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Turkish top officials make sudden trip to Damascus after Syria’s deal with Kurdish-led group

Turkish top officials make sudden trip to Damascus after Syria’s deal with Kurdish-led group
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (2-R) meets with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on March 13, 2025. (Turkish Foreign Ministry press service handout via AFP)
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Updated 14 March 2025

Turkish top officials make sudden trip to Damascus after Syria’s deal with Kurdish-led group

Turkish top officials make sudden trip to Damascus after Syria’s deal with Kurdish-led group
  • Ankara intends to examine “how the agreement reached will be implemented and its reflections on the field,” local news agency DHA reported
  • Turkiye considers the SDF and its military arm as terrorist organizations because of their links to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party

ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s top diplomat, defense minister and intelligence chief paid a sudden visit to Damascus on Thursday, days after Syria’s interim government reached a deal to integrate a US-backed Kurdish-led armed group into the country’s army.
The agreement to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, into the Syrian government followed fierce clashes that erupted last week between government security forces and gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad.




Residents celebrate following the signing of a breakthrough deal between Syria's interim government and the SDF, the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country's northeast, in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, on  March 10, 2025. (AP)

Monitoring groups said hundreds of civilians were killed in the violence in Syria’s coastal communities, primarily targeting members of the Alawite religious minority to which Assad belongs.
Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president and a former rebel, met with Hakan Fidan, Turkiye’s foreign minister; Yasar Guler, defense minister, and Ibrahim Kalin, head of national intelligence. They were accompanied by Turkiye’s ambassador to Syria, Burhan Koroglu.
According to local news agency DHA, an official from the Turkish Defense Ministry, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity, said earlier Thursday that Ankara intends to examine “how the agreement reached will be implemented and its reflections on the field.”
The official added that Turkiye’s expectations on Syria have not changed.
“There is no change in our expectations for the termination of terrorist activities in Syria, the disarmament of terrorists and the expulsion of foreign terrorists from Syria,” the official said.
Turkiye designates the SDF and its military arm, People’s Protection Units, as terrorist organizations because of their links to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
As the Turkish delegation was flying unannounced to Damascus, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented awards for “benevolence and kindness” to a former Syrian fighter pilot imprisoned for 43 years.




Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presents the "Benevolence and Kindness" award to former Syrian Army fighter pilot Ragheed al-Tatari, right, in Ankara on March 13, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)

The ceremony, hosted by a foundation linked to Turkiye’s religious authority, honored Ragheed Al-Tatari. Erdogan praised Al-Tatari for his perseverance and gave him an award for his “benevolence.”
Al-Tatari was imprisoned under the rule of Syrian presidents Hafez Assad and later Bashar Assad. He had been detained since 1981. There are conflicting accounts for his imprisonment including refusing to bomb the city of Hama and failing to report a pilot desertion attempt.
Over four decades, Al-Tatari was moved among prisons notorious for housing political inmates, including Palmyra prison and Sednaya. His imprisonment, described by human rights groups as one of the longest in Syria for a political prisoner, ended in December when opposition forces freed him.
In a speech on stage, Erdogan lauded Al-Tatari, calling him “the brave Syrian pilot who listened to his conscience.”


Syrian electors cast ballots in indirect vote for first post-Assad parliament

Syrian electors cast ballots in indirect vote for first post-Assad parliament
Updated 10 sec ago

Syrian electors cast ballots in indirect vote for first post-Assad parliament

Syrian electors cast ballots in indirect vote for first post-Assad parliament
  • closing around 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT). A committee appointed by Sharaa approved 1,570 candidates who showcased their platforms in seminars and debates this week

