Thursday News Round-up from Hizb ut-Tahrir Radio, Syria Province 2025/10/16

Thursday News Round-up from Hizb ut-Tahrir Radio, Syria Province

2025/10/16

Headlines:

Free Idlib teachers announce their rejection of the educational reality and call for a protest.
QSD negotiator confirms: The success of the military and security files will pave the way for agreement on other files.
British envoy confirms: Syrian parliamentary elections are a crucial step towards democratic transition.

Details:

Two young men were killed and five children were injured, Wednesday, in two separate incidents resulting from the explosion of war remnants in the countryside of Aleppo Governorate. The Civil Defense stated that two young men were killed as a result of the explosion of a foreign object, believed to be a landmine, while they were working on renovating a house in the village of Manyaan in the western Aleppo countryside, noting that emergency teams responded to the accident, while Red Crescent teams helped recover the bodies and secure the place. In a separate incident, five children were injured, one of them in critical condition, as a result of the explosion of war remnants in the village of Khalsa in the southern Aleppo countryside. The Civil Defense explained that the residents transported the injured children to the Civil Defense Center in the town of Al-Zirba, where the team provided the necessary first aid before transporting them to the Aleppo University Hospital.

"Free Idlib Teachers" announced in an official statement their categorical rejection of the "neglected educational reality" in which they live, stressing their full adherence to their legitimate rights, foremost among which are fair salaries and due appreciation for their efforts. The statement stressed that "the teacher is the basis for building generations, and it is not permissible to marginalize or ignore him under any pretext," warning of an imminent deterioration of the educational process in the governorate unless their demands are met. In an escalating step, "Free Idlib Teachers" called for a protest in front of the Education Directorate in Idlib, scheduled to take place on Thursday at ten in the morning.

Minister of Economy and Industry Nidal al-Shaar issued a decision stipulating the cancellation of instructions to stop work on the store registry, so that life would return to this registry after it was frozen since the date of liberation. After liberation, the authorities had prevented the opening of the "store record" to various commercial activities, for fear of collusion or the smuggling of corrupt people's money, which led to an almost complete paralysis of commercial transactions, despite the later permission for the real estate registry to resume the transfer of ownership. With today's decision, work is officially resumed on the store registry, allowing lawyers and litigants to follow up on their lawsuits and establish their legal rights after months of suspension.

A medical source said on Wednesday evening that the initial and preliminary toll of the victims of the traffic accident involving deans and university professors south of Al-Hasakah reached 5 university professors, 3 of whom lost their lives and two are in critical condition. He said that the initial toll of the painful traffic accident that occurred in the Al-47 area is 3 deaths, including two deans of faculties and a university professor, while there are two other deans injured." He explained that the deceased are: Dr. Muhammad Khadr Al-Jassem, Dean of the Faculty of Law in Al-Hasakah, Dr. Naji Al-Faraj, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and Dr. Muhammad Mahmoud Ramadan, former Dean of the Faculty of Science in Al-Hasakah and currently a professor there." He added that the injured are: “Dr. Hussein Al-Daif, Dean of the Faculty of Economics in Al-Hasakah, and Dr. Rahma Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.”

The Syrian Democratic Forces announced, on Thursday, the implementation of two operations against ISIS cells and the arrest of those involved in attacks against them and civilians in the region, with the participation of the international coalition. The SDF said in a statement that the first operation, with the participation of the international coalition, targeted a cell of the organization in the village of "Al-Buraiha" in the "Al-Basira" area in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, and the SDF commando forces were able to "arrest the terrorist who was proven to be involved in carrying out attacks against our forces and civilians in the region, and seize a quantity of weapons and ammunition in the possession of the arrested terrorist." The second operation was carried out in the village of "Al-Subha" belonging to the "Al-Basira" area in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, in which the SDF dismantled a second cell of the extremist organization and arrested two members in it, as the two arrested members carried out several operations targeting the forces, security personnel and residents in the region, according to the statement.

