Damascus Arrests 15 Officers over Links to Rami Makhlouf

Rami Makhlouf. (AFP)
Rami Makhlouf. (AFP)
TT
20

Damascus Arrests 15 Officers over Links to Rami Makhlouf

Rami Makhlouf. (AFP)
Rami Makhlouf. (AFP)

Syrian intelligence arrested on Sunday more than 15 officers in Damascus for their association with business tycoon Rami Makhlouf, president Bashar Assad’s cousin, who has dramatically fallen from grace with the regime.

The officers were detained on charges of “collaborating with foreign parties and stealing funds from the state treasury.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, said that the officers had previously threatened to “scorch the earth” if any harm were to come to Makhlouf.

Observatory chief Rami Abdulrahman told Asharq Al-Awsat that the arrests were part of the crackdown against Makhlouf’s assets and companies.

Twelve former fighters in the al-Bustan Association were previously detained. They were involved in recruiting members to fight for the regime. They were arrested by Syrian intelligence, accompanied by Russian police, in the Latakia province.

The latest arrests bring to 71 the number of directors, employees and fighters, associated to Makhlouf, who have been held by the regime since April.

The businessman has been embroiled in a power struggle with the state since 2019, when authorities seized control of his charity, al-Bustan, and dissolved militias affiliated to him.

In a bid to replenish state coffers, the government in May ordered the seizure of assets from Makhlouf and his family. Days later, Syria's justice ministry announced a travel ban on the tycoon.

The government has justified its latest measures by claiming Makhluf’s Syriatel telecommunication company owes it money, including outstanding fees for maintaining its operating license. But in a series of videos, Makhlouf disputed such claims, saying some in power were seeking to overthrow him and reap a cut of the company's profits.

Makhlouf, who himself is under both US and EU sanctions, had been considered to be a pillar of Assad's regime ever since the president took over from his father in 2000.

His business empire, estimated to be worth billions of dollars, includes stakes in telecommunications, electricity and real estate.

His dispute with the regime comes as Damascus grapples with a severe economic downturn after nine years of war.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
TT
20

UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."