Türkiye, Jordan Coordinate Syria’s Transition and Refugee Return

Fidan and Safadi during the press conference in Ankara (Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Fidan and Safadi during the press conference in Ankara (Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Türkiye, Jordan Coordinate Syria’s Transition and Refugee Return

Fidan and Safadi during the press conference in Ankara (Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Fidan and Safadi during the press conference in Ankara (Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Türkiye and Jordan have agreed on the importance of ensuring Syria’s unity and sovereignty while supporting its new administration in achieving stability and rebuilding a future inclusive of all Syrians without discrimination.

High-level discussions in Ankara on Monday, involving foreign and defense ministers as well as intelligence chiefs from both countries, underscored joint efforts toward Syria’s reconstruction, the return of refugees, and improving daily life for citizens.

The talks came amid intensified Turkish military actions against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Tishrin Dam and Qara Qozak Bridge in eastern Aleppo. Türkiye’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, speaking alongside Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, emphasized cooperation on counterterrorism, developments in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and the broader region.

Fidan noted that Türkiye and Jordan have been aligned since the onset of the Syrian conflict, and both countries remain focused on stabilizing Syria. He revealed plans to draft a roadmap for supporting the Syrian people in coordination with Syrian stakeholders. Future meetings involving Türkiye, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon are also planned to discuss regional stability. He further reaffirmed solidarity with Jordan in efforts to stop the aggression in Gaza.

Safadi, for his part, stressed that Syria’s stability is vital to regional security, highlighting the shared commitment of Jordan and Türkiye to supporting Syrians in rebuilding their nation on inclusive foundations. He noted discussions on enhancing essential services, including electricity access, for Syrians and emphasized Amman’s intention to intensify cooperation with Ankara and Baghdad to create solutions benefiting the entire region.

Both ministers condemned Israel’s recent attacks on Syrian territory, describing them as clear violations of international law and Syria’s sovereignty. They also reiterated the unified stance of Arab states in supporting Syria’s stability and reconstruction.

Fidan declared that eliminating the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) is only a matter of time, rejecting policies that enable the YPG’s continued presence in Syria. He affirmed Türkiye’s commitment to combating ISIS both domestically and abroad.

Safadi, who later met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed Jordan’s full support for Türkiye in its fight against terrorism and threats to its security. He underlined the importance of a dignified and stable life for Kurds within Syria’s diverse society, rejecting the resurgence of terrorism and warning against renewed internal conflict in Syria.



Syria State Media Says 3 Dead in Clashes in Latakia Province

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus, June 4, 2025. (AFP)
A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus, June 4, 2025. (AFP)
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Syria State Media Says 3 Dead in Clashes in Latakia Province

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus, June 4, 2025. (AFP)
A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus, June 4, 2025. (AFP)

Syrian state media said three people were killed Wednesday in clashes with security forces in coastal Latakia province, the heartland of the country's Alawite minority community.

"Three members of remnants of the former regime were killed after clashes with internal security forces" outside the city of Jableh, state television said.

State news agency SANA had earlier reported "clashes with a group of wanted outlaws" in the area, and said an unspecified number of security personnel were wounded.

Since last December's ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, himself an Alawite, Syria's new authorities have frequently reported security operations against remnants of his government.

Syria's coastal areas saw the killing of Alawite civilians in March, with authorities accusing armed Assad supporters of sparking the violence by attacking security forces.

A national commission of inquiry said at least 1,426 members of the minority community were killed at the time.

Last month, thousands of people demonstrated on the Alawite coast in protest of fresh attacks targeting their community.


Israel Demolishes Home of Palestinian Accused of Attack

A picture taken on September 30, 2025 shows the demolished house of Yahya Abu Ghaliyeh, a Palestinian from a Bedouin village near the town of Al-Eizariya, also known as Bethany, east of Jerusalem. (AFP)
A picture taken on September 30, 2025 shows the demolished house of Yahya Abu Ghaliyeh, a Palestinian from a Bedouin village near the town of Al-Eizariya, also known as Bethany, east of Jerusalem. (AFP)
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Israel Demolishes Home of Palestinian Accused of Attack

A picture taken on September 30, 2025 shows the demolished house of Yahya Abu Ghaliyeh, a Palestinian from a Bedouin village near the town of Al-Eizariya, also known as Bethany, east of Jerusalem. (AFP)
A picture taken on September 30, 2025 shows the demolished house of Yahya Abu Ghaliyeh, a Palestinian from a Bedouin village near the town of Al-Eizariya, also known as Bethany, east of Jerusalem. (AFP)

The Israeli army demolished on Wednesday the home of a Palestinian accused of carrying out a stabbing and shooting attack that killed an Israeli earlier this year, the military said, AFP reported.

