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Türkiye, Russia Resume Joint Patrols in Northeast Syria, Turkish Ministry Says

A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Türkiye patrol near Tel Abyad, Syria. (Reuters file)
A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Türkiye patrol near Tel Abyad, Syria. (Reuters file)
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Türkiye, Russia Resume Joint Patrols in Northeast Syria, Turkish Ministry Says

A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Türkiye patrol near Tel Abyad, Syria. (Reuters file)
A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Türkiye patrol near Tel Abyad, Syria. (Reuters file)

Turkish and Russian troops in armored vehicles have resumed joint ground patrols in northeast Syria after operations were halted last year for security reasons, Türkiye’s defense ministry said on Friday.

The joint ground patrol was relaunched on Thursday into the east of the "Operation Peace Spring" zone in northeast Syria, involving four vehicles and 24 personnel, the statement said.

The ministry did not elaborate on the security issues that halted joint patrol operations in October last year. A total of 344 joint patrols had been conducted in the area since 2019, the ministry said.

In 2019, Türkiye and its Syrian opposition allies began military operations in northeast Syria, dubbed "Operation Peace Spring", aiming to drive back Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

That year, Ankara and Moscow agreed to conduct joint patrols in the region under a deal struck by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Joint ground patrols will continue in the near future to establish stability in northeast Syria, ensure security of Türkiye’s borders and demonstrate Turkish-Russian cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the defense ministry said.

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Arab World

Syria Arrests Former General Accused of Chemical Attack involvement

A photo posted by Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab on X shows Adnan Abboud Hloua, one of the most prominent officers responsible for the chemical massacre in Ghouta.
A photo posted by Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab on X shows Adnan Abboud Hloua, one of the most prominent officers responsible for the chemical massacre in Ghouta.
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Syria Arrests Former General Accused of Chemical Attack involvement

A photo posted by Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab on X shows Adnan Abboud Hloua, one of the most prominent officers responsible for the chemical massacre in Ghouta.
A photo posted by Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab on X shows Adnan Abboud Hloua, one of the most prominent officers responsible for the chemical massacre in Ghouta.

Syria's interior minister on Wednesday said it detained an Assad-era general accused of involvement in the 2013 Ghouta chemical attack.

In a post on X, Anas Khattab said that "Adnan Abboud Hilweh, one of the most prominent officers responsible for the chemical massacre in Eastern Ghouta in 2013, is now in the custody of the Counter-Terrorism Department", AFP reported.

US intelligence says more than 1,000 people were killed with sarin nerve gas in the suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, in 2013 during Syria's civil war.

The attack was attributed to the Syrian government under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in late 2024.

The government at the time denied involvement and blamed opposition forces.

Hilweh was one of three Syrian generals accused by the US State Department in 2022 of involvement in "gross violations of human rights, namely the flagrant denial of the right to life of at least 1,400 people in Ghouta", banning them along with their immediate family from entering the country.

Hilweh was sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries.

Syria's 13-year civil war killed more than half a million people and displaced millions of others. Tens of thousands of people disappeared, many into the country's brutal prison system.

Syria's new authorities have repeatedly vowed to provide justice and accountability for Assad-era atrocities, while activists and the international community have emphasised the importance of transitional justice in the war-ravaged country.

On Monday, a Syrian court conducted the first hearing in the trial of Assad, in absentia, and senior figures from his government, one of whom appeared in person.

Former security official Atif Najib, a relative of Assad's, was in the dock in handcuffs.

Assad fled to Moscow with only a handful of confidants as opposition-led forces closed in on Damascus in December 2024, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom reportedly went abroad or took refuge in the coastal heartland of Assad's Alawite minority.

Arab World

Israel Arrests 175 Activists from Gaza Flotilla Far from its Waters

Global Sumud Flotilla vessels prepare to depart for Gaza at the port of Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 12 April 2026. EPA/MARTA PEREZ
Global Sumud Flotilla vessels prepare to depart for Gaza at the port of Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 12 April 2026. EPA/MARTA PEREZ
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Israel Arrests 175 Activists from Gaza Flotilla Far from its Waters

Global Sumud Flotilla vessels prepare to depart for Gaza at the port of Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 12 April 2026. EPA/MARTA PEREZ
Global Sumud Flotilla vessels prepare to depart for Gaza at the port of Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 12 April 2026. EPA/MARTA PEREZ

Israel's army arrested around 175 activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters off Greece, the Israeli foreign ministry and the flotilla's organizers said Thursday.

