https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:16:33 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-4-syrian-regime-soldiers-killed-in-israeli-airstrike-on-damascus/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 19:55:46 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658369 Four Syrian regime soldiers were killed in an Israeli airstrike near the capital Damascus early Monday, Syria's official media reported, says Anadolu Agency. Citing an anonymous Syrian military source, SANA said: "The Israeli enemy carried out an aerial act of aggression from the direction of occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some sites in Damascus." Four regime soldiers were killed and another four injured in the attack, SANA said, adding that the regime's air defense batteries downed some Israeli missiles. Israel has launched airstrikes on the regime's military sites and Iranian-backed groups since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. READ: Israel detects missile attack attempt from Syria]]> 658369 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-turkish-coast-guard-saves-130-migrants-pushed-back-by-greece/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:47:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658160 A total of 130 irregular migrants pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek forces were rescued on Saturday by the Turkish Coast Guard off the coasts of western Izmir province's Menderes, Karaburun, Foca and Cesme districts, Anadolu reports. Meanwhile, 265 irregular migrants and a migrant smuggler were caught off the coasts of Karaburun and Dikili. Irregular migrants were handed to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after procedures. READ: Tunisia rescues 15,000 migrants in first half of 2023 And 170 irregular migrants in rubber boats were caught by the Coast Guard off the coast of western Canakkale province's Ayvacik district. Coast Guard Northern Aegean Group Command teams detected four rubber boats with irregular migrants off the coast of Ayvacik. During […]]]> 658160 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-saudi-arabia-sends-18th-aid-plane-for-earthquake-victims-in-turkiye-syria/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:43:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658157 Saudi Arabia sent an 18th humanitarian plane to support victims of the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes in southern Kahramanmaras province which affected several cities in Turkiye and Syria, according to media reports, Anadolu reports. The Saudi Arabian official news agency SPA said the plane carrying 32 tons of medical supplies and equipment, departed from the International King Khalid Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh for Gaziantep Airport. The plane was sent as part of the aid bridge established by Saudi Arabia for earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria. Saudi Arabia sent the last aid plane to Turkiye on June 17. READ: Saudi Arabia urges its citizens to quickly leave Lebanon]]> 658157 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-uk-takes-lead-in-turkiye-earthquake-aid-donating-over-150-million/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 08:18:11 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658142 The United Kingdom has taken the lead in supporting the appeal for victims of the deadly earthquakes in Turkiye six months ago, with donations from the country's population reaching over £150 million. According to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a UK-based umbrella group for charities, announced this week that donations to aid the victims of the February 6th earthquakes have reached £151.8 million, an amount which includes the £5 million matched by the British government through the Aid Match scheme. The earthquakes and their aftershocks during the first week of February this year killed around 60,000 people across southern Turkiye and north-west Syria, destroying thousands of homes and causing severe infrastructural damage. While donations flooded in and continue to do […]]]> 658142 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-russian-airstrikes-kill-3-civilians-in-northwestern-syria/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:14:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658095 Three civilians were killed in attacks by Russian warplanes on a village in northwestern Syria, local sources said on Saturday, Anadolu reports. Two Russian warplanes departed from the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia, and carried out four airstrikes on the village, according to the Syrian opposition aircraft observatory. Six others were injured in the attacks which hit the village of Ein Shib in Idlib province, said the White Helmets, a civil defense group. The injured people were transferred to nearby hospitals. In September 2018, Turkiye and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks […]]]> 658095 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-russia-accuses-idlib-factions-of-intensifying-weapons-drones-production/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 09:26:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658077 Russia has claimed that the opposition factions in Idlib recently intensified the production of weapons and drones. Deputy Head of the Russian Reconciliation Centre Rear Admiral Vadim Kolet stated that Russia: "Will not allow any acts of incitement against the Russian military." Kolet claimed that the leadership of the Russian armed forces group in Syria is ready to take the most decisive measures to protect the lives of Syrians from Russian and Syrian civilians and military. READ: UN urged to help unblock Russia fertiliser stuck in Europe He pointed out that the opposition factions are conducting active recruitment operations, calling on their leaders to: "Reject any acts of incitement and follow the path for a peaceful settlement of the conflict." On […]]]> 658077 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-daesh-confirms-death-of-its-leader/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 16:29:11 