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Syrian Gov’t Takes Military Site From Kurds in Kobani

Druze fighters during a detainee exchange in Sweidah on Thursday (AP)
Druze fighters during a detainee exchange in Sweidah on Thursday (AP)
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Syrian Gov’t Takes Military Site From Kurds in Kobani

Druze fighters during a detainee exchange in Sweidah on Thursday (AP)
Druze fighters during a detainee exchange in Sweidah on Thursday (AP)

Washington welcomed a prisoner and detainee exchange between the Syrian government and armed factions in the predominantly Druze southern province of Sweidah, as Damascus pressed ahead with efforts to fold Kurdish security forces into the state apparatus.

Syria’s Interior Ministry said the Internal Security Command in Aleppo province had taken over the Internal Security Directorate building in Ain al-Arab — known to Kurds as Kobani — and begun operating from the site.

The move is part of steps to integrate the Kurdish Asayish forces into the government’s security structure.

The state is seeking to reassert control over official institutions in areas that until recently were under the influence of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had controlled large parts of northern and northeastern Syria and established a self-administration there.

In a statement posted on Telegram on Friday, the Interior Ministry said a security delegation toured the Internal Security Directorate in Ain al-Arab alongside the local internal security chief, visiting the main building and several affiliated police departments.

The delegation reviewed administrative and field operations and assessed technical and staffing readiness to ensure services continue “efficiently and regularly,” state news agency SANA reported.

SANA said an expanded meeting with department heads from the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) discussed unifying organizational and administrative structures with systems adopted by the Interior Ministry and reviewed a plan to complete the integration process in a way that strengthens institutional unity.

On Jan. 30, the Syrian government announced a ceasefire agreement with the SDF as part of a broader deal that includes a phased integration of military and administrative bodies and the handover of all civil and government institutions, crossings and border posts to the state.

In southern Syria, US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack welcomed an exchange that saw 25 government fighters and 61 Druze fighters released in Sweidah.

Writing on X on Friday, Barrack said the exchange was carried out smoothly and orderly, thanks to the International Committee of the Red Cross's valuable assistance.

He described the swap as a step toward stability and a step away from revenge, adding that the US was honored to help facilitate these efforts.

According to SANA, the exchange involved detainees and prisoners held after events in July last year in Sweidah province. It included 86 people — 61 detainees from the province and 25 prisoners held by outlaw groups in Sweidah — in what the agency described as a humanitarian and security operation aimed at reuniting families.

The Sweidah Media Directorate said on Thursday that the exchange of detainees linked to the July events involved Syrian government forces and Arab tribes on one side, and armed Druze factions on the other.

Government security forces share control of Sweidah province with Druze factions, particularly those loyal to Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hijri.

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Arab World

Cairo says FM to meet Pakistan, Saudi, Türkiye Counterparts in Egypt Sunday

General view of part of Cairo (Reuters)
General view of part of Cairo (Reuters)
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Cairo says FM to meet Pakistan, Saudi, Türkiye Counterparts in Egypt Sunday

General view of part of Cairo (Reuters)
General view of part of Cairo (Reuters)

Egypt's foreign minister will host his counterparts from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in the Mediterranean city of Alamein on Sunday, Cairo's foreign ministry said.

Badr Abdelatty "will hold a quadrilateral meeting on Sunday with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, followed by an expanded session of talks and a joint press conference", the ministry said in a statement late Thursday.

It did not specify the topic of the discussions, but the four countries have been involved in mediation efforts around the Middle East war.

The four foreign ministers last met in April on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

The Alamein meeting comes after US-Iran talks scheduled in Switzerland for Friday, aimed at following up on the US-Iran agreement to end the war, were postponed, according to the Swiss foreign ministry.

The White House confirmed that US Vice President JD Vance's planned trip to Switzerland for the talks had been cancelled.

The agreement, which was reached earlier this week, aims to end the fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin a 60-day period of negotiations on broader issues, including Tehran's nuclear programme.

It was also meant to halt fighting in Lebanon. However, clashes have since resumed between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

 

 

 

 

Arab World

Hamas Pushes to Elect Leader to Demonstrate Unity, Heed ‘External Advice’

Palestinian women mourn during the funeral of a man killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Thursday. (AFP)
Palestinian women mourn during the funeral of a man killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Thursday. (AFP)
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Hamas Pushes to Elect Leader to Demonstrate Unity, Heed ‘External Advice’

Palestinian women mourn during the funeral of a man killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Thursday. (AFP)
Palestinian women mourn during the funeral of a man killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Thursday. (AFP)

Hamas is pressing ahead with efforts to elect a new political bureau chief despite ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations and continued Israeli military operations, a move that officials say is intended to project internal unity and respond to recommendations from outside parties close to the movement.

The push comes after a first round of voting in May failed to produce a winner between the two leading contenders: Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas’s leadership council, and Khaled Meshaal, the veteran leader of the movement’s overseas branch.

Sources within Hamas said the accelerated election process is driven by several factors, including a desire to project internal consensus and recommendations from outside parties close to the movement.

Under Hamas regulations, the new leader would initially serve a short term lasting until early next year, with the possibility of an extension until broader internal elections are completed.

A senior Hamas official based outside the Palestinian territories said electing a political bureau chief is necessary to ensure stability within the movement. He noted that the leadership council had originally been expected to continue managing Hamas’s affairs until the next internal elections, but several developments prompted a decision to fast-track the selection of a new leader.

Among those factors, the official said, is the need to make both internal and external decisions while demonstrating unity to observers, supporters and Hamas’ broader constituency. “There is a need to show that capable leaders are in place to guide the movement through this critical period,” he said.