Sanhrib Barsoum, a member of the negotiating committee of the Autonomous Administration with Damascus, said on Thursday that the course of negotiations between the Autonomous Administration and the transitional Syrian government has gone through several stages, stressing that the success of the military and security files will pave the way for agreement on other files. Regarding the file of integrating forces, Barsoum explained that "at first there were different points of view between the two sides regarding the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces within the Ministry of Defense, but there is now an agreement on the broad outlines of the integration mechanisms, so that military units are formed in northern and eastern Syria that are affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, and at the same time we have representatives within the Ministry and its leadership positions." He pointed out that discussions are continuing to prepare the details of this agreement, stressing that "the issue needs other sessions to find a real solution on the ground."

The occupation forces, on Wednesday, advanced into the town of Al-Samdaniya Al-Sharqiya and the village of Ufania in the southern countryside of Quneitra Governorate. The Syrian News Agency (SANA) stated that an occupation force consisting of eight military vehicles, a heavy "Terex" vehicle, and two tanks, advanced from the vicinity of Tal Krum Jabba towards the town of Al-Samdaniya Al-Sharqiya, before withdrawing after hours towards the destroyed city of Quneitra. The agency added that another force advanced into the village of Ufania, where they carried out raids and searches of two houses before withdrawing from the town.

The British Special Envoy to Syria, Ann Snow, claimed that the Syrian People's Assembly elections constitute an important milestone in the political transition process, noting that this entitlement reflects an institutional development in Syrian political life after a long period of conflict. Snow said, in a statement via the X platform from Damascus, that she is closely following the progress of the electoral process, explaining: “The elections are still ongoing, and we are waiting for President Ahmed Al-Share to choose the final formation of members.” She added that parliaments around the world play a pivotal role not only in enacting laws, but also in monitoring the work of governments and promoting the principle of accountability, which is a fundamental step in any democratic transition process.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Share addressed the issue of Russian military bases in Syria during their meeting in Moscow, noting that the talks included various aspects of cooperation between the two countries. In a press statement in response to a question about whether the issue of military bases was discussed, Lavrov said: "Everything was discussed." Lavrov had explained in previous statements that Damascus is interested in maintaining the presence of Russian bases in Tartus and Hmeimim, with the possibility of turning them into humanitarian and logistical centers that serve civil and military cooperation between the two sides. At the beginning of the meeting, President Ahmed Al-Share stressed the depth of the historical relations that unite Syria and Russia, stressing that his country seeks to rebuild its political and strategic relations with regional and international countries, foremost among which is the Russian Federation. Al-Share explained that Damascus "respects all agreements signed with Moscow" and seeks to reformulate the nature of the bilateral relationship in a way that guarantees the independence of the Syrian national decision and preserves the principle of full sovereignty of the state.

Thursday News Round-up from Hizb ut-Tahrir Radio, Wilayah Syria

08/28/2025

Headlines:

Listening devices found near Jabal al-Mane' before the site was targeted by Jewish airstrikes, followed by an airborne landing on the outskirts of Al-Kiswah in the Damascus countryside.
The trumpets of the defunct regime... promote federalism, secession, and sectarianism, and the Ministry of Interior insists on opening the Damascus-Suwayda road amidst joint exercises of the International Coalition forces and QSD in the Al-Hasakah countryside.
Instead of boycotting it: Damascus discusses development and reconstruction files with the World Bank and the British "Gulf Sands" to rehabilitate oil fields.
Ahead of the Beirut talks... simultaneous Syrian-Lebanese protests demand the closure of the detainees' file.
Dozens of settlers storm the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the occupation police, and four deaths, including two children, as a result of the starvation war in Gaza.

