15 Illegal Migrants Die at Sea off Algeria

African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)
African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)
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15 Illegal Migrants Die at Sea off Algeria

African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)
African migrants at sea in the Mediterranean. (AFP)

Fifteen migrants died on Sunday while attempting to reach Italian shores through a traditional boat, activists in east Algeria said Monday.

Hundreds of illegal migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean while making the dangerous journey to Europe.

In the latest tragedy, a boat departed Collo for Lampedusa island in Italy. It capsized during a storm, leaving 15 people dead, said the civil defense.

Seven bodies were retrieved at dawn on Monday and the coast guard is searching for survivors. A girl has been rescued from the water.

A probe has been launched in the incident.

The coast guard submits monthly reports about its interception of illegal migrant boats.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Algeria on Jan. 19 and discussed illegal migration among other issues with officials.

Rome wants Algiers to play a stronger role in cracking down on the illegal migration.

A week before her visit, the Italian ministers of interior and foreign affairs and international cooperation discussed with Tunisian officials combating illegal migration to Italy from Tunisia.

Tunisia has also increased in popularity as a transit country for migrants heading to Italy, the InfoMigrants website said on March 16.

The Algerian cities of Annaba and Skikda are starting points for journeys to Italy and Oran and Mostaganem are the usual starting points to Spain.

The Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations stated in May 2022 during a conference on illegal migration organized by the General Assembly that the Algerian security forces have dismantled more than 400 illegal migrant smuggling networks between 2020 and 2021.



Israeli Intelligence Threatens Commander of Imam Hussein Brigade in Syria

A photo from an account called Imam Hussein Brigade on Instagram (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A photo from an account called Imam Hussein Brigade on Instagram (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Israeli Intelligence Threatens Commander of Imam Hussein Brigade in Syria

A photo from an account called Imam Hussein Brigade on Instagram (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A photo from an account called Imam Hussein Brigade on Instagram (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Israeli army’s military intelligence sent warnings to the pro-Iran Imam Hussein Brigade - which is made up of sub-units operating in Syria - and accused the militias of recruiting thousands of soldiers to conduct strikes against Israel.

Israeli intelligence officers said that a unit comprising one thousand members was currently a source of concern for AMAN (the Military Intelligence Division of the Israeli Army), and was practically considered a branch of the Lebanese Hezbollah.

According to the officers, the unit owns Iranian-made drones and surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, while its soldiers are well trained, have military patrols and fortified positions, and act like a small army.

The Israeli foreign intelligence service (Mossad) has begun investigating weapons smuggling operations through Syria and the Jordanian border to Palestinian armed organizations in the West Bank.

The Israeli Army Radio, Galei Tsahal, reported on Tuesday a significant increase in smuggling operations, in terms of quantity and types of weapons. The channel quoted a senior official in the Israeli security services as saying that the last few weeks witnessed the thwarting of two attempts to smuggle weapons across the Jordanian-Israeli border in the Jordan Valley region.

One of these operations was described as “large and exceptional,” and included powerful and sophisticated explosive devices. Israel is investigating the possibility of Iran’s involvement.

In earlier statements, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel “is aware of the increasing involvement of Iran and terrorist organizations in attempts to transfer weapons and knowledge (i.e. expertise related to weapons manufacturing) to the West Bank.”

Israeli army reports indicate that the Imam Hussein Brigade was carrying out hostile activity against Israel, including weapons smuggling. Particular focus was placed on the commander of this brigade, called Zulfiqar Hanawi, 42, a Lebanese affiliated with Hezbollah, who led a military division that was fighting in Aleppo in 2013.

According to the reports, Hanawi “works relentlessly to develop the capabilities of his forces and carry out bold operations against American forces, terrorist organizations, Israel, and even against opposition forces (in Syria). He is also involved in importing weapons from Iran and hiding them in Syria or Lebanon.”

Some AMAN officers describe him as the successor of IRGC Commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US operation near Baghdad airport at the beginning of 2021.


