Syria Defense Minister Rejects Kurdish Proposal to Remain Distinct Military Bloc

Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
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Syria Defense Minister Rejects Kurdish Proposal to Remain Distinct Military Bloc

Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction ride in a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)

Syria's new defense minister said on Sunday it would not be right for US-backed Kurdish fighters based in the country's northeast to retain their own bloc within the broader integrated Syrian armed forces.
Speaking to Reuters at the defense ministry in Damascus, Murhaf Abu Qasra said the head of the Kurdish fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, was procrastinating in its handling of the complex issue.



Macron Tells Abbas 'Palestinian Governance' Needed in Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)
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Macron Tells Abbas 'Palestinian Governance' Needed in Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (not seen) in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 January 2025. (EPA)

French President Emmanuel Macron has told Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas that a return to Palestinian governance was needed in Gaza after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Macron's office said on Sunday.

In a phone conversation Saturday, Macron said this should "fully incorporate the Palestinian Authority" and that Gaza's future should be aimed at the creation of a Palestinian state, while ensuring that "no massacre, like the one perpetrated on October 7 (2023), can ever be committed against the Israeli people again", the Elysee said.

It is "now essential to immediately work to respond to the Gazans' vital urgent needs, to ensure the delivery of massive humanitarian aid, at the level of the residents' needs", the Elysee added.