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Putin Offers Cooperation to Syrian Leader, Backs Efforts to Stabilize Country

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow, Russia, 18 March 2025. EPA/MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow, Russia, 18 March 2025. EPA/MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL
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Putin Offers Cooperation to Syrian Leader, Backs Efforts to Stabilize Country

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow, Russia, 18 March 2025. EPA/MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow, Russia, 18 March 2025. EPA/MAXIM SHEMETOV/POOL

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa supporting efforts to stabilize the situation in the country and saying Russia is ready to engage in "practical cooperation", Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday.

Putin confirmed "Russia's continuing readiness to develop practical cooperation with the Syrian leadership on the whole range of issues on the bilateral agenda in order to strengthen traditionally friendly Russian-Syrian relations," it quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Syria has been rocked by a wave of sectarian killings. The Kremlin said earlier this month it wanted to see a united and "friendly" Syria because instability there could affect the whole of the Middle East.

Russia, which has two strategically important military bases in Syria, was one of the main supporters of former President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia after he was toppled in December.

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Arab World

Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
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Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday Israel’s attempts to drag Lebanon once again into the endless “spiral of violence”, following Israeli claims that it had intercepted three missiles launched from south Lebanon.
A statement released by the Lebanese Presidency said that Aoun called for "avoiding any repercussions and ensuring control over any violations that could endanger the nation during these sensitive times."
Aoun has directed the Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haikal, to “take all necessary field measures to ensure the safety of citizens and conduct investigations regarding the incident”, added the statement.
Also in a statement, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want to return to war.
He reaffirmed that “only the state holds the authority to decide on matters of war and peace."
The Prime Minister also contacted Janine Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative in Lebanon, during which he urged the United Nations to "intensify international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories”.
He emphasized that Israel’s “occupation violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangements established by the previous government in November, to which Lebanon remains committed".

On Saturday, Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon after Israel said it had intercepted rockets fired from across the border, a clash endangering a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

That conflict marked the deadliest spillover of the Gaza war, rumbling across the border for months before escalating into a blistering Israeli offensive that wiped out Hezbollah's top commanders, many of its fighters and much of its arsenal.