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Monitor Reports Strong Return of ISIS to Syria’s Desert Badia

A road sign welcomes people to the town of Deir Ezzor in Syria September 20, 2017. Picture taken September 20, 2017. (Reuters)
A road sign welcomes people to the town of Deir Ezzor in Syria September 20, 2017. Picture taken September 20, 2017. (Reuters)
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Monitor Reports Strong Return of ISIS to Syria’s Desert Badia

A road sign welcomes people to the town of Deir Ezzor in Syria September 20, 2017. Picture taken September 20, 2017. (Reuters)
A road sign welcomes people to the town of Deir Ezzor in Syria September 20, 2017. Picture taken September 20, 2017. (Reuters)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed that ISIS has made a “strong comeback” to the Syrian desert Badia, saying it has seized control of positions in the Hama region.

Over 30 regime fighters, allied militants and ISIS fighters have been killed.

It said that Russian warplanes continue to fly over the Badia, carrying intense strikes against ISIS positions in the Hama countryside.

The war monitor said ISIS carried out a strong offensive against positions held by the regime and allied militants, making advances in the Al-Shakusiyah and al-Rahjan areas. The regime has struggled to contain the attack even with Russian air cover. The fighter jets carried out over 130 strikes in the past 48 hours.

The Observatory said 19 regime forces and allied militants and 12 ISIS fighters were killed in the fighting. The toll is expected to rise.

It documented the killing of seven members of the regime-backed National Defense militia in clashes with ISIS in the al-Shoula region in western Deir Ezzor during a combing operation by the militia. The toll is also expected to rise.

Since March 2019, the Observatory has documented the killing of at least 1,177 regime soldiers and loyalists of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, including at least two Russians, and 145 Iranian-backed non-Syrian militiamen.

All were killed in attacks, bombings and ambushes by ISIS, west of the Euphrates River in the deserts of Deir Ezzor, Homs and Al-Suwaida.

Four civilians working in gas fields, 11 shepherds and four other people were killed by ISIS during the same period, while 633 terrorists were killed in various fighting and raids.

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Arab World

Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Israeli Settlement Plan in West Bank

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Arab Parliament logo
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Arab Parliament Speaker Condemns Israeli Settlement Plan in West Bank

Arab Parliament logo
Arab Parliament logo

Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi strongly condemned Israel’s plan to implement the expansionist settlement project in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank and rejected the remarks made by Israel’s security minister calling for the killing of dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

He stressed that proceeding with the project despite international warnings defies international law and relevant international resolutions.

He called on the international community, the UN Security Council, parliaments, and international organizations to take concrete measures to halt settlement and annexation activities, hold those responsible for incitement accountable, and work toward achieving peace, which begins with ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights.

Arab World

Syria Requests to Join Anti-chemical Weapons Partnership

The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights
The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights
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Syria Requests to Join Anti-chemical Weapons Partnership

The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights
The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman Purchase Licensing Rights

Syria on Friday said it had requested to join the International Partnership Against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons on the anniversary of a 2013 chemical attack on a suburb of the capital Damascus.

In a joint statement with France commemorating the attack during former leader Bashar al-Assad's rule on opposition-held areas, Syria announced its bid to join the partnership of dozens of countries, launched by Paris in January 2018.

France welcomed the step as "a clear demonstration of Syria's commitment to strengthening accountability and justice and combating impunity" following its more than decade-long civil war.

Damascus and Paris also said they "commemorate the victims, extend their deepest sympathies and solidarity to their families, and reaffirm their joint commitment to supporting efforts to uncover the truth, ensure justice, and hold those responsible for these crimes accountable".

In August 2013, the Syrian army under Assad was accused of using chemical weapons to target areas then under the opposition’s control.

According to US intelligence and rights groups, more than 1,400 men, women and children died as a result.

With Syria at the height of its civil war, the Assad government denied responsibility, but agreed to hand over its chemical arsenal in order to avert US strikes.

