Author: Sarah El Deeb
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Saudi account of Khashoggi killing is widely denounced
ISTANBUL — Turkey will “never allow a cover-up” of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, a senior official in Turkey’s ruling party said Saturday, reflecting international skepticism over the Saudi account that the writer died during a “fistfight.” The comment was one of many critical reactions to the…
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Man linked to Saudi prince at consulate when writer vanished
ISTANBUL — A member of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage during several trips abroad walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul just before writer Jamal Khashoggi vanished there, a surveillance photo leaked Thursday shows, drawing the kingdom’s heir-apparent closer to the columnist’s alleged slaying. The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz…
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Russia, Turkey reach DMZ deal on Syria’s Idlib
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MOSCOW • The leaders of Russia and Turkey agreed Monday to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib region, the last major stronghold of anti-government rebels where fears had been running high of a devastating offensive by government forces. The zone will be established by Oct. 15 and be 9-12 miles deep, with troops from…
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Syria: Rebels prepare for last stand
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BEIRUT • They dug trenches around towns, reinforced caves for cover and put up sand bags around their positions. They issued calls to arms, urging young men to join in the defense of Idlib, the Syrian province where opposition fighters expect to make their last stand against Russian- and Iranian-backed government troops they have fought…
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Israel hits dozens of Iranian targets in Syria after barrage
BEIRUT — The Israeli military on Thursday said it attacked nearly all of Iran’s military installations in neighboring Syria in response to an Iranian rocket barrage on Israeli positions in the occupied Golan Heights, in the most serious military confrontation between the two bitter enemies to date. Israel said the targets of the strikes, its…
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US strike on Syria is widely hailed, but angers Russia
BEIRUT — World leaders rallied around the United States after it launched a missile strike early Friday on a Syrian air base in response to this week’s chemical attack, while Russia condemned the move as “aggression” and suspended crucial coordination with Washington in Syria’s congested skies. The overnight missile attack, which marked the first time…
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UN Security Council to discuss suspected chemical attack in Syria
BEIRUT — A suspected chemical attack in a town in Syria’s rebel-held northern Idlib province killed dozens of people on Tuesday, opposition activists said, describing the attack as among the worst in the country’s six-year civil war. Eyewitnesses said the attack was carried out by jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments, but both…
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Amnesty: Up to 13,000 hanged in Syria’s ‘slaughterhouse’
BEIRUT — The prison north of Damascus was known to detainees as “the slaughterhouse” and in it, as many of 13,000 people were hanged in only four years after a series of sham trials, according to a new report issued by Amnesty International. The report, issued on Tuesday, said that 20-50 people were hanged each…
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Aleppo cease-fire collapses, threatening evacuation plans
BEIRUT — A cease-fire deal between rebels and the Syrian government in the city of Aleppo effectively collapsed on Wednesday, with fighter jets resuming deadly air raids over the opposition’s densely crowded enclave in the east of the city. The attacks threatened to scuttle plans to evacuate rebels and tens thousands of civilians out of…
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Crackdown following failed coup in Turkey raises concerns
ISTANBUL (AP) — Following a failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the government moved swiftly to shore up his power and remove those perceived as an enemy, saying Sunday it has detained 6,000 people. The crackdown targeted not only generals and soldiers, but a wide swath of the judiciary that has sometimes blocked…