two-state solution, arguing that it provides direction and momentum to efforts to end the war and eventually rebuild Gaza. In a long-awaited cease-fire resolution, passed in June, the UN Security Council again committed itself to “the vision of the two-State solution where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders.”