Israel Reveals Reasons Behind Destroying Syrian Border Fortifications in Golan

 Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Syria's Quneitra. AFP file photo
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Syria's Quneitra. AFP file photo
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Israel Reveals Reasons Behind Destroying Syrian Border Fortifications in Golan

 Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Syria's Quneitra. AFP file photo
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Syria's Quneitra. AFP file photo

In past weeks, Israeli forces raided Syrian border fortifications on the contact line in Syria’s Golan Heights, Israeli Brigadier General Roman Gofman told TASS on Friday.

“We conducted an operation against Syrian fortifications, built directly at the border and partially on our territory. That’s why we attacked them and carried out an operation,” said Gofman, who is the commander of the Israel Army Forces 210th Division stationed on the Golan Heights.

“Soldiers, who attacked those positions, returned immediately after blowing them up. They did not stay there when the raids were over.”

The operation was conducted in two stages: One facility was destroyed during the first stage, and two more - during the second one. The operation did not involve any confrontation, he further noted.

Israel does not currently consider Syria a threat, but it is afraid Hezbollah fighters could reinforce their positions on the northern side of the Golan Heights, he added.

The biggest threat is the establishment of a front line from Iran and (Hezbollah) in southern Syria to face Israel, the general explained.

On Oct.21, an Israeli strike hit the province of Quneitra in southern Syria, with a war monitor saying the attack targeted a base for pro-Iran militias.

A missile hit a school in al-Huriyyah village in Quneitra's northern countryside, hosting groups loyal to the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, amid confirmed reports of casualties.

Israel rarely affirms carrying out similar strikes, but it regularly says that it will continue to block “Iran’s attempts to consolidate its military presence in Syria and send advanced weapons to the Lebanese Hezbollah.”

Israel will not allow Hezbollah or Iran to set up on the Golan Heights border, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Israel Radio on Wednesday.

Gantz remarks were made after Israel revealed it had carried out a ground attack in Syrian territories last September, during which it destroyed two army outposts, under the pretext of fear that Hezbollah would use them against it.



China's Xi Holds Talks with Sisi in First Egypt Visit in a Decade

 In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
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China's Xi Holds Talks with Sisi in First Egypt Visit in a Decade

 In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday received his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on his first visit to Cairo in a decade, as Beijing seeks a greater foothold in the region against the backdrop of the US-Iran war.

The 21-gun salute at Cairo's Ittihadiya Palace marked the start of a day of talks expected to cover the Middle East war and its fallout, including on maritime trade security, as well as boosting Chinese investment in the Arab world's most populous country.

The two BRICS members are expected to sign a slate of economic agreements, including on artificial intelligence, transport and manufacturing.

Egypt currently estimates Chinese investments at around $10 billion. Beijing has key stakes in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, which are only expected to grow as the US-Iran war threatens global maritime trade.

Beijing has also played a key role in Sisi's megaprojects, the crowning jewel of which is the New Administrative Capital 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Cairo, large swathes of which have been bankrolled by Chinese investment.

China is a major exporter to Egypt, with its trade surplus reaching $12 billion in the first seven months of 2026, according to Chinese customs data.

Across Cairo, a megalopolis home to over 26 million people, major streets have been lined with Chinese and Egyptian flags, as well as billboards showing Sisi and Xi.

Street signs boast of "generations of Egyptian-Chinese friendship flowing like the Nile River", while residents have been warned to plan for substantial traffic delays on their commutes.

Xi is expected to traverse the entire capital during his visit Wednesday, including a stop at the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking the Giza Pyramids.

- 'Independent foreign policy' -

According to analysts, Cairo will use the summit to underscore its strategic autonomy, showing it can leverage its close ties with both Washington and Beijing.

Sisi, in an op-ed published in Egyptian media on Tuesday, highlighted Cairo's "independent foreign policy".

He wrote that Egypt and China were partners in "strengthening the role of the global south" in an increasingly polarized world.

Washington vowed last month to isolate Iran economically, threatening expanded sanctions that could also hit Chinese banks, among others.

China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has vowed to safeguard its interests.

In the lead-up to an expected meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump this month, it has also sought to shore up ties with US-friendly regional nations.

Egypt is one of the largest recipients of US military aid, and historically a key Middle East mediator.

Last week, the US Treasury announced sanctions on the Emirati branch of Egypt's Banque Misr for alleged support to Iran.

Egypt hosted major joint air combat exercises with the Chinese military in August, featuring Beijing's powerful J-16 fighter jet.


Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
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Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)

The Special Task Forces of the Ministry of Interior took over a regiment on Tuesday from the disbanded Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakeh city as part of a plan to deploy Syrian security forces in the Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria.

The move is part of completing integration procedures and taking control of all security and military positions in the governorate, and hours after the arrival of a Ministry of Defense delegation to Hasakeh to discuss measures for completing the integration process.

Internal Security and Special Task forces are expected to deploy gradually across all areas of Hasakeh to extend state control, maintain security, and boost stability.

New appointments within the Syrian security apparatus are expected as part of an integration process.

Forces are also preparing to deploy to Hasakeh city center, Qamishli, Rumeilan, Al-Malikiyah, and border regions in the coming days.

A delegation from the Ministry of Defense arrived in Hasakeh on Monday and held a meeting at the governorate headquarters with local officials, including Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed, Military Security chief Thaer Obaid al-Bilal, and Military Police chief Imad Fawaz al-Ayesh.

The meeting addressed the procedures and steps required to finalize the integration of military and security institutions within the region, said a statement.

The meeting also addressed coordination mechanisms and the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant entities to unify efforts and ensure the smooth implementation of procedures related to the integration.

The executive bureau of the Hasakeh governorate also held its first meeting on Tuesday, chaired by the governor and attended by bureau members, to discuss mechanisms for boosting coordination across various sectors.

In a related development, displaced Arab families from Haskaeh city returned to their homes in the Al-Aziziyeh neighborhood after more than 10 years of displacement. A celebration was held in their honor attended by Internal Security Commander Marwan Al-Ali and Hasakeh Deputy Governor Ahmed Al-Hilali.


16 Dead in Bus Crash in Egypt's Sinai

Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
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16 Dead in Bus Crash in Egypt's Sinai

Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)

A bus crash in Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday killed 16 people and injured 28 others, the health ministry reported.

Twenty ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident, which occurred on the road between the popular tourist towns of Dahab and Nuweiba on South Sinai's eastern coast, the ministry said.

Authorities said the injured were receiving medical care but did not say what caused the crash, according to AFP.

The area is a popular tourist destination, known for its marine biodiversity, natural beauty and mountain hiking trails.

Car crashes are common in Egypt, and often blamed on reckless driving, poor maintenance and uneven law enforcement.

Last year, nearly 6,000 people died in road accidents across the country, according to Egypt's state statistics agency.