Syrian Observatory: Israeli Forces Kidnap Baath Party Commander

A circulated photo of Mutaa Al-Sarhan, a leader in the Syrian Baath Party, in Quneitra
A circulated photo of Mutaa Al-Sarhan, a leader in the Syrian Baath Party, in Quneitra
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Syrian Observatory: Israeli Forces Kidnap Baath Party Commander

A circulated photo of Mutaa Al-Sarhan, a leader in the Syrian Baath Party, in Quneitra
A circulated photo of Mutaa Al-Sarhan, a leader in the Syrian Baath Party, in Quneitra

Israeli forces kidnapped a commander in Al-Baath Party and a member of the Reconciliation Committee from his house in Al-Rafeed village in Qunaitra’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation announced that the military has detained a suspect accused of crossing the border from Syria into Israel. The suspect was being interrogated.

The residents of the village accused Israeli forces of crossing the border to kidnap Mutaa Al-Sarhan.

There is no confirmed information about the reasons behind his kidnapping.

Regime forces are prevented from approaching the border area because it is considered a ceasefire agreement zone between the Israeli and Syrian sides.

The report comes one day after an attack - attributed to Israel - on a building in Kafr Sousa in Damascus, targeting Iranian leaders.

The Israeli airstrike hit the residential building on Wednesday, killing two people, Syrian state media and a security source said.

The neighborhood hosts residential buildings, schools and Iranian cultural centers, and lies near a large, heavily-guarded complex used by security agencies.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.