For Syrians on both sides of the divide, life has changed immeasurably since Israel began expanding its occupation of the Golan Heights
Majdal Shams/Beit Jinn – There are no Syrian flags anymore in the main square of Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, nor were there celebrations for the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.
A year on from the ceasefire, displaced civilians in south Lebanon continue to live under near-daily Israeli airstrikes, drones, and military occupation
South Lebanon – Ali Hammoud looked worn out, staring blankly at the little fire and the pot of boiling vegetables that would soon be his dinner. There is no gas, water or electricity, so he is cooking outdoors. And though an Israeli airstrike had torn away one side of his house, he is glad to be back.
Reuters reported that Syrian, Kurdish, and American officials are racing against time to show progress, even if limited, on the March 10 agreement before the end of the year.
The agency quoted several Syrian, Kurdish, and Western sources, involved in or briefed on the talks, as saying that negotiations had accelerated in recent days despite mounting frustration over delays, and that the Syrian government had sent a proposal to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreeing to incorporate its forces into the Syrian army as brigades and divisions.
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The Arab world was already badly divided when recent wars and military conflicts broke out between state actors and between them and nonstate actors in 2023. But paradoxically, these tremors have created conditions that led to almost unprecedented coordination and diplomatic activism among key Arab states, along with a willingness to engage with non-Arab actors that were previously seen as rivals and even pariahs. The fruits of that coordination, activism, and engagement to date—which Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates have led—have been more philosophically negative than positive; that is, they have averted worse outcomes more than they have secured decisive goals. Should the trend survive the current set of crises, however, there are possibilities for more constructive action. Is that likely or even possible? A review of the current situation in historical perspective suggests that sustained collective diplomacy is now more possible than in the past; while it cannot be described as likely, an attitudinal change on the part of key Arab leaders offers an unusual opening.
US and Jordanian forces have launched an operation against ISIS in Syria, killing at least five members of the extremist group including a cell leader, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.
The US strikes overnight on Friday were a response to an attack in Palmyra last week that killed three Americans, Centcom and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
Syria has seized drones and explosives from a suspected ISIS hideout in Damascus, in a swoop it said “confirms” it is capable of fighting extremists.
The raid, in which a suspected member of ISIS was arrested, was one of two against the group announced in the space of 24 hours. It came as US President Donald Trump prepared to receive the bodies of two Americans killed in an attack in Palmyra that authorities blamed on ISIS.
Amid mounting domestic pressure on President Saied, the Trump administration should take modest but useful and forward-looking steps like lifting tariffs, supporting less-politicized trade projects, and otherwise backing the people’s vision for a more prosperous future.
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Erdogan Accuses Israel of Seeking ‘Fragmentation’ of Syria: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled Israel the “primary obstacle” to a stable Syria on December 16, pledging that Ankara would continue to support the Ahmed al-Sharaa-led government responsible for ousting former dictator Bashar al-Assad from power in late 2024. “It is clear who will benefit from the fragmentation of Syria,” Erdogan said, adding that “a safer tomorrow for Syria is only possible with a vision of common history and all segments of society.”