Relative of Maher Al-Assad's Wife Buys Real Estate for Iran-Backed Militias

Members of Iranian militias in Syria (SOHR)
Members of Iranian militias in Syria (SOHR)
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Relative of Maher Al-Assad's Wife Buys Real Estate for Iran-Backed Militias

Members of Iranian militias in Syria (SOHR)
Members of Iranian militias in Syria (SOHR)

Iranian militias continue to purchase real estate in Moadamiyat al-Sham city in the western countryside of Damascus, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

The Observatory said the Syrian man from Deir Ezzor named "Mersal," a relative of Maher al-Assad's wife, is buying the real estate.

Maher al-Assad is the brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and commander of the 4th Division.

The Observatory quoted a source saying Mersal and his followers of the 4th Division and others from Deir Ezzor purchase real estate in Moadamiyat al-Sham, which is of great symbolic importance to Iranian-backed militias and the 4th Division.

Mersal buys as much real estate as possible in the area, whether homes or shops, through various means and methods, such as paying large amounts of money or using force if anyone refuses to sell his property.

SOHR sources added that during Eid al-Adha, Mersal slaughtered dozens of cattle and distributed them to the inhabitants and residents of Moadamiyat al-Sham to lure them and win their affection.

It is worth noting that the properties acquired by Mersal for dozens of Iranian-backed militiamen have not yet been inhabited by anyone and have not been sold.



Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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Pope Calls Situation in Gaza 'Shameful'

Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
Palestinians carry the dead body of a child, at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Pope Francis on Thursday stepped up his recent criticisms of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave "very serious and shameful.”

In a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide, Francis appeared to reference deaths caused by winter cold in Gaza, where there is almost no electricity.

"We cannot in any way accept the bombing of civilians," the text said, according to Reuters.
"We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals have been destroyed or a country's energy network has been hit."

The pope, 88, was present for the address but asked an aide to read it for him as he is recovering from a cold.

The comments were part of an address to Vatican-accredited envoys from some 184 countries that is sometimes called the pope's 'state of the world' speech. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See was among those present for the event.

Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts.
But he has recently been more outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas, and has suggested
the global community should study whether the offensive constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.
An Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff in December for that suggestion.

The pope's text said he condemns anti-Semitism, and called the growth of anti-Semitic groups "a source of deep concern."
Francis also called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia, which has killed tens of thousands.