Federation of Arab Journalists Condemns Israeli Crimes against Journalists in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine

A protective vest of one of the two journalists of pan-Arab TV network Al-Mayadeen who was killed by an Israeli strike lies on the ground at the Lebanese border village of Tair Harfa near the border with Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
A protective vest of one of the two journalists of pan-Arab TV network Al-Mayadeen who was killed by an Israeli strike lies on the ground at the Lebanese border village of Tair Harfa near the border with Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
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Federation of Arab Journalists Condemns Israeli Crimes against Journalists in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine

A protective vest of one of the two journalists of pan-Arab TV network Al-Mayadeen who was killed by an Israeli strike lies on the ground at the Lebanese border village of Tair Harfa near the border with Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)
A protective vest of one of the two journalists of pan-Arab TV network Al-Mayadeen who was killed by an Israeli strike lies on the ground at the Lebanese border village of Tair Harfa near the border with Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. (AP)

The Federation of Arab Journalists has condemned the crimes carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against journalists in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.

In a statement, it called on all Arab countries to support journalists in these three nations to expose Israeli crimes to the global public.

According to SPA, the federation expressed its full solidarity with journalists in these countries.

It also urged international media organizations, the UN Security Council, and international human rights organizations to condemn the blatant aggression and the war of extermination being waged by the Israeli army against journalists in these countries and provide protection for them.



Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa said that his administration would not allow for arms outside the control of the state.

An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, had been named as defense minister in the interim government.
Sharaa did not mention the appointment of a new defense minister on Sunday.
Sharaa discussed the form military institutions would take during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA said.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Jumblatt expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.”

“Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative,” al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. “Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon," he added.