The relationship between Damascus & Ankara is significantly more complex & fraught with tensions than commonly imagined newlinesmag.com/argument/une… My new article for @newlinesmag based on interviews with multiple Syrian government & Army officials, foreign diplomats & mediators

Today, I hosted a joint meeting with General Mazloum Abdi and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Tom Barrack. We exchanged views on the latest developments in Syria and the region, emphasizing dialogue, coordination, and joint efforts to preserve stability, enhance security, and support peaceful solutions.

Trump: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pulled that country together amazingly quickly. He's very capable, and he's been very good for me. He's protected everything that I've asked for. And if Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else, he'll do the job. Syria will do the job.

If anything, this reflects President Trump’s trust in the current Syrian leadership. However, it does not necessarily mean Syria will intervene in Lebanon (in fact it won’t) rather than positioning this country as a reliable ally. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

#President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that #Syria is committed to achieving transitional justice, but stressed that justice must not become a tool for revenge or new forms of oppression. He emphasized the importance of #building a #legal #system that meets both national and international standards to ensure fair and transparent accountability. Al-Sharaa said that serious crimes committed during the previous regime, including mass killings, chemical attacks, and abuses in prisons, are not subject to amnesty and that those responsible will be held accountable through legal processes. He noted that #Syria has been rebuilding its security institutions while simultaneously pursuing major criminals and conducting transparent trials. He highlighted that the #government has #studied international experiences in transitional justice, including those of #Bosnia and #Rwanda, in order to develop a system aligned with international norms. He also stressed that justice must be based on evidence and due process rather than public pressure or demands for immediate punishment. Using the case of Amjad Youssef as an example, Al-Sharaa argued that thorough investigations are necessary to uncover the full extent of #crimes and ensure that all #victims receive justice. He concluded that #Syria is moving forward with the process of accountability and transitional #justice, while avoiding haste that could jeopardize #victims' rights or undermine the #rule of law.

FT Exclusive: ConocoPhillips is poised to become the first US oil and gas major to sign a contract with the Middle Eastern nation's new government. ft.trib.al/6vPeO0L

#Syria: #ISIS attack on a Security HQ in #Raqqa left 4 dead: 2 attackers and 2 members of the Security forces killed in the initial suicide blast. At least 2 others were injured. This is the first IS attack of this kind - opened by a suicide bombing - in the city since February.

Government to provide 50 NIS daily stipends for hundreds of hilltop youth – report timesofisrael.com/government…

وزارة الداخلية تكشف أعداد الموقوفين من المنتسبين للنظام المخلوع #عاجل

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆: 𝟱,𝟵𝟴𝟵 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲, 𝗡𝗼 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 Syrian Interior Ministry Spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba: 📌 No immunity or protection for criminals or those implicated, and no impunity in the new Syria, while rejecting any attempts to turn accountability into revenge or unverified mass accusations. 📌 Social stability and accountability go hand in hand, with justice achieved through law and institutions, not anger or retaliation. 📌 Building a new Syria depends on strong institutions, an independent judiciary, and fair accountability that excludes no one. 📌 The Counter-Terrorism Directorate is working to dismantle terrorism sources and currently holds 5,989 detainees from various former regime military ranks.

China detains two leaders of influential underground church bbc.in/3QpKvod

Luke 18:9-14: Also [Jesus] spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

وأضاف أنه يتم حالياً تشخيص واقع الإعلام السوري تمهيداً لوضع استراتيجية شاملة تراعي التحديات والفجوات القائمة، وننطلق منها للنهوض بالإعلام السوري وتعزيز دوره الوطني.

UNBELIEVABLE flyover at @UFC Freedom 250 🇺🇸 God Bless America.