DAMASCUS: Members of Syria’s electoral colleges will gather on Sunday to vote for new lawmakers, a milestone in the country’s shift away from the ousted regime of Bashar Assad and a major test of inclusivity under its current Islamist-led authorities.
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who came to power after his rebel offensive toppled Assad in December, is trying to consolidate his hold over a nation fractured by a 14-year war and bouts of sectarian violence that fueled distrust of him among minorities.
The indirect vote will see a combined 6,000 electors cast ballots at regional electoral colleges starting around 9:00 a.m. local (0600 GMT), with polls closing around 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).
A committee appointed by Sharaa approved 1,570 candidates who showcased their platforms in seminars and debates this week. But public electioneering was muted, with no posters or billboards visible in major cities, Reuters reporters said.
Sunday’s vote will determine two-thirds of the 210-seat parliament, and results are expected the same night. But the legislature will not be formally established until Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda fighter, selects the remaining third.
The authorities say they resorted to this system rather than universal suffrage due to a lack of reliable population data and following the displacement of millions of Syrians by the war.
Citing security and political reasons, they postponed the vote in three provinces held by minority groups — leaving 19 seats in parliament empty.
Critics have slammed those moves, saying a partial and indirect vote is unrepresentative and too centrally managed.
Analysts say Sharaa’s selection of 70 lawmakers will ultimately determine the new body’s effectiveness and legitimacy: choosing women or minority lawmakers could add diversity, but loyalists could help him to issue laws without a legislative challenge. 

 


Lebanon crooner turned fugitive militant surrenders himself to army: judicial source

Lebanon crooner turned fugitive militant surrenders himself to army: judicial source
Updated 05 October 2025

Lebanon crooner turned fugitive militant surrenders himself to army: judicial source

Lebanon crooner turned fugitive militant surrenders himself to army: judicial source
  • Fadl Shaker surrendered himself to the Lebanese army at the entrance to the Ain Al-Hilweh camp

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanese crooner-turned-fugitive militant Fadl Shaker surrendered himself to Lebanese authorities on Saturday after hiding in a Palestinian camp for over a decade, a Lebanese judicial official said.
Shaker, a popular singer born to a Palestinian mother and a Lebanese father, was accused of taking part in 2013 clashes in Sidon, south Lebanon, that opposed Salafist Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir and his supporters with the Lebanese military which left 17 soldiers dead.
While Shaker was a supporter of Assir, he denied involvement in the clashes and has been hiding in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain Al-Hilweh, the biggest Palestinian camp in the country where Lebanese authorities had no jurisdiction.
Assir was sentenced to death in 2017, then to 20 years of hard labor in 2021.
In 2020, Lebanon’s military tribunal sentenced Shaker to 22 years in prison for providing financial and logistical support to the “terrorist” Assir-led group.
“Fadl Shaker surrendered himself to the Lebanese army at the entrance to the Ain Al-Hilweh camp as a prelude to concluding his legal case,” a judicial source told AFP on Saturday.
By longstanding convention, the Lebanese army stays out of the Palestinian camps and leaves Palestinian factions to handle security.
A source close to Shaker told AFP the singer was “confident in his innocence and in the independence of the judiciary.”
Shaker in July released a song while in hiding, which topped charts in the Arab world.
His video clip, filmed in Ain Al-Hilweh, reached over 113 million views on YouTube.


Jordan’s green energy initiative benefits 460,000 citizens

Jordan’s green energy initiative benefits 460,000 citizens
Updated 04 October 2025

Jordan’s green energy initiative benefits 460,000 citizens

Jordan’s green energy initiative benefits 460,000 citizens
  • Initiative has seen direct investment of $56m
  • Fund leading nation’s ‘energy transition process,’ CEO says

AMMAN: More than 460,000 people in Jordan have benefited from programs run by the country’s Energy Promotion and Consumption Efficiency Fund, according to its CEO.

Speaking on Saturday at the Jordan Economic Forum, Rasmi Hamza said the initiatives involved direct investment of about 40 million Jordanian dinar ($56.4 million) and projects worth more than JD100 million.

“The fund, established in 2014 with an initial government capital of JD25 million, has become a leader in the energy transition process in Jordan through programs targeting households and economic sectors,” he said.

Its various schemes had “directly impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of families and reduced the energy bill in vital sectors such as industry,” the Jordan News Agency reported.

Hamza said that since its creation the fund had focused on three main objectives: delivering direct economic and social impact, reducing the national energy bill and enhancing competitiveness.

He highlighted the launch of the country’s first large-scale solar power plant with capacity of 50 megawatts and 117MW wind projects in Tafileh, which “triggered a wave of investments in renewable energy.”

