Goldberg retired.... damn.

🇸🇾🇦🇪 - General Authority of Land and Maritime Ports in Syria signed an agreement with "Dubai international Ports" company worth $800 million , during an official ceremony attended by President "Ahmad Al-Sharaa" in the capital Damascus

🇨🇲 - Paul Biya is candidate for an 8th term to the presidency of Cameroon.

🇨🇲 - In countries with weak institutions, leaders often don't want to retire because they know that even if they agree to handover power, they will "fall out of a window" or "die of a heart attack" quickly after handing over power.

🇳🇨🇫🇷 - The New Caledonia thing was always very complex juridically due to a mix of indigenous policies, separatism, and international law that wasn't necessarily on Paris' side.

Now, a settlement has been found, and I think that its a good deal for the West, for France, and for the local Caldoche population in New Caledonia.

🇳🇨🇫🇷 - The "State of New Caledonia, within the republic" will likely be a sui generis international entity. But the fact there is a legally recognized New Caledonian nationality, possibility for recognition and formal international recognitions almost put New Caledonia in the category of a "strong French puppet state" than "Actual French territory per say".

"State of New Caledonia, within the republic" sounds like a HOI:IV game mixed with alcohol that went schizo.

🇸🇾🇮🇱 - It appears the Druze will now get their own state...

🇸🇾🇮🇱 - The question is now which legal form do you give the Druze state. Do you pretend its just a Druze fiefdom "within Syria" while making it retain largely symbolic ties with Damascus, or do you tell it "declare independence outright" while knowing that even in the West, many unpredictable politicians will oppose recognition out of fear of alienating the Muslim popular base?

A US, British, French, Italian, German, Polish, Canadian recognition would be easy to get if Israel work seriously, those are all safe countries for Israel. From there, recognition from other countries would follow.

⚡️🇮🇱🇸🇾 Amid rising tensions on the Syrian front, the Israeli government has authorized Minister Avi Dichter to serve as acting Defense Minister while Minister Katz is in the United States.

@wfwitness

⚡️🇮🇱🇸🇾 Al-Jazeera: Casualties reported among Syrian army forces after Israeli airstrikes near the city of Sweida.

@wfwitness

⚡️🇸🇾 SMC factions have started ambushing HTS troops on the Mhori (محوري) and National Stadium roundabout. (دوار ملعب البلدي) inside the city of Suweida.

@wfwitness

Apart from a "Trump doesn't want to piss off Erdogan" fantasy, I don't see any serious reason why would the US genuinely block an Israeli-backed Druze separatism plan.

Not like there was oil in play, which obviously is sensitive for the US because of inflation.

And if Trump really did something along those lines to appease Erdogan I would resolutely oppose that.

Boring, institutionnal opinion: Syrian army being in Suweida is potentially the Turkish army being nearby, and given Erdogan's out of control expansionism (which, in the West, we pretend not to see when in public, but that adults in the room knows very well), no one will take that risk. Yes you will say its "paranoia" but its still the Israeli sentiment.

🇮🇱🇸🇾 - Video of continuous Israeli strikes on Syria as IDF says its continuing strikes.

🇮🇱🇸🇾 - Live footage of "Syria TV" reporter leaving the studio due to an israeli raid targeting the Ministry of Defense building in the center of the capital Damascus

🇮🇱🇸🇾 - Damascus getting hammered.

🇮🇱🇸🇾 - Syria was doing ethnic humiliations of Druze 24h ago, shaving their mustaches, and now we're playing the "poor little state that can't defend itself, they are the real victim" card? Really?

🇮🇱🇸🇾 - Will we ask the Israelis to apologize because they support Paul Kagame also?