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Drone Strike Hits Assad’s Ancestral Town

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (AP)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (AP)
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Drone Strike Hits Assad’s Ancestral Town

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (AP)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (AP)

A drone attack targeted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ancestral town of Qardaha on Friday with two projectiles, killing one person and lightly injuring another, Syrian state news agency Sana reported.

The strike came a day after Sana reported a drone attack on Salhab, another opposition-held town in northwest Syria, that killed a woman and a child.

The strikes on Qardaha and Salhab, which are around 35 kilometers apart, come amid a flare up in fighting in the northwest with shelling between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters on some front lines.

They came only days after the conclusion of Astana meetings attended by MPs and FMs of Syria, Russia, Iran, and Türkiye.

Arab News Agency (ANA) quoted Abdel Qader Azouz, advisor to the Syrian Presidency of the Council of Ministers, as saying that the Astana talks represent a test to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s wish to reach a settlement in Syria that leads to Turkish forces’ withdrawal and solutions to the pending issues between both countries.

Azouz affirmed on Wednesday Syria’s keenness on having normal ties with Türkiye given its geographical, strategic, and political weight.

He expressed hope that ties return to normal and disputes are resolved peacefully, saying these demands go in line with the UN principles in abstaining from using force.

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Arab World

Jordan, Egypt Condemn Attack on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam (SPA)
King Fahd International Airport in Dammam (SPA)
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Jordan, Egypt Condemn Attack on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam (SPA)
King Fahd International Airport in Dammam (SPA)

The Jordanian government condemned the terrorist attack carried out by the Houthi militia against King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, which resulted in the death of two individuals and injuries to others.

In a statement, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Jordan’s condemnation and denunciation of the attacks on the airport, civilians and civilian and economic assets in Saudi Arabia, describing these acts as a flagrant violation of international law and a brutal assault on the Kingdom’s sovereignty, security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents.

The ministry further affirmed Jordan’s absolute solidarity with the Kingdom, expressing its full support for all measures taken by Saudi Arabia to protect its security, stability, national assets, and the safety of its citizens and residents.

It extended its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

Earlier, Egypt also condemned the attack, describing it as a violation of international law and condemning the indiscriminate targeting of air traffic, civilian infrastructure and people.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Egypt categorically rejected such acts, warning that they risked exacerbating the crisis, heightening tensions and undermining regional stability.

Egypt reaffirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its leadership, and its support for the kingdom’s efforts to defend its territory and citizens. It stressed that Saudi Arabia’s security is an integral part of Arab and Egyptian national security.

 

Arab World

Man with Disability Killed by Israeli Fire in Syria

Syrians walk past shops down an alley at the Old City in Damascus on October 21, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
Syrians walk past shops down an alley at the Old City in Damascus on October 21, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
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Man with Disability Killed by Israeli Fire in Syria

Syrians walk past shops down an alley at the Old City in Damascus on October 21, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
Syrians walk past shops down an alley at the Old City in Damascus on October 21, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

A man with a disability was killed Thursday by Israeli army fire during an incursion in southern Syria, where it has stepped up operations, Syria's state news agency said.

"A civilian with a disability was killed Thursday by fire from the Israeli occupation forces during their incursion into the village of Jamla" in Daraa province, SANA news agency said.

Israeli forces deployed in one neighborhood of the village and placed snipers on the rooftops after bombing the area late on Wednesday, the report said.

After Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power in Damascus in late 2024, Israel launched hundreds of strikes against Syria.

The Israeli army also carried out incursions into Syria's south and deployed troops in the UN-monitored buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.

In recent days, Israeli forces have also uprooted vast olive groves in Quneitra province, near Daraa, according to the agency.

Trees were destroyed across an area of about 1.3 hectares by the village of Saida, SANA said.

The village faces the buffer zone where the Israeli army has been building fortifications.

"Tanks entered my land without any warning," Mohammad Ali al-Chaghla, 58, the owner of the field, told AFP. "They cut down and destroyed some 400 trees during their incursion."

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned "the intensification of incursions by the Israeli occupation" in Quneitra and Daraa.

Arab World

Tunisia: Former Presidential Candidate Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi
Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi
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Tunisia: Former Presidential Candidate Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison

Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi
Opposition politician Olfa Hamdi

A Tunisian military court sentenced opposition politician Olfa Hamdi to four years in prison on charges of plotting against state security and inciting the military to disobey orders, her lawyer said on Wednesday.

The charges against the dual Tunisian and American national stemmed from social media posts and included inciting military personnel to disobey orders, lawyer Akram Moussa said.

Hamdi briefly served as head of national airline company Tunisair before her sacking in 2021, later running a consulting firm in the United States.

In Tunisia's 2024 presidential vote, Hamdi -- then 36 -- sought to run for the top role, but her candidacy was turned down as she did not meet the 40-year age limit for candidates.

A critic of President Kais Saied, Hamdi was already sentenced to two years in prison earlier this year after her arrest upon arrival at Tunis airport in February.

The latest sentence against her came from two additional convictions, with two years in prison for each, Moussa said.

A US State Department spokesman told AFP that Washington was "closely tracking the situation."

"The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of American citizens," he said.

Hamdi heads the Third Republic party, which she founded in 2022, and has often criticized Saied and, at times, the country's military on social media.