Yemen's Presidential Leadership Calls for Support, Pressuring Houthis

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) President Rashad al-Alimi, during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) President Rashad al-Alimi, during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
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Yemen's Presidential Leadership Calls for Support, Pressuring Houthis

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) President Rashad al-Alimi, during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) President Rashad al-Alimi, during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) President Rashad al-Alimi accused the Houthi group of obliterating decades of developments in the country since their coup.

Speaking at the Sustainable Development Goals Summit on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly meetings in New York, Alimi urged the international community to push the Houthis toward peace.

The Yemeni official called for intensified pressure on the Houthis to end the politicization of humanitarian issues, asserting that this is as important as humanitarian aid.

He explained that Yemen is lagging in its development commitments due to the strains of war and a deepening humanitarian crisis that the Iran-backed Houthi militias continue exacerbating for the ninth consecutive year.

Alimi added that the war has shifted developmental priorities in Yemen, especially in light of the cessation of oil exports for an entire year following Houthi attacks on export ports and international shipping lanes.

Discussing sustainable development objectives, which involve widespread societal participation in decision-making, production, and employing technology for job creation and improving life quality, the Yemeni leader stressed that such discussions are now impossible in densely populated militia-controlled areas.

He blamed the Houthi group for barring life-saving vaccines from reaching their territories, leading to a resurgence of deadly diseases eradicated two decades ago.

- Destruction of achievements

Alimi discussed the impacts of the Houthi war and its dire consequences across various service, developmental, and humanitarian sectors.

Recently, he said millions of Yemeni students returned to school under extremely harsh conditions, adding that the governmental protection network that should be bolstering the education sector has collapsed.

He emphasized that the Houthis' actions have destroyed Yemen's economic achievements over the past decades.

- Diplomatic Initiatives

He held a series of meetings with UN and international officials in New York to shed light on the crisis in Yemen and pressure the Houthi rebels to embrace peace, according to official sources.

Alimi and PLC Vice President Aidrous al-Zubaidi met with the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.

They discussed the evolving situation in Yemen and the commendable mediation efforts led by Saudi Arabia and Oman to renew the truce and initiate a comprehensive political process under the UN's auspices.

Alimi acknowledged the US humanitarian interventions to alleviate the hardships intensified by Houthi attacks on oil installations and international shipping routes.

Additionally, he met with the UN Under-Secretary-General, Vladimir Voronkov, and discussed the wide-ranging implications of the Houthi war.

State-owned Saba news agency reported that Alimi briefed the UN official on the escalating threats fuelled by the Houthi militias.

He highlighted the need for international support to rebuild the state institutions, law enforcement agencies, counterterrorism, and organized crime authorities and enhance their capability to counter security threats in coordination with regional allies and international partners.

Furthermore, Alimi met with the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, addressing the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Yemen's official media reported that Alimi discussed with international officials the humanitarian consequences of the Houthi attacks on oil facilities and discussed the required international support for the Yemeni government to fulfill its obligations.

The head of Yemen's governing council expressed appreciation for the facilities provided by the IMF, notably its Special Drawing Rights (SDR).

He indicated his openness to various offers to mobilize global support alongside government reforms and measures in coordination with regional and international allies.

Alimi lauded the generous Saudi support for Yemen's state budget and its pivotal role in stabilizing Yemen's economic and service sectors.


Tensions Mount Over Potential War Expansion in Sudan's Eastern Region

Army chief Abdulfattah al-Burhan during a tour at the Flamingo marine base in Port Sudan (File photo: AFP)
Army chief Abdulfattah al-Burhan during a tour at the Flamingo marine base in Port Sudan (File photo: AFP)
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Tensions Mount Over Potential War Expansion in Sudan's Eastern Region

Army chief Abdulfattah al-Burhan during a tour at the Flamingo marine base in Port Sudan (File photo: AFP)
Army chief Abdulfattah al-Burhan during a tour at the Flamingo marine base in Port Sudan (File photo: AFP)

Concerns are growing about the possibility of the ongoing conflict in Sudan spreading to new areas, including East Sudan, which had thus far remained unaffected by the clashes occurring in Khartoum and Darfur.

