Storm Kills 4 People, Injures Several in War-torn Syria

File photo: Damage caused by the storm seen in Latakia on Saturday. (Syrian media)
File photo: Damage caused by the storm seen in Latakia on Saturday. (Syrian media)
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Storm Kills 4 People, Injures Several in War-torn Syria

File photo: Damage caused by the storm seen in Latakia on Saturday. (Syrian media)
File photo: Damage caused by the storm seen in Latakia on Saturday. (Syrian media)

A storm in central Syria on Wednesday collapsed building walls in two villages, killing four people, including two children, a pro-government radio station reported.

The heavy winds forced Syrian authorities to close all ports on the Mediterranean Sea while in the war-torn country’s rebel-held northwest, dozens of tents collapsed in settlements housing people displaced by Syria’s 12-year conflict, The Associated Press said.

Along with collapsing walls, falling rocks and trees also injured several people in the northwest, said the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets.

Sham FM radio station quoted Dr. Saleem Khallouf, the head of the National Hospital in the central city of Hama, as saying the four fatalities took place in the villages of Morek and Jibreen. He said the injured were being treated at the local hospital.

Hundreds of buildings and homes collapsed in the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria, killing more than 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria.



Arab League Secretary-General Condemns Israel's Publication of Maps Claiming Arab Lands

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Arab League Secretary-General Condemns Israel's Publication of Maps Claiming Arab Lands

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has strongly condemned Israel's publication of maps depicting Arab territories in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria as part of its so-called historical claims.
In a statement, Aboul Gheit described the act as deliberate and alarming.

According to SPA, he emphasized that it reflects the Israeli government's deep entrenchment in right-wing extremism and religious fanaticism, and criticized the promotion of "historical myths" as facts.
He highlighted previous declarations by Israeli officials regarding their intent to annex the West Bank and expand settlements into Gaza, stressing that these maps reveal the government’s radical agenda, which threatens regional stability and peaceful coexistence.
The secretary-general urged the international community to take these provocations seriously, warning that ignoring such actions and statements risks inflaming extremist sentiments on all sides.