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658052 The Daesh terrorist group announced, on Thursday, the death of its little-known leader, Abu Hussein Al-Qurashi, who, it said, was killed in clashes in north-western Syria, and named a successor, Al Jazeera reports. According to the report, Al-Qurashi had been heading the terrorist organisation since November. Al-Qurashi "was martyred after direct clashes" with members of Syria's Al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham when they tried to detain him in the province of Idlib, Daesh spokesperson, Abu Huthaifa Al-Ansari, said in an audio message on the Telegram messaging app. "He fought them until he succumbed to his wounds," Al-Ansari said of Al-Qurashi. Erdogan, in April, said Al-Qurashi had been killed in Syria in an operation carried out by Turkiye's MIT intelligence agency. "The […]]]> 658052 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-syrian-detained-in-germany-on-suspicion-of-crimes-against-humanity/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:36:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657916 A Syrian national accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes through torture and enslavement between 2012 and 2015 has been arrested in Germany, Reuters reported prosecutors saying on Friday. The suspect, named only as Ahmad H, was a leader of a so-called shabiha militia that assisted the government of President Bashar Al-Assad in its deadly crackdown in the wake of a popular uprising in 2011, the prosecutors said. The state-sponsored militia's campaign of intimidation allegedly included arbitrary arrests, extortion, looting, forced labour and torture. German prosecutors said in a statement that Ahmad H was responsible for several brutal beatings of civilians, as well as two incidents in 2012 and 2015 during which he forced detainees to work while under fire and without […]]]> 657916 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-rights-groups-urge-independent-impartial-probe-into-greek-migrant-shipwreck/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:51:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657872 Human rights groups, on Thursday, underlined the need for an "independent and impartial investigation" into a migrant shipwreck off the coast of Greece in June that left more than 80 irregular migrants dead and hundreds of others missing, Anadolu Agency reports. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in a joint statement, expressed concern over conflicting accounts from the Greek coastguard and survivors and underscored "the urgent need for an effective, independent and impartial investigation." On 14 June, a 30-meter-long fishing boat, "Adriana", capsized and sank about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Greece's southern coastal town of Pylos, with the majority of people on board from Pakistan, Syria and Libya. There were 104 survivors, with 82 bodies recovered out of 400-700 […]]]> 657872 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-syria-1800-public-sector-employees-resign/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 09:25:42 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657780 Some 1,800 public sector employees in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its countryside resigned from their jobs during the first half of the year, the pro- regime Tishreen newspaper reported. The paper said the employees resigned as a result of the low salaries on offer that do not cover their transportation expenses. The paper warned that the public sector used to play a vital role in ensuring the continuity of work and production, but now it has become synonymous with the "regime's army", calling for taking real measures to improve the public sector, including improving salaries and fighting corruption. Earlier, the Syrian regime said some 400 employees had resigned in the Suwayda governorate within four months. However, the local Aram news site said the […]]]> 657780 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-syria-security-forces-arrest-latakia-residents-over-social-media-posts/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 08:30:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657197 The Syrian regime security services have launched a campaign of arrests against residents of the western city of Latakia who criticised the deteriorating living conditions and the government on social media, local media outlets reported. The North Press Agency said the regime's military security service arrested four people, including a 60-year-old man, for criticising the government and calling for a sit-in in protest of power outages. According to the site, the "political security branch" arrested Firas Ghanem and referred him to trial on charges of "undermining the state's prestige and the nation's psyche" as a result of a Facebook post he shared. "A question to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, if I may…..If the Russian or Iranian authorities had killed a child, […]]]> 657197 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-uk-acknowledges-genocide-was-committed-against-yazidis-by-daesh/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 16:12:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657126 Britain, on Tuesday, formally acknowledged that acts of genocide were committed against minority Yazidis by Daesh militants in Iraq in 2014, ahead of the nine-year anniversary of the crimes, Reuters reports. The acknowledgement comes after a German court in 2021 jailed a former Daesh militant for life for involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity against Yazidis in Iraq and Syria. German lawmakers have also recognised that genocide crimes were committed by Daesh militants in Iraq. READ: 81 mass graves of Yazidis found in Iraq's Sinjar since 2014: Official "The Yazidi population suffered immensely at the hands of Daesh, nine years ago, and the repercussions are still felt to this day," Britain's Minister of State for the Middle East, Tariq Ahmad, said in […]]]> 657126 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230731-turkiye-gives-two-months-to-syrians-in-istanbul-to-return-to-provinces-where-they-registered/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:19:59 