For today, links to seven reports: from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, the Cradle, and the Anadolu Agency, and to commentary from the Cradle and Middle East Eye; other articles or just headlines of others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. SYRIA 2-29-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA and UKRAINE entries are HERE and HERE, or scroll down.)— MCM
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Syria says 16 security personnel killed in clashes near Damascus. From AFP. Syria’s interior ministry said today that 16 security personnel had been killed in clashes that erupted overnight near Damascus, a day after deadly sectarian violence elsewhere near the capital. The ministry said “outlaw groups” attacked . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israel says it carried out warning strike in defence of Druze in Syria. From Reuters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today, in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz, that the Israeli army carried out a warning strike against “extremists” who were preparing to attack the Druze community in the Syrian town of Sahnaya. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Cradle and Anadolu Agency.
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FROM APRIL 29 Syrian govt forces move to take control of strategic Tishreen Dam. From the Cradle. Syrian army forces deployed near the Tishreen Dam in eastern Aleppo province on Tuesday, signaling a potential transfer of control from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to the Syrian government. READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 29 Iraqi MP files lawsuit against Syrian president over ‘terrorist’ past. From the Cradle. Iraqi Member of Parliament Alaa al-Haidari has filed a lawsuit with the Iraqi Public Prosecution against the new Syrian President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, Shafaq News reported on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .
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Minutes to leave: Syria’s Alawites evicted from private homes at gunpoint, by Amina Ismail | Reuters Syria’s minority Alawites are an offshoot of the Shi’ite faith and the sect of former strongman Bashar al-Assad. Since Syria’s current president, Ahmed al-Sharaa seized power in December . . . READ MORE . . .
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Hell freezeth over as Sharaa gets invited to Baghdad, by Rasool Majeed | The Cradle Syrian interim President Ahmad Sharaa’s return to Iraq — once unimaginable following his departure in 2011 — now seems possible with Iraq set to host the Arab summit on May 17. But whether Sharaa will attend . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 29 Israel wants nothing less than the end of Syria. It will fail, by Soumaya Ghannoushi | Middle East Eye On Tuesday, a chilling declaration echoed from Tel Aviv. Speaking to a gathering of supporters, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich proclaimed: “The fighting will not end until hundreds of thousands of Gazans leave . . . and Syria is partitioned.” READ MORE . . .
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