New York Times: Syrian Government Signs Breakthrough Deal with Kurdish-Led Forces
The Kurdish-led militia that controls northeastern Syria agreed on Monday to merge with the country’s new government, marking a major breakthrough for Damascus in its efforts to unify a country still wrestling with violent turmoil. The agreement, announced by the office of Syria’s presidency and signed by both parties, stipulated that the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces would integrate “all civil and military institutions” into the new Syrian state by the end of the year, including its prized oil and gas fields. The deal also called for the S.D.F. to help Damascus combat remnants of the Assad regime, and outlined “the rights of all Syrians to representation and participation in the political process,” amid pledges by Syria’s new leadership to form an inclusive government after years of sectarian strife.
BBC News: US court temporarily blocks effort to deport Gaza protest leader
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested over the weekend by immigration agents. Mr Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and permanent US resident, played a key role in last year's Gaza war protests at the Ivy League campus in New York City.
The Hill: Trump vows to find, apprehend and deport student ‘terrorist sympathizers’
President Trump on Monday said the arrest of a Columbia University student who led pro-Palestinian protests would be the first “of many to come.” Trump on Truth Social touted the arrest by immigration authorities of Mahmoud Khalil, a green card-holder who was at the forefront of protests on the Columbia campus last year over Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Department of Education’s civil rights arm warned 60 colleges and universities Monday that they could be next to have federal funding taken away over antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus. The five dozen named and shamed included six of the eight Ivy League institutions — Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton and Yale — and local schools Rutgers, Rutgers-Newark, Sarah Lawrence, three branches of the State University of New York, The New School and Wellesley. Other prominent Northeastern colleges targeted in the letter were Emerson College in Boston; Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College and Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania; and Middlebury College in Vermont. “The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
Jerusalem Post: Proposed US bill pushes for Hezbollah ban in Latin America
A US bipartisan bill calling for the banning and dismantling of Hezbollah and its operations in Latin America was introduced by Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis and Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen. The No Hezbollah in Our Hemisphere Act proposes a series of measures for US federal agencies to counter the Lebanese terrorist group’s influence in the region and to pressure states to expel its networks from within their borders. The act notes that the only Latin American countries that designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization were Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay. The bill called for the persuasion of other allies to proscribe the group by following the Argentinian designation model.
Reuters: Two men face US trial over Iran-backed plot to kill dissident
Two men accused of being members of a Russian organized crime group will face trial in the United States on Monday over what prosecutors call an unsuccessful Tehran-backed attempt to kill an Iranian dissident living in New York. Federal prosecutors say Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2021 hired Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, members of a "Russian mob" sub-group, to kill an Iranian American journalist and activist who has spoken out against the Iranian government's treatment of women. Prosecutors have not named the target of the alleged plot, who they have said in court papers is expected to testify at the trial. Masih Alinejad, a journalist who left Iran in 2009, has told Reuters she was the target of both the alleged murder plot and a previous alleged attempt by Iranian intelligence officers to kidnap her and take her to Iran.
Times: LSE refuses to cancel launch of Hamas ‘propaganda’ book
The London School of Economics has come under fire for refusing to cancel a book launch that has been criticised as “providing a platform” for Hamas.Protests broke out outside the university’s Middle East Centre on Monday evening, where a talk about Understanding Hamas: And Why That Matters, by Helena Cobban and Rami George Khouri, took place.
Germany's new government is planning to turn away asylum seekers from its borders en masse regardless of agreement from its neighbours, a member of the incoming coalition has claimed. Jens Spahn, a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician and former minister under Angela Merkel, revealed the new policy direction following talks with the Social Democrats (SPD) over the weekend.
The News :10 Pakistanis detained in Barcelona on terrorism-related charges
Spanish authorities have detained 10 individuals of Pakistani origin in Barcelona on terrorism charges. According to reports, the suspects were allegedly connected to an organised criminal network — based on extremist beliefs — that disseminated violent instructions via online messaging platforms. As part of the same investigation, another suspect was detained in Italy. The arrests took place during an operation conducted on the night of March 3.According to a media report citing statement issued by the Spanish authorities, the arrests were made in a joint operation conducted by the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police), the Spanish National Police, and Italian law enforcement.
Euractiv: Europe’s failure to confront Islamism fuels the far right, says leading rabbi
In an interview with Euractiv, one of Europe’s most influential Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, warned of a “culture of appeasement” of radical Islam on the continent and closeted antisemitism on the political left. Goldschmidt was Chief Rabbi of Moscow for nearly three decades. But after Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine in 2022 and his crackdown on dissent within Russia, the Swiss-born scholar left the country, warning that it was no longer a safe place for Jews. As president of the Conference of European Rabbis, which he has led since 2011, Goldschmidt also points to threats to the safety of Jews in democratic Europe, far from the frontiers of authoritarian Russia.
