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Failed Rocket Strike Launched on US-led Coalition Forces Base in Syria

FILE - A US military vehicle drives south of the northeastern city of Qamishli, on Oct. 26. 2019 likely heading to the oil-rich Deir el-Zour area where there are oil fields, or possibly to another base nearby, as it passes by a poster showing Syrian President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
FILE - A US military vehicle drives south of the northeastern city of Qamishli, on Oct. 26. 2019 likely heading to the oil-rich Deir el-Zour area where there are oil fields, or possibly to another base nearby, as it passes by a poster showing Syrian President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
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Failed Rocket Strike Launched on US-led Coalition Forces Base in Syria

FILE - A US military vehicle drives south of the northeastern city of Qamishli, on Oct. 26. 2019 likely heading to the oil-rich Deir el-Zour area where there are oil fields, or possibly to another base nearby, as it passes by a poster showing Syrian President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
FILE - A US military vehicle drives south of the northeastern city of Qamishli, on Oct. 26. 2019 likely heading to the oil-rich Deir el-Zour area where there are oil fields, or possibly to another base nearby, as it passes by a poster showing Syrian President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)

A failed rocket strike was launched at a base housing US-led coalition forces at Rumalyn, Syria, marking the first time since Feb. 4 that Iranian-backed militias have attacked a US facility in Iraq or Syria, a US defense official said. No personnel were injured in the attack.
Iraqi authorities said early Monday that they were searching for “outlaw elements” who launched an estimated five missiles across the border from Iraq into Syria late Sunday night targeting the base. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Also on Monday, a US official said American forces had shot down two drones near al-Assad Air Base in Iraq. The circumstances are under investigation, The Associated Press said.
Israel’s defense minister on Monday visited members of an infantry battalion that could soon be blocked from receiving American aid because of human rights violations.
Yoav Gallant on Monday told members of Netzah Yehuda battalion stationed on the Gaza border that they have the full backing of the Israeli state and its military.
The decision by the US may come this week and would mark the first time the country has imposed sanctions on a unit inside the Israeli military and would further strain relations between the two allies, which have grown increasingly tense during the Israel-Hamas war.
The conflict, now in its seventh month, has sparked regional unrest pitting Israel and the US against Iran and allied militant groups across the Middle East. Israel and Iran traded fire directly this month, raising fears of all-out war.
The war was sparked by the unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says Hamas is still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, at least two-thirds of them children and women. It has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities and left a swath of destruction. Around 80% of the territory’s population have fled to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave.
The US House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package on Saturday that includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza, which experts say is on the brink of famine, as well as billions for Israel. The US Senate could pass the package as soon as Tuesday, and President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

 

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Arab World

Syrian Parliament Seeks to End Institutional Disorder

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa addresses the Syrian People’s Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, July 12, 2026. AP
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa addresses the Syrian People’s Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, July 12, 2026. AP
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Syrian Parliament Seeks to End Institutional Disorder

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa addresses the Syrian People’s Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, July 12, 2026. AP
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa addresses the Syrian People’s Assembly in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, July 12, 2026. AP

The Syrian People’s Assembly has begun coordinating with a number of executive bodies to launch a legislative phase focused on modernizing the legal framework governing state institutions.

The administrative steps are part of broader efforts to improve government efficiency and governance.

Speaker of the People’s Assembly Abdul Hamid Awak previously stressed that priority would be given to legislation proposed by the executive branch.

He said that a balance would also be maintained between bills submitted by government institutions and proposals put forward by lawmakers.

In recent months, several ministries and government agencies have moved forward with drafting new laws and regulations for parliamentary approval. These include proposals from the Ministry of Interior for legislation defining its functions and responsibilities, as well as a law regulating firearm ownership and combating crime.

Other proposed legislation concerns the Ministry of Sports and Youth, including amendments related to its responsibilities and affiliated institutions. Additional measures seek to strengthen the organizational structure and authority of the Ministry of Local Administration and its subsidiary bodies and councils, in addition to the final draft of a financial law governing administrative units.

