Shamima Begum ‘smuggled into Syria by Western spy’ Shamima Begum was smuggled into Syria by a human trafficker also working as a spy for Canada, according to explosive new claims in a book. Evening Standard · Aug 31, 2022
Shamima Begum ‘smuggled to Syria by Canadian spy’ Ms Begum fled her east London home for Syria as a 15-year-old schoolgirl with her two friends in 2015. The Independent UK · Aug 31, 2022
Shamima Begum: Spy smuggled schoolgirl to Syria where she joined Isis, new book claims Book claims Canada hired human trafficker to gain insight into recruitment of its own citizens by Isis The Independent UK · Aug 31, 2022
Shamima Begum 'smuggled into Syria by Canada spy', new book claims Shamima Begum and two of her schoolgirl friends were trafficked into Syria by an ISIS agent who was working for Canada at the time, it has been alleged in a new book Daily Mirror · Aug 31, 2022
A winner is emerging from the war in Ukraine, but it's not who you think The war in Ukraine is helping one country achieve its foreign policy and national security objectives, but it’s neither Russia nor Ukraine. The Conversation · Aug 30, 2022
New Book Narrates Successes, Disappointments of the ‘Battle for Change’ in Damascus Discussing Sami Moubayed’s book “Tramway: The Road to Modernity Passed through Damascus,” which is scheduled for release by Riad El-Rayyes Books in Beirut in early September, Amin Maalouf said that the new book “awakens nostalgia and some hope.” The release represents the sixth collaboration between Moubayed and El-Rayyes Books. Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 30, 2022
Russia Ships S-300 Air Defense Missiles Out of Syria Russia has shipped a battery of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Syria to a Russian port near Crimea, according to a satellite imaging company, in an apparent attempt to bolster its air defenses in the war with Ukraine. ImageSat International (ISI) captured pictures showing the presence of the S-300 anti-aircraft battery… Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 30, 2022
Pedersen Acknowledges Stagnation in Political Process in Syria, Fears Another 'Collapse' The United Nations Special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, regretted that during two years of frozen front lines, the international community had not seized upon the window provided by that relative calm to build a credible political process. “We need to be honest about the mismatch between the scale of… Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 30, 2022
Russia to launch major military drills with China and others Vostok 2022 military manoeuvres to be held September 1-7 with forces from China, Syria, India, Nicaragua and elsewhere. Al Jazeera · Aug 29, 2022
Russia ships S-300 air defence missiles out of Syria - satellite images Russia has shipped a battery of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles from Syria to a Russian port near Crimea, according to an Israeli satellite imaging company, in an apparent attempt to bolster its air defences in the war with Ukraine. Reuters · Aug 29, 2022
Syrian Industrialist Calls For Recovering Funds Frozen in Lebanese Banks An established Syrian industrialist called Sunday on the government in Damascus to act for recovering the Syrian funds stuck in Lebanese banks. Fares Shebahi, the chairman of Syria's Federation of Chambers of Industry and head of Aleppo's Chamber of Industrialists, said that “it is no longer a secret to anyone… Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 29, 2022
Report: Syria Asked Iran Not to Attack Israel from its Territories Syrian officials have asked Iran and its proxies not to carry out attacks against Israel from its territory, The New York Times reported on Friday citing a source in Damascus. It said this request led the Iran-led axis to retaliate against Israeli strikes by hitting US bases instead. The source… Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 29, 2022
Will Arab Disputes Postpone Algeria Summit? Disputes between Arab countries and differences over the reinstatement of Syria are threatening to postpone the upcoming Arab League summit, scheduled for Algeria in November. Algeria has been preparing to host the 31st summit since 2019. It will be the first in-person summit for Arab leaders since the coronavirus pandemic. Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 29, 2022
Iranian Sites Cordoned off in Syria’s Hama after Israeli Raids Iranian militias and Syrian regime security forces have cordoned off military sites used by the militias in western Hama and central Syria after they were targeted by Israeli raids on Thursday. The sites are the military camps of Sheikh Ghadban, al-Rasafa and Scientific Studies and Research Center near the Masyaf… Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 29, 2022
The Guardian - AU · Aug 29, 2022 Flicking the kill switch: governments embrace internet shutdowns as a form of control From Sudan to Syria, Jordan to Jaipur, the trend towards digital authoritarianism is deepening
Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 28, 2022 War Monitor: Israeli Strike Targeted Missile Depot in Syria Satellite imagery showed widespread destruction at a giant military facility in western Syria targeted in a recent Israeli airstrike, and the head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said Sunday the strike targeted a depot housing hundreds of middle-range missiles for Iran-backed fighters. Syrian state media reported after the Thursday…
Al Jazeera · Aug 28, 2022 Major destruction after Israel targets missile facility in Syria Syria’s state media reported missiles were fired from over the Mediterranean to town of Masyaf but most were shot down.
Radio France Internationale · Aug 28, 2022 Turkey lays the ground for a smoothing of relations with Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strong opponent of the Syrian regime, says his country could be ready for dialogue with Damascus. It's a prospect that's causing alarm in the ranks of the Syrian opposition that relies heavily on Turkish support.
Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 28, 2022 Syrian Kurdish Forces Move to Halt ‘Brutal Torture’ at al-Hol Camp US-backed Syrian Kurdish security forces have launched a new operation targeting ISIS sleeper cells in a large northeastern detention camp where violence has reached record levels. At least 44 people including 14 women have been killed this year in the al-Hol camp, which holds internal refugees and families of suspected…
Reuters · Aug 28, 2022 U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces move to halt 'brutal torture' at IS camp U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish security forces have launched a new operation targeting Islamic State sleeper cells in a large northeastern detention camp where violence has reached record levels.
Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 28, 2022 Jordan Army Thwarts Drugs Smuggling Operation from Syria The Jordanian army announced on Saturday that its forces busted an operation to smuggle drugs across the border from Syria. They seized over 600,000 Captagon pills and 578 palm-sized sheets of hashish. A source at the command headquarters said that troops applied the rules of engagement, which led to the…
Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 28, 2022 Majority of Presidential Terms in Lebanon End in Conflicts, Wars or Vacuum Lebanon only twice witnessed a smooth transition of power from one president to a successor in its 79 years of independence. Out of 12 presidents who had come to power since 1943, only twice was the transition a smooth process, underlining the extent of the complexities that have plagued the…
Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 27, 2022 Fighting Between US, Iran-Backed Militias Escalates in Syria Militias backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards force attacked a US military base in southern Syria with drones recently and on the same day, a different base used by the US-led coalition near Syria’s eastern border with Iraq came under rocket fire, The New York Times reported. US officials saw the…
Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 27, 2022 Gantz Demands US Retains ‘Military Option’ to Deter Iran Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that the United States needs to maintain a viable "military option" against Iranian nuclear facilities, even if a new agreement is reached with Tehran. Gantz met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday. During the meeting, he indicated he had reached a…
Asharq Al-Awsat · Aug 27, 2022 Mamlouk-Fidan Talks: Mutual Demands, Russian Solutions The security talks led by the Director of the Syrian National Security Office, Major General Ali Mamlouk, and the Director of Turkish Intelligence, Hakan Fidan, in Moscow highlighted a continuous gap between the two parties on the one hand, and the increasing Russian desire to find a solution to it.…