عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iran Resumes Religious Flights to Damascus

The Sayyida Zaynab shrine near Damascus. (Iranian agencies)
The Sayyida Zaynab shrine near Damascus. (Iranian agencies)
TT
TT

Iran Resumes Religious Flights to Damascus

The Sayyida Zaynab shrine near Damascus. (Iranian agencies)
The Sayyida Zaynab shrine near Damascus. (Iranian agencies)

Iran resumed on Sunday religious flights to Damascus, two years after they were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The first flight carried 25 tourists who will stay in the Syrian capital for five days.

The trips restarted after Iranians received the full approval of Syrian authorities, pledging to take all precautionary and medical measures against COVID-19.

Two trips will follow: the second will arrive in Damascus at the end of this week, while a third will follow early next week.

Each flight will carry 25 passengers from Iran. Sources in Damascus said Tehran will cover all travel expenses.

The Iranians will visit the Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zaynab south of Damascus. The overcrowded predominantly Shiite area is home to the families of pro-Iran militias.

“There are about 13,000 beds in the Zaynabiya area ready to accommodate visitors,” said Syrian Tourism Minister Muhammad Rami Martini, who indicated that there are many hotels in Damascus ready to provide services to visitors if the need arises.

More flights can also be operated if the need arises, he added.

Martini had expressed the keenness of Interior Minister Mohammad al-Rahmoun to resume religious visits by Iranians to Syria.

In 2020, Syria stopped religious flights coming from Iran as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

A week ago, head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Alireza Rashidian, announced that Tehran will resume sending religious visitors to Syria, IRNA reported.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
TT
TT

Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.