For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names below. (SYRIA 6-29-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  GAZA, LEBANON, MEDIA, IRAN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 30  Trump signs executive order ending most Syria sanctions. From the Cradle. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday lifting a majority of Washington’s sanctions regime against Syria, citing “the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa.” The order also . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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FROM JUNE 30  Syrian forces massacred 1,500 Alawites. The chain of command led to Damascus. An investigation by Reuters. LATAKIA, Syria — Reuters has pieced together how the wave of killings by Sunni fighters in Alawite communities along Syria’s Mediterranean coast from March 7 to 9 unfolded, in response to . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for a second report from Reuters and HERE for one from the Cradle.

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FROM JUNE 30  Israel eyes ties with Syria and Lebanon after Iran war, by Alexander Cornwell | Reuters  JERUSALEM — Israel is interested in establishing formal diplomatic relations with long-standing adversaries Syria and Lebanon, but the status of the Golan Heights is non-negotiable, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 30  Sharaa–Netanyahu meeting in the works for upcoming UN session: report. From the Cradle. A potential meeting between Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being considered for the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York, according to Israeli media reports. READ MORE . . .    

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