UN says more than 21,000 people fled Syria sectarian violence for Lebanon

UN says more than 21,000 people fled Syria sectarian violence for Lebanon
Members of a family riding a motorcycle drive past a charred car in the town of Jableh in Syria's coastal province of Latakia, Mar. 12, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 25 March 2025
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UN says more than 21,000 people fled Syria sectarian violence for Lebanon

UN says more than 21,000 people fled Syria sectarian violence for Lebanon
  • Families are continuing to cross unofficial border crossing points including through rivers on foot

BEIRUT: The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday that more than 21,000 people had fled sectarian violence in Syria this month for safety in neighboring Lebanon.
“The hostilities... in early March continue to displace people on a steady daily basis” into northern Lebanon, the UNHCR statement said, reporting “21,637 new arrivals from Syria” citing figures provided by Lebanese authorities and the Lebanese Red Cross.
For days, starting on March 6, Syria’s Mediterranean coast was gripped by extreme violence, including sectarian mass killings, mainly targeting members of the Alawite minority.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said some 1,600 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed, accusing security forces and allied groups of participating in “field executions, forced displacement and burning of homes.”
The Syrian authorities have accused armed Assad supporters of starting the violence by staging attacks on the new security forces.
The UNHCR statement said that “fleeing families are continuing to cross unofficial border crossing points including through rivers on foot, and are arriving exhausted, traumatized, and hungry.”
It noted “ongoing reports of insecurity hampering people’s movements before they reach Lebanon.”
Some 390 Lebanese families were included in the new arrival figures, the agency added.


UAE calls for investigation after Israeli forces fire near visiting diplomats

UAE calls for investigation after Israeli forces fire near visiting diplomats
Updated 15 sec ago
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UAE calls for investigation after Israeli forces fire near visiting diplomats

UAE calls for investigation after Israeli forces fire near visiting diplomats
  • ‘Warning shots’ reported as envoys toured Jenin in West Bank
  • Action ‘clear violation of international laws,’ foreign ministry says

LONDON: The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for an investigation into Israeli forces opening fire during a visit by foreign diplomats to the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

The ministry on Thursday condemned the incident near the Jenin camp entrance which drew condemnation from more than 20 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UK, Italy, China, Egypt, France, Jordan, Turkiye and Russia.

It said the Israeli action was a clear violation of international laws and norms that ensure the protection of diplomats and their missions and obstructed international efforts to achieve peace and stability, the Emirates News Agency reported.

It called for the violations to be investigated and the perpetrators punished.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces reported firing “warning shots” during a visit by foreign diplomats to Jenin. It said it “regrets the inconvenience caused” by the shooting, which resulted in no injuries.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Israel to hold to account those responsible for the shootings.

The incident came as international pressure intensified over the war in Gaza, where Palestinians remain desperate for supplies despite the easing of a two-month aid blockade.


Gaza ambulance fleet down to a third, Palestinian Red Crescent says

Gaza ambulance fleet down to a third, Palestinian Red Crescent says
Updated 6 min 20 sec ago
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Gaza ambulance fleet down to a third, Palestinian Red Crescent says

Gaza ambulance fleet down to a third, Palestinian Red Crescent says

GENEVA: The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday its operations in Gaza may stop within days in the absence of fresh supplies and its ambulance fleet was running at only a third of capacity due to fuel shortages.
Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza’s most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week Israeli blockade, Palestinian officials said.
Israel said it let in 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the blockade under mounting international pressure amid warnings of starvation in Gaza.
Asked how long his organization could continue operating in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib told reporters in Geneva: “It’s a matter of time. It could be days.
“We are running out of fuel. The capacity of ambulances we work with now is one third,” he added, saying its gasoline-powered ambulances had already halted but it had some that were running on solar power provided by the United Nations.
The PRCS is part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provides medical care in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Al-Khatib criticized the small amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza so far, warning of the risk of mob attacks.
“I think that is an invitation for killing. These people are starving,” he said.
Israel, at war with Gaza’s dominant militant group Hamas since October 2023, has repeatedly defended its controls on aid in the enclave, saying there is enough food there and denying accusations of causing starvation.
He added his voice to criticism of a US-backed organization that aims to start work in Gaza by the end of May overseeing a new model of aid distribution. “It’s not up for discussion. No, no, no,” he said.
“The world should not give up on the system as we know it.”
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation intends to work with private US security and logistics firms to provide aid to 300,000 people from distribution hubs in Gaza’s south. Gaza’s total population is 2.3 million, most of it displaced.


