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Iran Ramps Up Pressure on Damascus for Debt Recovery via Investments

FILED - 16 February 2023, Syria, Damascus: A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 16 February shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivering a televised speech. Photo: -/SANA/dpa
FILED - 16 February 2023, Syria, Damascus: A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 16 February shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivering a televised speech. Photo: -/SANA/dpa
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Iran Ramps Up Pressure on Damascus for Debt Recovery via Investments

FILED - 16 February 2023, Syria, Damascus: A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 16 February shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivering a televised speech. Photo: -/SANA/dpa
FILED - 16 February 2023, Syria, Damascus: A photo released by the official Syrian Arab news agency (SANA) on 16 February shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivering a televised speech. Photo: -/SANA/dpa

Iran is pushing Syria to act on strategic investments from agreements between them, aiming to repay Syria’s $50 billion debt.

Tehran is speeding up the process, which Damascus had hesitated on, seeing itself as crucial for Syria’s survival amid economic collapse.

Sources in Damascus confirm Iran’s long-standing pressure to implement these agreements, especially after President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit last May and the signing of a cooperation memorandum.

The focus is on getting these agreements into action.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Syria sees these agreements as unfair, giving Iran benefits while harming Syrian interests.

Syria feels deprived of financial support to bolster its economy because the main goal seems to be Iran reclaiming its debt.

As a result, Damascus hesitates to implement the agreements, hoping to use its economy as leverage to attract investment from Arab and Western nations.

Last August, a classified government document from the Iranian presidency was leaked to the media, revealing Iran spent $50 billion on the Syrian war over 10 years.

Iran considers this sum as "debts" it intends to reclaim through investments, including the transfer of phosphate, oil, and other resources to the Iranian government.

Iran plans to invest $947 million in eight projects to recoup about $18 billion over 50 years.

An economist in Damascus, who requested anonymity, explained that due to war damage, production in government-held areas is minimal, and Syria heavily relies on imports, especially with Russia occupied in Ukraine.

As a result, Syria is dependent on Iran, which controls the supply of oil, gas, and food, becoming Syria’s main lifeline.

As signs of progress in Damascus-Tehran agreements emerge, Syria's Minister of Communications and Technology, Iyad al-Khatib, announced that the trial call for the new cellular operator, “Wafa Telecom,” will happen in September, followed by its commercial launch.

Workers installing communication towers confirmed that many are set up to serve “Wafa Telecom,” reportedly backed by seven local Syrian companies. However, investigations found ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

“Most areas in Damascus now have these towers,” an installation worker, speaking under conditions of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Another source in Damascus mentioned speeding up the implementation of various agreements, including establishing a joint bank and enhancing trade deals.

To speed up these agreements, Iran appointed Hossein Akbari as its special ambassador to Damascus in April 2023. He’s been meeting with Syrian officials and engaging with state institutions and trade chambers, focusing on the economic aspects.

Local media reported that he met with three Syrian ministers separately on March 21. They discussed starting various joint industrial projects between the two countries.

Among the planned Iranian-Syrian projects is an agreement regarding a Syrian phosphate mine with a capacity of 1.05 billion tons. Iran is set to receive part of its claims from this mine over 50 years, investing $125 million within 3 years.

According to a leaked Iranian document, this contract has been active since 2018, with 2.05 million tons of phosphate extracted from the mine until February 2022.

Another contract involves the Homs “Field 21” oil field in central Syria, holding reserves of 100 million barrels. The 30-year contract execution began in 2020, with Iran investing $300 million to complete it within 5 years, aiming to settle Syria's $3.4 billion debt from this field.

There’s also a contract for “Field 12” in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria, spanning 30 years. With a $300 million investment over 5 years, Iran expects to earn $3 billion from it.

Additionally, Iran will establish and operate a mobile phone station in Syria, investing $222 million over three years, expecting an income of $1.5 billion. They’ll also receive a portion of the income from the Latakia port, with payments spread over 20 years.

Furthermore, there are contracts for investing in 5,000 hectares of agricultural land in Syria, covering $25 million of Syria’s debt to Iran over 25 years.

