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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Expands Scope of Attacks in Syria

An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during an air show at the graduation ceremony of Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim Israeli Air Force base in the Negev desert, near the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva, on December 27, 2017. JACK GUEZ / AFP
An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during an air show at the graduation ceremony of Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim Israeli Air Force base in the Negev desert, near the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva, on December 27, 2017. JACK GUEZ / AFP
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Expands Scope of Attacks in Syria

An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during an air show at the graduation ceremony of Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim Israeli Air Force base in the Negev desert, near the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva, on December 27, 2017. JACK GUEZ / AFP
An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during an air show at the graduation ceremony of Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim Israeli Air Force base in the Negev desert, near the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva, on December 27, 2017. JACK GUEZ / AFP

Western diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that Tel Aviv has informed Moscow about its decision to “expand the scope of its red lines” in Syria by preventing Iran from consolidation its military presence and that of its militias, including “Hezbollah,” across all Syrian territories, and not just in the south.

The “red lines” previously aimed to prevent Iran from transferring missiles to its militias and to “Hezbollah,” and to halt the establishment of permanent Iranian bases or missile factories.

“Israeli missiles targeted on Thursday al-Dabaa Military Airbase and its vicinity in the western countryside of Homs, where the Lebanese Hezbollah and militiamen loyal to Syrian regime forces and non-Syrian nationalities are located,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.

While no official statement was made by Israel concerning the attack, several media outlets confirmed the Observatory’s report.

Meanwhile, the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in St. Petersburg Friday produced a deal to launch a “joint mechanism” capable of finding “common ideas that could push towards a comprehensive deal in Syria.”

They both agreed that further assistance to the long-term political settlement in Syria is required.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Turkish and US officials have outlined a roadmap for cooperation on Manbij, northern Syria.

“The Turkish-US Working Group on Syria met today in Ankara to continue ongoing talks regarding Syria and other issues of mutual interest and cooperation,” the statement said.

It added that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would meet on June 4 to consider the recommendations of the working group.

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Arab World

Russian Envoy Visits Iran to Consolidate Stability in Syria

Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)
Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)
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Russian Envoy Visits Iran to Consolidate Stability in Syria

Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)
Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, meets with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran on Tuesday. (Tasnim)

Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian presidential envoy to Syria, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for high-level discussions aimed at bolstering coordination between Moscow and Tehran on developments in the Middle East and promoting regional stability.

A Russian diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit comes as part of “Moscow’s broader efforts to stabilize the region and prevent foreign interference aimed at undermining its security.”

The source added that Russia is seeking to “normalize relations between regional actors” to lay the groundwork for long-term stability.

According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Lavrentiev met in Tehran with Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and held separate talks with Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister.

An Iranian statement carried by Russian state media said the talks reaffirmed the shared position of Moscow and Tehran on developments in the Middle East, stressing the importance of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, defending its sovereignty, and preventing the country from becoming a breeding ground for terrorism.

While the discussions also addressed the reimposition of European sanctions on Iran in connection with its nuclear program, the timing of Lavrentiev’s visit drew particular attention. It followed just days after Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's visit to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

Analysts have linked the two visits, noting Lavrentiev’s longstanding role in managing discussions on the Syrian conflict through the Astana peace process.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented on the visit, and details have largely come from Iranian sources.

However, experts in Moscow view the trip as part of a Russian push to encourage Iran to refrain from interfering in Syria’s internal affairs.

The Russian diplomatic source explained that Lavrentiev’s visit reflects Moscow’s strategy to normalize relations among all states in the Middle East, including Iran, which it views as a “major regional power.”

Russia has a direct security interest in maintaining stability in its near neighborhood, he remarked.

He underlined that Iran, alongside Türkiye, has been a key partner in years-long efforts to reach a political settlement in Syria. Through the Astana framework, the parties have coordinated to ease tensions, uphold ceasefires, and reduce the suffering of civilians.

“With the end of the previous era and the arrival of a new Syrian administration,” the diplomat said, “there is a growing need for continued coordination among various regional actors, particularly Russia, Türkiye, Iran, and the Gulf states, to ensure security and stability throughout the region.”

He added that Moscow is seeking to counter any external schemes aimed at destabilizing the Middle East, pointing specifically to “Israeli expansionist policies and US attempts to impose direct hegemony over the region.”

Arab World

Israeli Settlers Beat Palestinian Farmers on Video as Attacks Mount During West Bank Olive Harvest 

Israeli soldiers take position as Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, on the outskirts of Ramallah, on October 20, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers take position as Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, on the outskirts of Ramallah, on October 20, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Settlers Beat Palestinian Farmers on Video as Attacks Mount During West Bank Olive Harvest 

Israeli soldiers take position as Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, on the outskirts of Ramallah, on October 20, 2025. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers take position as Palestinians harvest olives in the occupied West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, on the outskirts of Ramallah, on October 20, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli settlers descended on Palestinian olive harvesters and activists this week in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, beating them with clubs in an attack Palestinian health officials said sent at least one woman to the hospital with serious injuries.

The attack Sunday in the town of Turmus Ayya, which was captured in videos obtained by The Associated Press, came as Palestinians say settler violence in the region is worsening. The United Nations and rights groups have raised the alarm as harvest season begins and Palestinian farmers are at growing risk while gathering olives.

"Settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency," Ajith Sunghay, the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territory, said in a statement released Tuesday. "Two weeks into the start of the 2025 harvest, we have already seen severe attacks by armed settlers against Palestinian men, women, children and foreign solidarity activists."

