Syrian soldier killed in Israeli strike on Damascus

Charred vehicles litter a parking area in the aftermath of Sunday’s Israeli strike in the neighborhood of Kafr Sousse in Damascus. (AFP)
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Charred vehicles litter a parking area in the aftermath of Sunday’s Israeli strike in the neighborhood of Kafr Sousse in Damascus. (AFP)
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Updated 16 December 2024
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Syrian soldier killed in Israeli strike on Damascus

Syrian soldier killed in Israeli strike on Damascus
  • Sunday’s strikes targeted “a number of our military sites in the southern region and one of the residential buildings in the Kafar Souseh area in the city of Damascus,” the Syrian army said in a statement
  • Aerial defense systems intercepted and downed several missiles ‘despite their intensity,’ Syria says

DAMASCUS: A Syrian soldier was killed on Sunday and three others wounded in Israeli strikes on several positions in and around Damascus, Syrian state media said.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, said it had targeted a Syrian military command center as well as targets and infrastructure belonging to the Syrian army and air defense in response to two drones launched toward Israel from Syrian territory.

The statement was a rare acknowledgment by the Israeli military of action in Syria, where it has launched hundreds of strikes since the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, mainly targeting army positions and fighters.

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The facade of an eight-story building was damaged, with its windows shattered, while around 30 cars were left charred or damaged around the impact site.

“A soldier was killed and three others injured following an aerial aggression launched by the Israeli enemy after midnight” on Sunday, Syria’s SANA news agency reported.

The strike “was launched from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights,” which Israel seized in 1967, and targeted “several military positions in the southern region and a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district of Damascus,” it added.

SANA said that aerial defense systems had intercepted and downed several missiles “despite their intensity.”

The news agency published a photo showing a fire in what appeared to be a crater caused by the blast.

A journalist visiting the scene said the strike caused a crater about 30 meters long and 10 meters wide.

The facade of an eight-story building was damaged, with its windows shattered, while around 30 cars were left charred or damaged around the impact site.

Police cordoned off the vicinity while firefighters attempted to extinguish the fire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a Syrian pro-government fighter had been killed and six others wounded in Israeli strikes targeting a building in Kafr Sousa and a military headquarters south of Damascus.

Local radio station Sham FM had reported “the explosion of a munitions depot following an Israeli attack that targeted a position near the capital.”

“The blasts were very strong and came in succession,” a resident of the eastern Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh told AFP, adding that this was followed by “the strong odor of gunpowder.”

The Israeli army meanwhile said that two drones launched “from Syrian territory ... were successfully intercepted” on Saturday.

In response, the military said it struck overnight “a Syrian military command center and infrastructure sites. Additionally, terror targets used by the Syrian military’s Aerial Defense Unit were struck.”

“The Syrian regime is responsible for all terror activities occurring within its territory and will be held accountable for it,” the army added.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes in a statement carried by SANA.

It warned that Israeli attacks in Syria and other countries in the region risked leading to “a dangerous escalation” with “dire, unpredictable consequences.”

Israel’s strikes on Syria had intensified after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked war in the Gaza Strip, then eased after an April 1 strike blamed on Israel hit the Iranian consular building in Damascus.

Israel has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to expand its foothold in Syria.

The attack came as Syria prepares to hold parliamentary elections on Monday, in a vote expected to return power to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ruling Baath party.

 


Iraq’s Kurdistan enjoys all-day state electricity

Iraq’s Kurdistan enjoys all-day state electricity
Updated 57 min 6 sec ago
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Iraq’s Kurdistan enjoys all-day state electricity

Iraq’s Kurdistan enjoys all-day state electricity
  • The region’s electricity minister, Kamal Mohammed, said residents were now enjoying “uninterrupted, cleaner, and more affordable electricity”

Irbil: More than 30 percent of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region now has 24-hour state electricity, authorities said Thursday, with plans to extend full coverage by the end of 2026.

The northern region of Kurdistan has long promoted itself as a haven of relative stability in an otherwise volatile country.

Despite Iraq’s vast oil wealth, the national grid struggles to meet demand, leaving most areas reliant on imported energy and subject to frequent power cuts.

“Today, two million people across the Kurdistan region enjoy 24-hour electricity... that’s 30 percent of the population,” including the cities of Irbil, Duhok and Sulaimaniyah, said regional prime minister Masrour Barzani.

