The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad’s legacy of horror

A Syrian civil defense worker, known as a White Helmet, holds a skull while inspecting human remains found in two separate basements in Sbeneh, outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP)
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A Syrian civil defense worker, known as a White Helmet, holds a skull while inspecting human remains found in two separate basements in Sbeneh, outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP)
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Updated 29 January 2025
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The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad’s legacy of horror

The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad’s legacy of horror
  • Since Nov. 28, the White Helmets have uncovered “more than 780 bodies, most of unknown identity,” Abed Al-Rahman Mawwas, a member of the rescue service, told The Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria: The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the Bashar Assad government were located Tuesday by Syrian civil defense workers in two separate basements in rural Damascus.
The discovery adds to the growing tally of mass graves unearthed since the fall of the Assad government in December. The remains, which are believed to include men, women and children, showed evidence of gunshot wounds and burning.
Members of Syria’s White Helmets, a volunteer civil defense group, exhumed the fragmented, weathered skeletal remains from the basement of two properties in the town of Sbeneh, southwest of the capital. Wearing hazmat suits, they carefully logged and coded each set of remains before placing them into body bags, which were then loaded onto trucks for transport.
Since Nov. 28, the White Helmets have uncovered “more than 780 bodies, most of unknown identity,” Abed Al-Rahman Mawwas, a member of the rescue service, told The Associated Press. He said many were found in shallow graves uncovered by locals or dug up by animals. The bodies are transferred to forensics doctors to determine their identities, time of death and cause of death, as well as to match them with possible family members.
“Of course, this takes years of work,” he said.
Mohammad Al-Herafe, a resident of one of the buildings where remains were uncovered, said the stench of decomposing bodies was overwhelming when his family returned to Sbeneh in 2016 after fleeing because of fighting in the area during the country’s uprising-turned-civil war that began in 2011.
He said they found the bodies in the basement but chose not to report it out of fear of government reprisals. “We could not tell the regime about it because we know that the regime did this.”
The Assad government, which ruled Syria for over two decades, employed airstrikes on civilian areas, torture, executions and mass imprisonment, to maintain control over Syria and suppress opposition groups during the country’s 13-year civil war.
Ammar Al-Salmo, another Civil Defense member dispatched to the second basement site, said further investigation is needed to identify the victims.
“We need testimonies from residents and others who might know who stayed behind when the fighting intensified in 2013,” he told the AP.
Mohammad Shebat, who lived in the second building where bodies were found, said he left the neighborhood in 2012 and returned in 2020 when he and his neighbors discovered the bodies and demanded their removal. But no one cooperated, he said.
Shebat believes the victims were civilians who fled the nearby Al-Assali neighborhood when the fighting escalated and the Assad government imposed a siege in 2013. He said forces of the former government used to “trap people in basements, burn them with tires and leave their bodies.”
“There are several basements like this, full of skeletons,” he said.
In a report released Monday, the United Nations Syria Commission of Inquiry said that mass graves can be used as evidence to uncover the fates of thousands of missing detainees.
The report, spanning 14 years of investigations and drawing on over 2,000 witness testimonies, including more than 550 survivors of torture, detailed how detainees in Syria’s notorious prisons “suffering from torture injuries, malnutrition, disease and illness, were left to die slowly, in agonizing pain, or were taken away to be executed.”
Assad’s fall on Dec. 8 drove hundreds of families to scour prisons and morgues in desperate search of loved ones. While many were freed after years of imprisonment, thousands remain missing, their fates still unknown.
The UN commission has said that forensic exhumations of mass graves, as well as safeguarding evidence, archives and crime sites, may offer grieving families a chance to learn the truth.
The commission was established in 2011 by the Human Rights Council to investigate Syria’s alleged violations of international human rights law.
The UN report documented brutal methods of torture by the former government, including “severe beatings, electric shocks, burning, pulling out nails, damaging teeth, rape, sexual violence including mutilation, prolonged stress positions, deliberate neglect and denial of medical care, exacerbating wounds and psychological torture.”
“For Syrians who did not find their loved ones among the freed, this evidence, alongside testimonies of freed detainees, may be their best hope to uncover the truth about missing relatives,” said Commissioner Lynn Welchman.

