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What Happened Over the Weekend in Syria

Opposition in Turkey for AKP event, second batch of refugees return from Lebanon, and Pakistan offers scholarships to Syrian students. Catch up on everything that happened over the weekend.
What Happened Over the Weekend in Syria

President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Salem al-Meslet, participated in the Politics in the 21st Century and New Initiatives Forum, which was held by the Justice and Development Party in Türkiye. In addition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and senior Turkish officials, the forum brought together many intellectuals and politicians from Arab and foreign countries. Meslet, SOC’s media department reported, met with President Erdogan, Vice President of the Justice and Development Party Dr. Numan Kurtulmuş, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, and many ministers, officials, intellectuals and politicians.

Recap: Turkey Reorganizing National Army Factions

Scores of Syrian refugees headed home Saturday from eastern Lebanon in the second convoy in less than two weeks as Beirut attempts to organize a mass refugee return to the war-torn country. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the “voluntary return” Saturday included 330 Syrians who left from the eastern Bekaa Valley to Syria’s western Qalamoun region. Qalamoun borders Lebanon and years ago witnessed some of the worst fighting of Syria’s 11-year conflict. After living in Lebanon for years, many Syrian refugees have decided to return home after being affected by the country’s historic three-year economic meltdown that pushed three-quarters of Lebanese into poverty. Since the economic crisis began in late 2019, some Lebanese politicians have blamed the refugees for the crisis. But the returnees represent just a tiny fraction of the massive population of refugees who remain in Lebanon as the United Nations maintains that Syria is not safe for mass returns.

Israeli national security expert and former MK Tzachi Hanegbi told Israel’s Channel 12 news that he believes that Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu will be ready to strike Iran’s nuclear sites if the world fails to stop Tehran’s perceived pursuit of a nuclear bomb. Netanyahu, whose Likud political party recently secured the largest number of seats in Israel’s parliamentary elections, has warned the nations for more than 20 years about the nuclear threat posed by Iran.  It’s been “a fire that’s been burning inside him,” Hanegbi told Channel 12. If Iran’s nuclear development is not stopped, “Israel will, for the first time, be facing a regime with nuclear weapons,” Hanegbi warned and said that Netanyahu “will not be reconciled with a nuclear Iran.” “In my assessment, he’ll have no choice: This is the story of 1981 –[Menachem] Begin, 2007 – [Ehud] Olmert, 2022 …” Hanegbi said.

Pakistan Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain has offered 80 fully funded scholarships (Undergraduate & Graduate) to Syrian students under various programs and mainly in the fields including medicine, dentistry, engineering, physical, natural & applied sciences, agriculture, education and etc, Pakistani Bol News reported.  He offered these scholarships during his productive bilateral visit to the Arab Republic of Syria on the invitation of Dr. Darem Tabba, Minister of Education, Syria, a press release on Sunday said. Rana Tanveer Hussain’s visit was a follow-up visit of the Syrian Education Minister to Pakistan last year. During his visit, Rana Tanveer Hussain held meetings with Hussein Arnous, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Syria, Mr. Bassam Bashir Ibrahim, Minister of Higher Education, Mr. Namir Habib Makhlouf, Governor Homs and Mr. Mahmoud Zanubua, Governor Hama, Syria.

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