Syria: Economic Crisis Exhausts Damascus, Regime Blames 'Autonomous Administration'

Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
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Syria: Economic Crisis Exhausts Damascus, Regime Blames 'Autonomous Administration'

Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo
Syrian schoolchildren walk as US troops patrol near Turkish border in Hassakeh, Syria Nov. 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo

Markets in Damascus registered a decrease in the exchange rate of the Syrian pound against the US dollar, a few hours after the explosion of one of the branch gas lines in Al-Sukhnah in the desert of Homs, on the administrative borders of Deir Ezzor governorate.

The USD exchange rate in Damascus hit SYP 3040 on Saturday, while in Aleppo it reached SYP 3030, amid the exacerbation of the fuel and bread crises in the regime-controlled areas.

In parallel, the Syrian Jazira region saw the eruption of chaos. A video broadcast by Kurdish activists in the city of Hassakeh showed the police chasing a number of civilian demonstrators, who were protesting against a security siege imposed on the neighborhoods of the city center, which is controlled by the Syrian regime.

On the other hand, the imam and preacher of the Great Mosque in Hassakeh, Ahmed Ismail, called on the “international community and humanitarian organizations” to convey the voice of the people to the world, and to shed light on the “harsh siege” imposed by the Syrian Democratic Forces on the people of the cities of Hassakeh and Qamishli.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the Syrian regime forces and their security apparatus continue to impose a blockade on areas controlled by the Kurdish forces within the towns and villages of the northern countryside of Aleppo, “where the Fourth Division checkpoints prevent the entry of flour, fuel, and medicine.”

The neighborhoods of Hassakeh are witnessing an unprecedented military mobilization on both sides, with military skirmishes recorded despite Moscow’s efforts to reduce the escalation.



Hamas Releases Video Showing Israeli Hostage Marking His Birthday

File photo of Hamas members escorting a now-released hostage on a stage before handing him over to a Red Cross team in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025. (AFP)
File photo of Hamas members escorting a now-released hostage on a stage before handing him over to a Red Cross team in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025. (AFP)
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Hamas Releases Video Showing Israeli Hostage Marking His Birthday

File photo of Hamas members escorting a now-released hostage on a stage before handing him over to a Red Cross team in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025. (AFP)
File photo of Hamas members escorting a now-released hostage on a stage before handing him over to a Red Cross team in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on February 8, 2025. (AFP)

Hamas's armed wing released a video showing an Israeli-Hungarian hostage walking through a tunnel in Gaza and lighting a candle to mark his birthday.

In the nearly three-minute clip published by the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the hostage -- who identifies himself as Omri Miran -- addresses the camera in Hebrew.

His family confirmed his identity in a statement issued through the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, while requesting that the media refrain from publishing the footage.

AFP was unable to verify when the footage was recorded, but in it, Miran says he is marking his 48th birthday, which fell on April 11.

He is initially shown walking through a tunnel, then seated on a mattress in a confined space, acknowledging protesters in Israel who have been demonstrating against the government and demanding the hostages' release.

He states that hostages are living in constant fear of bombings and urges a deal be reached as soon as possible to secure their release, adding that he missed his wife and daughters.

"On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we say 'never again,' an Israeli citizen cries out for help from Hamas's tunnels," his family said in a statement.

"It is a moral failure for the state of Israel. Our Omri is strong and will not break, but our hearts are broken," the family added.

"We will continue to fight until Omri returns to us, and especially to his two daughters who are waiting with all their hearts to hold him again."

He previously appeared in an undated video released by Hamas on April 27, 2024.

In that footage he urged his family to pressure the Israeli government to strike a deal with Hamas on freeing the hostages.

During their attack on October 7, Hamas militants abducted 251 hostages and took them to Gaza. Of those, 58 are still being held there, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.