Work is also underway on a project covering expropriation, property law, and agrarian reform.

A committee formed by the Ministry of Agriculture is leading the initiative in cooperation with several ministries and agencies, including the Ministries of Public Works and Housing, Local Administration, Defense, and Interior, before submitting it to the relevant parliamentary committees.

Parliament is also awaiting a new media law drafted by the Ministry of Information, journalism and media unions, and specialized committees tasked with defending journalists’ rights in Syria. Additional legislative proposals include judicial codes of conduct and laws governing the Ministry of Justice and its operations.

These steps follow the creation of internal committees within ministries and relevant institutions after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. A series of workshops was organized to review existing legislation, identify legal gaps, incorporate recommendations, and begin drafting new legal frameworks.

According to sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat, parliament is currently focused on approving the committees recently formed, defining their mechanisms of operation, completing logistical and procedural preparations, and approving the budget for its 30 month term.

The budget is expected to be approved and announced during the next session, scheduled for the second week of this month. According to the sources, this will be the last session dedicated to parliament’s internal affairs before the legislative phase officially begins.

The sources described the process as a “comprehensive legislative revolution” targeting all state institutions and the three branches of government.

According to members of the People’s Assembly, the next phase and parliamentary agenda will focus heavily on these projects, which are estimated to number in the dozens and have been submitted by various ministries and institutions, including the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Local Administration and Environment, Sports and Youth, Agriculture, and others.

They expect the legislative and voting phase to begin during the next session, starting with laws concerning civil and service institutions linked to local communities and public life. These measures aim to resolve legal contradictions, close loopholes, and clarify overlapping authorities.

They are considered urgent legislation needed to improve organizational structures and revitalize institutions that currently face significant governance challenges due to multiple supervisory authorities and the accumulation of laws and decisions.

Nevertheless, lawmakers said that parliament’s top priority remains legislation concerning transitional justice, political isolation, and civil service reform.

“These laws are directly connected to the Syrian revolution and its social base,” members said, emphasizing their importance in promoting social peace, strengthening stability, and addressing injustices suffered by people dismissed from their jobs because of their support for the revolution.

On that basis, the first parliamentary sessions are expected to approve legislation dealing with individuals dismissed because of their stance toward the former regime. The law would establish provisions and mechanisms to address this complex issue, particularly in terms of compensation and creating a special pathway for reinstating them to their former positions or assigning them to other government jobs.

Arab World

Fatah’s Jibril Rajoub Says Elections Won't be Held on Time

Fatah’s Jibril Rajoub Says Elections Won't be Held on Time
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Fatah’s Jibril Rajoub Says Elections Won't be Held on Time

Fatah’s Jibril Rajoub Says Elections Won't be Held on Time

Secretary-general of Fatah’s Central Committee Jibril Rajoub has ruled out the possibility of holding the Palestinian legislative elections on schedule in November, calling instead for presidential elections to be held first.

Speaking to journalists in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday, Rajoub said: “There will be no elections... We will proceed to elections after holding a comprehensive Palestinian national dialogue to reach consensus on the mechanisms for conducting them.”

Rajoub, from the dominant Fatah party of President Mahmoud Abbas, said holding presidential elections first “would solve a large part of the problem.”

“They are easier, less costly and can be held through consensus,” he said.

The last legislative elections in the Palestinian territories were held in 2006, when Hamas won. They defeated Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) in charge of areas of the West Bank.

As a result, the Palestinian Legislative Council, which is the PA's parliament, has not met since 2007.

Abbas stayed on beyond the end of his term in 2009 and has since ruled by decree.

Palestinian legislative elections were due to take place on November 28, just over a month after Israel's general elections.

Abbas issued a decree-law in June calling for presidential elections in early 2027.

