Daily digest from the last 24 hours

1. A police officer in central Baghdad committed suicide due to “psychological problems,” while Ziyad Tariq Ahmad Khalifa, a member of the government security forces, also shot himself at the anti-terrorism unit headquarters at Baghdad International Airport.

2. Clashes between the Syrian military and Druze militias broke out overnight in the city of Sahnay, Damascus province. The cause and casualties are currently unknown.

3. In a town in Syria, a Druze militia member from “Rijal Karama” reportedly attacked a woman and her brother from Deir ez-Zor. This led to clashes between Deir ez-Zor residents and Druze fighters. The “public security” forces intervened to disperse the crowd.

4. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Faleh al-Fayyad, the head of the Hashd Shaabi, and is reportedly demanding the disbandment of Iraqi and Iranian-backed militias.

5. The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that the death toll due to Israeli aggression has reached 50,183, with 113,828 wounded since October 7, 2023.

6. Israeli sources report that Hamas commander Jaber Amar was killed in Gaza airstrikes, though Palestinian groups have not confirmed his death. Anti-Hamas protests in Gaza continue, with residents demanding the group’s dissolution for its inaction.

7. After Iraq’s national football team lost to Palestine, Shiite social media users mocked Palestinians, sharing Israeli flags and expressing gloating sentiments.

8. Anti-Hamas protests in Gaza continue, with demonstrators chanting slogans against Hamas and Iran.

9. Syrian sources report a new transitional government will be announced by the end of March, with 22 ministries, three of which will be led by women. There are also rumors that Al-Julani seeks to sign a military agreement with Turkey.

10. Government security forces in Baghdad arrested nine Syrian citizens on terrorism charges, releasing the names of the detainees.

11. The new Syrian government has handed over the military base in Palmyra to Turkey. Ankara warned that any act of aggression against the base will be met with force.

12. A U.S. military convoy was seen on the Ziyban-Shaheel road in rural Deir ez-Zor, raising questions about Syria’s sovereignty.

13. Ahmad Abdullah al-Ghazali, previously pardoned by the new Syrian regime, was killed by unknown assailants in the northern Daraa countryside.

14. The SDF militia, with international coalition support, detained a 15-year-old orphan in northern Hasaka, claiming he was a “dangerous terrorist.” Three mobile phones and an ID card were confiscated.

15. An SDF intelligence officer was wounded in an ISIS attack in the village of Jarazi, near Ziyban, Deir ez-Zor.

16. On the Lebanon-Syria border, Hezbollah militias reportedly captured three Syrian citizens and forced them to recite the shahada in the Shiite manner while cursing Aisha, a revered figure in Sunni Islam.

17. Tens of thousands of worshippers performed Isha and Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan.

18. The White House stated that the U.S. has conducted over 100 strikes on Houthi targets and will continue until freedom of navigation is restored.

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It must be admitted that the new Syrian regime is really making a lot of efforts to achieve inclusivity.

For example, a young Syrian citizen, George Hadid, became the first representative of the Christian faith to join the ranks of "public security". He reported this on his Facebook page.

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Media: Representatives of three EU countries, including Belgium, held a secret meeting in Damascus with the head of the Foreign Ministry of the new Syrian regime, Asaad al-Shibani, at which they called for the elimination of the so-called "jihadists" in Syria, meaning foreign fighters fighting in the ranks of the Damascus armed forces, stressing that this issue is their top priority. Reuters quotes officials as saying that international support for the new Syrian administration could weaken if Damascus does not take any decisive steps in this direction. The officials also called on the new regime to tighten control over the situation in the country, reform the security forces in order to prevent a repeat of the events on the coast and bring to justice all those involved. According to officials, Western countries are closely monitoring Syria's leaders to ensure their ability to limit the influence of jihadist groups and form an inclusive government, achieve stability and "prevent the return of ISIS"

In this regard, observers believe that in the near future we should expect waves of mysterious murders of these same foreign fighters and their leaders, including by handing over their coordinates to the international coalition for airstrikes, or imprisonment on trumped-up charges, combined with a campaign of pressure by various methods in order to force them to leave Syria and seek refuge in other countries, as was the case after the war in Bosnia, when the secular regime that came to power first rushed to get rid of the jihadists who fought for its establishment, naively believing that they were "fighting for Sharia".

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The Independent reported that the US is pressuring the Iraqi government to disband and disarm the Hashd Shaabi through a series of sanctions that are planned to be imposed on Iraq soon.

According to the publication, the State Department sent a harsh message to the Green Zone regime, stating that the US is frustrated with Baghdad's inability to control the Hashd Shaabi, and that this situation has been going on for many years, while the militias "challenge central authority and undermine security and stability in Iraq and Syria." As the State Department press officer Tammy Bruce reported, "to strengthen Iraq's sovereignty, the government must take control of all armed forces on its territory, including the Hashd Shaabi."

The plan seems as reliable as a Swiss watch, but there are some details that make one wary, which we have already discussed earlier - the dissolution of the Hashd Shaabi (even if it happens without armed incidents and riots, which is far from certain), will significantly weaken government forces, and therefore control over security in the country, which will very quickly make itself felt in an extremely bad way.

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Yemen's Houthis have fired two ballistic missiles at Israel, triggering sirens in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and central Israel.

A Houthi spokesman also said they attacked Ben Gurion Airport, a military facility near Jaffa and US warships in the Red Sea.

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