EU vows €2.5bn to help Syrians after Assad ouster

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Updated 18 March 2025
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EU vows €2.5bn to help Syrians after Assad ouster

EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas (C)
  • For the first time, the Syrian authorities were represented at the annual conference in Brussels
  • Outbreak of deadly violence this month has rocked confidence in the new authorities

BRUSSELS: The EU led the way on pledging aid for Syria on Monday at a donor drive in Brussels — but the call for funding to help the war-torn country after Bashar Assad’s ouster risked falling short of last year as US support dries up.

Western and regional powers are desperate to steer Syria onto the road to stability after 14 years of civil war that have sent millions of refugees over its borders.

For the first time, the Syrian authorities were represented at the annual conference in Brussels — with interim foreign minister Assaad Al-Shibani attending.

But an outbreak of deadly violence this month — the worst since Assad was toppled in December — has rocked confidence in the new authorities.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels was stepping up its commitment for this year and next to almost 2.5 billion euros ($2.7 billion) to help those in Syria and neighboring countries.

“Syrians need greater support, whether they are still abroad, or they decide to go home,” she told the Brussels conference.

The vow from Brussels came on top of significant contributions from individual countries, including some $330 million from Germany and $210 million from Britain.

Last year’s donor drive raised 7.5 billion euros in grants and loans to help the people of Syria. The overall total for this year will be announced later Monday.

Efforts to top that level this time around look set to be hit by US President Donald Trump’s axing of Washington’s foreign aid budget.

Up until now, the United States has been the single biggest individual donor to fund humanitarian efforts in Syria, according to the United Nations.

Syria’s new rulers have been clamouring for assistance to help the country’s recovery.

The EU has eased sanctions on key sectors of the economy, but along with other powers it insists the authorities must make good on promises for an inclusive transition.

“We do appreciate the major measures taken by the European Union, such as the lifting or suspending of the sanctions,” Shibani said.

“However, these measures did not live up so far to our expectations. We want further measures in order to help us secure our recovery.”

There have been positive moves from Damascus, including Sharaa signing a constitutional declaration laying out a five-year transitional period, and rights for women and freedom of expression.

But hopes were shaken by the violence on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, which a war monitor said saw security forces kill nearly 1,500 civilians, most of them members of the Alawite minority to which the Assad family belongs.

Shibani insisted that the new authorities would bring to justice “anyone who perpetrated any crime, whose hands are stained with blood.”

“We believe in the true sense of citizenship, the citizenship of every single citizen of Syria, regardless of their ethnicity or religion,” he said.

The EU has held its annual donor drive for Syria for the past eight years but it mainly focused on supporting refugees in neighboring countries and avoided any contacts with the Assad regime.

Syria’s needs are massive as swathes of the country lie in ruins and the economy has been ravaged by years of international isolation after Assad’s 2011 crackdown on opposition sparked the civil war.

The country still faces a dire humanitarian situation, with an estimated 16.7 million people in need of assistance.

“It would be a mistake to disinvest from Syria now,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“Humanitarian aid remains a lifeline that millions of Syrians depend on. Severing it now would only deepen their suffering and prolong the country’s recovery,” she said.

The United Nations says that, at current growth rates, Syria would need more than 50 years to get back to its economic level before the outbreak of the war.


Drone strikes target army celebration in central Sudan: witnesses

Drone strikes target army celebration in central Sudan: witnesses
Updated 5 sec ago
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Drone strikes target army celebration in central Sudan: witnesses

Drone strikes target army celebration in central Sudan: witnesses
  • Drone strikes targeted the Sudanese town of Tamboul, southeast of the capital Khartoum, on Wednesday during a celebration organized by the army, two witnesses told AFP
PORT SUDAN: Drone strikes targeted the Sudanese town of Tamboul, southeast of the capital Khartoum, on Wednesday during a celebration organized by the army, two witnesses told AFP.
One Tamboul resident said chaos had erupted in the central square where “hundreds of people had gathered” for the ceremony as air defenses responded.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the strikes, the first in Al-Jazira state in months, and neither the army nor its paramilitary foes issued any comment.
Al-Jazira was Sudan’s pre-war agricultural heartland.
It had been largely calm since the army recaptured it from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in January in the same counteroffensive that saw it retake Khartoum in March.
According to the United Nations, around a million people have returned to their homes in Al-Jazira since January.
Wednesday’s celebration in Tamboul was due to be attended by Abu Aqla Kaykal, the commander of the Sudan Shield Forces, an armed group currently aligned with the regular army which has been accused of atrocities while fighting on both sides of Sudan’s devastating war.
His defection back to the army’s side late last year helped pave the way for its gains of recent months.
Since it began in April 2023, the war between the regular army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.
The army now controls the center, north and east of Sudan, while the RSF hold nearly all of the west and parts of the south.

Hamas says Israel making ‘aggressive’ incursions into Gaza City

Hamas says Israel making ‘aggressive’ incursions into Gaza City
Updated 43 min 21 sec ago
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Hamas says Israel making ‘aggressive’ incursions into Gaza City

Hamas says Israel making ‘aggressive’ incursions into Gaza City
  • The Israeli military said Wednesday it had approved the “framework” for a new offensive in the Gaza Strip
  • The Netanyahu government’s plans to expand the Gaza war after more than 22 months of fighting have sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition

JERUSALEM: A Hamas official said Wednesday that Israeli forces were making “aggressive” incursions into Gaza City, after the military approved the framework for a new offensive in the territory.

