Syrian Political, Economic Delegation in Tehran

The Syrian-Iranian Joint Economic Committee met in Damascus in April. (SANA)
The Syrian-Iranian Joint Economic Committee met in Damascus in April. (SANA)
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Syrian Political, Economic Delegation in Tehran

The Syrian-Iranian Joint Economic Committee met in Damascus in April. (SANA)
The Syrian-Iranian Joint Economic Committee met in Damascus in April. (SANA)

A Syrian political and economic delegation headed by Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad began a visit to Tehran. The visit, which will last for several days, aims to follow up on the agreements signed during Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Syria in May.

In a statement, the Iranian embassy in Damascus said the delegation includes the ministers of Economy and Foreign Trade, Mohammad Samer Al-Khalil, and Communications and Technology, Iyad Al-Khatib.

The visit comes amid news of Iran’s intention to establish an Iranian free zone in central Syria to boost Iranian investments and strengthen economic relations between the two countries.

The meetings of the Joint Economic Committee in Tehran, which will last until the end of this week, will follow up on the implementation of 15 memorandums of understanding that were signed during Raisi’s visit. They cover a variety of sectors, including energy, agriculture, free zones, communications and others.

Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Issa Zarepour announced last week that Iran will help Syria in the manufacture of communication satellites.

Moreover, the head of the Syrian-Iranian Joint Chamber of Commerce, Fahd Darwish, revealed in press statements a plan to establish an Iranian free zone in central Syria with the aim of “fostering the Iranian investment environment in Syria” and promoting the bilateral economic ties.

“Free zones are among the most important tributaries of the national economy of countries, and a basis for investments and platforms for import and export,” he stated.

The Syrian president and his Iranian counterpart had signed a memorandum of understanding for comprehensive and long-term strategic cooperation, as well as an MoU related to free zones and minutes of a meeting for cooperation in the field of railways and civil aviation.



Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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Israel Orders Evacuation of Area Designated as Humanitarian Zone in Gaza

 A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
A picture taken in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing during Israeli army operations in areas east of Khan Younis city on July 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)

Israel’s military ordered the evacuation Saturday of a crowded part of Gaza designated as a humanitarian zone, saying it is planning an operation against Hamas militants in Khan Younis, including parts of Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp where thousands are seeking refuge.

The order comes in response to rocket fire that Israel says originates from the area. It's the second evacuation issued in a week in an area designated for Palestinians fleeing other parts of Gaza. Many Palestinians have been uprooted multiple times in search of safety during Israel's punishing air and ground campaign.

On Monday, after the evacuation order, multiple Israeli airstrikes hit around Khan Younis, killing at least 70 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, citing figures from Nasser Hospital.

The area is part of a 60-square-kilometer (roughly 20-square-mile) “humanitarian zone” to which Israel has been telling Palestinians to flee to throughout the war. Much of the area is blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have limited access to aid, United Nations and humanitarian groups say. About 1.8 million Palestinians are sheltering there, according to Israel's estimates. That's more than half Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 39,100 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The UN estimated in February that some 17,000 children in the territory are now unaccompanied, and the number is likely to have grown since.

The war began with an assault by Hamas fighters on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. About 115 are still in Gaza, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.