Cholera Outbreak in Syria Provokes Warnings of ‘Health Disaster’

A Syrian woman with her cholera-infected child (AP)
A Syrian woman with her cholera-infected child (AP)
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Cholera Outbreak in Syria Provokes Warnings of ‘Health Disaster’

A Syrian woman with her cholera-infected child (AP)
A Syrian woman with her cholera-infected child (AP)

The cholera outbreak in Syria is affecting all regions, regardless of the forces in control. Regime-run areas, however, are proving to be most affected by the epidemic.

Concerns are intensifying as more cholera cases are being reported from overcrowded refugee camps, where the necessities of life, like potable water, are not available.

Official statistics published by the Syrian Health Ministry showed that the governorates of Aleppo and Deir Ezzor in northern and eastern Syria had the largest number of cholera cases.

Damascus has been trying to impose strict measures to curb the spread of cholera.

The epidemic’s death toll in regime-controlled areas has risen to 44, according to the ministry. At least 908 infections have been reported as well.

The ministry recorded 558 infections in Aleppo, 165 in Deir Ezzor, 68 in Hasaka, 33 in Raqqa, 28 in Lattakia, 19 in As-Suwayda, 11 in Damascus, ten in Hama, seven in Homs, five in Daraa, and two in the Damascus countryside, and one in each of Quneitra and Tartous.

According to Damascus, two more people died because of cholera infection in northeastern Syria.

The Syrian capital urged health workers to continue reporting suspected cases.

Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, warned on Friday that the cholera outbreak could become “catastrophic.”

“Aid is urgently needed, and sustainable and unhindered access to affected communities is imperative,” said Rochdi.

Earlier, the UN attributed the rise in cholera cases in Syria to severe decline in Euphrates River water level, drought-like conditions, and people recourse to unsecured water sources.

Reports indicate that more than five million people in Syria depend on the Euphrates River for drinking water.

Since the outbreak was declared on Sept.10, UNICEF has distributed 60 acute watery diarrhea (AWD) kits in the most affected governorates to support the treatment at health facility and community level.



Continued Israeli Incursions in South Lebanon: A Bid to Create New Realities on the Ground

Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 
Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 
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Continued Israeli Incursions in South Lebanon: A Bid to Create New Realities on the Ground

Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 
Smoke rises due to Israeli raids on South Lebanon (Reuters) 

South Lebanon is witnessing an escalating series of military operations, marked by repeated Israeli ground incursions and extensive bulldozing along the border.

The latest incidents have unfolded in the Marjayoun district and around the Wadi Hunin area, where Israeli military vehicles advanced more than 800 meters into Lebanese territory. According to analysts, these moves signal an effort to entrench a security presence that reflects “an advanced strategy to impose a new status quo along the frontier.”

On Friday, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli army bulldozers, protected by tanks stationed nearby, crossed the boundary at Wadi Hunin and moved towards a landfill south of the town of Adaisseh. The forces sealed off a road and erected earthen barriers, prompting heightened alert from the Lebanese side.

Separately, an Israeli patrol breached the withdrawal line in the outskirts of Kfar Shouba - penetrating 400 meters into Lebanese territory - and fired shots at shepherds without causing injuries.

The incursions did not stop there. Residents of Blida also reported a fresh advance of over 800 meters. Meanwhile, Israeli troops detonated a civilian structure in the Ghassouna area east of Adaisseh, using incendiary and stun grenades that sowed panic among local families.

In parallel, Israeli aerial attacks have intensified. On Friday, an Israeli drone struck a car traveling on the Nmeiriyeh–Sharqiyyeh road in Nabatieh district, killing one person and injuring five others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed. The attack underscores the widening scope of targets, reaching deeper into southern Lebanon and extending beyond military sites to include civilian vehicles.

Another drone dropped a bomb on a small transport truck in the border town of Kfar Kila, causing material damage but no casualties. Such incidents have become a recurring pattern in the ongoing escalation.

Adding to the strain on civilians, an entire house in Kfar Kila was blown up after being rigged with explosives. In Meiss El Jabal, Israeli forces destroyed a newly renovated tile factory last week, as part of what Israeli spokesmen described as “special operations” targeting weapons depots and infrastructure allegedly tied to Hezbollah in locations including Labouneh and Jabal Balat.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated on Wednesday that the operations were based on intelligence gathering and surveillance of “Hezbollah’s combat means and terrorist infrastructure.” He added that special units were working to dismantle these networks to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing its positions along the border. Adraee also released nighttime video footage showing Israeli infantry operating deep inside southern Lebanon.

A Systematic Effort to Empty the Border

Military analyst Brigadier General Naji Malaeb described these incursions as “part of a systematic plan to reshape the situation on the border.” He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli ground advances typically coincide with major diplomatic developments - whether a US envoy arriving in Beirut or Israeli delegations traveling to Washington.

“Every time there is a significant diplomatic event, we see coordinated maneuvers - airstrikes, artillery shelling, or limited ground incursions targeting civilian or logistical sites,” Malaeb noted.

He argued that Israel’s consistent pattern of targeting rebuilt homes and small businesses reveals a clear message: preventing displaced residents from returning. “Whenever villagers attempt to repair their homes or revive their livelihoods, the response is immediate,” he said, citing a recent case in Aitaroun where Israeli troops demolished a factory that had been reconstructed inside a residence.

“This is no longer just a violation of Lebanese sovereignty or UN Resolution 1701,” Malaeb concluded. “It has evolved into a deliberate strategy to depopulate the border strip and impose new facts on the ground, creating, in effect, a buffer zone through indirect means.”