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656765 The Turkish government is giving Syrians in Istanbul two months to leave the city if they were not registered there, ordering them to return to the provinces where they were registered within the country. In a statement released by Turkiye's Presidency of Migration Management on Saturday, it said that Syrian refugees who had been granted temporary residency and protection status within the country must move back to the Turkish provinces they registered in if they are currently living in Istanbul. It gave them until 24 September, just under two months, to make the move. Syrians in Istanbul with TP IDs issued from other provinces have until 24 Sep to return to the provinces of registration. This excludes Syrians who relocated […]]]> 656765 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230731-syrians-weighed-down-by-failing-currency/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:09:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656665 WATCH: Israeli forces wake up Palestinian child under house arrest at dawn for ID check]]> 656665 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230731-coups-in-the-middle-east-generally-have-americas-blessing/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 07:29:33 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656616 With the end of World War Two and the victory of the allies led by the US, it was only natural for it to assume the leadership of the "free world", inherit the mantle of the British Empire and dominate Britain's former colonies in the Middle East. It managed to do this in a number of ways, including military coups to bring about regime change to create a new world order in its own image. The new regimes owed allegiance to the US, including those in the Arab world whose role is to protect US interests and colonial ambitions, and strengthen the American Empire. The Prime Minister of Egypt during the rule of King Farouk was the leader of the […]]]> 656616 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230730-unrwas-western-donors-carry-out-the-mission-of-david-ben-gurion/ Sun, 30 Jul 2023 11:02:27 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656465 In July 1949, upon the complete destruction of Palestine and the expulsion of its people, David Ben Gurion addressed his officers, who were not sure that the emptiness of Palestine was permanent. He quipped, "the old will die and the young will forget". He failed for most of 75 years to achieve his wish about the young. Now the time seems to be right.  In a twist of history, UNRWA Western donors are doing the job for him. Well, the young did not forget or tried to. They became the leaders of the resistance movement which created the Palestine National Council and PLO. After the fiasco of Oslo, Palestine nominal leaders failed to follow the national path. Western colonial powers […]]]> 656465 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230730-london-woman-disappears-in-syria-during-visit-to-assad-regime-territory-raising-fears-of-abduction/ Sun, 30 Jul 2023 07:39:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656435 A Syrian woman from London has disappeared upon her visit to western Syria which is under the control of Bashar al-Assad's regime, sparking fears that she may have been abducted or detained. According to local Syrian and opposition news outlets, Aline Ali – whose age has not been specified – traveled to Syria's western Lattakia province this week and was on her way to an area named Wadi Qandil for "tourism" purposes and to reportedly visit family. She has since suddenly disappeared, however, and contact with her was cut off without any prior notice. Ali is reportedly originally from the city of Homs but has been living in the British capital London for much of her life, making this trip […]]]> 656435 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230730-as-a-refugee-i-couldnt-defend-my-homeland-but-i-can-make-sure-syria-lives-on-in-my-art/ Sun, 30 Jul 2023 07:00:56 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656079 If a palette reflected Ghazwan Assaf's art, it would be covered with analogous colours of earthy greens, browns and black, splashes of ethereal whites with flecks of gold then sudden strikes of bright blues and oranges. Those colours are carefully washed over the miniature building sculptures created with clay and glass that represent the solace he finds in his current world and the hope he holds for his home country. "Through creating sculptures, my artistic soul is reflected, and the doors of memory are opened, summoning scenes from the past that touch people's hearts," says Ghazwan. "My art extends beyond the conventional notion of beauty and magnificence in portraying things. It also mirrors their profound pain resulting from events that […]]]> 656079 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230728-1-year-old-girl-dies-due-to-extreme-heat-at-syria-idlib-displacement-camp-un/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 18:48:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656137 A one-year-old girl died at a displacement camp in the north-western Syrian city of Idlib after her health deteriorated due to extreme heat, a UN spokesperson said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports. The infant and her family lived in a three-year-old tent in a camp, where the temperatures are reaching up to 30-46 degrees Celsius (86-114.8 degrees Fahrenheit), Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "Our partners reported that at least 165 tents in the camp lack proper thermal insulators to protect people from extreme weather conditions," Dujarric said. "Living condition remains harsh. About 800,000 people are still living in tents today, often in overcrowded conditions," he added. About 1.9 million displaced people live in some 1,430 camps or self-settled sites in north-western Syria, […]]]> 656137 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230728-envoy-uk-does-not-intend-to-restore-ties-with-syrias-assad/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 