Syria Port Authority Shuts All Ports Due to Bad Weather

Waves are pictured during high winds in the Syrian port city of Banias, Syria March 29, 2023. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
Waves are pictured during high winds in the Syrian port city of Banias, Syria March 29, 2023. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria Port Authority Shuts All Ports Due to Bad Weather

Waves are pictured during high winds in the Syrian port city of Banias, Syria March 29, 2023. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)
Waves are pictured during high winds in the Syrian port city of Banias, Syria March 29, 2023. (SANA/Handout via Reuters)

Syria's port authority has shut down all the country's sea ports including Tartous due to poor weather and high winds, state media reported on Wednesday.

The port of Tartous had initially been exempt from the closure but the country's ports authority later said it was shutting down as conditions worsened.

"There are winds and high waves in bursts and we cannot risk opening the ports at this time," Brigadier General Samer Kobrosli, the director general of the authority, told Reuters.

The war-ravaged country operates seven sea ports through which it brings in basic needs including food and petroleum products.

Kobrosli said the port authority's decision did not include oil terminals. There was no immediate comment from Syria's oil ministry on whether the terminals were operational.

The winds also caused a power blackout across the southern province of Sweida after a number of electrical towers collapsed, according to Syrian state TV.



Arab League to Mark International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People on Sunday

A previous meeting of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A previous meeting of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Arab League to Mark International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People on Sunday

A previous meeting of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A previous meeting of the Arab League (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League will mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, as recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, with an event at its headquarters on Sunday.

The event will bring together permanent representatives to the league, ambassadors, representatives of foreign countries, and Arab and international organizations to emphasize unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people in their pursuit of legitimate rights, SPA reported.
According to a statement issued by the General Secretariat on Thursday, several Palestinian and international personalities and institutions will be honored at the event in recognition of their solidarity with the Palestinian people, their support for the just Palestinian cause, and their efforts to confront the violations and crimes committed by the occupying forces.
The Arab League emphasized that this year's International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People comes amid ongoing acts of extermination and a brutal Israeli war of aggression lasting over a year. It called for unified international efforts to pressure Israel to cease its aggression and create a political path to end the occupation, achieve lasting peace, and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.