On Monday night, clashes erupted between the national army and the armed factions of local tribes in Port Sudan, raising concerns about a resurgence of violence. Since the outbreak of the war in April, the coastal city has served as an unofficial temporary capital of the country.

The leader of the alliance of parties and movements of the eastern tribes, Sheiba Drarar, claimed that the army unexpectedly fired on their forces outside the headquarters of the National Beja Party, and the troops responded before the situation stabilized.

Drarar, a prominent figure of the Beja tribe, stressed in a press statement that his forces did not initiate the aggression against the army.

He alleged that about 50 military vehicles surrounded their headquarters and interfered with inspecting some trucks loaded with foodstuff, lacking proper documentation.

- Army issues no comment

The army and the Red Sea state government have not commented on the clashes.

It is the first armed conflict in the coastal city since the war broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in April.

An eyewitness in Port Sudan said the area witnessed intense crossfire in the city center between the army and a militia led by Drarar.

Another resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, reported that soldiers spread across the area after dismantling militia checkpoints, though others claimed a return to calm shortly after.

Port Sudan hosts the only currently operational airport in Sudan and serves as a haven for government and UN officials fleeing the battles in Khartoum.

The city had been unaffected by violence until Monday’s clashes.

In the past three weeks, Port Sudan has been a base for Army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who remained settled in the General Command of the Army in Khartoum until late August, besieged by Rapid Support Forces fighters.

Burhan made six foreign trips departing from Port Sudan, which analysts believe were diplomatic efforts to support his position in case they launched negotiations to end the conflict.

Videos circulated on social media showed clashes with live ammunition in one of the populated districts of Port Sudan.

According to eyewitnesses, the "limited skirmish" caused panic among the citizens.

Hassan Abdullah, a resident of Port Sudan, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the brief clash occurred in the Deem Arab district.

The three states of Eastern Sudan, Red Sea, Kassala, and al-Qadarif, have historically faced tensions due to neglect from central governments.

Tribal and ethnic divisions have resulted in armed conflicts within the region, leaving hundreds of victims.

Earlier, the Rapid Support Forces commander, Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, warned that his forces could reach any part of Sudan, including the eastern region, where remnants of the ousted regime are reportedly sheltered.

-Battles Intensify in the Capital

Clashes escalated in Khartoum between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, spanning many areas in the three cities: Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman.

Eyewitnesses reported that Sudanese military drones targeted Rapid Support Forces' positions in several districts in the East Nile area of the capital, Khartoum.

In response, the Rapid Support Forces launched artillery shells at the signal corps in Bahri and targeted locations in central Khartoum.

Meanwhile, the United Nations fears that Sudan could enter a comprehensive civil war and face the risk of division.

Two UN-affiliated agencies reported on Tuesday that more than 1,200 children have died of suspected measles and malnutrition in Sudan refugee camps, while many thousands more, including newborns, are at risk of death before year-end.

The agencies added that more than five months into the conflict between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces, the country's healthcare sector is on its knees due to direct attacks from the warring parties and shortages of staff and medicines.

Chief of Public Health at the UNHCR Allen Maina told a UN briefing in Geneva that since May, over 1,200 children from Ethiopia and South Sudan under five had died in nine camps in White Nile state, home to one of Sudan's larger refugee populations.

"Unfortunately, we fear numbers will continue rising because of strained resources," he added, adding that partners struggled to vaccinate refugees, stoking the risk of epidemics.

The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) said it worried that "many thousands of newborns" from among the 333,000 babies known to be due before the end of the year would die.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told the same briefing that the kids and their mothers need skilled delivery care.

However, in a country where millions are either trapped in war zones or displaced and where there are grave shortages of medical supplies, such care is becoming less likely by the day.