11:16:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656012 The British Special Representative for Syria, Ann Snow, said the British government does not intend to restore ties with the regime of President Bashar Al- Assad. However, Snow said in press statements that "any contact between Arab countries and the government of Bashar Al-Assad must be accompanied by conditions and fundamental changes." "Dialogue with Assad without any tangible change, or without real accountability for the crimes he committed against the Syrians, will not help the Syrian people, the region, or the world," she said. She pointed out that Britain also does not intend to provide any aid for reconstruction, until "Assad takes serious steps to change his behaviour, or seriously engage in the United Nations political process." Snow considered implementing […]]]> 656012 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230727-bomb-blast-kills-several-people-at-shrine-near-syria-capital-state-media/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:33:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655982 A bomb planted in a vehicle exploded outside the Sayeda Zeinab shrine, south of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Thursday, killing several people and wounding others, Syrian state media reported, Reuters reports. A reporter for Syrian state television said a preliminary death toll indicated as many as six people may have died. The station broadcast footage of the charred front of a car. One resident told Reuters he heard a loud blast around 5:30 p.m. (1430 GMT), after which security forces sealed off the area. It was the second attack this week at the shrine. Two people were wounded in a separate blast on Tuesday. It is high season for the shrine as Shia Muslims flock there to mark the mourning […]]]> 655982 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230727-syria-palestinian-refugees-flee-oppression-of-assad-regime/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 09:41:18 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655597 A number of Palestinian refugees have left their families in Al-Nirab refugee camp in the Syrian city of Aleppo heading to Europe for a better life. They told Safa news site that they are going under pressure from the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. One of the refugees said that those who have left are aged between 12 and 35, and their travel has cost each one between $8,000 and $13,000. Poor living conditions, the high cost of living and obligatory military service in the Syrian Army were the main reasons given for fleeing the country. In most cases, the refugees get the money needed for their travel from their relatives and friends abroad as loans or gifts. They head for […]]]> 655597 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230727-uk-foreign-secretary-discusses-palestine-iran-syria-with-qatar/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 09:11:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655585 British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly discussed issues related to Palestine, Iran and Syria on Wednesday with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, who is also his country's Prime Minister, news agencies have reported. Cooperation between the two countries was on the agenda, especially the preparations for the upcoming strategic dialogue. The senior officials also discussed the latest developments in the region, especially in Palestine and Syria; the Iranian nuclear agreement; and the situation in Afghanistan. The importance of international support for the people of Afghanistan was stressed. Both ministers expressed their deep concern about the deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank and the absence of prospects for peace, especially in light of the internal crisis in […]]]> 655585 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230727-foreign-meddling-and-competing-interests-hinder-any-solution-in-libya/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 08:00:06 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655172 If you ask any Libyan citizen about the biggest obstacles hindering political solutions in the country, the most likely answer is: external interferences and the disputes of local de-facto politicians. Since the country fell victim to the so called "Arab Spring" in 2011, it became an open arena for all sorts of external meddling in its internal affairs – usually individual foreign countries' pursuit of their own interests, regardless of what the impact could be on Libya's stability, security and economic prosperity. Worse still, most of such interests are competing with each other at the expense of the country. The internal conflict, since erupting in 2011, has turned into a regional and international conflict in which various countries are competing […]]]> 655172 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230726-russia-aircraft-flew-dangerously-close-to-us-drone-over-syria-white-house/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:22:40 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655285 A Russian aircraft flew "dangerously close" to a US drone over Syria earlier this week in violation of established protocols and international norms, the White House said on Wednesday, Reuters reports. "We have seen the early reports of a second Russian fighter aircraft this week, flying dangerously close to our drone on a defeat ISIS mission," White House spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters in a press briefing. The US military said on Tuesday the Russian fighter jet hit the US drone with a flare and "severely" damaged its propeller over Syria. US officials say that Russian jets have increased the pace of dangerous encounters with US military aircraft in recent months over Syria, where forces from both countries operate. READ: US says Russia plane […]]]> 655285 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230725-jordan-army-shoots-down-drone-carrying-drugs-from-syria/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:11:08 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655109 The Jordanian military shot