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Attack Kills 10 in Syria, Kurdish Forces Arrest 52 Militants

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces stand outside a prison in Syria's north-eastern city of Hasakeh on January 26. (AFP)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces stand outside a prison in Syria's north-eastern city of Hasakeh on January 26. (AFP)
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Attack Kills 10 in Syria, Kurdish Forces Arrest 52 Militants

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces stand outside a prison in Syria's north-eastern city of Hasakeh on January 26. (AFP)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces stand outside a prison in Syria's north-eastern city of Hasakeh on January 26. (AFP)

A militant rocket attack in eastern Syria on Friday targeted a bus with oil industry employees, killing at least 10, the government said. To the north, Syrian Kurdish-led forces announced they arrested 52 militants in an operation against ISIS sleeper cells.

According to Syria’s petroleum ministry, the rocket struck in the Al-Taym gas field in eastern Deir Ezzor province. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, said ISIS was behind the attack.

The Observatory also reported a higher death toll from the rocket attack, saying at last 12 workers were killed.

Also Friday, the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said their raids had reportedly thwarted an attack planned for New Year’s Eve. The ISIS militants were hiding in residential areas and farms, a statement from the forces said.

The yearslong US-backed campaign had succeeded in crushing the militants’ territorial control in Iraq and Syria, but ISIS fighters maintain sleeper cells and have staged attacks that have killed scores of Iraqis and Syrians in the past months.

On Thursday, the Syrian Kurdish-led forces announced their operation, citing a surge in ISIS attacks and saying that “Operation Al-Jazeera Thunderbolt” aims to target sleeper cells in al-Hol and nearby in Tal Hamis areas.

Since 2011, Syria has been mired in a bloody war that has drawn in regional and global powers. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has mostly regained control of the country, but parts of its north remain under the control of opposition factions, as well as Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces.

Also, some 900 US troops in Syria support the Kurdish-led forces' fight against ISIS and have frequently targeted the extremists, mostly in parts of northeastern Syria under Kurdish control.

The US Central Command on Thursday reported conducting some 313 operations against ISIS in 2022 in Syria and Iraq, mostly in cooperation with Kurdish-led forces. According to a CENTCOM statement, 215 militants from the ISIS group were arrested and 466 were killed in Syria.

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Arab World

Coalition Thwarts Houthi Attempt to Smuggle Weapons at Sea as Taiz Withstands Militant Assaults

This frame grab taken on October 9, 2026, from AFPTV video footage shows a member of the Yemeni government forces firing a machine gun mounted on a pick-up truck during clashes with Houthi fighters in Hayfan district, south of Taiz, on October 8, 2026. (AFPTV /AFP)
This frame grab taken on October 9, 2026, from AFPTV video footage shows a member of the Yemeni government forces firing a machine gun mounted on a pick-up truck during clashes with Houthi fighters in Hayfan district, south of Taiz, on October 8, 2026. (AFPTV /AFP)
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Coalition Thwarts Houthi Attempt to Smuggle Weapons at Sea as Taiz Withstands Militant Assaults

This frame grab taken on October 9, 2026, from AFPTV video footage shows a member of the Yemeni government forces firing a machine gun mounted on a pick-up truck during clashes with Houthi fighters in Hayfan district, south of Taiz, on October 8, 2026. (AFPTV /AFP)
This frame grab taken on October 9, 2026, from AFPTV video footage shows a member of the Yemeni government forces firing a machine gun mounted on a pick-up truck during clashes with Houthi fighters in Hayfan district, south of Taiz, on October 8, 2026. (AFPTV /AFP)

The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen thwarted an attempt by the terrorist Houthi group to smuggle weapons at sea to Yemen’s Hodeidah governorate in a development that highlights efforts to cut off the militants’ military supply lines.

On the ground, clashes continued along fronts in Taiz as Operation Dawn of Yemen expands.

In a video on the X platform about the smuggling operation, Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki said: "We strike them on land... we sink them in the sea."

On Saturday, Operation Dawn of Yemen entered its 13th day amid ongoing Houthi attacks on the fronts in the southwestern city of Taiz. Government forces and the Popular Resistance repelled the attacks in fierce battles, with the Houthis incurring heavy losses, according to Yemeni military statements.

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced that it carried out 1,417 precise and direct operations, using warplanes, drones and field artillery, targeting militia gatherings, reinforcements, fortified positions, firing sources, armored vehicles, combat equipment, and drone launch sites.

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Majed al-Nuzaili said the operations have disrupted Houthi movement, preventing them from deploying their reserves to the fronts or achieving any tactical objective on the ground.

The operations killed and injured around 800 militants, and destroyed or damaged more than 190 armored, transport and supply vehicles, as well as fortifications and firing positions, he added.

The Armed Forces on the eastern front managed to clear hostile positions and expand their scope of control, securing a new tactical field position, he went on to say.

In Taiz, al-Nuzaili said the Armed Forces and the Popular Resistance thwarted continuous waves of attacks, while warplanes targeted the militia's positions and reinforcements with concentrated strikes, inflicting heavy losses among their ranks.

The Armed Forces confirmed that their operations are strictly confined to legitimate military targets and are executed in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules.

They renewed their call to citizens in areas under the control of the militias to protect their children from recruitment campaigns and from being dragged into losing battles in defense of a project that does not represent the Yemeni people and does not serve their homeland.

