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Russia Continues Media Campaign against US in Syria

A Russian armored vehicle on the Aleppo-Lattakia road on May 12, 2020 (AFP)
A Russian armored vehicle on the Aleppo-Lattakia road on May 12, 2020 (AFP)
    Moscow, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Russia Continues Media Campaign against US in Syria

A Russian armored vehicle on the Aleppo-Lattakia road on May 12, 2020 (AFP)
A Russian armored vehicle on the Aleppo-Lattakia road on May 12, 2020 (AFP)

Moscow is pushing forward with its political and media campaign against US actions in Syria. This push coincided with escalating tensions between Russia and the West in Ukraine.

Lieutenant-General Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, Deputy Head of the Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff, denounced the US unilateral coercive economic measures imposed on Syria, adding that these sanctions deteriorated standards of living in the country.

He told TASS that the US sanctions imposed on Syria through the Caesar Act had intimidated many companies, including Russian companies.

The Russian General indicated that the companies refuse even to enter profitable projects in Syria for fear of US sanctions.

Moreover, Russia revealed information about the intention of US intelligence to exploit sleeper terrorist cells in Syria to carry out attacks against the Syrian Army, Russia, and Iran.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said in a statement that the Russian forces in Syria has information about US intelligence plans to mobilize sleeping extremists in Syria to carry out attacks against the Syrian Army and the Russian and Iranian military personnel.

He added that the Russian forces in Syria are taking appropriate measures to deal with any possible incidents of this kind.

The Russian Defense Ministry had warned in a statement that “leaders of armed groups in Syria are planning to launch attacks in four provinces, namely, Homs, Damascus, Daraa and As-Suwayda.”

Oleg Zhuravlev, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, said that available intelligence shows that leaders of covert gangs are planning vandalism operations against civilian and public institutions in the four provinces.

In a relevant context, Zhuravlev stressed that the activities of the US occupation forces in Syria continue to negatively affect the situation in the country, as security conditions remain critical in areas where armed militias which they support are deployed.

“The last three days have witnessed ten terrorist attacks and subversive operations in those areas, killing 18 people and wounding 25 others,” Zhuravlev said.

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Arab World

Flash Floods Kill Five in Syria

A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
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Flash Floods Kill Five in Syria

A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]
A displaced Syrian girl sweeps rainwater from the floor of her family's tent following a rainstorm at the al-Talae displacement camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, on October 29, 2026 [Baderkhan Ahmad/AP Photo]

Flash flooding and heavy rains in northern and eastern Syria killed five people, including four children, authorities said Thursday.

Four children died by drowning in the governorates of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, the ministry of emergency and disaster management said in a statement.

Another man died in an accident at a bridge in Raqqa.

State news agency SANA said the heavy downpours and subsequent flooding caused a bridge to collapse in Raqqa, closing a road linking the region to neighboring Aleppo.

Five more people are missing in the storms that have been drenching the country since Wednesday, according to the ministry.

Areas across northern and eastern Syria have seen heavy rainfall and strong winds, inundating homes, displacing residents and closing roads, according to local authorities and official media.

Climate change has led to a drop in rainfall in Syria, while remaining downpours are intense, sporadic and less predictable, according to experts.

Arab World

Syrian Sentenced to 42 Months in US Prison for Pro-Assad Hacking

Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).
Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).
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Syrian Sentenced to 42 Months in US Prison for Pro-Assad Hacking

Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).
Reports indicated the images came from hacking attacks targeting social media accounts, as well as cases of online enticement (Reuters).

A Syrian man was sentenced to 42 months in prison on Thursday for his role in computer hacking on behalf of the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the US Justice Department said.

Ahmad Umar Agha, 32, and co-conspirators hacked Western media outlets, businesses, non-governmental organizations and US and allied government entities "to spread the former Syrian government's propaganda," the department said in a statement.

The hacking group known as the Syrian Electronic Army was led by members of Assad's inner circle, it said.

"Agha deployed his hacking skills in the service of Assad's regime to silence reporting on the regime's atrocities, intimidate its opponents, and incite US servicemembers to refuse their orders," Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg said.

The group's most notorious hack was of a US new agency's Twitter account, resulting in a false 2013 tweet saying then-president Barack Obama had been injured after two blasts at the White House, said AFP.

"Agha's actions caused a flash crash in the US stock market, resulting in a temporary $136 billion loss in the value of stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average," the Justice Department said.

Agha, also known as Th3Pro, was indicted along with an alleged co-conspirator, Firas Dardar, who remains a fugitive.

A third Syrian charged in the case, Peter Romar, was extradited to the United States and pleaded guilty in September 2016 to hacking charges.

Arab World

Dodging Fuel Price Hikes, Damascus Drivers Turn to Electric Cars

Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
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Dodging Fuel Price Hikes, Damascus Drivers Turn to Electric Cars

Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP
Ahmed Al-Lahham, a driver for ride-hailing application "Yalla Go!", charges his plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) in Damascus. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP

Taxi driver Mohammed Kanaan drives his shiny new electric car around Damascus's rundown streets, hoping for higher profits as spiking petrol prices made his old car too expensive to run.

He is among some in the Syrian capital who are steering towards electric cars -- mostly Chinese-made -- after repeated fuel shortages during the country's civil war and petrol price hikes, most recently due to the Middle East war.

"I used to have a car that ran on petrol but lately fuel quality has been low and prices have gone up," said Kanaan, 42, who had barely been covering his operating costs.

"In the end, I decided to buy an electric car and set up a charging point," he told AFP.

Before the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad nearly two years ago, it was rare to see modern cars in Damascus, particularly after civil war erupted in 2011.

The economy tanked, and imports of new vehicles screeched to a halt due to Western sanctions, which have largely been lifted since the new authorities took power.

When the new authorities came to power and reduced tariffs, some 100,000 cars were imported, before they halted imports of used cars due to concerns over quality.

Not all Syrians can afford to make the switch to electric, with the percentage remaining negligible as most still live in poverty.