down a drone carrying narcotics from Syria, in the third such incident in recent weeks. According to the Jordanian Army, it intercepted a drone carrying two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine yesterday, shooting it down on Jordan's side of its border with Syria. The incident came a day after Army and intelligence chiefs from Jordan and Syria met to discuss the combating of the ongoing drug smuggling operations that take place over their common border. Captagon, a lucrative and addictive amphetamine, has flooded the Middle East region and beyond in recent years, appearing in countries throughout the Gulf, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe. After initial speculation that the Daesh terror group was responsible for the drug's […]]]> 655109 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230725-egyptians-suffer-as-heat-wave-continues-across-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 18:18:35 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655052 Egypt has warned the population not to use lifts for 20 minutes, each hour, whilst it implements power cuts so that it can conserve energy as a gruelling heat wave continues to engulf North Africa and the Middle East. The Electricity Ministry has released a diagram to show the start and end times of the power outages every hour, and when to stay away from the lifts so that people do not get trapped inside them. وفقا لبيان وزارة الكهرباء ، دا رسم بيوضح مواعيد بدء انقطاع التيار الكهربائى كل ساعة، وهى التلت ساعة اللى باللون الأحمر، ويفضل البعد عن الاسانسير خلالها. ربنا يسترها على الجميع. pic.twitter.com/4Fidj9uMYA — Khaled Ali (@Khaledali251) July 23, 2023 The government has said that the […]]]> 655052 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230725-us-says-russia-plane-hit-drone-with-flare-over-syria/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:12:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655001 The US military said a Russian fighter jet hit a US drone with a flare and "severely" damaged its propeller over Syria, the latest in a series of closer interactions by Russian military aircraft in the region, Reuters reports. Over the past several months, US officials say, Russian jets have increased the pace of dangerous encounters with US military aircraft over Syria, where forces from both countries operate. "One of the Russian flares struck the US MQ-9, severely damaging its propeller," the US military said in a statement on Tuesday. "Fortunately, the MQ-9 crew was able to maintain flight and safely recover the aircraft to its home base," the statement added. US military officials have said it is unclear what has led […]]]> 655001 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230725-hatred-against-muslims-in-europe-threatens-co-existence/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 13:37:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654992 Hate speech and racism against Muslims in Europe have increased significantly, threatening co-existence in societies, the head of Hamad bin Khalifa Civilisation Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark said, Anadolu Agency reports. "The phenomenon of hatred against European Muslims has become a topic of discussion in most European media and has been acknowledged by some government departments," Abdul Hamid Al-Hamdi told Anadolu. He went on to say: "This was evident when the German Ministry of Interior published a report concluding that the Muslim minority in Germany is the most vulnerable to racial discrimination and hate speech." In late June, the Ministry released a report prepared by the Independent Expert Group on Hostility to Muslims, which stated that a third of Muslims in […]]]> 654992 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230725-uk-judge-rules-that-home-secretary-acted-unlawfully-over-asylum-seekers/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:51:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654945 A judge in the UK has ruled that the home secretary acted unlawfully in not providing basic support to asylum seekers including young children and pregnant women. Mr Justice Swift found that Suella Braverman broke the law by withholding £3 ($3.8) a week for healthy food for children up to three years old and pregnant women after lawyers representing five asylum seekers challenged the home secretary in the high court. Hotel food for the asylum seekers was pasta, rice, chips, mashed potato and dry sandwiches which meant they had no access to healthy food when relying only on the hotel food, reports the Guardian. One of the asylum seekers begged in shops for leftover food for their child. Asylum seekers are […]]]> 654945 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230725-egypts-1952-coup-changed-the-shape-of-the-arab-world/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:09:21 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654919 Egypt has just celebrated the 71st anniversary of the coup of 23 July, 1952; or revolution, call it what you will. It is generally agreed that this changed the shape of the Arab world as well as the shape of the regime in Egypt, for the better or for the worse, depending on where you are sitting. It was the first of the real military coups in the Arab region, if we exclude the coup staged by Hosni Al-Zaim in Syria in 1949, who was overthrown after less than four months with another coup led by Sami Al-Hinnawi, and was executed. This was followed by a third coup in the same year. The first statement by the Egyptian army in […]]]> 654919 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-uk-must-repatriate-more-british-nationals-from-syria-terror-legislation-reviewer-says/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 15:16:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654858 The British government's independent reviewer of counter-terrorism legislation has urged the United Kingdom to repatriate British nationals and even former nationals who are detained in Syria, insisting that the situation is different now than it was six years ago. Speaking at an all-party parliamentary group on trafficked British people in Syria, Jonathan Hall – the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation and advisor to ministers on the issue – said that "I think it's inevitable that many of these people [detained current and former British citizens] will come back. And … if it's going to happen, you must make it happen sooner or later." Throughout the last decade, during the peak of the Syrian conflict and emergence of the Daesh terror […]]]> 654858 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-jordan-syria-army-intelligence-chiefs-discuss-combating-of-drug-smuggling-over-border/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 14:14:20 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654845 Jordanian and Syrian army and intelligence chiefs met yesterday to discuss the ongoing smuggling of drugs over the Syria-Jordan border, in the first of a series of meetings to resolve the issue. In a statement by Jordan's Foreign Ministry, it said that a meeting headed by Jordanian Army chief, Lieutenant-General Yousef Hunaiti and Syrian Defence Minister, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, was held to discuss the trafficking of narcotics over their countries' common border, with the Jordanian and Syrian intelligence heads both present. "The meeting discussed cooperation in confronting the danger of drugs, its sources of production and smuggling and the groups that are organising and supervising the smuggling operations across the border to Jordan", the statement said. It added that "They […]]]> 654845 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-videos-allegedly-show-protests-in-syria-against-collapse-of-the-pound/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 09:42:49 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654716 Videos are circulating online which allegedly show protests in Jaramana, close to the Syrian capital of Damascus, against the collapse of the Syrian pound. NEW — protesters are rampaging across Jaramana in #Damascus, protesting against the collapse of #Syria's Pound & the #Assad regime's failure to respond. This is virtually unprecedented since 2011-12.pic.twitter.com/WHsVtNzah9 — Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) July 23, 2023 This month, the Syrian pound recorded a historic collapse against the US dollar as its exchange rate hit the lowest ever, 12,0000 Syrian pounds to the dollar. At the beginning of this year, the market rate was around 6,500 Syrian pounds to the dollar. Before protests in 2011, Syria's Arab Spring, the Syrian pound traded at 47 to the dollar. Reports online say […]]]> 654716 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230723-un-expert-condemns-sdf-abduction-of-children-in-syria-camps/ Sun, 23 Jul 2023 09:35:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654625 An expert from the United Nations has expressed concern over the rampant abduction and detention of children in north-east Syria by the autonomous Kurdish authorities in the region. In a nine-page report about her six-day visit to north-east Syria this month, UN Special Rapporteur Fionnuala Ni Aolain raised her concerns about the "snatching" of hundreds of boys from camps, detention centres, and prisons in the region, saying that what concerned her and her team the most "was the mass indefinite and arbitrary detention of children, particularly boys in various types of facilities". Amongst the places she visited during her trip – apparently the first visit to the area by a UN human rights expert – was the infamous Al-Hol camp, […]]]> 654625 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230721-civil-war-in-syria-aggravates-suffering-of-cancer-patients/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 16:57:55 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654393 The Syrian Army, supported by Russia, continues to target and attack the health infrastructure in Syria's north-western city of Idlib, Anadolu Agency reports. The attacks have resulted in severe problems for cancer patients, including limited treatment and difficulty accessing necessary medication. The conditions in Idlib have made it nearly impossible for cancer patients to receive adequate treatment as a result of the social and economic consequences of the war, the scarcity of treatment options and challenges in procuring essential drugs. The number of cancer patients in need of treatment in Idlib and surrounding areas under the control of the Syrian National Army amounts to 3,200. According to the Health Director of Idlib, Dr. Zuheyr Karrat, there are ongoing efforts with local […]]]> 654393 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230721-uk-has-special-position-on-normalising-ties-with-syrias-assad-regime/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:36:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654362 Britain has a "special position" on the normalisation of ties with the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad, but respects Arab countries' decision to improve relations with him, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said yesterday. He added that Al-Assad should work with the international community to facilitate cross-border humanitarian aid shipments into Syria. The top UK diplomat stressed that Al-Assad's actions must align with his words if he is serious. In a separate context, Cleverly noted that the United Kingdom and Turkiye will start negotiations on a new and modernised free trade agreement, adding that Ankara is a "strong and important friend." "Turkey has an important economy and we would like to do more business with our Turkish friends," he explained. Cleverly expressed his hope that […]]]> 654362 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230721-turkiye-working-against-end-of-black-sea-grain-deal-and-resulting-fallout-president/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:40:50 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654342 Ending the Black Sea grain deal as announced this week would hit hard in numerous ways, warned Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding that Turkiye is already working to prevent this, Anadolu Agency reports. "The termination of the Black Sea grain initiative will have a range