On July 10, two attackers killed 22-year-old Shalev Zvuluny in a shopping area near Jerusalem, before the Israeli army shot them dead.

On Wednesday, Israeli army bulldozers entered the village of Bazzaryah in the occupied West Bank, destroying the family home of one of the attackers after it had been evacuated.

Israeli forces "demolished the home of the terrorist who carried out the shooting and stabbing attack at the Gush junction, during which Shalev Zvuluny... was murdered", the army said in a statement.

Hazem Yassine, head of the Bazzaryah municipal council, denounced what he called a "heinous crime".

He told AFP that Israeli forces had sealed off the village's entrances since dawn in preparation for the demolition.

"Schools were closed as a precaution," he said, adding that the assailant's family had moved out around a month ago after being notified of the decision to demolish the house.

An AFP photographer saw children climbing on piles of rubble after the demolition, waving the Palestinian flag.

Israel, whose army has occupied the West Bank since 1967, regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis.

The government defends the deterrent effect of these demolitions, but critics denounce the practice as a form of collective punishment that leaves families homeless.

Violence in the West Bank surged during the war in Gaza, which erupted on October 7, 2023 with Hamas's attack on Israel.

Since then, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed more than a thousand Palestinians in the West Bank, many of them militants but also including civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Authority data.

At the same time, according to official Israeli figures, at least 44 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the area.


Israel Accuses Hamas of Violating Gaza Truce, Says It Will Respond

A woman sits next to her tent on an alley of a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A woman sits next to her tent on an alley of a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Israel Accuses Hamas of Violating Gaza Truce, Says It Will Respond

A woman sits next to her tent on an alley of a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A woman sits next to her tent on an alley of a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas on Wednesday of violating the Gaza ceasefire by refusing to disarm, and said Israel would retaliate after a military officer was wounded by what the military described as a bomb. 

In a speech at a graduation ceremony for Air Force pilots, Netanyahu mentioned the attack in Rafah, part of Gaza where Israeli forces still operate, and said Hamas had made clear it had no plan to disarm as foreseen under the October truce deal. 

"Israel will respond accordingly," he said. 

The Israeli military earlier said that an explosive device had detonated against a military vehicle in the Rafah area ‌and that one ‌officer had been lightly injured. 

Hamas denied responsibility. ‌The ⁠blast was "caused ‌by bombs left behind by the enemy that had not exploded previously, and we have informed the mediators of this," said Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi in an X post. 

A 20-point plan issued by US President Donald Trump in September calls for an initial truce followed by steps towards a wider peace. So far, only the first phase has taken effect, including a ceasefire, release of ⁠hostages and prisoners, and partial Israeli withdrawal. 

Trump's plan ultimately calls for Hamas to disarm and have ‌no governing role in Gaza, and for ‍Israel to pull out. Hamas has said ‍it will hand over arms only once a Palestinian state is ‍established, which Israel says it will never allow. 

Violence has subsided but not stopped since the Gaza truce took effect on October 10, with the sides regularly accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.  

Gaza's health ministry says Israel has killed more than 400 people in the territory since the ceasefire went into effect. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed in militant ⁠attacks. 

Hamas "openly declares it has no intention of disarming, in complete contradiction to President Trump's 20-point plan," Netanyahu said. 

He added that Hezbollah in Lebanon, which Israel severely weakened in strikes last year that also ended in a US-brokered truce, also had no intention to disarm "and we are addressing that as well".  

Israel still needs to settle accounts with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen as well as Iran itself, he added. 

"As these old threats change form, new threats arise morning and evening. We do not seek confrontations, but our eyes are open to every possible danger," Netanyahu said. 

Netanyahu is set to meet with ‌Trump next week, mainly to discuss the next phase of Trump's Gaza plan.