In another development, al-Nuzaili said that government forces and the Popular Resistance detained a number of Houthi field commanders.

According to government forces' statements, the Houthi militia continues to send reinforcements to the frontlines to compensate for its losses.

The steadfastness of government forces is preventing the Houthis from achieving their field goals, despite the continuous military pressure, they added.

The developments are not limited to Taiz. The Armed Forces announced that they made new progress in Marib, taking control of strategic positions. Meanwhile, operations on the southern and western fronts aim to deplete the group's capabilities and weaken its movements.

According to al-Nuzaili, military engineering units continue to remove mines and explosive devices planted by the Houthis, as well as securing the recaptured areas and opening roads for the armed forces.

Arab World

Are the Iran-backed Iraq Factions Facing a Financial Crisis?

A PMF patrol in Iraq. (PMF)
A PMF patrol in Iraq. (PMF)
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Are the Iran-backed Iraq Factions Facing a Financial Crisis?

A PMF patrol in Iraq. (PMF)
A PMF patrol in Iraq. (PMF)

Iraqi sources revealed that the armed factions are suffering from a “financial crisis” due to US sanctions against their commanders.

They ruled out however that the salaries of fighters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) would come to a halt because they are being funded from the state budget.

Commander of the US Central Command Brad Cooper said on Friday the US naval blockade has cost Iran $25 billion in lost oil revenue and the Treasury Department have managed in recent weeks to freeze $350 million that Iran had in cryptocurrency.

In a video message released Friday, Cooper revealed that Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and armed factions in Iraq, which have been funded by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for years, now have to give the money back, reported Axios.

"The financial strain on Iran's military has become so significant that there are reports about Iran-aligned militia groups across the region withholding payments for their soldiers in order to funnel money back to the IRGC, which also isn't paying its troops," he said.

Cooper said the Iranian government is withholding salaries, pensions and benefits from public sector workers, including the internal security forces and the IRGC.

However, reliable sources, including some familiar with the internal dynamics of Iraqi factions, dismissed the US claims as “inaccurate”.

One of the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the factions are generally experiencing genuine financial problems, which began months ago as a result of US Treasury sanctions against most of their leaders, as well as associated banks and institutions accused of financial dealings with Tehran.

However, the source stressed that all members of the factions, who mostly operate under the PMF, receive their salaries regularly, and they have not been cut.

Financial allocations for the PMF reached around 3.6 billion US dollars under the 2025 budget to fund a force boasting around 238,000 members. This coincides with government efforts to reorganize the legal and security structure of the PMF, amid local and regional scrutiny.

The sources explained that the total number of members linked to the factions does not exceed 50,000 fighters, or slightly more. Even assuming Cooper's statements are true, their total salaries could not cover a financial deficit in Iran.

A source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Iran and IRGC circles are linked to vast financial interests inside Iraq, spanning the energy, construction, and trade sectors. Furthermore, they control state-linked contracts that generate revenues far exceeding what they spend on the salaries of faction members.

The source did not rule out the existence of shadow institutions or banks linked to the factions that could continue their secret financial dealings with Iran, similar to what was recently uncovered in the case of one of the banks.

The US Treasury had placed the Iraqi International Development Bank on the sanctions list last Thursday for facilitating Iran's access to dollars, assisting it in obtaining American currency, and circumventing the economic sanctions imposed on it.

Washington accused the bank of being linked to Iranian companies that contributed to its establishment from the very beginning, and of working to transfer and deliver profits to Tehran, in addition to its connection to Iranian state and banking entities, including Bank Melli.

Arab World

Sisi Says Egypt Ready for Any Measure to Protect Saudi Arabia

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
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Sisi Says Egypt Ready for Any Measure to Protect Saudi Arabia

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt's parliament will meet on Sunday after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked lawmakers to authorize support for Saudi defenses.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian military academy, Sisi said on Saturday that it was "inconceivable" for Cairo to stand by while Saudi Arabia was "harmed or its security and stability threatened.”

"Egypt, of course, with the directives of His Majesty King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will carry out any measure to protect you or defend you," he said.

Sisi said Cairo stood "with full force and support to protect and defend the lands of our brothers in the Gulf,” before asking attendees to stand and give a military salute to Gulf states.

"I'm not talking about fighting anyone or attacking anyone," he added. "We are speaking only about defense."

Shortly after Sisi's remarks, state media reported that parliament would convene an emergency session on Sunday at the president's request.

Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Mohamed Hegazy said that al-Sisi’s remarks about Egypt’s willingness to take measures to protect its Gulf Arab brethren, if requested, “carry a clear political and strategic message: Egypt views Gulf security as an integral part of Egyptian and Arab national security, and Arab solidarity is not limited to political and diplomatic positions, but extends to a readiness to shoulder responsibility when Arab states face threats to their security and stability.”

Hegazy told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the president’s remarks also underscore that any potential Egyptian action would be defensive and protective in nature, undertaken at the request of its Gulf partners, rather than aimed at attacking any party or entering into an open military confrontation.”

He said this “reflects the distinction between possessing the capability to protect Arab interests and seeking escalation.”

“The president’s remarks affirm that force in this context is a tool of deterrence and protection, not an instrument of war and escalation. This comes within the framework of Egypt’s longstanding commitment to Arab solidarity, while safeguarding security, stability, and the resources of the countries of the region,” he added.