The official added that several outside actors with close ties to Hamas have encouraged the movement to appoint a clearly identifiable leader, arguing that such a step is politically important. He declined to identify those parties.

For roughly the past year and a half, Hamas has been run by a leadership council headed by Mohammed Darwish, chairman of the movement’s Shura Council. The body includes leaders representing Gaza, the West Bank and Hamas’s overseas branches, as well as the movement’s secretary-general.

Another source said Darwish himself pushed for the election process to resume in order to fill the leadership vacancy. While he has effectively represented the movement through the leadership council, he is expected to return to his previous role as head of the Shura Council once a new chief is chosen.

The source noted that a combination of personal considerations and organizational concerns, both internal and external, contributed to Darwish’s support for holding the election.

Asked whether Darwish may be seeking to avoid responsibility for major decisions expected in the coming months — particularly as ceasefire negotiations enter a sensitive phase involving the future of Hamas’s weapons — the source rejected the notion.

“Such decisions are not made by one person, even if that person is the head of the political bureau,” the source underlined. “All major decisions are reached through consensus within the political bureau and the movement’s executive bodies.”

While emphasizing that responsibility for consequential decisions is collective, the source acknowledged that the movement’s leader still plays an important role during pivotal moments.

Military Wing Backed Vote

Three Hamas sources in Gaza said the push to elect a political bureau chief was strongly supported by both the movement’s Gaza leadership and its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, even before the killings of senior commanders Izz al-Din al-Haddad and Mohammed Awda.

One source said al-Haddad believed Hamas needed a clearly defined leader under current circumstances and that other Qassam commanders shared that view. He also participated in the most recent round of voting.

The assassination campaign targeting Hamas and Qassam leaders in Gaza temporarily interrupted the election process. According to one source, the vote was postponed to allow the military wing to reorganize its leadership structure and ensure that both military and political leaders in Gaza could participate securely.

The sources said electing an overall movement leader would also give Hamas’ three regional branches — Gaza, the West Bank and the external leadership — greater flexibility in managing their own affairs. The winner of the race, either al-Hayya or Meshaal, would vacate his current regional leadership post, creating an opportunity for a new figure to assume responsibility for either Gaza or Hamas’ overseas organization.

Arab World

Lebanon Detains Suspect Accused of Importing Equipment for Hezbollah Drone Production

Two Israeli soldiers take cover from a Hezbollah drone near the Lebanon border. (AFP) 
Two Israeli soldiers take cover from a Hezbollah drone near the Lebanon border. (AFP) 
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Lebanon Detains Suspect Accused of Importing Equipment for Hezbollah Drone Production

Two Israeli soldiers take cover from a Hezbollah drone near the Lebanon border. (AFP) 
Two Israeli soldiers take cover from a Hezbollah drone near the Lebanon border. (AFP) 

Lebanese authorities have detained a Lebanese national at the request of French judicial authorities on suspicion of importing electrical equipment from France for Hezbollah, allegedly for use in military activities, particularly the manufacture of drones.

The Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch arrested the suspect, identified as Rabih T., and launched an investigation under the direction of Prosecutor General Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, who is personally overseeing the case.

A senior judicial source said the arrest followed a French judicial request seeking the suspect’s detention and extradition for questioning in connection with a network dismantled in France that is suspected of exporting equipment and devices to Hezbollah.

According to the source, who requested anonymity, the suspect underwent preliminary questioning by the Information Branch under the direct supervision of Prosecutor General al-Hajj and Military Court Commissioner Judge Claude Ghanem.

During the interrogation, he acknowledged importing three shipments of electrical equipment and devices, which he later handed over to an individual he said he knew only by a nickname and who is believed to be affiliated with Hezbollah.

The suspect reportedly told investigators he was unaware that the equipment could be used for military manufacturing purposes.

The case comes amid growing international scrutiny of Hezbollah’s financing channels and its military and technological capabilities, particularly programs linked to the development of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The judicial source said the suspect admitted importing the equipment through maritime shipping as part of larger consignments of electrical supplies for his company.

He told investigators that he owns a business operating in the electrical equipment sector and that the imports were conducted as part of his normal commercial activities.

He denied any knowledge of the equipment’s ultimate use or the purpose for which it had been imported.

The statements are considered significant because investigators suspect the imported devices may have been used in the production of motors or other technical components for Hezbollah drones, a key focus of ongoing investigations in both Lebanon and France.

Alongside the security and judicial inquiries, Lebanese authorities have formally notified France of the suspect’s arrest.

The source said the Public Prosecution Office has requested a complete copy of the French investigation and supporting documents to assist Lebanese authorities in assessing the evidence underlying the French judicial request and determining the accuracy of the allegations.

The Information Branch has completed its preliminary investigation and referred the case to the military prosecutor’s office. Judge Ghanem subsequently filed charges against the suspect and transferred the case to a military investigating judge.

Authorities have also issued a search order aimed at identifying and apprehending a second individual believed to be involved.

Although the military judiciary has formally taken up the case, judicial officials say the investigation remains in its early stages.

The significance of the case, the source said, will largely depend on the evidence provided by French authorities, including details about the imported equipment, its actual end use, and the identities of members of the suspected network in both France and Lebanon.

Investigators are seeking to determine whether the imports were legitimate commercial transactions later diverted to unauthorized uses without the importer’s knowledge, or whether they formed part of a broader network involved in procuring technical components for Hezbollah’s military-development programs — a scenario that would give the case security implications extending well beyond Lebanon.