In 2024, the Kurdistan Regional Government launched “Project Runaki” to deliver round-the-clock power in a region where, like much of Iraq, residents often turn to costly and polluting private generators.

The region’s electricity minister, Kamal Mohammed, said residents were now enjoying “uninterrupted, cleaner, and more affordable electricity.”

“Rollout to other areas is expected to be completed by the end of 2026,” he told AFP.

As part of the transition, roughly 30 percent of the 7,000 private generators operating across Kurdistan have already been decommissioned, he said, a move that has contributed to an estimated annual reduction of nearly 400,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

The project also aims to lower household electricity bills, offering a cheaper alternative to the combined cost of grid power and private generator fees.

However, bills will still depend on consumption and are likely to increase during peak summer and winter months.

Mohammed said the project’s success hinges on the introduction of “smart” meters to curb electricity theft, as well as a new tariff system to promote responsible usage.

“More power has been added to the grid to support 24/7 access,” he said.

Kurdistan has doubled its gas production in the past five years, and most of the power supply comes from local gas production, Mohammed said.

Despite Iraq’s abundant oil and gas reserves, years of conflict have devastated its infrastructure.

The country remains heavily reliant on imports, particularly from neighboring Iran, which frequently interrupts supply. It also imports electricity from Jordan and Turkiye, while seeking to boost its own gas output.

“We stand ready to offer our technical support and assistance” to the federal government, Mohammed said.

In Irbil, resident Bishdar Attar, 38, said the biggest change was the absence of noisy and polluting generators.

“The air is now clear,” he said. “We can now use home appliances freely... as needed.”


40 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Netanyahu and Trump meet over a ceasefire

40 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Netanyahu and Trump meet over a ceasefire
Updated 15 min 23 sec ago
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40 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Netanyahu and Trump meet over a ceasefire

40 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Netanyahu and Trump meet over a ceasefire
  • Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children
  • Many Palestinians are watching the ceasefire negotiations with desperate for an end to the war

DEIR AL-BALAH: At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said Wednesday, as international mediators raced to complete a ceasefire deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a second meeting in two days with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday evening. Trump has been pushing for a ceasefire that might lead to an end to the 21-month war in Gaza. Israel and Hamas are considering a new US-backed ceasefire proposal that would pause the war, free Israeli hostages and send much-needed aid into Gaza.

Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said the dead included included 17 women and 10 children. It said one strike killed 10 people from the same family, including three children.

The Israeli military did not comment on specific strikes, but said it had struck more than 100 targets across Gaza over the past day, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, missile launchers and tunnels. Israel accuses Hamas of hiding weapons and fighters among civilians.

Struggle to secure food and water

Many Palestinians are watching the ceasefire negotiations with trepidation, desperate for an end to the war.

In the sprawling coastal Muwasi area, where many live in ad-hoc tents after being displaced from their homes, Abeer Al-Najjar said she had struggled during the constant bombardments to secure sufficient food and water for her family. “I pray to God that there would be a pause, and not just a pause where they would lie to us with a month or two, then start doing what they’re doing to us again. We want a full ceasefire.”

Her husband, Ali Al-Najjar, said life has been especially tough in the summer, with no access to drinking water in a crowded tent in the Middle Eastern heat. “We hope this would be the end of our suffering and we can rebuild our country again,” he said, before running through a crowd with two buckets to fill them from a water truck.

People chased the vehicle as it drove away to another location.

Amani Abu-Omar said the water truck comes every four days, not enough for her dehydrated children. She complained of skin rashes in the summer heat. She said she was desperate for a ceasefire but fears she would be let down again. “We had expected ceasefires on many occasions, but it was for nothing,” she said.

The war started after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

Netanyahu and Trump meet again

Netanyahu told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday that he and Trump see “eye to eye” on the need to destroy Hamas. He added that the cooperation and coordination between Israel and the US is currently the best it has ever been during Israel’s 77-year-history.

Later this week, Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to head to the Qatari capital of Doha to continue indirect negotiations with Hamas on the ceasefire proposal.

Witkoff said late Tuesday that three key areas of disagreement had been resolved, but that one key issue still remained. He did not elaborate.

