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Arab World

Damascus and Moscow Intensify Efforts to Avoid Conflict with Israel in Syria

A street in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria that is controlled by Iranian-backed militias. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
A street in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria that is controlled by Iranian-backed militias. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
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Damascus and Moscow Intensify Efforts to Avoid Conflict with Israel in Syria

A street in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria that is controlled by Iranian-backed militias. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
A street in Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria that is controlled by Iranian-backed militias. (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)

The Syrian Army and Russian forces are stepping up efforts to restrict the activities of Hezbollah and Iranian militias in Syria. This move aims to prevent Israel from using the situation as a reason to expand its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon to Syria.

Local sources in the southern Daraa province told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Syrian Army and Russian forces have banned the presence of any Lebanese refugees or vehicles with Lebanese license plates in the Yarmouk Basin area.

This region is in western Daraa and borders the ceasefire line between Syria and Israel.

The directive affects all villages in the Yarmouk Basin.

Sources stated that the Syrian government's strict measures in Daraa are not just limited to villages near the ceasefire line; they apply across the entire governorate.

Military and security forces are conducting detailed inspections of Lebanese vehicles entering areas far from the ceasefire line.

The new directive comes amid increasing concerns that Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon may spread to Syria, prompting Damascus to take precautions.

This follows a recent Israeli incursion into agricultural land within the Syrian buffer zone, where they cleared land to build a security fence.

The goal is to prevent Hezbollah and Iranian militias from entering the occupied Golan Heights, as seen in recent incidents in villages in the Quneitra governorate.

Local sources said Russian forces recently conducted thorough inspections of the hills in the Yarmouk Basin to ensure no Hezbollah or Iranian militias were present.

It is believed that they may have notified Israel about the situation. Additionally, Russian and Syrian army units have stepped up their joint patrols in most areas of Daraa, particularly in the west.

Local residents expressed relief after the new directive was issued, with one stating, “No one in the area wants the future to look like what is happening in Lebanon.”

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian and Russian forces are holding joint military exercises along the ceasefire line at the border with the Golan Heights.

These drills are intended to strengthen their presence in the region and deter any incursions by Israeli forces or Iranian militias, including Hezbollah.

Russian forces are positioned at 17 sites near the occupied Golan Heights across the governorates of Quneitra, Daraa, and rural Damascus.

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Arab World

Lebanon: Aoun Urges Opponents of ‘Framework Agreement’ to Present an Alternative

An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 
An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 
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Lebanon: Aoun Urges Opponents of ‘Framework Agreement’ to Present an Alternative

An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 
An Israeli poses for a photograph beside Lebanese and Israeli flags displayed on a monument in the border town of Metula, near the Lebanese frontier (AP). 

Lebanon has stepped up contacts with US officials to press Israel to proceed with the withdrawals stipulated under the framework agreement signed by both sides in Washington late last week, amid what Lebanese officials describe as troubling indications that Israel may delay the process and take unilateral measures, including installing crossing gates in areas it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon.

Well-informed Lebanese sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Brad Cooper, during his recent visit to Beirut, agreed with Lebanese officials on the mechanisms that will govern the pilot areas from which Israel is expected to withdraw.

The sources said one of Cooper’s senior aides has remained in Lebanon to oversee implementation, adding that Beirut has received no notification of any delay or change to the understandings reached with Washington. They stressed that Lebanon remains committed to avoiding direct contact with Israel, with all communication continuing exclusively through US mediation.

Speaking on Wednesday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the framework agreed in Washington, saying it includes provisions covering an Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced residents, the release of detainees, and the repatriation of Lebanese remains held by Israel. He emphasized that it is a framework, not a final agreement.

Aoun said Lebanon, as a sovereign state, had independently decided to negotiate on its own behalf without compromising its legal, political, or military principles, rejecting claims to the contrary. He also praised Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for insisting on two “red lines”: preventing internal strife and protecting the army, saying all Lebanese agree on both principles.

The president called on critics of the negotiations and the framework to offer a viable alternative or present their views through state institutions. While describing political disagreement as legitimate, he warned against fueling divisions or portraying the framework to supporters as “an act of surrender or humiliation.”

Aoun also dismissed reports that Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal or other security chiefs — apart from the director general of General Security — were to be removed, saying such rumors are intended to undermine the armed forces and security institutions.

Addressing the concept of sovereignty, Aoun argued that genuine sovereignty lies in making independent national decisions. Lebanon’s decision to negotiate for itself, rather than allowing another country to negotiate on its behalf, had unsettled many, he underlined.

He reiterated that negotiations are preferable to war, arguing that past conflicts had failed to achieve lasting results. If opponents reject the framework, they should explain what alternative they propose, he said, noting that repeated requests for one have gone unanswered.

Responding to accusations that the framework legitimizes Israel’s occupation, Aoun stressed that every provision calls for extending Lebanese state authority across the country’s entire territory and for a complete Israeli withdrawal. He added that the framework also addresses the return of displaced people, detainees, Lebanese remains, and international support. While acknowledging that the document is not ideal, the president described it as the best achievable outcome within Lebanon’s national principles.