Every month, some 55,000 children require treatment for the worst form of malnutrition in Sudan, but fewer than one in 50 nutrition centers are functional in the capital, Khartoum, and one in ten in West Darfur, he said.


Several Palestinians Killed, Wounded by Israeli Gunfire in Jenin

Palestinian relatives of Youssef Radwan mourn him after he was killed near the Israeli-Gaza border fence. (Reuters)
Palestinian relatives of Youssef Radwan mourn him after he was killed near the Israeli-Gaza border fence. (Reuters)
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Several Palestinians Killed, Wounded by Israeli Gunfire in Jenin

Palestinian relatives of Youssef Radwan mourn him after he was killed near the Israeli-Gaza border fence. (Reuters)
Palestinian relatives of Youssef Radwan mourn him after he was killed near the Israeli-Gaza border fence. (Reuters)

Israeli troops raided the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank late Tuesday, killing three people and wounding some 30 others, according to Palestinian health officials. A fourth Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in separate unrest in the Gaza Strip, officials said.

The bloodshed in Jenin was the latest in a deadly wave of fighting in the West Bank, where the Israeli military has stepped up its activities over the past year and a half in what it says is an effort to crack down on Palestinian militants. Tensions now appear to be spreading to Gaza.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in its report that four Palestinians were killed and a dozen wounded by the Israeli gunfire in Jenin.

Israeli army spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said Tuesday on his X account that the Israeli forces are conducting an operation in Jenin camp while the Palestinian media reported armed clashes that flared following the storming of the camp.

Adraee mentioned in his post that an army-affiliated drone launched an attack on the camp.

Jenin Battalion - a military arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad - announced earlier targeting Israeli forces gatherings and vehicles.

In another context, the Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and wounded nine others on Tuesday during protests near the Israeli-Gaza border fence.

Gaza Health Ministry reported at least nine injured and one killed by Israeli gunfire in protests in eastern Khan Younis.

The dead is identified as 25-year-old Youssef Radwan.

Dozens of Palestinians gathered in three regions on the eastern outskirts of the Strip, while the Israeli army declared that its forces were responding with the protesters’ dispersal methods and snipers.

Five Palestinians were killed, and others were wounded by an explosive device near the Israeli-Gaza border fence during Thursday protests.

Protests are being organized near the fence on Friday and on patriotic occasions amid anticipation of a gradual escalation in the severity of clashes.


Tunisia Hit by Rare Nationwide Power Blackout

A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)
A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)
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Tunisia Hit by Rare Nationwide Power Blackout

A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)
A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)

Electricity supplies were cut across Tunisia for two hours on Wednesday.

The reason for the rare nationwide outage was unclear, residents and the state electricity company STEG said on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Kamal Feki was headed to the power plant in Rades city to investigate the reasons behind the blackout, Reuters quoted the ministry as saying.

 

 

 

 

 


Iraq Condemns ‘Repeated Turkish Attacks’ after Kurdish Officers Killed

Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid speaks during a news conference as an ancient artifact brought back from Italy is displayed at the Peace Palace inside the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 18, 2023. (AP)
Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid speaks during a news conference as an ancient artifact brought back from Italy is displayed at the Peace Palace inside the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Iraq Condemns ‘Repeated Turkish Attacks’ after Kurdish Officers Killed

Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid speaks during a news conference as an ancient artifact brought back from Italy is displayed at the Peace Palace inside the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 18, 2023. (AP)
Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid speaks during a news conference as an ancient artifact brought back from Italy is displayed at the Peace Palace inside the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 18, 2023. (AP)

Iraq's President Abdel Latif Rashid condemned on Tuesday "repeated Turkish attacks", a day after a drone strike on a northern airfield killed three Kurdish counterterrorism officers.

"The Turkish ambassador will be called in to receive a letter of protest addressed to the Turkish president", Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rashid's office said in a statement.

"Mercy be on the martyrs of Iraq, the civilian and military heroes killed by repeated Turkish attacks."

Turkish authorities have not commented on Monday's strike which killed three members of the counterterrorism forces of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region and wounded three others at Arbat airfield, southeast of the city of Sulaymaniyah.

