Syria’s Rami Makhlouf Lashes Out at ‘Traitors’

A woman watches the Facebook video of Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf on her mobile in Syria's capital Damascus, on May 11, 2020. Syria/AFP
A woman watches the Facebook video of Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf on her mobile in Syria's capital Damascus, on May 11, 2020. Syria/AFP
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Syria’s Rami Makhlouf Lashes Out at ‘Traitors’

A woman watches the Facebook video of Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf on her mobile in Syria's capital Damascus, on May 11, 2020. Syria/AFP
A woman watches the Facebook video of Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf on her mobile in Syria's capital Damascus, on May 11, 2020. Syria/AFP

Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Bashar Assad, escalated his verbal attacks at Syria’s security forces, accusing them of carrying out "the biggest robbery in the Middle East" for the benefit of “traitors” and those who amassed wealth during the war.

Syrian security services have released dozens of employees working in companies run by Makhlouf last week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

In a Tuesday Facebook post, the Syrian tycoon accused the government of transferring assets from his Ramak Development and Humanitarian Projects holding company to politically-connected businessmen.

“The biggest fraud operation in the Middle East is taking place under the cover of security forces in favor of those making fortunes from the war. These are not only ruining the country, but also robbing humanitarian organizations,” he wrote.

Makhlouf said he sent a letter to the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council after similar messages sent to the government went unanswered.

“Aren’t you satisfied with all that you got so you steal the money of the poor?” he asked.

The 51-year-old businessman became embroiled in a power struggle with the state last year, when authorities seized control of his charity, Al-Bustan, and dissolved armed groups affiliated to him.

Syrian authorities have claimed Syriatel owes money to the government, including outstanding fees for maintaining its operating licenses.

The Syrian Observatory has said security forces released 41 of Syriatel's employees and 57 former staff of the Al-Bustan charity in addition to 58 army officers and soldiers connected to a former Makhlouf-funded, pro-regime militia.

Makhlouf said security forces were arresting his employees to pressure him to give up his companies, most notably Syriatel.

Last year, authorities froze the assets of several businessmen over tax evasion and illicit enrichment, including that of Makhlouf, his wife and firms.

The government in May ordered the seizure of assets from Makhlouf and his family, then slapped a travel ban on the businessman.



52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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52 Palestinians Including Children Killed in Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza

Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including four children, hospital officials said Saturday. Also, 24 others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites.

The children and two women were among at least 13 people who were killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday, officials in Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital said. Another four people were killed in strikes near a fuel station, and 15 others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital.

The Israeli military said in a statement that over the past 48 hours, troops struck approximately 250 targets in the Gaza Strip, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional Hamas infrastructure sites. The military did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment on the civilian deaths.

The Hamas-led group killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough.