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Syrian Regime Appoints Interior Minister Targeted by US Sanctions

A general view of Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)
A general view of Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)
    Damascus, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Syrian Regime Appoints Interior Minister Targeted by US Sanctions

A general view of Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)
A general view of Damascus, Syria. (Reuters)

Head of the Syrian regime, Bashar Assad, reshuffled his government on Monday and surprisingly appointed Mohammad Rahmoun as the new Minister of Interior, replacing longtime Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar.

In 2017, the US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Rahmoun, in addition to 17 other figures and six entities for their role in committing brutal crimes against the Syrian people.

Rahmoun previously headed the powerful Political Security Directorate, one of the main intelligence agencies in the country.

The opposition accuses him of brutally cracking down on peaceful protesters in 2011 when he was head of one of the air force intelligence directorate branches.

He was also part of the regime delegation at the Astana summit held in the Kazakh capital last year.

Syrians were left disappointed with news of the reshuffle as they were waiting for government measures that would have improved their living conditions amid the deterioration of the local currency, the pound.

They were surprised that the energy minister kept his position at a time when the country has been witnessing frequent power cuts and rationing.

The Syrian state agency, SANA, said Assad issued decree no. 360 on a cabinet reshuffle.

The decree appoints Hussein Arnous as Minister of Water Resources, Atef Naddaf as Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun as Minister of Interior, Mohammad Rami Radwan Martini as Minister of Tourism, Imad Muwaffaq al-Azab as Minister of Education, Bassam Bashir Ibrahim as Minister of Higher Education, Suhail Mohammad Abdullatif as Minister of Public Works and Housing, Iyad Mohammad al-Khatib as Minister of Communications and Technology and Mohammad Maen Zein-al-Abidin Jazba as Minister of Industry.

In addition, Assad issued decree no. 363, dismissing Bishr al-Sabban as Governor of Damascus, replacing him with Adel al-Olabi. His dismissal came as a surprise to Syrians given that he is close to Assad. They have frequently complained against Sabban over his corruption and violent repression of the people.

His successor, however, is also mired in corruption allegations.

Assad also issued a decree on establishing the National Reconciliation Agency. He removed Ali Haidar from his post as State Minister for National Reconciliation Affairs and appointed him as head of the newly formed Agency.

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Arab World

Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.

Arab World

Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.

Arab World

Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.