The adoption of solar water heaters had grown significantly since 2014, when only 13 percent of households had them, he said.

“With programs bankrolled by the fund, the number of beneficiary families surged to more than 70,000, in addition to 8,000 impoverished households that received free solar systems,” Hamza said, adding that the goal was to install 90,000 solar water heaters by 2030.

The fund’s programs created direct savings for citizens, with each solar heater saving families JD240-300 a year, he said.

He also highlighted the fund’s partnerships with more than 250 local associations to expand access to rural areas. These extend across multiple sectors, providing solar energy systems to 630 places of worship, 15 public benefit institutions, 20 government buildings, 33 health centers and 135 schools.

“The agricultural sector has also benefited, with energy systems installed in 240 farms, while energy conservation programs have been implemented in 201 small- and medium-sized factories and 12 hotels,” Hamza said.


‘We were treated like animals,’ deported Gaza flotilla activists say

‘We were treated like animals,’ deported Gaza flotilla activists say
Updated 04 October 2025

‘We were treated like animals,’ deported Gaza flotilla activists say

‘We were treated like animals,’ deported Gaza flotilla activists say
  • They put us on our knees, facing down. And if we moved, they hit us. They were laughing at us, insulting us, and hitting us

ISTANBUL: International activists who arrived in Istanbul after being deported from Israel following the military’s interception of their Gaza-bound flotilla said on Saturday they had been subjected to violence and “treated like animals.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail last month seeking to ferry aid to war-battered Gaza, but Israel blocked the boats, detaining more than 400 people whom it began deporting on Friday. Of that number, 137 activists from 13 countries arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, including 36 Turkish nationals.
“A huge number of military vessels intercepted us,” Paolo Romano, a regional councillor from Lombardy in Italy, said at Istanbul airport.
“Some boats were also hit by water cannon. All of the boats were taken by very heavily armed people and brought to shore,” the 29-year-old said.
“They put us on our knees, facing down. And if we moved, they hit us. They were laughing at us, insulting us, and hitting us,” he said.
“They were using both psychological and physical violence.”
Among those on board the flotilla, which counted some 45 vessels, were politicians and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
Romano said they tried to force them to admit they had entered Israel illegally.
“But we never entered Israel illegally. We were in international waters, and it was our right to be there.”
On landing, they were taken to a prison and held there without being allowed out, and were not given bottled water, he said.
“They were opening the door during the night and shouting at us with guns to scare us,” he said.
“We were treated like animals.”
Iylia Balqis, a 28-year-old activist from Malaysia, said Israel’s interception of the boats was “the worst experience.”
“We were handcuffed (with hands behind our backs), we couldn’t walk, some of us were made to lie face down on the ground, and then we were denied water, and some of us were denied medicine,” she said.
The activists were flown to Istanbul on a specially chartered Turkish Airlines plane.
In a post on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed “137 more provocateurs of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla were deported today to Turkiye.”
Relatives of the Turkish activists could be seen awaiting their arrival at the VIP lounge inside Istanbul airport, waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting “Israel murderer.”
The Turkish activists were to undergo medical checks on arrival and would appear in court on Sunday to give testimony, their lawyers said.
Turkiye has denounced Israel’s interception of the flotilla as “an act of terrorism,” saying on Thursday it had opened an investigation.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan praised the activists as “brave individuals who gave voice to humanity’s conscience” in a post on X and stated that Ankara would ensure all of its nationals were brought back, without providing an overall number.
Italian journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino, who was on board the flotilla to cover its mission, said they “were kidnapped in international waters when we were 88 km from Gaza.”
“It was two hellish days that we spent in prison. We are out now thanks to the pressure of the international public that supports Palestine,” he said.
“I really hope this situation ends soon because it has been barbaric the way we have been treated.”
Libyan activist Malik Qutait said he was not afraid and vowed to keep trying to reach Gaza.
“I will collect my group, arrange medicine, aid and a ship and I will try again,” he said.