While such attacks against the Iraqi Kurdish security services are extremely rare, Ankara is leading a quickening campaign in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria, targeting Kurdish fighters.

A senior military official in Baghdad said that the drone which killed the counterterrorism officers had originated in Türkiye.

Around 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Monday, "the drone entered Iraqi airspace, crossing the border from Türkiye, and bombarded the Arbat airfield," which is mainly used by crop-spraying aircraft, said General Yehya Rassoul, spokesman of the federal armed forces commander in chief.

"This attack constitutes a violation of Iraq's sovereignty", he said, adding: "Iraq reserves the right to put a stop to these violations."

"These repeated attacks are incompatible with the principle of good neighborliness between states. They threaten to undermine Iraq's efforts to build positive and balanced political, economic and security relations with its neighbors," Rassoul said.

On Sunday, a Turkish drone strike killed a senior official and three fighters of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in the Sinjar Mountains of northwestern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdish authorities said.

Ankara and its Western allies classify the PKK as a "terrorist" organization.

The United Nations mission in Iraq condemned the attack on Arbat airfield.

"Attacks repeatedly violating Iraqi sovereignty must stop," it said. "Security concerns must be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy -- not strikes."

The Turkish army rarely comments on its strikes in Iraq but routinely conducts military operations against PKK rear-bases in autonomous Kurdistan as well as in Sinjar district.

The PKK has been waging a deadly insurgency against the Turkish state for four decades and the conflict has repeatedly spilt across the border into northern Iraq.

Türkiye operates dozens of military posts in northern Iraq initially established under an agreement struck in the eighties with the government of late longtime ruler Saddam Hussein.

In April, Baghdad accused Ankara of carrying out a "bombardment" near Sulaymaniyah airport while US soldiers and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces -- a US-backed alliance dominated by the PKK's Syrian Kurdish ally, the People's Defense Units (YPG) -- were present.

That strike too drew condemnation from the office of President Rashid, who is himself a Kurd.


Israel Shuts Down Main Crossing with Gaza after Outbreak of Border Violence

Palestinian patients carry their belongings on their way back to the Gaza Strip after receiving medical treatment in Israel, near the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (AP)
Palestinian patients carry their belongings on their way back to the Gaza Strip after receiving medical treatment in Israel, near the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (AP)
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Israel Shuts Down Main Crossing with Gaza after Outbreak of Border Violence

Palestinian patients carry their belongings on their way back to the Gaza Strip after receiving medical treatment in Israel, near the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (AP)
Palestinian patients carry their belongings on their way back to the Gaza Strip after receiving medical treatment in Israel, near the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel, in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. (AP)

Israel has barred entry to thousands of Palestinian laborers from the Gaza Strip following an eruption of violent protests that have escalated tensions along the volatile frontier.

The string of protests — disrupting weeks of calm at the separation fence — comes during a sensitive holiday season in Israel that began with the Jewish new year last week and continues through the Sukkot festival next week.

During Sukkot, large numbers of Jews are expected to visit Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. The compound, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is often a focal point for violence.

Over the last week, dozens of Palestinians — burning tires and hurling explosive devices at Israeli soldiers — have streamed toward the fence separating Israel from Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent the ruling Hamas movement from arming itself.

Hamas says youths have organized the protests in response to Israeli provocations. The movement cites an increase in visits by nationalist Jewish activists to the contested Jerusalem holy site. “As long as these provocations continue, the protests will continue,” said Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem.

Under longstanding arrangements, Jews are allowed to visit but not pray at the holy site. The large numbers of visits, along with scenes of some visitors quietly praying, have raised Palestinian fears that Israel is trying to divide or even take over the site.

The week's events recall a bloody protest campaign organized by Hamas in 2018 and 2019 during which over 350 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire. Those protests halted after mediators, including Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations, brokered an unofficial deal in which Israel eased some economic restrictions on Gaza and allowed Qatar to deliver tens of millions of dollars in monthly payments for needy Gaza families and Hamas salaries.

In response to the protests, Israel closed Erez crossing, the sole pedestrian passageway out of the enclave into Israel, to the roughly 18,000 Palestinians from Gaza who work in Israel. The jobs in Israel are in great demand, paying up to 10 times as much as similar jobs in Gaza. Unemployment in the territory has hovered at close to 50%.

Israel has begun to grant work permits in recent years to help maintain calm in Gaza. But Israeli officials say the permits are contingent on a quiet security situation. Earlier this month, Israel briefly closed Gaza's main cargo crossing after saying it had discovered explosives in an outgoing shipment of clothing.

For Palestinians like Sami al-Amsi, head of the main labor union in Gaza, the latest closure means the loss of an economic lifeline. “This is collective punishment,” he said.


Syria’s Assad to Head to China This Week

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, center, waves to his supporters at a polling station during the Presidential elections in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, May 26, 2021. (AP)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, center, waves to his supporters at a polling station during the Presidential elections in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, May 26, 2021. (AP)
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Syria’s Assad to Head to China This Week

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, center, waves to his supporters at a polling station during the Presidential elections in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, May 26, 2021. (AP)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, center, waves to his supporters at a polling station during the Presidential elections in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, May 26, 2021. (AP)

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad will head to China later this week in his first visit to Beijing since the start of his country's 12-year conflict during which China has been one of his main backers, his office said Tuesday.

China has been continued to support Assad in the Syrian conflict, which has killed half a million people and left large parts of the nation in ruins.

China could play a major role in the future in Syria’s reconstruction, which is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars. Syria last year joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative in which Beijing expands its influence in developing regions through infrastructure projects.

Assad’s office said the Syrian leader was invited by Chinese President Xi JInping for a summit and will head Thursday to Beijing along with a high-ranking Syrian delegation.

Syria’s worsening economic crisis has led to protests in government-held parts of the country, mainly in the southern province of Sweida. Syria blames the crisis on Western sanctions and US-backed Kurdish-led fighters who control the country’s largest oil fields in the east near the border with Iraq.

Diplomatic contacts between Syria and other Arab countries have intensified following the Feb. 6, earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria killing more than 50,000 people, including over 6,000 in Syria. Assad flew to Saudi Arabia in May where he attended the Arab League summit days after Syria’s membership was reinstated in the 22-member league.

Since Syria’s conflict began in March 2011 with pro-democracy protests and later turned into a deadly civil war, Iran and Russia have helped Assad regain control of much of the country.

China has used its veto power at the UN eight times to stop resolutions against Assad’s government, the latest of which came in July 2020.

Assad's last and only visit to China was in 2004, a year after the US-led invasion of neighboring Iraq and at a time when Washington was putting pressure on Syria.

Assad’s office said that his wife, Asma, will accompany him to China this week. Over the past years, Assad has made several trips abroad including visits to Russia, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Oman.


Strategic Border Crossing Reopens Allowing UN Aid to Reach Opposition-Held Northwest Syria

 A worker unloads boxes of humanitarian aid in a World Health Organization warehouse in Sarmada, in northern Syria on September 19, 2023. (AFP)
A worker unloads boxes of humanitarian aid in a World Health Organization warehouse in Sarmada, in northern Syria on September 19, 2023. (AFP)
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Strategic Border Crossing Reopens Allowing UN Aid to Reach Opposition-Held Northwest Syria

 A worker unloads boxes of humanitarian aid in a World Health Organization warehouse in Sarmada, in northern Syria on September 19, 2023. (AFP)
A worker unloads boxes of humanitarian aid in a World Health Organization warehouse in Sarmada, in northern Syria on September 19, 2023. (AFP)

A United Nations aid convoy reached opposition-held northwest Syria Tuesday after a vital border crossing from Türkiye reopened following an agreement with the Syrian government.