On Thursday, Rajoub said that, so far, no "serious" lists had been formed to participate in the elections.

"If the nomination period arrives and no list comes forward, what will happen?" he added.

The nomination period is scheduled to begin on September 26 and end on October 7.

Fatah rivals including Hamas and the Democratic Reform Current, a Fatah splinter group, have said they aimed to create joint lists for the election.

Holding elections is part of the reforms demanded by the international community, including the European Union, which supports the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority financially.

Abbas had previously called on January 15, 2021 for legislative and presidential elections to be held in May and July of that year, respectively.

The elections were eventually postponed indefinitely due to the lack of guarantees that they could be held in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Abbas won the last Palestinian presidential election in 2005, and his term should have expired in 2009.

Arab World

Al-Alimi: Bab Al-Mandab Should Not Become Another Strait of Hormuz

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi (Saba)
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi (Saba)
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Al-Alimi: Bab Al-Mandab Should Not Become Another Strait of Hormuz

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi (Saba)
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi (Saba)

Head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi has stressed that Bab Al-Mandab must not be allowed to become another Strait of Hormuz, nor should Yemen be turned into a platform for geopolitical blackmail on behalf of Tehran.

Alimi met on Thursday with Head of the European Union Delegation Patrick Simonnet and Ambassador of the Netherlands Janet Sebben. They discussed areas of bilateral cooperation, as well as the latest local and regional developments.

He affirmed the state would continue to fulfill the aspirations of the Yemeni people. “It would continue to assume its responsibility to protect its citizens, restore its institutions, extend its authority throughout the national territory, and safeguard its coastline, ports, and territorial waters,” Alimi said.

Al-Alimi stressed that Yemen, as it defends Bab Al-Mandab, its coastline, and territorial waters and makes sacrifices to protect them, is defending not only its own security and sovereignty, but also contributing to international security and protecting global interests.

He said Yemen is helping to secure one of the world’s most important maritime routes for trade, energy supplies, and life-saving food commodities.

He stressed that this shared responsibility requires a more effective international partnership to support the Yemeni state and strengthen its ability to protect this strategic maritime route.

The President pointed to the clear link between this escalation and Iran’s broader strategy of shifting the cost of international pressure on Iran onto others. This is done by targeting neighboring countries, threatening energy facilities, and disrupting the Red Sea and supply chains, thereby turning Iran’s crisis with the international community into a crisis for the region and the global economy.

He stressed that Bab Al-Mandab must not be allowed to become another Strait of Hormuz, nor should Yemen be turned into a platform for geopolitical blackmail on behalf of the Iranian regime.

Al-Alimi affirmed that the government did not initiate this round of the war. Rather, the militias chose to resume the escalation by operating unauthorized flights and attacking civilians, displacement camps, the Port of Mocha, and civilian facilities in an attempt to impose new military realities on the ground.

“Therefore, we do not want international discourse to return to the same traditional equation of calling on both sides to exercise restraint, as if responsibility were equally shared,” he said. “The party that initiated the escalation must be identified, and those who launch attacks must hold responsibility for the escalation and its consequences at all levels,” he added.

Al-Alimi called for urgent European action, in coordination with the United Nations and donors, to provide shelter, food, healthcare, and other essential services to displaced persons, and to support local authorities. He warned against leaving thousands of Yemenis facing a new wave of displacement while the international community confines itself to statements of concern.

He also renewed his call to move from managing the threat to addressing its source. This requires the effective implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and tighter measures to prevent the smuggling of weapons, technology, and dual-use components to the militias.

Al-Alimi urged EU member states to maintain their economic, humanitarian, and development support for the government and to encourage donors to support the reform and recovery program. He said this would strengthen state institutions’ capacity to provide services and meet their obligations.

He said a capable state is the real guarantee for peace. He stressed that peace based on state weakness, while militias retain their weapons and decision-making power over war, would amount to nothing more than a truce until the next round of fighting.