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Senior US Official Denies Plans to Withdraw from Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his meeting with Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland last Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his meeting with Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland last Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Senior US Official Denies Plans to Withdraw from Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his meeting with Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland last Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during his meeting with Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland last Sunday. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

A senior US official has said the US firmly rejects any consideration of withdrawal from Syria in the face of the persistent ISIS threat, emphasizing the significance of collaboration with Türkiye despite differences in opinions regarding how to conduct the fight.

The US is not withdrawing its forces from Syria, Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in an interview with CNN Turk.

Nuland explained that ISIS was "still active in too many places."

Speaking about Türkiye, Nuland stated, “We have been partners in the fight against terrorism for decades. In particular, we have been strong partners in the fight against ISIS, wherever it is. This needs to continue with Türkiye, whether in Iraq or Syria.”

The interview was broadcast following Nuland’s participation in the Türkiye-US Strategic Mechanism meetings.

“Even though we do not always agree on how to conduct this fight, it is more important than ever to strengthen our cooperation,” she said.

“One of the issues we talked about was re-strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism and establishing a dialogue on what path to follow in Syria because both sides have important interests there, especially in the fight against terrorism.”

Persistent discord characterizes the relationship between Türkiye and the US concerning Washington's assistance to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, a pivotal faction within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The US views the SDF as a crucial ally in the fight against ISIS, while Türkiye perceives it as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a designated terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and Europe.

Tensions have escalated regarding the US military presence in Syria, gaining momentum following a recent report by Foreign Policy, which unveiled that the US is considering ending its military presence in Syria.

“While no definitive decision has been made to leave, four sources within the Defense and State Departments said the White House is no longer invested in sustaining a mission that it perceives as unnecessary. Active internal discussions are now underway to determine how and when a withdrawal may take place,” according to the report.

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Arab World

Over 1.2 mn People in Lebanon to Face Acute Hunger due to War

UN forces operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
UN forces operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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Over 1.2 mn People in Lebanon to Face Acute Hunger due to War

UN forces operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
UN forces operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A UN-backed report said Wednesday that more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon were expected to face acute hunger due to the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The figure was announced in a joint statement by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Program and Lebanon's agriculture ministry.

Some "1.24 million people -- nearly one in four of the population analysed -- are expected to face food insecurity" at crisis levels or worse between April and August 2026, they said.

They were referring to analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed group that monitors hunger and malnutrition.

This marks a "significant deterioration" from before the war erupted in March, "when an estimated 874,000 people, roughly 17 percent of the population, were experiencing acute food insecurity", the statement said.

"The deterioration is due to conflict, displacement and economic pressures," it added.

A ceasefire since April 17 has paused six weeks of war between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,500 people in Lebanon and displaced more than one million, according to the authorities.

Israeli forces are operating in south Lebanon near the border where residents have been warned not to return, and both sides have been trading fire despite the truce.

"Acute food insecurity is likely to deepen without sustained and timely humanitarian and livelihood support," the statement added.

Arab World

Syria Says Australia Won't Repatriate Families from Camp for Those with Alleged Ties to ISIS Militants

A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)
A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)
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Syria Says Australia Won't Repatriate Families from Camp for Those with Alleged Ties to ISIS Militants

A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)
A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)

A group of Australian women and children who left a camp in Syria that houses people with alleged ties to ISIS group are stuck in the country because Australian authorities have refused to allow their return, Syrian officials said Wednesday.

Thirteen women and children from four families last week left Roj camp, a remote facility near the border with Iraq that houses relatives of suspected militants, on Friday and traveled to Syria's capital.

An official at the camp at the time said that the families were expected to remain in Damascus for around 72 hours and then be sent to Australia.

In response to an Associated Press inquiry about their status, Syria's information ministry said in a statement that after the families left the camp, the foreign ministry was informed that "the Australian government had refused to receive them.”

They were turned back from reaching Damascus International Airport, the information ministry's statement said.