The 17-truck convoy carrying among other things, medicine, food supplements, stationery supplies and medical equipment crossed into Idlib through the strategic border-crossing of Bab al-Hawa Tuesday afternoon.

Last month, the UN reached an agreement with Syria's government to reopen the crossing, used to deliver 85% of aid to Syria's northwestern Idlib province, where the majority of its 4.5 million residents live in poverty after being internally displaced during Syria's conflict, now in its 13th year.

The deal was agreed on after the UN Security Council failed to authorize two rival resolutions on July 11 to renew the border crossing's authorization. The United States, United Kingdom, and France were key advocates of the UN aid delivery, whereas Syria's key allies, Russia and China, called for delivering aid to opposition-held areas through Damascus instead.

The UN has been exclusively using two northern crossings to deliver aid to opposition-controlled areas since July 9, making it extremely challenging because of poor infrastructure and route length. In August, the UN sent 195 trucks loaded with aid to the opposition enclave.

“UN aid is the artery for the citizens of northwestern Syria. Without it, there would be a humanitarian disaster in the area,” Mazen Alloush, an official on the Syrian side of the border crossing, told The Associated Press. He said he hoped more convoys would reach the area in the coming weeks

The United Nations did not immediately comment on the aid delivery.

The Syrian conflict started as an uprising against President Bashar Assad in 2011 and was met with a harsh crackdown that plunged the country into years of civil war, killing nearly half a million people and displacing half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million.


Israeli Military Sentences Commander to 10 Days in Prison over Shooting of Palestinian Motorist

Palestinian security forces during a visit by President Mahmoud Abbas to the Jenin refugee camp on July 12. (AFP)
Palestinian security forces during a visit by President Mahmoud Abbas to the Jenin refugee camp on July 12. (AFP)
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Israeli Military Sentences Commander to 10 Days in Prison over Shooting of Palestinian Motorist

Palestinian security forces during a visit by President Mahmoud Abbas to the Jenin refugee camp on July 12. (AFP)
Palestinian security forces during a visit by President Mahmoud Abbas to the Jenin refugee camp on July 12. (AFP)

Israel on Tuesday sentenced an army commander in the occupied West Bank to 10 days in military prison after an investigation into his shooting last week of a Palestinian motorist who was found to be innocent.

The Israeli military said that security forces stationed at the Israeli settlement of Rimonim, east of Jerusalem, had received reports of gunshots in the area and, sometime later, spotted a Palestinian vehicle fleeing the scene that they believed to be behind the shooting.

The forces opened fire at the Palestinian man's car, the military said, hitting and wounding the driver. The army arrested him and took him to a hospital for treatment before releasing him the next day, The AP reported.

An Israeli military investigation determined the army's shooting was the result of mistaken identity. “This is a serious incident in which the force acted contrary to procedures,” the army said, announcing that the force's commander had been sentenced to 10 days in military prison.

Palestinian media identified the driver as 22-year-old Mazen Samrat from a village near the Palestinian city of Jericho.

Rights groups and other critics have accused Israeli soldiers and police officers of being too quick to pull the trigger, particularly in response to a recent surge in attacks by Palestinians that have killed 31 people so far this year.

They have noted that Israeli military investigations into accusations of crimes committed against Palestinians rarely lead to prosecutions in the West Bank, which Israel captured along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war.

According to Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, of the 248 investigations into cases of harm inflicted on Palestinians opened by the Israeli military in the West Bank between 2017 and 2021, only 11 indictments were issued. There were over 1,200 complaints of wrongdoing by Israeli forces during that period, meaning that officers prosecuted 0.87% of the time, Yesh Din reported.

Penalties for Israeli soldiers raise a host of thorny political issues in the country, which has compulsory military service for most Jewish men. Right-wing lawmakers responded angrily to the sentencing of the commander on Tuesday. “Wake me up and tell me it’s a bad dream,” Tally Gotliv, a lawmaker with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that the commander was “punished for being a hero.”

The Israeli military said that all army divisions would take a “learning break” to review lessons from the incident in an effort to prevent its recurrence.