Cracks, Fissures Risk Collapse of Buildings North of Damascus

Rescuers work to help victims from the rubble of a building that collapsed as a result of the earthquake in the city of Aleppo, Syria. (AFP)
Rescuers work to help victims from the rubble of a building that collapsed as a result of the earthquake in the city of Aleppo, Syria. (AFP)
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Cracks, Fissures Risk Collapse of Buildings North of Damascus

Rescuers work to help victims from the rubble of a building that collapsed as a result of the earthquake in the city of Aleppo, Syria. (AFP)
Rescuers work to help victims from the rubble of a building that collapsed as a result of the earthquake in the city of Aleppo, Syria. (AFP)

Fear has gripped residents in northern Damascus, where cracks and fissures caused by Monday’s devastating earthquake threatened the collapse of homes and buildings.

The earthquake’s destruction was not limited to northwestern Syria. It also extended to areas north of Damascus.

Residents of the areas of Ish al-Warwar, Barzeh, Rukn al-Din and Sheikh Mohi al-Din have raised the alarm, civil sources said.

“Everyone is afraid... Cracks and fissures appeared in many buildings and houses,” sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that residents fear another quake that would lead to the collapse of their homes.

Ish al-Warwar is located at the northern entrance to Damascus. It is located at the foot of a mountain that was seized a few decades ago by Syrians, arriving from the coast, who arbitrarily built houses there.

Many residents of this area sided with the regime during the war, which has been ongoing for nearly 12 years.

Moreover, old buildings can be found all over Barzeh, Rukn al-Din and Sheikh Mohi al-Din. This doesn’t bode well in case another quake hits.

Fear, however, is not exclusive to areas where the earthquake took its toll. It has also spread to regime itself. Regime areas are suffering from a severe economic crisis, oil and power shortages and lack the machinery needed to lead rescue missions.

Even before the quake, the regime was barely able to sustain its population. It goes without saying that the situation would aggravate more if a natural disaster hit, said the sources.

On Monday, no less than 185 aftershocks were recorded following the first two major earthquakes, which were centered in northeastern Türkiye.

Aftershocks had continued until dawn on Tuesday, the strongest of which was a tremor of 5.5 magnitude felt 9 km southeast of Golbasi, in southern Türkiye.

Syrian ministers held an emergency meeting chaired by President Bashar al-Assad on Monday morning to assess the damage and review response missions.



Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Lebanon's central bank has banned banks and brokerages from dealing with a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution, according to a circular, a sign of the group's diminished sway over state affairs since its devastating war with Israel.

Keeping up military pressure on the Iran-backed group, Israel on Tuesday launched some of its heaviest airstrikes since a ceasefire in November, saying it hit training camps and weapons depots in east Lebanon. A security source in Lebanon said 12 people were killed, five of them Hezbollah fighters, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah has faced mounting pressures since the war, including financial ones.

In the circular, dated July 14 and reviewed by Reuters, Banque du Liban prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system".

Bolstered by its powerful arsenal, Hezbollah had long exercised decisive influence over Lebanese state affairs, but it was unable to impose its will in the formation of a post-war government in February.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organisation which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year.

Operating as a not-for-profit organisation under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

SHADOW ECONOMY

A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected US pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan because it is under US sanctions.

"The important point is that finally the authorities are addressing the shadow economy in Lebanon, which is the real problem," he said, adding that authorities had long failed to address its "toxic effects".

In June, the European Commission included Lebanon in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions presenting strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Last year, global financial crime watchdog FATF placed Lebanon on its "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny.