Report: 10,000 Iranian Militants Killed in Syria

The ongoing military operations in Syria have resulted in extensive damage to the infrastructure (AP)
The ongoing military operations in Syria have resulted in extensive damage to the infrastructure (AP)
TT

Report: 10,000 Iranian Militants Killed in Syria

The ongoing military operations in Syria have resulted in extensive damage to the infrastructure (AP)
The ongoing military operations in Syria have resulted in extensive damage to the infrastructure (AP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) documented the death of 499,657 people since the outbreak of the Syrian uprising.

The Observatory also announced that the death toll included 1,712 Lebanese Hezbollah members and 8,628 others from non-Syrian militiamen backed by Iran and Russia.

Last year, the United Nations Human Rights Office announced that it compiled a list of 350,209 identified individuals killed in the conflict in Syria between March 2011 to March 2021.

In March 2011, the Observatory announced that 494,438 people had been killed since the start of the conflict in Syria when protests turned into an armed conflict.

The Observatory said that the civilian deaths are 160,681, including 120,158 men, 15,237 women, and 25,286 children in its new report.

It detailed the deaths as follows: 49,359 civilians died under torture in regime prisons, 52,508 were killed in shelling and gunfire by regime forces, and 26,403 in airstrikes by the regime’s air force.

In addition, 8,683 civilians were killed by Russian bombardments, and 2,504 others were killed in airstrikes, the source of which was not confirmed.

SOHR also reported that factions killed 2,320 civilians, militants killed 900 civilians, while 1,692 civilians died in various attacks. Up to 919 civilians died of poor living conditions, and the International Coalitions killed 2,676 civilians.

The non-civilian deaths amounted to 338,976 and were distributed as follows: 91,267 from the regime forces, 67,242 from militias loyal to the regime, Iran and Russia, 1,712 from the Lebanese Hezbollah, and 8,628 from non-Syrian militiamen backed by Iran and Russia.

The list also included 8,017 dead during the fighting and militant factions, 3,588 dissidents from the regime forces, 10,886 of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), 3,228 Kurdish fighters, and 41,101 ISIS terrorists.

The Observatory added that the figures do not include more than 55,000 citizens killed under torture in the regime’s prisons.

The report also does not account for over 3,200 Kurdistan Workers’ Party fighters who were killed during their fight alongside the SDF.

Furthermore, the Observatory could not verify the status of over 3,200 civilians and fighters abducted in ISIS prisons and more than 4,100 prisoners and missing members of the regime forces and loyal militiamen.

The Observatory said that over 1,800 persons were kidnapped by militant factions, ISIS, and Fateh al-Sham Front (former Jabhat Al-Nusra) on charges of “loyalty to the regime.”

The ongoing military operations, shelling, bombardment, and various explosions have injured more than 2.1 million civilians and displaced about 13,000,000 other civilians, including hundreds of thousands of children and women.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said that Washington does not support efforts to normalize relations with the Assad regime and will not normalize relations until there is irreversible progress towards a political solution.

“We will not normalize relations with Assad until and unless there is irreversible progress towards that political solution. The Syrian people deserve nothing less after more than a decade of war,” said spokesman Ned Price.”



Lebanon: Arrest Warrants Issued for Hezbollah Members over Rocket Transfers

A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
TT

Lebanon: Arrest Warrants Issued for Hezbollah Members over Rocket Transfers

A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Lebanon’s military judiciary has shifted course in handling security cases involving Hezbollah members, with the military court in Beirut interrogating four suspects in a case tied to the possession and transport of rockets and military-grade weapons.

On Tuesday, two Hezbollah members appeared before First Military Investigative Judge Ghada Abu Alwan, who questioned them and issued in-person arrest warrants.

The move came more than two weeks after their arrest in Kfarhouneh, Mount Lebanon, for transporting 21 rockets from the Bekaa to southern Lebanon, in breach of a government decision banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities.

A judicial source said the three-hour session was attended by their defense lawyer, Maan al-Asaad.

The detainees admitted moving the rockets, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat, saying they were carrying out their duty in confronting the Israeli army, which they said occupies Lebanese land and repeatedly attacks the country.

They described their actions as part of a resistance duty protected under international law.

Abu Alwan ordered their detention based on charges filed by the Government Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Claude Ghanem, under Article 72 of the arms law and Article 288 of the penal code.

Article 72 criminalizes the possession or transport of military weapons without a license, while Article 288 provides for temporary hard labor for acts that could expose Lebanon to hostile actions.

Article 288 also penalizes anyone who violates state measures to preserve neutrality in war, or carries out unauthorized acts, writings or speeches that could expose the country or its citizens to hostile or retaliatory actions.