Moreover, a contract will establish a factory for producing powdered infant milk near the “Zahid” cattle facility in Tartus. Through this, $7 million of Syria’s debt to Iran is expected to be repaid over 25 years.

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Arab World

Lebanon: Geagea Call with Aoun Quells Reports of Rift

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the presidential palace in June 2025. (File photo: Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the presidential palace in June 2025. (File photo: Lebanese Presidency)
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Lebanon: Geagea Call with Aoun Quells Reports of Rift

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the presidential palace in June 2025. (File photo: Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the presidential palace in June 2025. (File photo: Lebanese Presidency)

A phone call on Friday between Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and President Joseph Aoun helped quell speculation of serious rifts between the two, after weeks of reports suggesting relations had deteriorated into what some described as a “shaky relationship.”

Geagea statement

The LF said on Friday that Geagea had spoken by phone with Aoun to congratulate him on the first anniversary of his election, saying the year had marked “a real launch for the process of restoring the state and putting it back on the right track, toward a real and capable state.”

Geagea praised positions voiced by Aoun on the anniversary of his election, saying they were “a clear extension of the oath speech,” particularly his emphasis on the exclusive right of the Lebanese state to bear arms and on war and peace decisions being the sole prerogative of the state, restoring respect for the constitution and the concept of national sovereignty.

According to the Lebanese Forces statement, the call also addressed regional developments, with emphasis on the need to shield Lebanon from regional conflicts to safeguard its stability, security, and the interests of its people.

The two sides also discussed a number of domestic issues, foremost parliamentary elections and the need to hold them on time, and to enable non-resident Lebanese to vote from their places of residence for all members of parliament.

No rupture, no disputes

Media remarks by LF officials in recent weeks had reflected differences between the two sides and pointed to an unstable relationship that began to surface publicly during Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Beirut in early December, when party leaders were not invited to the reception ceremony at the presidential palace in Baabda.

Lawmaker Strida Geagea described that at the time as “surprising,” while Samir Geagea did not attend the mass held on Beirut’s waterfront for security reasons.

Subsequent statements by Lebanese Forces officials highlighted political differences, fueling assessments of tensions and a rupture.

However, LF sources insisted there had been no rupture and no fundamental disputes, only differences that are “a right in politics,” reiterating that there were “no disagreements.”

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that “on the strategic track, we agree with President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, but there are files on which we oppose them,” citing most recently differences with the PM over a draft law on the financial gap.

They stressed that these differences “do not turn into a personal issue.”

Ongoing contacts

The sources said ties between Geagea and Aoun were maintained at four levels.

The first was direct personal contact between the two, which was not made public, except for this call to congratulate Aoun on his election anniversary and to follow up on his recent positions.

The second channel was through envoys sent by Geagea to the presidency. The third was through the two sides’ teams, who remain in constant coordination. The fourth level of communication was through Lebanese Forces ministers in the government.

They said the LF fully agree with Aoun’s strategic vision on exclusive state control of arms and state-building, adding, “We share with him the major national goals and the state project.

We never questioned his positions, and he has maintained the same stance since his election.”

The sources said the differences lay in the pace and method of implementing the strategic vision, acknowledging that this is the president’s prerogative, while the Lebanese Forces believe that implementation of the cabinet decisions taken on Aug. 5 and 7 on exclusive state control of arms should be accelerated.

They said some files need to be settled, such as enforcing exclusive state control of arms, so the process does not drag on, noting that the issue remains a key obstacle to state-building, even though both sides share the same objective of reaching an effective state.

Other differences were described by the sources as “situational” and part of daily politics, such as the LF’ call for the government to exert additional pressure on Speaker Nabih Berri to place its draft amendment to the electoral law on the agenda, among other day-to-day issues.

Arab World

Israel Continues Assassinations of Hamas, Islamic Jihad Leaders

Palestinian women mourn the dead after an Israeli strike in central Gaza (AP)
Palestinian women mourn the dead after an Israeli strike in central Gaza (AP)
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Israel Continues Assassinations of Hamas, Islamic Jihad Leaders

Palestinian women mourn the dead after an Israeli strike in central Gaza (AP)
Palestinian women mourn the dead after an Israeli strike in central Gaza (AP)

Israel pressed ahead with targeted killings of senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures in Gaza, citing recent attacks on its forces, even as a ceasefire agreement entered its second phase, and plans were announced for a technocratic body to administer the enclave.