EU Reporter: EU hosts Remembrance Day ceremony in Strasbourg to commemorate victims of terrorism
Today (11 March), the Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, will host a ceremony for the 21st EU Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism in Strasbourg, together with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron; the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola; and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset. Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen will also attend.
In the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria, revelers took to the streets after the announcement of a breakthrough deal between the central government in Damascus and local Kurdish-led authorities, dancing and chanting “One, one, one — the Syrian people are one,” as cars drove by honking in celebration. The scenes of elation following Monday night’s declaration came in sharp contrast to the grim scenes in coastal communities wracked by days of clashes that broke out last week between government forces and armed groups affiliated with deposed President Bashar Assad.
New York Times: Hundreds of Civilians Take Shelter at Russian Air Base in Syria
Hundreds of civilians have sought refuge at a Russian air base on Syria’s coast, satellite imagery reveals, as thousands have fled violent unrest that the United Nations said on Tuesday appeared to have been driven by sectarianism. Footage and satellite images reviewed and verified by The New York Times indicated that civilians were sheltering in a compound shared by the Russian air base in Hmeimim and Latakia International Airport, both of which lie just outside the coastal city of Jableh, where much of the unrest has taken place.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led coalition that joined with U.S. troops to fight the Islamic State terrorist group, has agreed to integrate with the same interim Syrian government forces that were previously affiliated with Al Qaeda, officials said. The two groups struck the deal Monday after days of deadly sectarian violence between government forces and those loyal to the deposed Assad regime rocked Syria and killed hundreds of civilians.
UNOHCHR: Syria: Distressing scale of violence in coastal areas
Reports continue to emerge of the distressing scale of violence in Syria’s coastal region since 6 March. The UN Human Rights Office has so far documented the killing of 111 civilians, but the process of verification is ongoing, and the actual number of people killed is believed to be significantly higher.
Deutsche Welle: Fact check: Fake news about violence in Syria
The violence erupted after loyalists of ousted dictator Bashar Assad ambushed a Syrian security patrol last week. This led to intense clashes and a series of revenge killings targeting Assad's Alawite sect. But civilians from other groups were also reportedly killed. In breaking news situations like this one, which is also very emotional, many videos and images are being spread online. While some are showing the current atrocities in Syria, many are fake or spread without or in the wrong context. DW's Fact Check team looked at three viral claims.
The Washington Institute: Syria’s Transitional Honeymoon Is Over After Massacres and Disinformation
When the Assad regime fell, many feared that sectarian retribution and mass ethnic cleansing would ensue. Until last week, such abuses were limited to small spurts of random vigilantism rather than large-scale, organized violence. On March 6, however, former regime insurgents ambushed the transitional government’s security forces in the western coastal town of Jableh, killing 30 of them (with many later found burned to death or in shallow mass graves). In response, government forces and affiliated elements killed 396 civilians and disarmed militants, according to figures released by the Syrian Network for Human Rights earlier today. SNHR also reported that Assad remnants killed 383 people during this round of fighting—172 soldiers and 211 civilians. In all, 779 were killed, with the total death more than doubling since March 8. SNHR believes it will rise further as new evidence is uncovered in the coming days.
Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Backs Away From Direct Talks With Hamas
The Trump administration is turning its attention away from direct talks with Hamas and back to the main Gaza cease-fire negotiations in Qatar, after its discussions with the U.S.-designated terrorist group sparked concerns in Israel and produced little result. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Trump hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s meeting with Hamas, but said it was a one-off attempt to release some hostages that didn’t work. The administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is due in Doha on Wednesday, where he will try to revive talks between Israel and Hamas that have stalled out now that the first phase of a cease-fire deal struck in January has expired.
US President Donald Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler’s direct dealings with Hamas officials on the release of hostages in Gaza were a “one-off situation” that as of now “hasn’t borne fruit,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday. The State Department head told reporters that the “primary vehicle for negotiations” would be Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, set to meet in Doha with an Israeli delegation dispatched to the Gulf earlier Monday to resume hostage talks.
Turkiye Today: 32 detained in Istanbul municipalities over terrorism links
An operation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office resulted in the detention of 38 people, including municipal workers, as part of a crackdown on the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) network on Tuesday. Authorities raided 34 locations and apprehended 32 individuals as part of an investigation into claims that the DHKP/C financed its operations through municipal tenders in Istanbul’s Sariyer and Sisli between 2014 and 2016.
Yemen's Houthis said on Monday that they would take military measures as soon as a four-day deadline for lifting a blockage of aid into Gaza ends.
Washington Post: Russia’s Wagner mercenaries are leading a campaign of terror in Mali
Mercenaries with Russia’s Wagner Group, fighting alongside Malian soldiers, have assaulted women, massacred civilians and burned villages in Mali, the displaced say — a campaign of wanton violence that is fueling a rapidly growing refugee crisis to the west in neighboring Mauritania.
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.
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