 


Lebanese government formation stalls over minister selection

Lebanese government formation stalls over minister selection
Updated 10 sec ago
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Lebanese government formation stalls over minister selection

Lebanese government formation stalls over minister selection
  • Nabih Berri rejected the name of the fifth minister, which was proposed by Nawaf Salam in consultation with Joseph Aoun
  • Parallel to the government formation process, the fate of the Israeli withdrawal from the southern border area remains a source of Lebanese concern

BEIRUT: Lebanese leaders were close to reaching a new government lineup on Thursday, three weeks after the designation of Nawaf Salam to form the Cabinet.

However, last-minute changes occurred after parliament speaker Nabih Berri rejected the name of the fifth minister, which was proposed by Salam in consultation with President Joseph Aoun, stalling the formation process.

A political source following the formation process told Arab News that “things didn’t reach a deadlock," adding that “there’s an understanding of the importance to reach a governmental lineup as soon as possible, and under this understanding, the name of the fifth Shiite minister is being reconsidered.”

The government, he said, might be announced in the coming two days.

Aoun received Salam and Berri at the presidential palace. Mahmoud Makieh, secretary-general of the council of ministers, was subsequently summoned, signaling that the governmental lineup was ready to be announced by Makieh.

However, Berri left the presidential palace two hours after the meeting, followed by Salam.

According to information circulating at the palace, the selection of the fifth Shiite minister remains the root cause of the problem.

Aoun and Salam insist on naming the fifth Shiite minister in the government in lieu of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.

That is because they want to avoid repeating former premier Saad Hariri’s experience, whose government lost its legitimacy and collapsed in 2011 following the resignation of 11 Shiite ministers.

According to the political source, Salam insists on appointing Lamia Moubayed, who previously held the position of head of the Basil Fuleihan Institute of Finance, for the Administrative Development portfolio, a choice that Berri rejected.

The source said that the president was handling the issue, especially since Berri insists on having a say in naming the fifth Shiite minister, after having already proposed the names of the other four ministers in coordination with Hezbollah — figures close to them but not affiliated with any party.

On Wednesday night, after meeting Aoun, Salam reaffirmed his commitment to “forming a government with a high level of harmony among its members, committed to the principle of ministerial solidarity, and this applies to all ministers without exception.”

Salam emphasized his efforts to “form a reformist government composed of highly competent individuals, and I will not allow any element within it that could obstruct its work in any way.”

He stressed that “in the process of forming previous governments, there were inherited customs and narrow calculations that some find difficult to abandon or to accept a new approach in dealing with.

“However, I am determined to confront these practices and adhere to the constitution and the standards I have previously announced — excluding parliamentary candidates from joining the government and preventing the appointment of partisan figures.

“These standards provide an additional guarantee for the independence of the government's work, the integrity and neutrality of the upcoming elections, addressing the major challenges ahead, and laying the groundwork for reforms to rebuild the Lebanese state in a manner befitting its citizens.”

If formed, Salam’s government is expected to consist of 24 ministers, most of whom will be technocrats, according to leaked names.

Parallel to the government formation process, the fate of the Israeli withdrawal from the southern border area remains a source of Lebanese concern.

Aoun emphasized to the chief of staff of the UN Truce Supervision Organization, Maj. Gen. Patrick Gauchat, whom he met on Thursday, the necessity of “implementing Resolution 1701, ensuring the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories occupied in the recent war, and releasing Lebanese prisoners.”

On Thursday, Israeli forces continued to demolish the remaining houses in the southern town of Kafr Kila.

The Israeli army issued a new warning to the residents in the border area that had not yet been evacuated, advising them not to move south.

Avichai Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli military, said: “The Israeli army remains deployed in the field. Therefore, you are prohibited from returning to your homes in the areas in question until further notice. Anyone attempting to move south is at risk.”

On the Lebanese Syrian border, tensions escalated between the new Syrian administration and Lebanese tribal groups involved in smuggling through illegal crossings in Hawik — a town straddling both Lebanese and Syrian territories and populated by Lebanese-origin residents with Syrian citizenship. The Syrian administration is working to secure the border and close these crossings following recent rocket and artillery clashes.

A Lebanese security source reported that “two members of the Syrian administration were killed, and two others were captured.” Video footage circulated online showed the captives being beaten and bleeding.

Shells also struck the Lebanese border town of Al-Qasr, injuring a Lebanese soldier.

According to security reports, Syrian administration forces entered the town two hours later and deployed reinforcements to maintain control of the border.

Many residents of Lebanese origin fled the town toward Lebanese territory in the aftermath.

About 150,000 Syrians, mostly Shiites and Alawites, fled to the Baalbek-Hermel region following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.