On Thursday, Israel killed two senior figures from the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, along with other activists, in a series of air strikes on homes in several areas of Gaza that killed 12 Palestinians.

The first strike targeted Saeed al-Jarou, an activist in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, who worked in military manufacturing, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Another Palestinian was killed alongside him when the courtyard of the Jarou family home in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza was hit. The house had already been damaged in an earlier strike a month ago that killed Saeed’s brother, who was also a Qassam activist.

Less than an hour later, another strike hit the home of Mohammed al-Houli, a senior commander in the Qassam Brigades, killing him along with a young man and a child.

Al-Houli held several positions within Qassam, including deputy commander of the Central Brigade and head of the intelligence apparatus.

He previously served as commander of the Field Control Forces, according to sources.

Hours later, Israeli aircraft struck the home of Ashraf al-Khatib, a leader in the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing him, his wife, and her brother.

Sources said al-Khatib was responsible for the rocket unit in the central Gaza area and was among the first to fire rockets toward Tel Aviv during the 2012 war. He was also an officer in the Palestinian Authority security services.

Shortly afterward, an Israeli strike targeted Amjad Shamlakh, a Hamas activist, as he was passing through the Nabulsi area in the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood south of Gaza City. Shamlakh worked as a nurse at Al-Shifa Medical Complex. His brother, a Qassam activist, was killed earlier in the war.

The Israeli army said it, together with the Shin Bet security agency, had attacked Hamas and Islamic Jihad members following what it described as a violation of the ceasefire earlier this week in western Rafah in southern Gaza.

It said it views any breach of the agreement with utmost seriousness and will continue to act against any attempt to advance what it called terrorist plots.

On Friday, Israeli forces killed an elderly woman after what witnesses described as indiscriminate fire from Israeli vehicles toward displacement tents south of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

A child was also killed by fire from a drone in the town of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

The death toll in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 71,457, including 465 killed since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Expansion of the “Yellow Line”

In related field developments, satellite images showed that over the past three months, since the ceasefire was announced, the Israeli army has expanded the so-called Yellow Line zone it occupies in Gaza, which now covers more than half of the enclave.

The army has advanced hundreds of meters into areas that were officially meant, under a plan by US President Donald Trump, to remain under Hamas control.

Satellite imagery cited by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz showed the army continuing to demolish buildings in Jabalia and the Shujaiya neighborhood, both inside and outside the Yellow Line zone.

According to the London-based organization Forensic Architecture, Israeli forces have established 13 military sites in Gaza since the ceasefire was announced and until mid-December, including two large military positions in the Jabalia area. These elevated sites overlook vast distances.

Buildings were destroyed, areas were evacuated, and heavy engineering equipment was used to construct high earth berms to monitor the entire northern Gaza area.

The Israeli army deliberately places unclear markers for the Yellow Line, setting yellow concrete blocks hundreds of meters apart, making it impossible for Palestinians to determine where the occupied zone begins as they attempt to reach their land and homes.

Israeli forces then open fire indiscriminately, killing hundreds, including more than 100 children.

The army frequently shifts the concrete blocks westward into areas under Hamas control.

Analysis of satellite imagery along the Yellow Line shows discrepancies between the location of the concrete blocks and the official Yellow Line as defined by Israeli military data.

The yellow concrete blocks appear to be positioned about 300 meters west of the official Yellow Line shown on Israeli army maps.

The destruction of buildings in recent months adds to the erasure of entire cities in Gaza during the war.

According to the latest report by the United Nations satellite center, the Israeli army has destroyed or irreparably damaged more than 80 percent of buildings in the enclave, triggering a massive displacement crisis.

Hundreds of thousands are now living in tents, struggling to survive amid severe weather, strong winds, and seawater flooding tent areas, destroying shelters and contributing to the spread of disease.

