US Reporter Held by Al-Qaeda-Linked Group in Syria Released

Bilal Abdul Kareem | Photo: Facebook
Bilal Abdul Kareem | Photo: Facebook
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US Reporter Held by Al-Qaeda-Linked Group in Syria Released

Bilal Abdul Kareem | Photo: Facebook
Bilal Abdul Kareem | Photo: Facebook

An American journalist, living in northwestern Syria for nearly a decade, has been released, six months after he was captured by an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Syrian opposition media reported.

Bilal Abdul Kareem, a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., has been living in the rebel-held Syrian northwest since 2012, reporting on the Syrian government military campaigns against areas in opposition hands. He had been detained last August, following a report he did about torture in the prisons of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the al-Qaeda-linked group that dominates the area.

Local prominent figures had appealed to the militants to release him. Abdul Kareem had reported and collaborated with Western news outlets, which had largely stayed out of the war-torn country after a spat of kidnapping. He later set up his own news network, On The Ground News.

The US State Department designated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham a terrorist group in 2018 despite its move to publicly disassociate itself from al-Qaeda the previous year. Rights groups and the UN-backed Commission of Inquiry have accused the group of detaining and torturing civilians and those who documented the group´s abuse of Syrian protesters, journalists, and women.

Syrian opposition news outlets and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Abdul Kareem's release on Wednesday. The Observatory said local mediation secured his release after a tribunal set up and run by the al-Qaeda-linked group had sentenced him.

A statement by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham confirmed he was released because of mediation and said Abdul Kareem had been detained because of spreading false news, working with groups that undermine security, and incite against authorities in the opposition-controlled areas. Photographs of Abdul Kareem were shared online after his release, in which he appeared to have lost some weight. His wife gave birth to a daughter in January while he was held by the militant group. He was allowed to see his family twice during his six months in captivity.

Abdul Kareem has spent years covering the Middle East. Born Darrell Lamont Phelps, he converted to Islam, studied Arabic in Egypt, and traveled to Libya to cover the conflict there. He arrived in Syria in 2012. He had interviewed Syrian rebels and militant groups, developing a reputation as a sympathizer. He survived a number of airstrikes in Syria, prompting him to file a lawsuit against the US government, demanding to know whether he was on a "kill list." In January, a federal court dismissed his case on the grounds that he did not have standing to bring the claim. Reprieve, the UK-based legal rights group that represented him in the US case, also reported his release.

"Bilal´s release is welcome news, and his quest for justice in the US courts continues," said Jennifer Gibson, who leads Reprieve´s work on the case. In 2019, he was wounded by shrapnel when he and a Sky News crew came under fire from a Syrian government tank shell, an incident that was caught on camera.



Israeli Ambassador to US Says Hezbollah Cease-fire Deal Could Come 'Within Days'

Part of the destruction caused by the Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday (Reuters)
Part of the destruction caused by the Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday (Reuters)
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Israeli Ambassador to US Says Hezbollah Cease-fire Deal Could Come 'Within Days'

Part of the destruction caused by the Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday (Reuters)
Part of the destruction caused by the Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday (Reuters)

The Israeli ambassador to Washington says that a cease-fire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached "within days."
Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that there remained "points to finalize" and that any deal required agreement from the government. But he said "we are close to a deal" and that "it can happen within days."
Among the issues that remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of not adhering to a UN resolution that ended the 2006 war between the sides that made similar provisions, and Israel has concerns that Hezbollah could stage a Hamas-style cross-border attack from southern Lebanon if it maintains a heavy presence there. Lebanon says Israel also violated the 2006 resolution. Lebanon complains about military jets and naval ships entering Lebanese territory even when there is no active conflict.
It is not clear whether Lebanon would agree to the demand.
The optimism surrounding a deal comes after a top US envoy held talks between the sides last week in a bid to clinch a deal.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas´ raid on southern Israel, setting off more than a year of fighting. That escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and later an Israeli ground incursion into the country´s south.
Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli cities and towns, including some 250 on Sunday.