 


Trump envoys head to Egypt as Hamas agrees to free Gaza hostages

Trump envoys head to Egypt as Hamas agrees to free Gaza hostages
Updated 04 October 2025

Trump envoys head to Egypt as Hamas agrees to free Gaza hostages

Trump envoys head to Egypt as Hamas agrees to free Gaza hostages
  • Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff were expected to finalize details
  • Trump urged Israel to halt bombardment of Gaza, following Hamas announcement

GAZA STRIP: Two envoys of US President Donald Trump headed to Egypt on Saturday to discuss the release of hostages in Gaza, after Hamas agreed to his ceasefire proposal, while Israeli forces launched deadly strikes across the territory.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff were expected to finalize details on the release of hostages and discuss a deal pushed by Trump to end the nearly two-year war between Israel and Hamas, a White House official said.

Egyptian state-linked media reported that Israel and Hamas would also hold indirect talks in Cairo on Sunday and Monday over a detainees and hostages exchange.

The talks come after Trump urged Israel to halt its bombardment of Gaza, following Hamas’s announcement that it was ready to release all the hostages and begin negotiations on the ceasefire proposal.

“The movement announces its approval for the release of all hostages — living and remains — according to the exchange formula included in President Trump’s proposal,” Hamas said in a Friday statement.

Trump later posted on Truth Social: “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!“

On Saturday, he had a warning for Hamas, telling the group he would “not tolerate delay” on the peace deal.

Israel meanwhile conducted deadly strikes across Gaza on Saturday.

At least 39 people were killed since dawn Saturday, according to Mohammed Abu Salmiya, head of Gaza’s main Al-Shifa Hospital.

Salmiya said the dead included 34 people killed in Gaza City itself, where Israeli forces have carried out a sweeping air and ground assault in recent weeks.

“The Israeli bombardment on Gaza continues with the same intensity and pattern — air strikes, artillery shelling and quadcopter drone fire are ongoing,” said Mohammed Al-Mughayyir of Gaza’s civil defense, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority.

- Call for ‘swift negotiations’ -

A Hamas official said Egypt, a mediator in the truce talks, would host a conference for Palestinian factions to decide on Gaza’s post-war future.

Al-Qahera News, which is closely linked to Egypt’s intelligence service, reported that delegations from Israel and Hamas “have begun moving to launch talks in Cairo tomorrow and the day after, to discuss arranging the ground conditions for the exchange of all detainees and prisoners, in accordance with Trump’s proposal.”

Trump’s plan calls for a halt to hostilities, the release of hostages within 72 hours, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament.

It also stipulates that Hamas and other factions “not have any role in the governance of Gaza,” with administration of the territory instead taken up by a technocratic body overseen by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself.

“President Trump’s demand to stop the war immediately is essential to prevent serious and irreversible harm to the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli group that has campaigned for the release of captives, said in a statement.

Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Gaza civil defense agency, told AFP that the night was “very violent,” adding that 20 homes were destroyed overnight.

The Israeli military said it was operating in Gaza City and warned residents not to return there.

“The IDF (Israeli military) troops are still operating in Gaza City, and returning to it is extremely dangerous. For your safety, avoid returning north or approaching areas of IDF troop activity anywhere — including in the southern Gaza Strip,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, said on X.

Israeli media reported that the military had shifted to a defensive posture in Gaza following Trump’s call, though the military did not confirm this to AFP.

Of those killed in Gaza City, 17 died in an Israeli air strike on the home of the Abdul Aal family in the city’s Al-Tuffa neighborhood, hospitals said.

- Gazans hail Trump -

Jamila Al-Sayyid, 24, a resident of Gaza City’s Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, said “I was happy when Trump announced a ceasefire, but the warplanes did not stop.”

An AFP journalist in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi reported hearing celebratory cries of “Allahu akbar!” (God is greatest) from tents housing Palestinians as news of Hamas’s statement spread.

“The best thing is that President Trump himself announced a ceasefire, and Netanyahu will not be able to escape this time... he is the only one who can force Israel to comply and stop the war,” said Sami Adas, 50, who lives in a tent in Gaza City with his family.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 67,074 Palestinians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Their data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.