of (harmful) effects, ranging from raising global food prices, in some regions to famine and then new waves of migration. We do not hesitate to take the initiative to prevent this," Erdogan told reporters on Thursday on the presidential plane returning from a three-nation Gulf tour. "I believe that by discussing the issue in detail with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we will ensure the continuation of this humanitarian movement," he added, hinting at Turkiye's […]]]> 654342 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230721-fire-breaks-out-in-syrian-refugee-camp-in-lebanon/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 09:27:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654242 A huge fire broke out in a camp for displaced Syrians in the town of Hanine, in northern Lebanon, destroying a large number of tents. Firefighters rushed to the scene and there were no reports of casualties, RT Arabic reported. The presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has become a contentious issue with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib warning that "the Syrian displacement file has begun to pose a threat not only to the Lebanese social structure and economic stability, but also to the continued existence of Lebanon as an entity." He added that Lebanon is not a country of asylum. Commenting on the EU's new 16-point resolution on Lebanon, which says "the conditions required for a voluntary and dignified return of [Syrian] […]]]> 654242 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230720-wfp-to-reduce-aid-to-syria-refugees-in-jordan-citing-funding-shortfall/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 10:09:59 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654088 The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Tuesday plans to cut monthly cash assistance by one-third for all 119,000 Syrian refugees in Zaatari and Azraq camps in Jordan, "as funds run precariously low". "Starting in August, Syrian refugees in the camps will receive a reduced cash allowance of US$21 (JOD 15) per person per month, down from the previous amount of US$32 (JOD 23)," it said. The UN food agency warned of the repercussions of the reduction, saying Syrian refugees living in both camps have limited income sources with only 30 per cent of adults working, mainly in temporary or seasonal jobs, while 57 per cent of camp residents say cash assistance is their only source of income. […]]]> 654088 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230720-jordan-ex-prime-minister-calls-for-end-to-soft-diplomacy-with-israel/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:27:55 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654076 Former Prime Minister of Jordan Ali Abu Al-Ragheb has called for an end to the Hashemite Kingdom's "soft diplomacy" approach towards Israel in order to suppress what he called the aspirations of the "ruling trinity" of the occupation state — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — even if it leads to war. Abu Al-Ragheb made his comment during a programme organised by the Amman Group for Future Dialogues titled "Developments of Events in the Occupied Territories and their Impact on Jordan". His speech focused on the potential for Israel to continue its ethnic cleansing of occupied Palestine and forcibly displace Palestinians across the border into Jordan. "We have to strengthen […]]]> 654076 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230720-israel-forces-enter-syria-regime-areas-in-quneitra/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 09:06:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654071 Israeli army forces, bulldozers and a Merkava tank have entered areas which are under the control of the Syrian regime in the Quneitra province near the occupied Golan Heights. According to local sources, the Israeli forces cleared and razed trees and rocks in agricultural areas at a depth of 150 metres inside the Syrian territory. The sources added that the Israeli forces are still stationed southwest of the town of Jubatha Al-Khashab, west of Quneitra. The Israeli military vehicles began operating near the Israeli military's Ruwaisat Al-Hamra Observatory. There have been no official comments on the situation from either side. Israeli military vehicles began constructing and paving a road inside Syrian territory in mid-2022, dubbed the Sufa 53 Road, one-kilometre […]]]> 654071 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230719-bumper-potato-harvest-brings-joy-to-farmers-in-northern-syria/ Wed, 19 Jul 2023 13:50:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653789 Syrian local farmers are overjoyed with a bumper potato harvest, thanks to favourable climate and soil conditions in the Euphrates Shield Operation Zone, Turkiye's terror-free zone in northern Syria, Anadolu Agency reports. As the sun rises, farmers from the Marea district in the northern countryside of Aleppo province waste no time and swiftly head to their fields, where they extract the precious potatoes from the ground using tractors. Since 2016, Turkiye has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and to enable the peaceful settlement of inhabitants: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019). READ: Syria struggles to contain wildfires as temperatures rise]]> 653789 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230719-israel-launches-missiles-from-golan-towards-damascus/ Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:46:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653545 The Syrian regime's media outlets reported that Israeli raids targeted the vicinity of Damascus in the early hours of yesterday morning using missiles which had been fired from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights. The official news agency, SANA, reported that the Israeli warplanes carried out raids around Damascus, and were confronted by Syria's air defences. Two people are said to have been injured. The agency broadcast footage of air defence missiles being fired at targets it said were hostile over Damascus. SANA quoted a military source saying: "At about 00:25 a.m. on