Asharq Al-Awsat has learned that the suspects’ lawyer requested their release, either unconditionally or on bail, but the judicial source said the judge is likely to reject the request given the charges.

An indictment is expected within days, with the case to be referred to the Permanent Military Court. Authorities have also ordered the confiscation of the seized weapons for the Lebanese army.

In a related case, Military Investigative Judge George Mezher questioned another Hezbollah member detained for transporting military weapons after he was found with six machine guns and four pistols, and ordered his detention.

Another suspect had earlier been detained by Investigative Judge Rayan al-Masri on similar charges of transporting unlicensed weapons in violation of the government ban.

Separately, lawyers and activists staged a sit-in outside the Palace of Justice in solidarity with the detainees, calling for their release.


‘Like a Threat’: What Gaza’s Latest Disarmament Proposal Includes

Gunmen from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)
Gunmen from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)
TT

‘Like a Threat’: What Gaza’s Latest Disarmament Proposal Includes

Gunmen from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)
Gunmen from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)

Sources from Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that its delegation received a proposal days ago to disarm the Gaza Strip, submitted by the executive body of the Board of Peace established by US President Donald Trump.

A senior Hamas source based outside Gaza said that what was presented appeared to be a “threat message.”

Two other Hamas sources and a third from another Palestinian faction, all inside Gaza, said the proposal calls for handing over “all weapons inside Gaza without exception.”

The Palestinian faction source said that “the demand is to remove the weapons of all factions, clans, and even personal arms, including those held by leaders at all levels, even if intended for personal protection.”

Reuters reported on Saturday, citing two sources, that the Board of Peace had submitted a written proposal to Hamas outlining how it would surrender its weapons.

The agency said the proposal was presented during a meeting in Cairo attended by Nikolay Mladenov, the high representative of the Board of Peace, and Aryeh Lightstone, a special assistant to US envoy Steve Witkoff.

A senior Hamas source said the movement’s delegation told the meeting that armed factions in Gaza remain committed to what has been agreed and are ready to implement all phases of the deal.

The source said the priority is to move ahead with agreed stages, then address weapons and negotiations over them.

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was reached in October under a 20-point plan proposed by Trump and divided into phases.

Israel has yet to implement the clause requiring withdrawal from areas it occupies in the enclave, which accounts for 55% of Gaza’s territory, while the disarmament clause comes later.

A Hamas source said the plan aims to tie reconstruction and changes to governance in Gaza exclusively to surrendering weapons.

“What was presented was a threat message, not a rational proposal that engages the issue through negotiation, weighing positives and negatives. There are attempts to impose dictates that are unacceptable to us and to the broader Palestinian national consensus,” the source said.

Hamas sources said the proposal has been referred for internal discussions within the movement and among Palestinian factions, noting it does not set a deadline for a response.

People familiar with the proposal said the prevailing view within Hamas and Gaza factions is to reject linking disarmament to reconstruction.

A Hamas source inside Gaza confirmed that it is one of several proposals previously put forward.

“What the movement received is not final and does not present a clear and comprehensive vision covering all aspects of the weapons issue and other matters related to the second phase,” said the source, who requested anonymity.

Hamas, betting on its position as the largest armed group in the enclave, is consulting Palestinian factions to reach a “unified national position, particularly on the issue of weapons.”

The senior Hamas source outside Gaza said: “We have no objection to reaching an agreement, provided it does not compromise national constants and key principles that keep the Palestinian cause at the forefront of global priorities until the occupation ends, even if through a clearly defined political path that grants Palestinians genuine sovereignty.”

US officials said the Iran-backed Hamas could be offered amnesty under any agreement in which it agrees to surrender both heavy and light weapons, including rifles.


Iraq Arrests Four After Rocket Attack on Syria Base

Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP)
Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP)
TT

Iraq Arrests Four After Rocket Attack on Syria Base

Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP)
Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP)

Iraq arrested four people in connection with an earlier rocket attack launched against a military base in neighboring Syria, officials said late Tuesday.

"Our security forces, supported by intelligence efforts, moved swiftly and succeeded in arresting four of the perpetrators," a short statement from the prime minister's office said.

It added that the suspects had been handed over to the "appropriate authorities" as part of the investigation.

Monday's attack targeted a northeastern Syrian military base in Hasakeh province that had until recently hosted US forces with an international anti-ISIS coalition.

These are the first arrests announced in Iraq related to the Middle East conflict that broke out on February 28.

However, drone strikes and rocket attacks have regularly targeted the US embassy in Baghdad, a US diplomatic center at the Iraqi capital's airport, and forces with the international anti-ISIS coalition.

Syria's army condemned the attack on Monday, and confirmed they were in contact with Iraqi authorities to "locate the perpetrators".