"Approximately 175 activists from more than 20 boats of the condom flotilla are now making their way peacefully to Israel," the ministry said in a statement, using its latest epithet to poke fun at the flotilla after prophylactics were found in a previous convoy.

The statement included a video of the activists aboard an Israeli navy ship.

The organizers of the latest flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel's blockade on Gaza had announced shortly beforehand that their boats were surrounded by Israeli military ships while off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.

"At the time of publishing this statement (06:30 Paris time, 04:30 GMT), at least 22 of the flotilla's 58 boats have been stormed by Israeli forces in complete violation of international law," AFP quoted the Global Sumud Flotilla as saying in a statement.

The flotilla set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy.

Overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, the flotilla said its boats had been "illegally surrounded" by Israeli vessels.

The remaining boats in the flotilla are currently near Crete, according to the organization’s live tracking on its website.

"Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as 'Israel', pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees," the organization had said.

"Boat communications are being jammed and a SOS was issued."

In the summer and autumn of 2025, a first voyage by the Global Sumud Flotilla across the Mediterranean towards Gaza drew worldwide attention.

The boats in that flotilla were intercepted by Israel off the coasts of Egypt and the Gaza Strip in early October.

The Israeli operation, described as illegal by the organizers and by Amnesty International, drew international condemnation.

Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and then expelled by Israel.

Israel controls all entry points to Gaza, and has been accused by the United Nations and foreign NGOs of strangling the flow of goods into the territory, causing shortages since the start of the war in October 2023.

The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007, and the war triggered by the Palestinian movement's attack on Israel has led to severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel.

A fragile ceasefire was reached last October after two years of devastating conflict.

Arab World

Saudi Arabia Stresses Importance of Strengthening Lebanon’s Stability

Patriarch al-Rahi receives Ambassador Bukhari in Bkerke (NNA)
Patriarch al-Rahi receives Ambassador Bukhari in Bkerke (NNA)
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Saudi Arabia Stresses Importance of Strengthening Lebanon’s Stability

Patriarch al-Rahi receives Ambassador Bukhari in Bkerke (NNA)
Patriarch al-Rahi receives Ambassador Bukhari in Bkerke (NNA)

A meeting between Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros al-Rahi and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari in Bkerke underscored the priority of consolidating stability in Lebanon by supporting the state and its institutions and fostering a climate of national unity.

A statement from the Maronite Patriarchate said the talks focused on “ways to strengthen stability in Lebanon and support the path of the state and its institutions.”

Bukhari conveyed greetings from the Saudi leadership and praised the patriarch’s “national and spiritual role,” stressing that the current phase requires wise leadership capable of reinforcing stability and supporting Lebanon’s constitutional authorities as they confront ongoing challenges.

He added that “building people comes before building infrastructure, and that fostering loyalty to the nation remains the fundamental pillar of any future recovery.”

The discussion also addressed Lebanon’s situation from a historical and intellectual perspective, drawing on the works of historians such as Philippe Hitti, Kamal Salibi and Asad Rustom.

The meeting’s participants raised the notion that Lebanon’s various communities may have reached a stage of “symbolic exhaustion” from recurring crises, potentially opening the door to renewed emphasis on shared national ground rather than division.

They stressed that Lebanon’s history, marked by repeated cycles, calls for drawing lessons to avoid future crises and move toward a new phase centered on national cohesion.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of supporting dialogue initiatives, particularly interfaith and national gatherings, given their role in reinforcing stability and promoting unity among Lebanon’s diverse communities.

Rahi stressed the importance of upholding national principles and safeguarding the dignity and future of the Lebanese people.

He expressed appreciation for efforts to support Lebanon and its stability, saying the current phase “requires collective awareness and national responsibility to protect the country and rebuild it on solid foundations.”