Aga Khan IV to be buried in Egypt on Sunday

Aga Khan IV to be buried in Egypt on Sunday
Updated 4 min 56 sec ago
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Aga Khan IV to be buried in Egypt on Sunday

Aga Khan IV to be buried in Egypt on Sunday
  • Aga Khan IV will be laid to rest at a private burial ceremony in Aswan, Egypt on Sunday
  • His son, Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini was named the 50th hereditary Imam

LISBON: The late Prince Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, who died on Tuesday in Lisbon after nearly seven decades as the spiritual leader of the global Ismaili Muslim community, will be buried in Egypt on Sunday, according to the Ismaili Imamat.
After a funeral ceremony at the Ismaili Center in the Portuguese capital on Saturday — to be attended by leaders of the community, Portuguese government members and foreign dignitaries — Aga Khan IV will be laid to rest at a private burial ceremony in Aswan, Egypt on Sunday, it said in a statement on Thursday.
Known for his wealth and development work around the world through the Aga Khan Development Network, Prince Karim died in Lisbon, the seat of the Ismaili Imamat, at age 88 on Tuesday.
His son, Prince Rahim Al-Hussaini was named the 50th hereditary Imam, or spiritual leader, on Wednesday, according to his father’s will.
As Aga Khan — derived from Turkish and Persian words to mean commanding chief — he is believed by Ismailis to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter.
The world’s Ismaili community, a branch of Shiite Islam, comprises around 15 million people who live in Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and North America.
Set up in 1967, the AKDN group of international development agencies employs 80,000 people helping to build schools and hospitals and providing electricity for millions of people in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia.
Aga Khan IV also kept up his family’s long tradition of thoroughbred racing and breeding. His stables and riders, wearing his emerald-green silk livery, enjoyed great successes at the top international derbies.


Bahraini king arrives in UAE

Bahraini king arrives in UAE
Updated 34 min 47 sec ago
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Bahraini king arrives in UAE

Bahraini king arrives in UAE

LONDON: King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain arrived in the UAE on Thursday.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the ruler’s representative in the Al-Dhafra region, received the king on his arrival.

During his visit to the UAE, King Hamad will be accompanied by Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa and Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, among other senior officials, the Bahrain News Agency reported.


Palestinian PM meets Arab League’s chief in Cairo

Palestinian PM meets Arab League’s chief in Cairo
Updated 49 min 26 sec ago
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Palestinian PM meets Arab League’s chief in Cairo

Palestinian PM meets Arab League’s chief in Cairo
  • Mohammad Mustafa says priority is to back Palestinians’ right to remain in Gaza

LONDON: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said during his visit to Egypt on Thursday that the Palestinian Authority was coordinating with Arab countries to address the urgent reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Mustafa met Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary-general of the Arab League, at the organization’s headquarters in Cairo. The parties discussed ongoing humanitarian efforts to assist residents of the Gaza Strip.

Mustafa said that Palestinians in Gaza were experiencing “a difficult period” following US President Donald Trump’s remarks about relocating them to other countries, including Jordan and Egypt, both of which had rejected the idea.

He commended the Arab League’s support and said that the PA had already set in motion actions for rebuilding the Gaza Strip. Israel has bombed the region into rubble since late 2023, killing about 47,000 Palestinians.

Mustafa added that Gaza was part of Palestinian territory and emphasized that PA’s priority was to support Palestinians in the area to remain in the enclave.

He said: “We want to assure our people in the Gaza Strip that we will not leave them in this situation, and the coming days will be better.”

The meeting was attended by Maj. Gen. Ziad Hab Al-Rih, Palestine’s minister of interior; Palestine’s Ambassador to the Arab League Muhannad Al-Aklouk; The Arab League’s Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine Ambassador Saeed Abu Ali; and Ambassador Hossam Zaki, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab League.


Jordanian king arrives in UK ahead of US visit

Jordanian king arrives in UK ahead of US visit
Updated 06 February 2025
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Jordanian king arrives in UK ahead of US visit

Jordanian king arrives in UK ahead of US visit
  • King Abdullah II met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London
  • He will meet with US President Donald Trump next week in Washington, D.C.

LONDON: Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived in the UK on Thursday afternoon ahead of a visit to the US next week.

He met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London. They discussed historical relations between the two kingdoms, Petra news agency reported.

The Jordanian king will meet US President Donald Trump next week in Washington, D.C. Their talks are expected to focus on events in the Gaza Strip. The king is also scheduled to visit Boston and will be accompanied by Crown Prince Hussein during his trip, Petra added.