Assad went on to remain in power for more than a decade, only to be ousted in 2024 by opposition forces, headed by now President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Survivors of the attacks, including medics, at the time risked their lives by posting dozens of videos online, and spoke to journalists including AFP reporters about the horror they had witnessed.

The footage showed dozens of corpses, many of them children, outstretched on the ground.

Other images showed unconscious children, people foaming at the mouth and doctors trying to help them breathe.

The scenes provoked revulsion and condemnation around the globe.

- 'Painful chapter' -

A United Nations report later said there was clear evidence sarin gas had been used.

Syria agreed to join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and disclose and hand over its toxic stockpile under Russian and US pressure, averting the threat of strikes by Washington and its allies.

But that was not the last of the chemical attacks: the OPCW went on to blame Assad's forces for others later in the civil war.

Marking 13 years since the attack, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani called it "one of the most painful chapters in Syria's history".

"Tomorrow, the Syrian Arab Republic begins a new phase in dealing with the legacy of these weapons. We have initiated the necessary technical and logistical procedures for their disposal, in cooperation with our international partners," he added, also vowing to pursue those involved in the attack.

Several Syrian officers linked to the attack have been arrested since Assad's fall.

Syria's civil war began in 2011, with a brutal crackdown on dissent that yielded an armed rebellion. More than half a million people ended up being killed, with millions more forced into exile.

The OPCW reinstated Syria last month, five years after taking the unprecedented step of stripping it of its voting rights.

Arab World

Iran's Qalibaf Urges Baghdad to Break Economic Dependence on Washington

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
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Iran's Qalibaf Urges Baghdad to Break Economic Dependence on Washington

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (R) attends a ceremony marking 40 days since the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Karbala, central Iraq, Aug. 20, 2026. (AFP)

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Friday urged Baghdad to reduce its reliance on the dollar and draw up what he called a “precise roadmap” for economic cooperation between the two countries.

Qalibaf made the remarks during a visit to the southwestern Iraqi city of Najaf, as the region awaits what has been described as an unprecedented package of US sanctions on Iran and its trading partners.

Iran must plan to overcome what Qalibaf called “unjust sanctions,” after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what he described as the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran, according to Reuters.

Earlier, at a consultative meeting with business figures at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, Qalibaf called for a “precise roadmap” for economic ties with Iraq that would include moving away from the US dollar.

He said the two countries should end their reliance on the US currency and use local currencies in trade.

“The era of US dominance over the world has ended, but we have not made proper use of the opportunities available to us, and we are still conducting trade through outdated methods,” Qalibaf said.

Iraq relies entirely on the dollar for its oil exports, which generate more than 90% of national revenues. The proceeds are deposited in US dollars into an account held in the name of the Central Bank of Iraq at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

‘Difficult and trying circumstances’

In stark contrast, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi sought to reassure public-sector employees and pensioners that monthly salaries and government payments were fully secured, even as he warned that Iraq was facing “difficult and trying circumstances” due to regional developments and disruptions to oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at the Baghdad Dialogue conference, organized by the Iraqi Institute for Dialogue, al-Zaidi said Iraq faced major economic challenges and described the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a key obstacle.

The strait, he said, “was not closed even during the harshest days of the blockade.”

Al-Zaidi said the government had found alternative routes for oil exports and activated border crossings to bolster trade, adding that the state had “more than one solution” to preserve economic stability and contain the fallout from the crisis.

He said Iraq was working to expand oil exports through Türkiye’s Ceyhan port, while efforts continued to develop export routes through Banias and Aqaba.

“We are working to increase Iraq’s export quota through OPEC, and we aim to reach 8 million to 10 million barrels per day within six years,” al-Zaidi said.

“Iraq fought ISIS on behalf of the region and the world, and it is only fair that it receive a crude oil export quota commensurate with the size of its population and its oil reserves.”

On the political front, al-Zaidi said political forces were in full agreement that the government should press ahead with its anti-corruption campaign.

He described “the battle against the looting of public funds” as a matter of honor for him.

The government launched an operation dubbed “Dawn Crackdown” on June 28 to combat the looting of public funds. The operation has targeted political officials, lawmakers, and businesspeople.