Aoun vowed to press ahead with the process “for the sake of the country,” arguing that Lebanon has a rare opportunity it should not squander. He noted that if critics prefer war, they should explain what military confrontation has achieved, noting that Lebanon regained the Lebanese section of Ghajar in 2000 only to lose it again in 2006, lost five border positions in 2023, and now has more than 66 towns under Israeli occupation.

 

 

Arab World

Sudanese Army Shifts Battle Back to Darfur

Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 
Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 
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Sudanese Army Shifts Battle Back to Darfur

Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 
Members of the army-backed Popular Resistance march in Omdurman in support of the military’s campaign in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile State (AFP). 

Fighting has intensified once again between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across several fronts in the western Darfur region, as military tensions also mount around the city of El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, where both sides are reinforcing their positions.

Over the past two days, the Sudanese army and allied Joint Forces, a coalition of armed groups, have launched operations in West and North Darfur targeting strategic border areas as part of an effort to expand their battlefield presence and open new fronts.

Local sources said army units are advancing toward El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, under the cover of warplanes that have carried out airstrikes on military positions inside the city. The advance marks one of the army’s most significant military gains in Darfur in months as fighting continues to spread across Sudan.

The renewed clashes come as attention remains focused on El Obeid, where military escalation has intensified amid continued drone attacks and troop buildups despite international calls for a ceasefire and restraint.

Former Sudanese army Chief of Staff Hashim Abdel Muttalib told Asharq Al-Awsat that the army and its allies had carried out what he described as a successful maneuver that returned the fighting to Darfur, reflecting a new phase in military planning. He said the army had regained the initiative and predicted further developments in the region, adding that recent advances in western and northern Darfur were part of plans previously announced by Assistant Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Yasser Al-Atta.

On Monday, the Joint Forces announced they had seized the border town of Kulbus in West Darfur near Chad and said they remained in control of Tina, Karnoi, and Ambro in North Darfur.

The Sudanese army also said it had carried out operations across Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile, inflicting heavy losses on the RSF. The paramilitary group did not immediately comment.

The El Fasher Resistance Committees Coordination, a local civic group, said in a Facebook statement that army forces were approaching El Geneina under the cover of airstrikes targeting military sites inside the city.

The RSF captured Kulbus and nearby towns in October 2025. The town lies about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from El Geneina.

Military analyst Abdullah Mohammed told Asharq Al-Awsat that the renewed fighting in Darfur could prolong and widen the conflict, pushing the war into a more violent phase. He said one of the main objectives of military campaigns is to cut an opponent’s supply lines and deny access to strategic positions, suggesting the army’s operations in West Darfur are aimed at regaining control of the border with Chad.

By contrast, Mohammed Al-Nayer, spokesman for the Sudan Liberation Army Movement, said it was too early to conclude that the war had shifted decisively back to Darfur. He described the operation in Kulbus as a temporary incursion by army-allied Joint Forces that lasted only a few hours before withdrawing after large RSF reinforcements arrived.

Al-Nayer said the objective was to tie down RSF forces in attritional battles inside Darfur, limiting their ability to sustain operations in Kordofan and Blue Nile.

 

 

Arab World

WHO: 120 Dead in Latest Sudan Cholera Outbreak

Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)
Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)
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WHO: 120 Dead in Latest Sudan Cholera Outbreak

Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)
Cholera epidemic affects children and displaced people in Nigeria (Reuters - Archival)

A cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed 120 people, with another 1,102 suspected cases since May in isolated war zones, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

More than three years of war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have decimated the country's healthcare system.

This is Sudan's third wave of cholera in as many years, and began only two months after the last outbreak was declared over in March, reported AFP.

Between July 2024 and March 2026, over 124,400 people were infected and 3,500 killed during the last wave, according to government figures.

Endemic to the northeast African country, cholera used to come "in a cyclic manner every three years", the WHO's Sudan chief Dr Shible Sahbani told reporters.

But now the country faces near-continuous outbreaks "due to the conflict, constraints in access and limited supplies," he said.

Sudan's rainy season is set to surge in the coming weeks, during which cholera cases balloon as millions lack access to clean water and the rains further impede access.

The Sudanese government declared the latest outbreak this week in the flashpoint West Kordofan state, the dividing line between army and paramilitary zones of control.

Constant deadly drone strikes launched by both sides have made commercial and aid access to the Kordofan region increasingly dangerous, and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation.

The WHO said the outbreak appears to be spreading, following reports of close to 300 suspected cases and three deaths in neighboring North Kordofan, where the United Nations has warned the RSF is preparing to mount a deadly ground assault on state capital El-Obeid.

Drone strikes on the city's power stations are already "disrupting access to lifesaving drinking water and electricity", UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said Tuesday, warning of the risk of mass atrocities.

Three years into the war, which aid groups estimate may have killed more than 200,000 people, nearly all of the country's hospitals have been forced entirely or partially out of service.

"Forty percent of health facilities are non-functional at all, and the remaining almost 60 percent are only partially functioning, meaning they are providing only a few services, or not enough to patients in the area," Sahbani said.