Category: 2. Middle East

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that Syria could be weeks away from a fresh civil war of “epic proportions,” as he called for support to the transitional leadership.

“It is our assessment that, frankly, the transitional authority, given the challenges they’re facing, are maybe weeks — not many months — away from potential collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions, basically the country splitting up,” Rubio told a US Senate hearing.

The top US diplomat spoke…

Britain today paused free trade talks with Israel, summoned its ambassador, and announced further sanctions against illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was horrified by the military escalation in Gaza, Reuters reports.

The Israeli occupation army announced the start of a new operation last week and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would take control of the whole of the besieged Gaza Strip.

Israel…

The Asra Media Office has voiced deep concern over the deteriorating health of Palestinian prisoner Muammar Shahrour, accusing Israeli jailers of subjecting him to relentless torture and repeated assassination attempts, the Palestinian Information Centre reported.

Information leaked from Israeli prisons has confirmed that Shahrour, who has been in detention since 2002, endures severe beatings multiple times a day at the hands of Israeli occupation soldiers and…

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Tuesday that without robust US engagement, Syria’s government may collapse within weeks, potentially triggering a civil war of “epic proportions.”

Rubio spoke a week after President Donald Trump met with Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and announced he would be lifting sanctions on Syria in a major reversal of US policy. 

He said it was the US assessment that Syria’s transitional authority “given the challenges they’re…

Israeli occupation authorities have forced three Palestinian families to demolish their homes in Jerusalem, the Palestinian Information Centre reported.

Osama Dabash, one of the affected homeowners, said yesterday evening that his family was forced to demolish its own home to avoid heavy fines, after Israeli authorities ordered its demolition within two weeks.

Dabash stated that he had lived in the home for more than 45 years, and was pressured to tear down a…

ANKARA — Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, traveled to Damascus on Tuesday as Ankara ramps up its diplomacy with Syria. 

Kalin met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Syrian Intelligence Director Hussein al-Salama, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported, citing security sources. His visit was not previously announced by Ankara. 

Kalin and Syrian officials discussed a range of issues,…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday criticised the leaders of Britain, Canada, and France after they urged the occupation state to halt its military operations in Gaza and lift restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid or face “concrete actions”. Netanyahu accused the states of rewarding terrorism.

In a post published on X, Netanyahu claimed: “By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border…

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed that the government is nearing completion of a trade agreement with six Gulf nations, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, describing it as London’s “next deal” in a post-Brexit push to strengthen global trade ties.

In an interview with the BBC today, Reeves outlined the government’s trade priorities, saying recent agreements with the US, the EU and India, all signed within the last two weeks, have positioned the…

Israel will annex land in the Gaza Strip if Hamas does not return the Israeli captives and leave the Strip permanently, Minister of Culture and Sport, Miki Zohar, said.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Zohar claimed that Israel “cannot afford a famine in Gaza because it would lose international support.”

He added that the current period is not suitable for annexing the occupied West Bank, but added that the administration of US President Donald Trump offers…