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Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says

People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says

People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)

An Israeli strike from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights targeted civilian sites south of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing some damage, Syria's defense ministry said on Monday.

Earlier, Syrian state media SANA said that initial reports indicated the strike hit the Sayeda Zeinab area. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military did not comment on the strike.

Sayeda Zeinab, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and site of a major Shiite shrine, has been targeted in previous strikes.

Syrian and Western intelligence sources say Israeli attacks in Syria have killed numerous Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia fighters based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city.

The sources say the neighborhood remains a target due to the presence of high-ranking militia leaders.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years. It has ramped up strikes since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by armed group Hamas on Israel and particularly since the recent escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

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Arab World

Trump Opposes Israeli Annexation of West Bank

President Donald Trump waves to the media as he walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump waves to the media as he walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Trump Opposes Israeli Annexation of West Bank

President Donald Trump waves to the media as he walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
President Donald Trump waves to the media as he walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

A White House official on Monday reiterated US President Donald Trump's opposition toward Israel annexing the West Bank.

"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region," the official said.

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

Saudi Arabia and seven other Muslim countries on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements on the occupied Palestinian territory.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Arab World

Sudan Returns to East African Bloc After Two Years

A displaced Sudanese woman carries plastic water containers at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the in Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
A displaced Sudanese woman carries plastic water containers at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the in Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
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Sudan Returns to East African Bloc After Two Years

A displaced Sudanese woman carries plastic water containers at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the in Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
A displaced Sudanese woman carries plastic water containers at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the in Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

Sudan on Monday announced it was returning to east African bloc IGAD, two years after freezing its membership over a decision to invite rival paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Daglo to a summit.

"The government of the Republic of Sudan will resume its full activity in the membership" in the Djibouti-based Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Sudan had suspended its membership in January 2024 after the bloc invited the head of rival paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to a summit in Uganda to discuss the country's brutal conflict.

The RSF has been at war with Sudan's army since April 2023 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands, displaced 11 million and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The foreign ministry cited a statement by IGAD which reaffirmed "its full recognition of Sudan's sovereignty and the unity of its lands and people" and pledged "non-interference in member states' internal affairs".

The decision to rejoin IGAD follows a meeting in January between the bloc's executive secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu, and Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris.

Following the meeting, the bloc issued a statement saying it "condemns all forms of violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces and reaffirms its full support for the unity and sovereignty of the Republic of the Sudan, as well as its existing national institutions".

The nearly three-year conflict has effectively split Sudan between army-controlled areas in the north, east and center, and those controlled by the paramilitaries in the west and parts of the south.

The RSF has also formed a rival parallel administration in Nyala, the South Darfur state capital, but it has received no international recognition.

IGAD on Monday welcomed Sudan's decision to return, describing it as "a reaffirmation of regional solidarity and collective commitment to peace, stability, and cooperation across the region".

Arab World

EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.