After the second meeting, Netanyahu said he and Trump also discussed the “great victory” over Iran from Israeli and American strikes during the 12-day war that ended two weeks ago.

“Opportunities have been opened here for expanding the circle of peace, for expanding the Abraham Accords,” said Netanyahu, referring to normalization agreements between Israel and multiple Arab nations that were brokered by Trump in his first term. Washington has been pushing for normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.


Greek ship sinks off Yemen after Houthi attack, crew being rescued, sources say

Greek ship sinks off Yemen after Houthi attack, crew being rescued, sources say
Updated 09 July 2025
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Greek ship sinks off Yemen after Houthi attack, crew being rescued, sources say

Greek ship sinks off Yemen after Houthi attack, crew being rescued, sources say
  • Some of the crew were in lifejackets in the water and at least five people have been rescued so far

ATHENS: The Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C has sunk after a Houthi attack off Yemen, four maritime security sources told Reuters on Wednesday, and efforts to rescue the crew were under way.

Some of the crew were in lifejackets in the water and at least five people have been rescued so far, two of the sources said.


Jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkiye over

Jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkiye over
Updated 09 July 2025
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Jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkiye over

Jailed PKK leader Ocalan says armed struggle with Turkiye over
  • Ocalan urged Turkiye’s parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), appeared in a rare online video on Wednesday to say the group’s armed struggle against Turkiye has ended, and he called for a full shift to democratic politics.

In the recording, dated June and released by Firat News Agency, which is close to the PKK, Ocalan urged Turkiye’s parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage a broader peace process.

The PKK, which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and is labelled a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the EU, decided in May to disband after an initial written appeal from Ocalan in February.

“The phase of armed struggle has ended. This is not a loss, but a historic gain,” he said in the video, the first time since he was jailed in 1999 that either footage of him or a recording of his voice has been released.

“The armed struggle stage must now be voluntarily replaced by a phase of democratic politics and law.”

Ocalan, seated in a beige polo shirt with a glass of water on the table in front of him, appeared to read from a transcript in the seven-minute video. He was surrounded by six other jailed PKK members all looking straight at the camera.

He said the PKK had ended its separatist agenda.

“The main objective has been achieved – existence has been acknowledged,” he said. “What remains would be excessive repetition and a dead end.”

Ocalan added that Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party, the third largest in parliament in Ankara, should work alongside other political parties.


South Sudan says US deportees under government care

South Sudan says US deportees under government care
Updated 09 July 2025
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South Sudan says US deportees under government care

South Sudan says US deportees under government care
  • The South Sudanese foreign ministry released a statement on the migrants saying: “They are currently in Juba under the care of the relevant authorities, who are screening them and ensuring their safety and well-being”

JUBA: War-torn South Sudan has said it is looking after a group of eight criminal migrants controversially deported from the United States.

Only one of them is from South Sudan. The administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to move unwanted migrants to third countries as some nations refuse to accept returnees.

The rest comprise two people from Myanmar, two from Cuba, and one each from Vietnam, Laos and Mexico.

The decision has been fought in American courts.

“They are currently in Juba under the care of the relevant authorities, who are screening them and ensuring their safety and well-being,” the South Sudanese foreign ministry statement said late Tuesday.

It did not give details, but said the “careful and well-studied decision” was part of “ongoing bilateral engagement.”

“South Sudan responded positively to a request from the US authorities as a gesture of goodwill, humanitarian cooperation, and commitment to mutual interests,” it added.

United Nations experts, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the UN, have criticized the move.

“International law is clear that no one shall be sent anywhere where there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be in danger of being subjected to ... torture, enforced disappearance or arbitrary deprivation of life,” 11 independent UN rights experts said in a statement.

The deportees left the United States for South Sudan in May but their flight ended up in Djibouti when a US district court imposed a stay on third-country deportations. That ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court earlier this month.

The group arrived in South Sudan on June 5 with an official, speaking on condition of anonymity, saying they had been returned by US Marines.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Apuk Ayuel Mayen said Juba maintains a strong commitment to its people, including “its nationals returning under any circumstances” and “persons with recognized links to South Sudan.”

Simmering rivalry between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his vice president Riek Machar boiled over into open hostilities in March.

The tensions have raised fears of a return to full-scale war in the world’s youngest country, where a civil war killed some 400,000 people in 2013-2018.