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Nine Killed in Blast Targeting Syrian National Army in Manbij

Intense Turkish shelling on eastern Aleppo, Syria. (File photo - AFP)
Intense Turkish shelling on eastern Aleppo, Syria. (File photo - AFP)
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Nine Killed in Blast Targeting Syrian National Army in Manbij

Intense Turkish shelling on eastern Aleppo, Syria. (File photo - AFP)
Intense Turkish shelling on eastern Aleppo, Syria. (File photo - AFP)

A car bomb in the northern Syrian city of Manbij killed nine people and wounded 15 others, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

The Britain-based war monitor said the casualties were members of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, adding that the blast occurred near a military site belonging to the faction on Al-Rabita Street.

The death toll could rise as some of the wounded were in critical condition, it said.

Manbij has been the scene of intense fighting between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed armed factions since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Türkiye considers the Kurdish YPG militia, which dominates the SDF, an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara, the US, and the EU classify as a terrorist organization.

Clashes between the Kurdish forces and Turkish-backed armed factions have killed hundreds on both sides.

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Arab World

Türkiye, Hamas Discuss Reaching 2nd Phase of Gaza Peace Plan

Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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Türkiye, Hamas Discuss Reaching 2nd Phase of Gaza Peace Plan

Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Türkiye's MIT intelligence agency chief met Hamas' ​negotiating team head Khalil Al-Hayya on Saturday and discussed necessary measures to be taken for proceeding to the ‌second phase ‌of the ‌Gaza ⁠peace ​plan, ‌Turkish security sources said.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said MIT chief Ibrahim Kalin met the ⁠Hamas delegation in Istanbul ‌within the scope ‍of the ‍Gaza ceasefire agreement, ‍and they discussed steps to be taken to prevent what they ​said were Israel's ceasefire violations.

They also discussed ⁠measures to be taken to resolve existing issues for proceeding to the second phase of the plan, the sources also told Reuters, without giving details.

Israel retained control of 53% of Gaza under the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan, which involved the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza and of Palestinians detained by Israel.

The final hostage remains to be handed over are those of an Israeli police officer killed on October 7, 2023 fighting Gazan militants who had invaded Israel.

According to the plan, Israel is to pull back further in the second phase as a transitional authority is established in Gaza and a multinational security force is deployed, Hamas is disarmed, and reconstruction begins.
 

 

 

 

Arab World

Lebanon: 1st Phase of Plan to Confiscate Weapons South of Litani River to End Within Days

A Lebanese Army vehicle near a destroyed position in the town of Naqoura in South Lebanon (AFP)
A Lebanese Army vehicle near a destroyed position in the town of Naqoura in South Lebanon (AFP)
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Lebanon: 1st Phase of Plan to Confiscate Weapons South of Litani River to End Within Days

A Lebanese Army vehicle near a destroyed position in the town of Naqoura in South Lebanon (AFP)
A Lebanese Army vehicle near a destroyed position in the town of Naqoura in South Lebanon (AFP)

The first phase ​of the plan to confiscate weapons south of the Litani ‌River ‌will ‌end ⁠in ​a "few days," ‌Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in a ⁠statement on Saturday.

A ‌US-backed ceasefire ‍agreed ‍in November ‍2024 required the disarmament of Hezbollah, beginning in areas south ⁠of the river, the area adjacent to Israel.

The committee overseeing the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, known as the “mechanism,” convened on Friday its 15th meeting in Naqoura, the second to include civilian representatives, with renewed focus on the return of residents to their homes on both sides of the border.

The statement issued after the meeting highlighted the importance of the return of residents on both sides of the border to their homes, and said Lebanese and Israeli representatives reaffirmed their commitment to continue efforts to support stability and work toward a permanent halt to hostilities, according to the US Embassy in Beirut.

Earlier this month, two civilian representatives, one Lebanese and one Israeli, joined the committee’s meetings in the first direct talks between the two countries in decades. The committee is led by the United States and includes representatives from France and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday the US hoped talks between Lebanese authorities and ⁠Israel would lead to a strong Lebanese government and see Hezbollah disarmed.

"We are hopeful that talks between Lebanese authorities and Israelis will create outlines and a ⁠way forward that prevents further conflict," Rubio told a press conference.

Lebanon is facing mounting pressure from the United States and Israel to accelerate the disarmament of Hezbollah under a plan approved by the government as part of implementing the ceasefire agreement.

The Lebanese army is expected to complete the first phase of the plan in the border area south of the Litani River by the end of the year.
 

 

 

 

Arab World

Jordanian Army Participated in Strikes on ISIS Targets in Syria

A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]
A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]
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Jordanian Army Participated in Strikes on ISIS Targets in Syria

A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]
A Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet flies over an airbase in northern Jordan on May 29, 2014, during the Eager Lion exercise. [US Air Force website]

Jordan's army participated ​in the US strikes on ISIS ‌targets ‌in ‌Syria ⁠on ​Friday, state-owned ‌Jordan TV said on Saturday.

The US military ⁠launched large-scale ‌strikes ‍against dozens ‍of ISIS targets in Syria on ​Friday in retaliation for an ⁠attack on American personnel, US officials said.

According to Reuters, President Donald Trump had vowed to retaliate after the suspected ISIS attack killed US personnel last weekend in Syria.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes targeted "ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites" and that the operation was "OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE."

"This is not the beginning ‌of a war — ‌it is a declaration of vengeance," Hegseth said. "Today, we ‌hunted ⁠and ​we killed ‌our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue," he added.