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US Nudged Kurds Toward Damascus Deal as Troop Presence Comes Into Focus

A person holds flags as people celebrate after the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls much of Syria’s oil-rich northeast, has signed a deal agreeing to integrate into Syria’s new state institutions, the Syrian presidency said on Monday, in Damascus, Syria, March 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The United States encouraged its Syrian Kurdish allies to reach Monday’s landmark deal with the Islamist-led government in Damascus, six sources said, an agreement that could stave off further conflict in northern Syria at a time of uncertainty over the future of US forces deployed there.

The deal aims to stitch back together a country fractured by 14 years of war, paving the way for Kurdish-led forces which hold a quarter of Syria to merge with Damascus, along with regional Kurdish governing bodies. Key details of how this will happen have yet to be spelt out, however.

General Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), was flown to Damascus for Monday’s signing with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa aboard a US military aircraft, three sources said.

Three other sources – US officials – said the United States had encouraged the SDF to move towards an agreement to resolve its status in the new Syria – the focus of multi-track talks which began after Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December and which Reuters reported on in January.

“The US played a very crucial role,” a senior regional intelligence source said.

The deal came at a moment of pressure on both sides.

Sharaa is grappling with the fallout of sectarian killings which were reportedly carried out by militants aligned with his government, while the SDF is locked in conflict with Turkey-backed Syrian groups who are allied to Damascus.

Four sources, including one close to the Syrian government, said the sectarian violence had nudged along the agreement.

The intelligence source and a Damascus-based diplomat expected the deal to ease Turkish military pressure on the SDF, deemed by Ankara as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey has welcomed the agreement.

A Syrian government official said the presidency would work to address pending issues between the SDF and Turkey.

DEEP TIES

Washington has developed deep ties to Syria’s Kurdish groups since deploying forces to the country to fight Islamic State a decade ago, partnering with Kurdish fighters despite objections from Turkey.

The US troop deployment has come into renewed focus since President Donald Trump returned to power.

Ahead of any policy decisions on Syria, the Pentagon has started developing plans for a potential withdrawal, should one be ordered, US officials tell Reuters.

Still, a US defense official told Reuters on Tuesday there was no sign that a pullout was imminent.

The US defense official said General Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, had helped pushed the SDF towards the deal but that the agreement was already moving along.

The thinking in the US administration was that the SDF would be unlikely to hold onto its territory in the long-term if it faced pressure from Turkey and the new Syrian government combined, the US defense official said.

“The United States is looking for ways to withdraw from Syria without chaos and blowback. The best way of doing that is to secure a deal among the Syrian factions,” said Aron Lund of Century International, a US-based think tank.

“A negotiated handover makes sense for the United States. It’s Washington’s best bet, to avoid conflict between the Kurdish-led forces and the new government in Damascus, and to prevent a Turkish attack across the border,” he said.

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL

The US military declined comment on all aspects of the deal, including any role it may have had in encouraging talks or whether it provided transportation to Abdi to reach Damascus.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington welcomed the agreement.

Erdem Ozan, a former Turkish diplomat and expert on Syria, said the agreement benefited both sides. “Sharaa gains political breathing room after recent unrest in the coastal area, and the SDF avoids a direct clash with Turkey at a time when US policy on Syria remains uncertain,” he said.

The deal did not say how the SDF will be merged with Syria’s armed forces. The SDF has previously said its forces must join as a bloc. Damascus wants them to join as individuals.

The Syrian government official said committees would work to address details, including the control of borders.

“While it might seem like a win-win now, the real test will be in its execution,” Ozan said.

An SDF spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions. Abdi has called the deal a “real opportunity to build a new Syria.”

The deal was struck at a potentially historic moment for the Kurds, following a call by the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for his group to disarm. Though heavily influenced by Ocalan, the SDF has said this does not apply to it.

Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Washington wants to ensure the fight against Islamic State continues smoothly, with Damascus eventually taking up responsibilities for countering it.

“It also helps unify the country which is in the interest of the US since it wants stability and not internal power fights,” he said.

The post US Nudged Kurds Toward Damascus Deal as Troop Presence Comes Into Focus first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville

i24 NewsThe United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.

France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.

French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.

This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.

However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.

The post Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack

A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.

i24 NewsThe Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.

Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.

The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.

He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.

The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.

His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.

The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.

The post Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.

“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.

Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.

The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.

Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.

German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.

Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.

The post Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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