“The Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out aggressive incursions in Gaza City,” Ismail Al-Thawabta, director general of the Hamas government media office in Gaza, told AFP. “These assaults represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground by force, through a scorched earth policy and the complete destruction of civilian property.”

The assualt follows the Israeli military's announcement on Wednesday that it had approved the “framework” for a new offensive in the Gaza Strip, days after the security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza City.

Armed forces chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir “approved the main framework for the IDF’s operational plan in the Gaza Strip,” a statement released by the army said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has not provided a precise timetable for when Israeli troops will enter the territory’s largest city, where thousands have taken refuge after fleeing previous offensives.

Gaza’s civil defense agency said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in recent days, with the residential neighborhoods of Zeitoun and Sabra hit “with very heavy air strikes targeting civilian homes, possibly including high-rise buildings.”

News of the military’s approval of the plan comes hours after Hamas said a senior delegation had arrived in Cairo for “preliminary talks” with Egyptian officials on a temporary truce.

The Netanyahu government’s plans to expand the Gaza war after more than 22 months of fighting have sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition.

“These assaults represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground by force, through a scorched earth policy and the complete destruction of civilian property.”

UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 61,599 Palestinians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable.


Lebanon president tells Iran security chief he ‘rejects all interference’

Lebanon president tells Iran security chief he ‘rejects all interference’
Updated 9 min 2 sec ago
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Lebanon president tells Iran security chief he ‘rejects all interference’

Lebanon president tells Iran security chief he ‘rejects all interference’
  • Ali Larijani’s trip to Lebanon comes after Iran expressed opposition to a government plan to disarm Hezbollah
  • Larijani met President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as well as parliament speaker Nabih Berri

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told Iran’s visiting security chief on Wednesday that he rejected any interference in the country’s internal affairs, branding as “unconstructive” Iran’s statements on plans to disarm Hezbollah.

“We reject any interference in our internal affairs,” Aoun said, adding that “it is forbidden for anyone... to bear arms and to use foreign backing as leverage,” Aoun told Ali Larijani, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency posted on X.

Iran’s top security chief vowed in Lebanon on Wednesday that his government would continue to provide support, after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise a plan to disarm Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Larijani’s trip to Lebanon comes after Iran expressed opposition to a government plan to disarm Hezbollah, which before a war with Israel last year was believed to be better armed than the Lebanese military.

“If... the Lebanese people are suffering, we in Iran will also feel this pain and we will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances,” Larijani, the head of the National Security Council, told reporters after landing in Beirut.

Dozens of Hezbollah supporters gathered along the airport road to welcome Larijani. He briefly stepped out of his car to greet them as they chanted slogans of support.

In Lebanon, Larijani met with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as well as parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah.

Iran has suffered a series of blows in its long-running rivalry with Israel, including during 12 days of open war between the two countries in June.

Hezbollah’s grip on power has slipped since a war with Israel ended in a November 2024 ceasefire and the new Lebanese government, backed by the United States, has moved to further restrain it.

Hezbollah is part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” — a network of armed groups in the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, united in their opposition to Israel.

The ouster in December of Bashar Assad in Syria, which long served as a conduit for weapons deliveries between Iran and Hezbollah, cut off the supply route to Lebanon.


Syrian FM says government to hold perpetrators of violations in Sweida accountable

Syrian FM says government to hold perpetrators of violations in Sweida accountable
Updated 14 min 46 sec ago
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Syrian FM says government to hold perpetrators of violations in Sweida accountable

Syrian FM says government to hold perpetrators of violations in Sweida accountable

DUBAI: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani said Wednesday the country is committed to holding accountable those responsible for any violations in Druze-majority region of Sweida. 

Speaking from Ankara, Al Shaibani was accompanied by Syrian Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Hussein Salameh. 

Shaibani reiterated Damascus’s sentiments in assuring the Druze community that they are part of Syria and their protection is the responsibility of the state. 

Al Shaibani also rejected the notion of exploitation of the Druze community by Israel and other agents. 

Speaking at the joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also blamed Israel for its attempts to meddle in Syrian affairs.

 ”Israel is working to stir chaos in Syria,” Fidan added

Fidan also said Syria is heading toward stability and developing constructive international relations. 

Al-Shaibani’s trip to Ankara is focused on enhancing cooperation between the two countries, enhancing security and developing economic investments. 

It comes a week after Fidan visited Damascus where he affirmed Turkiye’s support for Syria and called on the international community to shoulder responsibility in curbing Israeli aggression and occupation of Syrian lands.


Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 

Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 
Updated 13 August 2025
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Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 

Jordan authorities seize half a million Captagon pills in smuggling attempt 

CAIRO: Jordanian Customs and the anti-narcotics department foiled an attempt to smuggle a total of 517,000 Captagon pills into the country, according to Petra News Agency. 

The Karameh Customs Center said Wednesday the seized drugs were professionally hidden inside metal trays that seemed to be designed specifically for the purpose of smuggling. 

The drugs were carried inside a truck arriving from a neighboring country, it added.     

At dawn, the Jordanian military also thwarted another drug smuggling attempt in which smugglers loaded balloons with drugs and controlled them using primitive devices. The seized items were transferred to the competent authorities.