In one of the videos obtained by the AP, a masked man was seen running through an olive grove and beating at least two people with a club, including a woman as she lay motionless on the ground. The masked man appeared to be wearing tzitzit, a ritual fringed garment for Jews.

The woman was hospitalized with serious injures, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry said.

In a separate video, more than a dozen masked men were seen running down a village road alongside an olive grove, pursuing a car. One settler clubbed the car and opened the door. A passenger managed to escape and run away with the group of men running after him.

A third video showed flames and smoke rising from several torched cars.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the head of the West Bank police force said in an internal police WhatsApp group that the footage of the masked settler beating the woman "kept him up at night" and instructed officers to bring the settler to justice.

Israel's military and police did not respond to an AP request for comment on the attack.

Turmus Ayya, whose population is predominantly Palestinian-American, has long been a target of settler attacks, but villagers say the violence worsened during the Israel-Hamas war. It's nestled in a valley surrounded by hilltops crowned with Israeli settlements and outposts.

Since the killing of a 14-year-old Palestinian-American, Amer Rabee, by Israeli forces in the town in April protests against settler violence and the military's perceived failure to curb it have provoked regular clashes with settlers.

More broadly, settler violence is surging across the West Bank. The UN says the first half of 2025 has seen 757 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage - a 13% increase compared with the same period last year.

The first week of olive harvest season has seen more than 150 settler attacks and over 700 olive trees uprooted, broken or poisoned, according to Muayyad Shaaban, who heads an office in the Palestinian Authority that is tracking the violence.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians seek those territories for a future independent state. Settler advocates hold key Israeli Cabinet positions that grant them and the settlers an important say over the West Bank.

Arab World

First Egypt-EU Summit Aims to Strengthen Strategic Partnership  

Egypt's President Sisi is welcomed upon his arrival in Brussels on Tuesday. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt's President Sisi is welcomed upon his arrival in Brussels on Tuesday. (Egyptian Presidency)
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First Egypt-EU Summit Aims to Strengthen Strategic Partnership  

Egypt's President Sisi is welcomed upon his arrival in Brussels on Tuesday. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egypt's President Sisi is welcomed upon his arrival in Brussels on Tuesday. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt’s ties with the European Union are entering a new phase of cooperation with the first-ever Egypt-EU summit, led by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, set to be held in Brussels.

The summit, described by the Egyptian presidency as “historic”, follows months of repeated European financial support for Cairo and is expected to deepen their strategic partnership and expand opportunities for cooperation amid global upheaval, according to former Egyptian diplomats who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.

They said the meeting would also address regional political crises.

Sisi arrived in the Belgian capital on Tuesday to head Egypt’s delegation at the summit, scheduled for Wednesday, the presidency said in a statement.

Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed el-Shennawy said the “historic summit - the first of its kind between Egypt and the EU - crowns the comprehensive strategic partnership officially launched in Cairo in March 2024.”

On the sidelines of the visit, Sisi will hold a series of key meetings with senior EU officials, a number of European leaders, and the King of Belgium to solidify frameworks for cooperation and political coordination on regional and international issues of common concern.

The visit also includes “a pivotal economic component,” with a major economic forum to be held on the sidelines focusing on investment opportunities in Egypt. The forum will bring together leading European corporations and business executives and will discuss Egypt’s vision for combating irregular migration, according to the presidency.

Trade between Egypt and EU member states reached about $31.2 billion in 2023, according to data released by Egypt’s statistics agency last March.

The EU remains Egypt’s leading investor, with accumulated investments of around €38.8 billion, roughly 39% of Egypt’s total foreign direct investment (FDI). Egypt is the EU’s second-largest FDI recipient in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to the EU Delegation in Cairo.

Ambassador Mohamed Higazy, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and a former assistant foreign minister, said the summit reaffirms the bilateral partnership agreement and represents a key opportunity to enhance cooperation between the two sides.

In March 2024, Sisi and the European Commission signed a declaration upgrading Egypt-EU relations to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” in the presence of the prime ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Italy, and Austria. The agreement outlined cooperation in six areas: political relations, economic stability, investment, trade, migration, and security.

Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi, former secretary-general of the Egypt-EU Partnership Association and a former assistant foreign minister, said the summit carries significant weight as “the first of its kind,” adding that no similar summit has ever been held with any Mediterranean country before.

He said the meeting reflects “a clear intent to accelerate cooperation with Egypt across multiple sectors.”

Bayoumi expected the summit to result in greater European investment in Egypt, expanded collaboration, and increased trade volumes between the two sides.

In March 2024, the EU announced an €8 billion financial support package for Egypt, covering trade and investment sectors over the coming years. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in January 2025 that Cairo had received an initial €1 billion tranche from a €7.4 billion EU financing package.

On May 20, EU lawmakers and member states reached an agreement to provide Egypt with €4 billion ($4.5 billion) in loans to bolster its economy and strengthen cooperation under the strategic partnership.

The European Parliament said in a statement that “a short-term loan of up to €1 billion was disbursed at the end of 2024, and an additional loan of up to €4 billion will now follow.” Cairo will have a repayment period of up to 35 years, it added.

Higazy said the coming period will witness “broader cooperation between both sides, especially in investment,” describing the European aid and financing packages as a recognition of Egypt’s regional importance and a commitment to supporting its economy and future.

Bayoumi, who led Egypt’s negotiations with the EU for the 2001 partnership agreement, said economic issues would likely take priority among the summit’s agenda items, with prospects for success bolstered by Europe’s continued backing of Cairo amid regional turmoil.