Details:

Sources reported that the occupation army carried out an airborne landing in the Al-Kiswah area in the Damascus countryside yesterday, Wednesday, preceded by airstrikes targeting a military site. According to the sources, the area witnessed intensive reconnaissance aircraft activity during the airborne landing operation. The wave of attacks is the second in 24 hours on the military site in Jabal al-Mane' near Al-Kiswah. The same sources indicated that the air strikes, on Tuesday (August 26), targeted a site containing listening devices that the Syrian army tried to dismantle, resulting in martyrs in its ranks. The sources confirmed that the occupation planes and drones prevented access to the area until late Wednesday evening. For its part, the "SANA" agency, quoting a government source, stated that elements of the Syrian army were subjected to raids while dealing with monitoring and listening devices that they found during a field tour in Jabal al-Mane', south of Damascus, which led to martyrs and injuries in their ranks and the destruction of vehicles. Later, according to the source, the planes launched several raids on the site on Wednesday evening, followed by an airborne landing, the details of which are not yet known.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced the completion of the final steps to secure the road linking the capital Damascus and the Suwayda governorate, in preparation for opening it to transportation and trade. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry affirmed its firm commitment to meeting the needs of the people in Suwayda, ensuring their freedom of movement, and overcoming the effects of the crisis, expressing its appreciation for the "sacrifices made by the internal security forces units to accomplish this national task." This comes at a time when the advisor in the National Security Council of the Jewish entity, Anan Wahbi, said on Wednesday that “the stage of Suwayda’s separation from Syria has begun.” On Wednesday, residents of Suwayda, southern Syria, organized a protest in the city center, during which they demanded a return to their homes, and the accountability of government officials “for their involvement in the recent events in the city.”

(A formation active through social media called the "Political Council for Central and Western Syria") issued a video statement read by the sectarian journalist, a supporter of the defunct regime, "Kinan Waqaf", in which he demands federalism and the division of the country into regions, using the slogans of "civil peace" and "transitional justice", in a move that local activists described as a secessionist plan under a false political cover.

The International Coalition base in the countryside of the town of Tal Tamr, north of Al-Hasakah, witnessed joint military exercises between the International Coalition forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) yesterday evening, Wednesday. The sounds of drone aircraft and successive explosions were heard, along with heavy gunfire, in the vicinity of the "Qasrka" base of the International Coalition, north of Al-Hasakah, near the town of Tal Tamr. The same base had witnessed similar military exercises between the Coalition forces and the SDF last Monday evening. "Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve" said, through its official platforms this Thursday morning, that the recent exercises focused on close air support procedures, with the aim of enhancing operational coordination between the Coalition forces and the partner forces.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced yesterday, Wednesday, the participation of robots and modern reconnaissance aircraft in securing the Damascus International Fair in its sixty-second session, which is the first after the fall of the Assad regime. The Syrian Interior Ministry broadcast images of the work of the security reconnaissance unit of its forces in securing the Damascus International Fair using robots and modern reconnaissance aircraft. The activities of the sixty-second session of the Damascus International Fair kicked off on Wednesday evening on the grounds of the Exhibition City in the Damascus countryside, in the presence of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, with the participation of about 800 local and international companies.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani met in Damascus with the World Bank Regional Director for Middle East Management, Jean-Christophe Carret. The Foreign Ministry stated on its "Facebook" page that the meeting discussed prospects for strengthening the partnership between Syria and the World Bank in the areas of reconstruction and economic development. This meeting comes after talks held by the Deputy Head of the Central Authority for Control and Inspection, on a problem, on July 31, with representatives of the World Bank on the implementation of the project to strengthen and manage public financial capabilities in Syria, and its repercussions on the financial sector and Syrian society. It is worth mentioning that the International Monetary Fund announced last May its readiness to support the international community's efforts to help Syria rehabilitate its economy, stressing its readiness to provide advice and technical assistance.