Jordan-Syria coordination council will strengthen ties, King Abdullah says

Jordan-Syria coordination council will strengthen ties, King Abdullah says
Updated 22 May 2025
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Jordan-Syria coordination council will strengthen ties, King Abdullah says

Jordan-Syria coordination council will strengthen ties, King Abdullah says
  • Nations’ leaders speak after deal signed to establish new body
  • Ahmed Al-Sharaa praises Jordan’s support for Syria

LONDON: King Abdullah II of Jordan and Syrian Arab Republic interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa spoke on Thursday about bilateral relations and regional developments.

The telephone conversation came after the two countries this week signed an agreement to establish the Higher Coordination Council, which aims to strengthen collaboration in key sectors such as water, energy and trade.

The king said the new body would institutionalize cooperation and maximize opportunities for both nations. He also reiterated his support for Syrians and the country’s security, stability and territorial integrity, the Jordan News Agency reported.

Al-Sharaa praised Jordan’s support for enhancing Syria’s international presence after both the EU and US this month announced the lifting of Assad-era sanctions on the country.

The two leaders also emphasized the need to increase efforts to stabilize southern Syria and improve border security.


Sweden to charge militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria: prosecutor

Sweden to charge militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria: prosecutor
Updated 22 May 2025
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Sweden to charge militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria: prosecutor

Sweden to charge militant over Jordanian pilot burnt to death in Syria: prosecutor
  • Prosecutors plan to charge the Swedish citizen with “serious war crimes and terrorist crimes in Syria“

STOCKHOLM: Prosecutors said Thursday they plan to indict a convicted Swedish militant for his suspected involvement in the 2014 capture of a Jordanian pilot in Syria and burning him to death in a cage.

Sweden’s Prosecution Authority said in a statement it planned to charge a 32-year-old Swedish citizen on May 27 with “serious war crimes and terrorist crimes in Syria.”

The man, Osama Krayem, has already been sentenced for his involvement in the 2015 attacks in Paris and the attacks in Brussels a year later.


Summer comes early for Iraq with 49 degrees Celsius in Basra

Summer comes early for Iraq with 49 degrees Celsius in Basra
Updated 22 May 2025
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Summer comes early for Iraq with 49 degrees Celsius in Basra

Summer comes early for Iraq with 49 degrees Celsius in Basra
  • In Iraq, summer temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius, especially in July and August

BAGHDAD: Summer has come early for Iraq this year with temperatures hitting 49 degrees Celsius (topping 120 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern city of Basra on Thursday, the national weather center said.

“It is the highest temperature recorded in Iraq this year,” weather center spokesperson Amer Al-Jabiri told AFP.

He said the early heat was in contrast to last year, when the temperature was “relatively good” in May and “it only began to rise in June.”

In Iraq, summer temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius, especially in July and August, and sometimes reach these levels earlier.

On Sunday, two cadets died and others were admitted to hospital with heat stroke at a military academy in the southern province of Dhi Qar, authorities said.

The defense ministry said nine cadets “showed signs of fatigue and exhaustion due to sun exposure” while waiting to be assigned to battalions.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani ordered an investigation into the deaths of the two cadets.

Iraq is one of the five countries most impacted by some effects of climate change, according to the United Nations. It has also seen a prolonged drought and frequent dust storms.