Wednesday, the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack with missiles from the direction of the north of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity […]]]> 653545 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230719-police-in-turkiye-rip-down-signs-with-arabic-script-on-them/ Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:09:25 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653438 A video is circulating online of police in Adana, a city in southern Turkiye, ripping down signs with the Arabic script on them. In 2017, the municipality of Hatay, also in southern Turkiye, shared photographs of police removing Arabic signs from the front of shops stating that they were creating "visual pollution". Around 3.7 million Syrian refugees live in Turkiye and have grown increasingly afraid for their future amid increased racism and anti-refugee sentiment. Many live in the south of the country, close to the Syrian border. They have been blamed for Turkiye's economic crisis, inflation and the deprecation of the lira and politicians have called for them to return to their home country. This worsened after twin earthquakes struck Turkiye and […]]]> 653438 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230719-us-reinforces-defences-in-syria-after-russia-jet-flies-dangerously/ Wed, 19 Jul 2023 08:03:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653393 The United States is taking defensive measures to confront the challenges resulting from the unsafe behaviour of Russian aircraft in Syria, the State Department said yesterday. "We have noticed problems related to the unprofessional and unsafe behaviour of Russian aviation in Syria," a press statement explained. It called on Russia to return to non-conflict protocols in order to avoid any unintended error that might be caused by the Russian fighter jet's behaviour which it described as both "unprofessional and irresponsible". The United States has already threatened to take military action against Russian forces in Syria, after the increased air friction between the two sides. READ: Syria struggles to contain wildfires as temperatures rise Al Jazeera quoted an unnamed senior Pentagon official as […]]]> 653393 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230718-syria-struggles-to-contain-wildfires-as-temperatures-rise/ Tue, 18 Jul 2023 15:46:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653357 Fire-fighters were battling on Tuesday to extinguish multiple wildfires raging across the central Syrian countryside, local civil defence officials said, as temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country, Reuters reports. One fire broke out on public farmland in the central province of Hama, where fire-fighting teams were working to stop it spreading to surrounding areas, the head of the local forest protection centre, Amjad Hammad, told state news agency, SANA. Another was raging across agricultural zones in the adjacent province of Homs, the head of Civil Defence there told SANA, saying civil defence teams were struggling to contain it due to "the mountainous and rugged terrain". Local outlet, Sham FM, reported that families from the village of […]]]> 653357 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230718-residents-detain-regime-officers-in-syrias-as-suwayda/ Tue, 18 Jul 2023 13:06:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653307 A group of Syrian residents have blocked the Damascus-Suwayda road and detained officers and members of the Syrian army and security services, after the arrest of two young men from their village in the northern countryside of As-Suwayda. The Suwayda24 site said the road was closed for more than two hours, during which the group detained about 15 officers including two generals, a colonel, a lieutenant colonel and a captain, in addition to two assistants in military intelligence and members of various agencies. The road was reopened after the group received promises that those arrested would be released. Local residents confirmed that they will not back down from their demands to release the two young men without delay, and if they are […]]]> 653307 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230717-syria-regime-bombed-idp-camps-despite-evidence-of-civilian-presence-report/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 13:02:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652898 The Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad has intentionally targeted makeshift camps inhabited by internally displaced persons (IDPs) in north-west Syria, according to a new report. In the report, published by the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), it stated its findings that the regime and its allies conducted a significant number of deadly attacks on the IDP camps, with overwhelming evidence that they were aware of the sites being civilian and housing the displaced persons. According to the report, there was sufficient intelligence gathered by regime forces prior to the dropping of barrel and cluster bombs that would have made the presence of IDPs in the camps clear. Citing the use of an archive of 2 million videos, SJAC said […]]]> 652898 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230716-iraqi-pm-visits-syria-in-first-trip-since-syrian-war/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 12:32:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652538 Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani began an official visit to Syria on Sunday, the first by an Iraqi premier since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, in a trip aimed at securing their shared border and bolstering economic ties, reports Reuters. Iraq and Syria, which have close economic, military and political ties to regional heavyweight Iran, maintained relations throughout Syria's civil war even as other Arab states withdrew their ambassadors and closed their embassies in Syria. Baghdad and Damascus, along with Shi'ite armed groups backed by Iran, cooperated in the fight against militant group Islamic State, which spread from Iraq into Syria and at one point controlled more than a third of both countries. Farhad Alaaldin, foreign affairs […]]]> 652538