The families of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons organized a protest on Wednesday at the Jousieh crossing in the Homs countryside, coinciding with another sit-in in front of Roumieh prison in Lebanon, to demand the closure of the detainees' file and end the suffering of their families that has continued for years. Dozens of families gathered at the Jousieh border crossing, raising banners demanding that the fate of their sons detained in Lebanon be revealed, amid chants calling on the Lebanese authorities to quickly release them. In parallel, the vicinity of Roumieh prison in Lebanon witnessed a sit-in at the invitation of the families of Syrian detainees there, under the slogan: "Release the Syrian revolution and its supporters", where the protesters demanded a radical solution to this file. These moves coincide with talk of an upcoming visit by a Syrian security-judicial delegation to Beirut to discuss the file of Syrian detainees with the Lebanese authorities, in a step that may open the door to settling this file that has been stalled for years.

Minister of Energy, Engineer Muhammad Al-Bashir, met on Wednesday with John Bell, Director of the British company Gulf Sands, to discuss ways of cooperation in the oil sector and the possibility of the company returning to work in Syria, within the framework of efforts to rehabilitate oil fields and strengthen partnerships with international companies. The Syrian Ministry of Energy conveyed through its official platforms the Minister Al-Bashir’s confirmation during the meeting of the importance of developing cooperation with oil companies in a way that contributes to supporting the national energy sector and meeting increasing needs, stressing that the Syrian government attaches utmost priority to the file of rehabilitating the fields. For his part, the director of Gulf Sands expressed interest in reactivating the company's activity and contributing to rehabilitation and production programs during the next stage, pointing out that restoring the operation of the fields in a safe and transparent manner can alleviate the economic crisis that the country is suffering from. The British company Gulf Sands Petroleum dates back to 2003, when it concluded, in partnership with the Chinese company SinoChem, a production sharing agreement with the Syrian government to develop "Block 26" in the northeast of the country, an oil field covering an area of 5,414 square kilometers. Production in the fields there reached about 25,000 barrels per day in 2011 before activity stopped with the imposition of sanctions and the declaration of "force majeure." Since 2017, the company has reported that entities affiliated with the "Autonomous Administration" have begun exploiting the fields illegally, causing huge economic losses, estimated by the company at more than $14 billion US dollars last year, at a time when Syrians are facing stifling economic and environmental crises as a result of this exploitation. In 2023, "Gulf Sands" launched an initiative called "Project Hope", which aims to invest oil resources in a legitimate and transparent manner in line with Security Council Resolution (2254), and to provide revenues of $15-20 billion annually that can be directed towards humanitarian projects and early reconstruction programs. According to the company's estimates, "Block 26" alone contains more than one billion barrels of recoverable resources, with production potential that may exceed 100,000 barrels per day if development is completed.

Dozens of settlers stormed the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque today, Thursday, under heavy protection from the occupation police. Local sources reported that dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in groups, carried out provocative tours in its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals, under the protection of the occupation forces. The sources added that the occupation police turned the Old City of occupied Jerusalem into a military barracks, and hundreds of its members were deployed at close distances, especially at the gates of Al-Aqsa. Al-Aqsa Mosque is subjected daily to a series of violations and raids by settlers, under the protection of the occupation police, in an attempt to impose full control over the mosque, and divide it temporally and spatially.

The Minister of National Security in the Jewish entity, Itamar Ben Gvir, said: "I am the only one in the Ministerial Cabinet who believes that humanitarian aid should not be brought into Gaza." The government media office in Gaza said: "The occupation continues to close all crossings and prevent the entry of 430 types of food into the Gaza Strip, where only 14% of the residents' needs have been allowed in during the past thirty days, resulting in a deficit of 86% in the required aid." The office continued: "The occupation also prevents the organization of aid distribution operations and refuses to secure them, but rather facilitates their theft, at a time when more than 95% of the population has no source of income or money to buy what is available in the markets." The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced today, Thursday, the death of 4 citizens, including two children, as a result of famine and malnutrition, recorded by hospitals in the Gaza Strip, during the past 24 hours. It reported that the total number of victims of famine and malnutrition has risen to 317 martyrs, including 121 children.