Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the violent crackdown on pro-Palestine student demonstrations in Western universities, particularly in the United States, exposes the Western system’s “state of panic.”
During a meeting of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party in Damascus on Saturday, Assad highlighted that the “image of a wonderful and amazing West” has now started to “deteriorate” among Western citizens.
“Today, [Western citizens] have discovered that the principles upon which this system was based […] are lying, hypocrisy, and deception,” he added.
“Therefore, we see the brutal repression that we have not seen before in the universities. […] The truth is that this unprecedented brutal repression that we see expresses a state of panic for the Western system in general.”
‘I will kill myself on arrival’: Syrian asylum seeker fears Rwanda will not be safe
A Syrian asylum seeker who is locked up in a detention centre awaiting deportation to Rwanda says he will kill himself on arrival because he doesn’t believe it will be a safe country for him.
Khaled, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, spoke exclusively to the Guardian from his cell in Colnbrook immigration removal centre. Hearrived here in June 2022, and has a history of suffering torture and imprisonment. He said that he and the other asylum seekers “of many nationalities” he is detained with are not coping with being locked up because of the imprisonment and persecution many have previously experienced.
“Everyone is so stressed in here because of Rwanda. We can’t eat and we can’t sleep. I was displaced in Syria for nine years and was imprisoned there and I was also detained and tortured in Libya. Being in detention is very triggering for me. What matters to asylum seekers is to be safe. I will not be safe in Rwanda. If they manage to send me there I will kill myself on arrival in that country.”
He said when he found out about Rwanda in February 2023 he became “very scared”.
“I went to report last week in Birmingham. They arrested me and put me in handcuffs in a police cell. The same thing happened to two other people who were reporting – Iraqi Kurds. After we were taken out of the cell we were handcuffed again and taken in a van to the detention centre. I have been trying to see a doctor in the detention centre because of an infection in my leg I need antibiotics for but so far I haven’t managed to get an appointment.”
Syrian passport authority eliminates recruitment division’s approval as requirement for passport issuance
The Immigration and Passport Department issued a circular on Friday, May 3, introducing a series of new decisions, the most prominent of which is the elimination of recruitment division’s approval as a condition for obtaining a passport, Enab Baladi reports.
The circular issued by the Director of the Immigration and Passports Department, which was published by Al-Madina FM radio and local pages, stated, “For the smooth conduct of work, it is requested from the heads of branches and sections of the Immigration and Passports to cancel the recruitment division’s approval for obtaining a passport, and only a travel permit is required when leaving the country.”
Additionally, the circular included the provision of a passport with a six-year validity for those who have not reached the age of 14 and a full-term passport for those who have obtained an external settlement.
Previously, Syrian youth complained about the requirement by the Immigration and Passports Department to obtain recruitment division’s approval before filing a passport application, which prevented many who are required for mandatory or reserve military service from obtaining a passport.
US acknowledges Syria air strike killed farmer rather than al-Qaeda leader
The United States Department of Defense has acknowledged that a drone strike in Syria, initially said to have successfully targeted an al-Qaeda leader, actually killed a farmer.
The Pentagon stated on Thursday that the drone strike on May 3, 2023, killed a 56-year-old shepherd named Lutfi Hasan Masto, whom they initially misidentified as a senior member of al-Qaeda.
US Central Command, which oversees military activities in the Middle East, wrote that it “acknowledges and regrets the civilian harm that resulted from the airstrike”.
The killing of Masto is the latest incident to raise questions about the impact of US drone warfare on civilians, who often pay the price for botched strikes.
The Pentagon said that few details of the Masto investigation would be released, citing the classification of sensitive information, but that the strike complied with the laws of armed conflict.
A suspected Islamic State group attack on pro-government force in east Syria kills at least 13
Suspected members of the Islamic State group attacked three posts for Syrian government forces and pro-government gunmen early Friday killing at least 13, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media reported, AP has reported.
The attack wounded others who were taken to hospitals in the central province of Homs, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. It said 15 were killed in the attacks on three posts near the central town of Sukhna and blamed IS.
Athr Press and Sham FM, both pro-government media outlets, said 13 soldiers and pro-government gunmen were killed in the attacks and that IS gunmen were behind it. They gave no further details.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but the area was once a stronghold of the extremist group that was officially defeated in Syria in March 2019.
$1.07bn EU ‘bribe’ over Syrian refugees stirs anger in Lebanon
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared a crackdown on illegal residents, particularly Syrian refugees, promising deportations as part of a firm stance, Arab News has reported.
This comes as the EU announced a €1 billion aid package mainly aimed at bolstering border control to stem refugee flows. Mikati’s remarks drew mixed reactions, with some seeing the aid as a “bribe” and warning against compromising Lebanon’s sovereignty. Concerns over security and social tensions were underscored, with Syrian inmates now constituting a significant portion of the prison population.
Mikati also highlighted divisions within the EU regarding safe zones in Syria. Critics voiced skepticism, urging the government to prioritize Lebanon’s interests. The aid package was denounced as undermining
Lebanon’s dignity and sovereignty, with calls for alternative solutions such as establishing refugee camps on the border.
Iranian private sector ready to help Syria’s reconstruction
The Head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Samad Hassanzadeh has said that the Iranian private sector is ready to help the reconstruction of the Syrian infrastructure and industrial sector.
Hassanzadeh made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday with his Syrian counterpart Muhammad Abu Al-Hoda Al-Lahham, the ICCIMA portal reported.
The meeting took place as a Syrian delegation was on a visit to the Iranian capital to participate in Iran Expo 2024.
Addressing the meeting, the Iranian side said that the low level of exchange between Iran and Syria is mainly due to the failure to implement a free trade agreement signed between the two countries 13 years ago, as well as, problems in the way of banking transactions.
Hassanzadeh said that Syria should give a list of its priorities and plans to Iran so that the Iranian investors can help with the reconstruction and renovation of the industries of the war-hit country.
He stressed that the expansion of economic cooperation between Iran and Syria would require the establishment of regular transportation lines and further money exchanges between the two countries.
The president of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, in the meantime, said that the volume of trade exchanges between Iran and Syria does not match their political relations.
Al-Lahham noted that problems in the way of road transportation, trade tariffs, as well as monetary and financial exchanges are the main obstacles hindering bilateral trade between Iran and Syria.
He welcomed the presence of Iranian companies in construction projects in Syria, voicing the readiness of his country to provide the Iran Chamber of Commerce with a list of the Syrian priorities for development and reconstruction.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
