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Syrian Actor Mohammed Al Shammat Dies at 85

Late Syrian actor Mohammad El Shammat
Late Syrian actor Mohammad El Shammat
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Syrian Actor Mohammed Al Shammat Dies at 85

Late Syrian actor Mohammad El Shammat
Late Syrian actor Mohammad El Shammat

The Syndicate of Artists in Damascus confirmed that Mohammad El Shammat died in the US, where he had been receiving treatment, at the age of 85 this week.

Shammat enjoyed a long career after rising to fame through his role as “the uncle Abou Riah” in Sah el-Nom alongside famous Syrian comedian Duraid Lahham.

Shammat’s acting began as a hobby in the fifties before it became his professional career, becoming among the stars of the small screen during the early days of television before moving to theater, TV, and cinema.

As well as his role as Abou Riah, Shammat is known for his roles in TV shows like Harat Al Qasr (1970), Wadi Al-Misk (1982), Trabeesh (1992), Ghorbal (2004) and Shawri el-Sham el Atika (2019).

On the big screen, he acted in Ghoar James Bond and Gharamiat Khasa (1974), Banat el Estaarad (1987), and Sawakat el Taxi (1989).

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Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greek firefighters said Friday that a forest blaze that had forced evacuations around Athens was under control, but warned that scorching temperatures were keeping fire risk at a highly elevated level around the capital and on northern Aegean islands.

Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in the summer fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.

The fire around Athens broke on Thursday afternoon near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages popular with local and foreign tourists, AFP reported.

Though it was under control on Friday, a volatile combination of high temperatures and strong winds meant that a high risk of other fires breaking out remained, especially in the Attica region around the Greek capital and some islands in the north Aegean Sea, authorities said.

A spokesman for the fire service told AFP that over 100 firefighters with 37 vehicles and a helicopter were on standby near Palaia Fokaia and Thymari.

Fields, olive groves and some houses were ravaged by the blaze.

The blaze came on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios -- Greece's fifth-largest island -- which had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land in four days.

Weather agencies forecast a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), including in the capital Athens.