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New US Ambassador to Israel Resides in Jerusalem

The new US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides (AP)
The new US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides (AP)
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New US Ambassador to Israel Resides in Jerusalem

The new US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides (AP)
The new US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides (AP)

The new US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides, announced that he will not use the traditional home of his country's ambassadors in Herzliya and will move to a house in West Jerusalem.

Diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv said that the US State Department envoys have tried for six months to find a suitable house that suits the security needs, delaying Nides' move to Israel.

Nides may rent or buy the house of the Belgian consul in West Jerusalem, between the residences of the Prime Minister and the President.

Nides announced on Twitter that landing in Israel to be "US Ambassador is another moment I'll never forget."

"I'll spend my first couple days in quarantine, following the latest COVID guidelines. My thanks to the dedicated medical staff at Ben Gurion working to keep us all safe. I'm eagerly awaiting a negative test result so I can begin to meet many of you soon!"

The US embassy in Tel Aviv described Nides as having a distinguished record as a leader, extensive experience in government as both a policymaker and administrator and a wide-ranging engagement in the public and private sectors domestically and internationally, noting that he is a well-qualified candidate to be the ambassador.

Born in 1961 to a Jewish family in Duluth, Minnesota, Nides is a banking executive and was the managing director and vice-chairman of Morgan Stanley and has served in multiple financial institutions, including Credit Suisse and Burson-Marsteller.

From 2011 to 2013, he served as deputy secretary for management and resources under former US president Barack Obama. He has also served in several other government positions.

Nides replaces former Ambassador David Friedman, who led the transition from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which he chose as the headquarters for the consulate.

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Kurdish Fighters Leave Northern City in Syria as Part of Deal with Central Government

A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
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Kurdish Fighters Leave Northern City in Syria as Part of Deal with Central Government

A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)

Scores of US-backed Kurdish fighters left two neighborhoods in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo Friday as part of a deal with the central government in Damascus, which is expanding its authority in the country.

The fighters left the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh, which had been under the control of Kurdish fighters in Aleppo over the past decade.

The deal is a boost to an agreement reached last month between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast. The deal could eventually lead to the merger of the main US-backed force in Syria into the Syrian army.

The withdrawal of fighters from the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came a day after dozens of prisoners from both sides were freed in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that government forces were deployed along the road that SDF fighters will use to move between Aleppo and areas east of the Euphrates River, where the Kurdish-led force controls nearly a quarter of Syria.

Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh had been under SDF control since 2015 and remained so even when forces of ousted President Bashar al-Assad captured Aleppo in late 2016. The two neighborhoods remained under SDF control when forces loyal to current interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa captured the city in November, and days later captured the capital, Damascus, removing Assad from power.

After being marginalized for decades under the rule of the Assad family rule, the deal signed last month promises Syria’s Kurds “constitutional rights,” including using and teaching their language, which were banned for decades.

Hundreds of thousands of Kurds, who were displaced during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war, will return to their homes. Thousands of Kurds living in Syria who have been deprived of nationality for decades under Assad will be given the right of citizenship, according to the agreement.

Kurds made up 10% of the country’s prewar population of 23 million. Kurdish leaders say they don’t want full autonomy with their own government and parliament. They want decentralization and room to run their day-to day-affairs.