Arab World

Gaza Administration Committee Meets in Cairo Amid Cautious Optimism

Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)
Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)
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Gaza Administration Committee Meets in Cairo Amid Cautious Optimism

Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)
Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)

The Gaza ceasefire agreement entered a new phase on Friday with the first meeting in Cairo of a technocrat committee tasked with administering the enclave, following its formation by Palestinian consensus, a welcome from Washington, and the absence of an official Israeli objection after earlier reservations.

The inaugural meeting came hours after Israel killed eight Palestinians, prompting Hamas to accuse it of “sabotaging the agreement,” leaving analysts expressing cautious optimism about the ceasefire’s trajectory in light of these developments and the continued Israeli strikes.

They stressed the need for a decisive US position to complete the requirements of the second phase, which began with the formation of the Gaza administration committee and faces major obstacles, including the entry of aid, an Israeli withdrawal, and the disarmament of Hamas.

Egyptian satellite channel Al-Qahera News reported on Friday that the first meeting of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of Gaza had begun in the Egyptian capital, with Palestinian Ali Shaath in the chair.

In his first media appearance, Shaath said the committee had officially started its work from Cairo and consists of 15 professional Palestinian national figures. He said the committee had received financial support and had been allocated a two-year budget, which is the duration of its mandate.

He called for the establishment of a World Bank fund for the reconstruction and relief of Gaza, noting that influential countries in the region had promised substantial, tangible financial support.

Shaath said the relief plan is based on the Egyptian plan approved by the Arab League in March 2025, which spans five years and is estimated to cost about $53 billion, and has been welcomed by the European Union.

He added that the first step adopted by the Gaza administration committee was to supply 200,000 prefabricated housing units to the territory.

Hamas said on Friday it was ready to hand over control of Gaza to a technocratic administration.

In a statement, it warned that “massacres” committed by the Israeli army in Gaza, including the killing of nine Palestinians, among them a woman and a child, in air strikes and gunfire targeting displaced people’s tents, underscored Israel’s continued policy of undermining the ceasefire agreement and obstructing declared efforts to entrench calm in the enclave.

Hamas described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” that coincided with mediators announcing the formation of a technocratic government and the entry into the second phase of the agreement, as stated on Wednesday, as well as US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday of the establishment of a Board of Peace.

It called on mediators and guarantor countries to shoulder their responsibilities by pressuring Israel to halt its violations and comply with what was agreed.

On Thursday, Trump announced the creation of a Gaza-focused Board of Peace, saying the parties had officially entered the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The Gaza government media office said in a statement the same day that Israel had committed 1,244 violations of the ceasefire during its first phase, resulting in the killing, injury, or arrest of 1,760 Palestinians since the deal took effect.

Rakha Ahmed Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and a former assistant foreign minister, said the launch of the committee’s work was extremely important and effectively removed one of Israel’s pretexts regarding the presence of Hamas, particularly since the committee is technocratic and enjoys consensus.

He said that while this undermines those pretexts and marks the end of Hamas’s political authority, developments must be handled cautiously and completed with the deployment of stabilization forces and a Palestinian police presence, provided no new Israeli obstacles emerge.

Palestinian political analyst Ayman al-Raqab also voiced cautious optimism, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that the committee faces major challenges, notably administering a territory that has been completely devastated, as well as Israeli complications related to the weapons of the resistance and opposition to full reconstruction and withdrawal.

Mediator efforts are continuing. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty received a phone call from US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff regarding next steps and procedures following the transition to the second phase of Trump’s plan.

According to an Egyptian foreign ministry statement on Friday, the call emphasized the need to move forward with implementing the second phase’s obligations, including the start of work by the Palestinian technocrats committee following its formation, the deployment of an international stabilization force to monitor the ceasefire, the achievement of an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip and the launch of early recovery and reconstruction.

Hassan said Egypt’s role remains crucial and focused on completing the agreement without Israeli obstruction, particularly as the Rafah crossing was not opened during the first phase, and delays persist in deploying stabilization forces to oversee border crossings.

He stressed that Washington would seek to complete the agreement to preserve its credibility.

Al-Raqab said that any progress in the second phase and avoiding a repeat of the first phase’s stagnation hinges on US support for fully implementing the deal, particularly securing an Israeli withdrawal rather than just addressing disarmament.