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Syrian Opposition Discuss Political Vision,Geneva Delegation

A statement from Riad Hijab, pictured here on February 3, 2016, did not say why he was quitting the High Negotiations Committee. Pierre Albouy / Reuters
A statement from Riad Hijab, pictured here on February 3, 2016, did not say why he was quitting the High Negotiations Committee. Pierre Albouy / Reuters
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Syrian Opposition Discuss Political Vision,Geneva Delegation

A statement from Riad Hijab, pictured here on February 3, 2016, did not say why he was quitting the High Negotiations Committee. Pierre Albouy / Reuters
A statement from Riad Hijab, pictured here on February 3, 2016, did not say why he was quitting the High Negotiations Committee. Pierre Albouy / Reuters

Representatives from the Syrian opposition discussed in a preparative meeting held in Riyadh on Monday their suggestions for a final statement, which they will issue next Friday following a general summit of more than 140 representatives from political parties, factions and independents.

Representatives from the Syrian National Coalition, the Russia and Cairo platforms, in addition to other independent figures discussed on Monday a final draft statement needed to ensure the success of three-day opposition talks that will kick off in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Representatives also discussed which bodies and delegations they will select as their representatives in the upcoming Geneva talks.

The Syrian opposition meting in Riyadh will take place ahead of the UN-sponsored talks in Geneva on November 28.

Meanwhile, head of the main Syrian opposition bloc Riad Hijab announced on Monday his resignation from the High Negotiations Committee, after a nearly two-year term.

Separately, Moscow was preparing a list of around 1,000 figures to attend the “Syrian National Dialogue Congress” in Sochi next month.

The Congress is expected to come out with two main issues: First, to form a committee tasked with introducing constitutional reforms, and second, to announce a leadership or a council for the Dialogue Congress.

According to some reports, Syrian opposition figures have demanded the Russian Defense and Foreign ministries to invite Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa for heading the “Syrian National Dialogue Congress” in Sochi at the start of next month.

The Russians seemed “enthusiastic” about the suggestion, pending discussing the issue at the level of leadership and probably later with Damascus.

Moscow insists on getting support for the Sochi congress. However, several states are worried that the Syrian National Dialogue Congress be a substitute to the “Geneva” talks, particularly if it aims to discuss the constitutional reform in Syria.

Earlier, UN Special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura had announced that the next Geneva talks would discuss “the constitution and the elections.”

Also, there are suggestions that the Nov. 28 Geneva talks include direct dialogue between the Syrian regime and the opposition in order to launch a constitutional reform, and that the Sochi meeting be held between Dec. 2 and 4, followed by another round of Geneva talks on Dec. 8.

Washington is currently monitoring the operation, by giving a priority to the Geneva talks. Accordingly, the US decided to send acting assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, David Satterfield to the meeting on Syria.

Meanwhile, Ankara insists that the Kurdish Democratic Union not be invited to any peace talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced during a tripartite meeting with his Iranian and Russian counterparts, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Sergey Lavrov, in the resort city of Antalya to discuss the Syrian civil war.

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Arab World

Somali President to Visit Türkiye After Israeli Recognition of Somaliland

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivers a joint press conference with the German Chancellor after talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, on November 5, 2024. (AFP)
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivers a joint press conference with the German Chancellor after talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, on November 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Somali President to Visit Türkiye After Israeli Recognition of Somaliland

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivers a joint press conference with the German Chancellor after talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, on November 5, 2024. (AFP)
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivers a joint press conference with the German Chancellor after talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, on November 5, 2024. (AFP)

Somalia's president is to visit Türkiye on Tuesday following Israel's recognition of the breakaway territory of Somaliland, Türkiye’s presidency said.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will hold talks "on the current situation in Somalia in the fight against terrorism, measures taken by the federal Somali government towards national unity and regional developments", Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish presidency's communications directorate, said on X.

Türkiye on Friday denounced Israel's recognition of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, calling it "overt interference in Somalia's domestic affairs".

Somaliland declared independence in 1991.

The region has operated autonomously since then and possesses its own currency, army and police force.

It has generally experienced greater stability than Somalia, where Al-Shabaab militants periodically mount attacks in the capital Mogadishu.

Diplomatic isolation has been the norm -- until Israel's move to recognize it as a sovereign nation, which has been criticized by the African Union, Egypt, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The European Union has insisted Somalia's sovereignty should be respected.

The recognition is the latest move by Israel that has angered Türkiye, with relations souring between the two countries in recent years.

Ankara has strongly condemned Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, and Israel has opposed Türkiye’s participation in a future stabilization force in the Palestinian territory.

Arab World

Iraq's Parliament Elects Al-Halbousi as Its New Speaker

The new speaker of parliament Haibet Al-Halbousi, center, looks on before the start of their first legislative session in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
The new speaker of parliament Haibet Al-Halbousi, center, looks on before the start of their first legislative session in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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Iraq's Parliament Elects Al-Halbousi as Its New Speaker

The new speaker of parliament Haibet Al-Halbousi, center, looks on before the start of their first legislative session in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
The new speaker of parliament Haibet Al-Halbousi, center, looks on before the start of their first legislative session in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Iraq's parliament on Monday elected a new speaker following overnight talks to break a political deadlock.

Haibet Al-Halbousi received 208 votes from the 309 legislators who attended, according to The AP news. He is a member of the Takadum, or Progress, party led by ousted speaker and relative Mohammed al-Halbousi. Twenty legislators did not attend the session.

Iraq held parliamentary elections in November but didn’t produce a bloc with a decisive majority. By convention, Iraq’s president is always Kurdish, while the more powerful prime minister is Shiite and the parliamentary speaker is Sunni.

The new speaker must address a much-debated bill that would have the Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Units become a formal security institution under the state. Iran-backed armed groups have growing political influence.

Al-Halbousi also must tackle Iraq’s mounting public debt of tens of billions of dollars as well as widespread corruption.

Babel Governor Adnan Feyhan was elected first deputy speaker with 177 votes, a development that might concern Washington. Feyhan is a member of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, a US-sanctioned, Iran-backed group with an armed wing led by Qais al-Khazali, also sanctioned by Washington.

Arab World

Hamas Armed Wing Refuses to Surrender Weapons, Confirms Spokesman Killed by Israel in August

FILE Photo of Hamas now late spokesperson Abu Ubaida. (Screengrab from al-Qassam brigades video)
FILE Photo of Hamas now late spokesperson Abu Ubaida. (Screengrab from al-Qassam brigades video)
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Hamas Armed Wing Refuses to Surrender Weapons, Confirms Spokesman Killed by Israel in August

FILE Photo of Hamas now late spokesperson Abu Ubaida. (Screengrab from al-Qassam brigades video)
FILE Photo of Hamas now late spokesperson Abu Ubaida. (Screengrab from al-Qassam brigades video)

Hamas's armed wing reiterated on Monday that it would not surrender its weapons, a key issue expected to feature in talks later in the day between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

In a video statement, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades also confirmed the death of their longtime spokesperson, months after Israel announced he had been killed in an air strike in Gaza on August 30. 

"Our people are defending themselves and will not give up their weapons as long as the occupation remains," said the group's new spokesman, who has adopted the nom de guerre of his predecessor, Abu Obeida. 

The statement came just hours before Trump and Netanyahu were scheduled to meet in Florida. 

Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said Netanyahu would discuss the second phase of the Gaza truce deal, which includes ensuring that "Hamas is disarmed, Gaza is demilitarized". 

Rejecting that demand, the new Abu Obeida instead called for Israel to be disarmed of its weapons. 

"We call on all concerned parties to work toward disarming the lethal weapons of the occupation, which have been and continue to be used in the extermination of our people," he said. 

In the same statement, he confirmed the death of his predecessor, and also announced the deaths of four other Hamas commanders in Israeli attacks during the war. 

"We pause in reverence before... the masked man loved by millions... the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida," he said. 

During the war, Abu Obeida, whose real name was Hudhayfa Samir al-Kahlout, emerged as a central figure eagerly awaited by Gazans, as well as by Arab and international media, for official statements from Hamas's military wing, particularly those related to hostage-prisoner swaps. 

Born on February 11, 1985, and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Obeida joined Hamas at an early age before becoming a member of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. 

He later became the group's spokesman, delivering video statements in military uniform with his face consistently concealed by a red keffiyeh. 

He survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts over the years. 

Hamas officials have described him as a symbol of "resistance", known for fiery speeches that often included threats against Israel or announcements of military operations. 

"For many years, only a very small circle of Hamas officials knew his true identity," a Hamas official told AFP. 

Israel has decimated Hamas's leadership, saying it seeks to eradicate the group following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war.