“These families are still awaiting a solution, which can only be achieved through coordination with the relevant international parties.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference on Wednesday that “we are providing no support for repatriation and no assistance for these people.”

Syria's information ministry said that the families, through a lawyer, had obtained passports that were delivered by an “individual” that it didn't identify while they were still in northeastern Syria in an area under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF.

A Lebanese-Australian doctor, Jamal Rifi, previously told Australian media that he was helping to coordinate the repatriation effort. Rifi couldn't be reached for comment.

A previous attempt to return 34 women and children to Australia from the camp in February was turned back by Syrian authorities.

Former ISIS militants from multiple countries, along with their wives and children, were held in a network of camps and detention centers in northeast Syria after the militant group lost control of its territory in Syria in 2019. Though defeated, the group still has sleeper cells that carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.

The larger al-Hol camp has now been closed down, and thousands of suspected ISIS militants previously held in Syria were transferred to Iraq by the US military to stand trial there.

The moves came after fighting between government forces and the SDF in January. Government forces seized much of the territory formerly held by the SDF. Amid the chaos, many detainees fled al-Hol and some prisoners escaped from a detention center.

Australian governments have repatriated Australian women and children from Syrian detention camps on two occasions. Other Australians have also returned without government assistance.

Arab World

Saudi Envoy Says Adherence to Taif Accord is Key to Any Settlement in Lebanon

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)
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Saudi Envoy Says Adherence to Taif Accord is Key to Any Settlement in Lebanon

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said adherence to the 1989 Taif Agreement is the backbone to any settlement in Lebanon, alongside the need to reinforce civil peace and prioritize wisdom and reason.

Bukhari made the remarks during visits to Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Ali al-Khatib and Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna.

During his meeting with Derian, Bukhari stressed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Lebanon’s unity in facing current challenges, saying the Kingdom was pursuing diplomatic efforts to help Lebanon through its crisis and stood by the Lebanese state and its institutions in support of solutions that promote security, stability and prosperity.

Derian, for his part, praised Saudi Arabia’s role in the region, particularly in supporting Lebanon’s stability, security and unity under exceptional circumstances.

He said rebuilding the state was the only path to saving Lebanon by restoring its authority across all its territory, confining weapons to the Lebanese army and adhering to the Taif accord while strengthening national unity.

Derian also welcomed diplomatic efforts by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with the support of Arab and international partners, to halt the war in Lebanon and reach a settlement that ensures stability.

In a second stop, Bukhari met Ali al-Khatib at the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, where they reviewed developments in Lebanon and the region and prospects for the coming phase.

Bukhari voiced optimism about the future and stressed the need to strengthen civil peace in Lebanon, saying this had been a focus of recent Saudi efforts and expressing confidence in “people of wisdom and reason.”

He stressed that what is needed today is a path agreed by Lebanon’s three top leaders to safeguard civil peace, while praising the wisdom and experience of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at every critical juncture.

Bukhari said a return to the Taif accord was the main gateway to agreement on broad principles that protect every Lebanese component and avoid excluding any party, recalling late parliament speaker Hussein Husseini’s saying that “the alternative to Taif is implementing Taif.”

Khatib, for his part, praised Saudi Arabia’s role in strengthening civil peace in Lebanon and repeated that “we have no separate political project of our own.”

He said hopes rested on Saudi Arabia’s role in curbing Israeli and Western overreach, calling for cooperation among major Arab and Islamic states to forge a project capable of confronting the Zionist plan.

He added that the Arab and Islamic worlds needed a front to protect them and that Saudi Arabia was central to that effort, expressing hope such cooperation would lead to greater integration while preserving each state’s particularities.

Bukhari also met Abi al-Muna to discuss broader developments in light of continued military operations, efforts to stop the war, Saudi Arabia’s role in helping Lebanon overcome its difficult circumstances, the importance of preserving civil peace and national unity, and the outcome of the recent visit to Lebanon by Saudi Foreign Ministry adviser Yazid bin Farhan.