In a series of significant developments surrounding Syria, President Bashar al-Assad acknowledged the lack of progress in efforts to restore ties with Turkey, despite serious mediation by Russia, Iran, and Iraq. This statement comes amidst broader geopolitical tensions, including ongoing Israeli strikes in Syria, which recently injured seven civilians, and humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of displaced children in northern Syria’s camps. Meanwhile, a Syrian man has been implicated in a deadly stabbing rampage in Germany, highlighting the ongoing challenges and complexities faced by Syrian nationals both at home and abroad.
Syrian president says efforts to restore ties with Turkey have yielded no results
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday that efforts to mend ties with Turkey had so far brought no tangible results, Reuters reported.
“The initiatives did not yield any results worth mentioning despite the seriousness and genuine keenness of mediators,” Assad said in a speech to the Syrian parliament, referring to conciliation efforts by Russia, Iran and Iraq.
Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels seeking to oust Assad. Assad views the rebels as terrorists.
“The solution is openness,” Assad said. “Restoring a relationship requires first removing the causes that led to its destruction.”
The Syrian president made clear that while he wants Turkish troops to withdraw from Syria, that was not a precondition for talks.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in July he would extend an invitation to Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations.
A Turkish newspaper earlier reported Erdogan and Assad could meet in August, but a Turkish diplomat denied the report.
Russia has been trying to facilitate a meeting between the two leaders in an effort to restore ties. Iraq also said in July that it may seek to try to bring the two leaders together.
Syria says seven civilians wounded in Israeli strikes
Seven civilians were wounded in Israeli strikes on Syria’s central region on Friday, the Syrian defence ministry said, cited by Reuters.
For years, Israel has been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.
Reported Israeli strikes on Syria have intensified sharply since the start of the war in Gaza last October.
In a statement, the Syrian defense ministry said its air defences had shot down some of the Israeli rockets.
“The aggression resulted in seven civilians being injured and caused material damage,” the statement read.
There was no immediate word on the incidents from Israel, which typically does not comment on specific reports of strikes in Syria.
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Mobile pools offer relief from heat to children in north Syria camps
In a run-down north Syria camp, children displaced by the country’s 13-year war played and splashed in volunteer-run mobile swimming pools that provided much-needed relief from the sweltering summer heat, according to Arab News.
Volunteers from the Smile Younited charity barely had any time to finish setting up the three pools in a busy square surrounded by tents before children of all ages jumped in, dancing along to songs blasted on loudspeakers.
The pools at Kafr Naseh camp, in the Aleppo countryside, provided rare entertainment to young boys and girls whose lives have been scarred by war and poverty.
Mohammad Ezzedine, 38, said he was thrilled to see his five children so happy.
“I hope they will come back every week… because it’s hot and the kids need to distract themselves and have fun” because “they live under pressure inside a confined camp,” he said.
The children “had never been to a pool before. The most we could do was put them in a plastic tub and fill it with water” when it is available to cool down in the summer, Ezzedine added.
More than five million people, most of them displaced, live in areas outside government control in Syria’s north and northwest, the UN says, and many rely on aid to survive.
As the conflict drags on, a lack of international funding has severely undercut the provision of basic services including water, waste disposal and sanitation in displacement camps outside government control in Syria’s north and northwest.
Suspect in German stabbing rampage is Syrian man, who confessed, authorities say
A suspect in German police custody following a stabbing rampage in the city of Solingen that killed three people and injured eight is a 26-year-old Syrian man, authorities said on Sunday as they looked into his possible links with Islamic State.
The incident, Reuters reported, along with the militant group’s claim of responsibility, sparked concern among some politicians who urged enhanced security, tighter curbs on weapons, stiffer punishment for violent crimes, and limits to immigration.
The attack occurred during a festival on Friday evening in the Fronhof, a market square, where live bands were playing to celebrate Solingen’s 650-year history. Mourners have made a makeshift memorial near the scene.
The suspect turned himself in late on Saturday and admitted to the crime, Duesseldorf police and prosecutors said in a joint statement early on Sunday.
“The involvement of this person is currently under intensive investigation,” they said.
Friedrich Merz, a prominent politician who leads the opposition, centre-right CDU party, urged that the country stopped admitting further refugees from Syria and Afghanistan.
“It’s enough!” he said in a letter on his website.
Der Spiegel magazine, citing unidentified security sources, said the suspected had moved to Germany late in 2022 and sought asylum.
