Joint statement on Gaza from AFP, AP, BBC News and Reuters

Armed tribes supported by Syria's Islamist-led government clashed with Druze fighters outside Sweida Friday a day after government troops withdrew from the Druze-majority city, the warring parties said.

Follow @afp.com coverage
www.yahoo.com/news/syria-t...

Israeli airstrike kills nine of Gaza doctor’s 10 children Dr Alaa al-Najjar was on duty at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis when she received her children’s bodies

No words!

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Iraq Seeks Deal To Swap Kidnapped Academic For Jailed Iranian Baghdad is working on a deal to free kidnapped Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov in exchange for an Iranian jailed in Iraq for murdering a US civilian, security sources said Saturday.

"The Americans have not yet agreed to one of the conditions, which is the release of the Iranian," who was sentenced to life in prison in Iraq for murdering American civilian Stephen Troell in 2022, one official said.

Full story:
www.barrons.com/news/iraq-se...

#BREAKING
Baghdad is working on a deal to free kidnapped academic Elizabeth Tsurkov in exchange for an Iranian jailed in Iraq for killing a US civilian, three security sources told
@afpnews.bsky.social Saturday.

The millennia-old history of the marshes -- the reputed home of the biblical Garden of Eden -- "would end" with a new oilfield

'Leave our marshes alone': Iraqis fear oil drilling would destroy fabled wetlands

My latest for @afpnews.bsky.social
www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

A whirling dervish stands in front of Turkish riot police using pepper spray to disperse protesters during a rally in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor in Istanbul Municipality, on March 23, 2025

#UPDATE A Turkish court on Tuesday remanded seven journalists in custody, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, who had been detained after covering the Istanbul protests that erupted after the arrest of the city's mayor ➡️ u.afp.com/SwHZ

#BREAKING AFP urges 'rapid release' of its photographer Yasin Akgul detained in Turkey, who is 'a journalist' and 'not part of protest': chairman

'Roads full of corpses': terrified Alawites in Syria flee attacks For two days, Rihab Kamel and her family hid terrified in their bathroom in the city of Baniyas as armed men stormed the neighbourhood, pursuing members of Syria's Alawite minority.

'Roads full of corpses': terrified Alawites in Syria flee attacks
@afpnews.bsky.social

www.france24.com/en/live-news...

The end of the energy waiver could hit Iraq hard, and the end of U.S. humanitarian aid is an absolute body blow to Syria.

It appears Trump is about to pull troops out of both countries, but not before nuking their economies as a parting gift.

The Major Security Challenges Facing Syria's New Rulers Syria's transitional authorities face a daunting task maintaining security in the ethnically and religiously diverse country, with challenges erupting across its territory to security forces still dom...

@aronlund.bsky.social said the violence was "a bad omen". READ @afpnews.bsky.social 👇

www.barrons.com/news/the-maj...

The SOHR reported that "311 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal region... by security forces and allied groups" since the clashes began on Thursday, bringing the overall death toll to 524 people, including 93 security personnel and 120 Assad loyalists.

311 Alawite civilians killed by Syrian security forces, allies since Thursday, according to the SOHR.

The new authorities should deal firmly with these attacks and summary executions to avoid a vicious circle that would drag Syria into a new sectarian war.

Transitional justice is key.

Syria's new authorities have launched a sweeping security operation after clashes with fighters loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad, the biggest challenge to their rule so far, left at least 71 people dead.
u.afp.com/S3He

In light of Syria's latest news,

Lars Hauch warned "while the top-level leadership fled the country, the committed core... retreated" to the coast.

With caches of weapons and the 4th division's billions of dollars, "you have what you need for a sustained insurgency."
👇

15 قتيلا من الأمن السوري في اللاذقية واعتقال ضابط كبير بنظام الأسد أفاد مصدر أمني سوري للجزيرة بارتفاع عدد قتلى الأمن العام إلى 15 في كمائن مسلحة لفلول النظام في ريف اللاذقية شمال غرب سوريا.

Bad flare up on the Syrian coast. Killings, protests, curfews.

• al-Jazeera: www.aljazeera.net/news/2025/3/...

• al-Mayadeen. www.almayadeen.net/news/politic...

Iraq Says Working To Find Kidnapped Israeli-Russian Academic Iraq's national security adviser said Wednesday that authorities were actively searching for Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Israeli-Russian academic kidnapped nearly two years ago in Baghdad.

Iraq's National Security Adviser told @afpnews.bsky.social that "Iraqi authorities are working" to find Elizabeth Tsurkov.

"The security services are mobilised," he said, adding there had been no claims of responsibility for her abduction or demands for her release.
www.barrons.com/news/iraq-sa...

US Aid Cuts Hinder Iraqi Repatriations From IS-linked Syria Camp: Official The United States' decision to cut humanitarian aid hinders Iraq's efforts to repatriate its nationals from an IS-linked detention camp in Syria by the end of 2025, National Security Adviser Qassem al...

Trump's decision to cut aid hinders Iraq's efforts to repatriate its nationals from Al-Hol camp by the end of 2025, National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji told @afpnews.bsky.social

He also called on Turkey and the PKK to withdraw from Iraq

www.barrons.com/news/us-aid-...

😭

After over two months of work, I hope my latest
@afpnews.bsky.social piece provides a comprehensive insight into the economic empire of Maher al-Assad's notorious Fourth Division.

u.afp.com/S3qV

Israeli strikes killed 5 people in the village of Harris and another 4 in Taloussa, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, days after the ceasefire went into effect.

Reports of women and children among those killed.

Reports of 9 killed, including women and children in an Israeli strike on the village of Harris in south Lebanon, days after the ceasefire went into effect.

Displaced people thought they can go back to their homes and villages, to build and start over. But apparently not.

Biden says ceasefire begins 4 am local time

After another hellish day in Lebanon, after weeks of strikes and destruction, Israel has approved a 60-day ceasefire deal.

Coming up on Wednesday - I look forward to a conversation with my colleague and friend from the Yale World Fellows program Roba El Husseini, in discussion with Dina Francesca Haynes of the @YaleLawSch Schell Centre for International Human Rights.

law.yale.edu/yls-today/ya...