For today, link to five reports: from the Cradle, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down. SYRIA 2-24-25 entry is HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

–   –   –

Sharaa calls for ‘state monopoly’ on weapons during Syrian dialogue conference. From the Cradle. Syria’s transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa called for the Syrian state’s “monopoly” on all weapons during a national dialogue conference today.  READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM FEB. 24  Iraqi intel chief raises alarm about ISIS resurgence in Syria. From the Cradle. The head of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service, Hamid al-Shatri, stated on Monday that Baghdad sent direct messages to Damascus about security threats posed to Iraq by ISIS cells in the Syrian desert regions. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM FEB. 24  Syrians protest over Netanyahu’s call for a demilitarised south, by Nader Durgham | Middle East Eye  Syrians have taken to the streets in southern Syria to protest over Israel’s expansion into the country and its prime minister’s statements that Syria’s armed forces cannot move south of the capital. READ MORE . . .

–   –   –

FROM FEB. 24  Western sanctions are holding Syria back from rebuilding, locals say. Reported by Emily Feng and Jawad Rizkallah | NPR  Western countries have imposed layers of crippling sanctions on Syria for decades. Syrians say the sanctions are impeding any hope of rebuilding a country shattered by civil war. Click HERE to listen and read.

–   –   –

FROM FEB. 24  Syrians express hope and skepticism as national dialogue conference kicks off, by Ghaith Alsayed and Omar Albam | AP  DAMASCUS — A long-awaited national dialogue conference intended to help chart Syria’s political future after the fall of former President Bashar Assad kicked off Monday in Damascus. READ MORE . . .

.