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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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Iran Signals Willingness to Scale Back Uranium Enrichment to Ease Tensions
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iran may be prepared to significantly reduce its uranium enrichment levels in a bid to stave off renewed UN sanctions and limit the risk of further strikes by Israel and the United States, according to a report published Sunday in The Telegraph.
Citing Iranian sources, the paper said Tehran is considering lowering enrichment from 60% to 20%.
The move is reportedly being championed by Ali Larijani, the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who is holding talks with regime leaders.
“Larijani is trying to convince the system to reduce the level of enrichment in order to avoid further war,” a senior Iranian official told the paper.
The proposal, however, faces stiff resistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has long opposed concessions on the nuclear program. Still, the report suggests Iran’s leadership may be open to greater flexibility, including the possibility of reviving engagement with Western powers.
Last month, i24NEWS reported exclusively that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to travel to Iran. The team of technical experts would seek to resume monitoring of nuclear sites, inspections that have been heavily restricted in recent years.
The development comes amid mounting regional tensions and could represent a critical turning point in the long-running nuclear standoff.
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Major Brush Fire Erupts Near Jerusalem, Evacuations Underway
A view of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train seen over the HaArazim Valley (“Valley of Cedars”) just outside of Jerusalem, Sept. 25, 2018. Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90.
i24 News – A large brush fire broke out Sunday in the Cedars Valley area, near Route 1 and the Motza interchange, prompting an emergency response from Jerusalem district fire services. Several water-bombing planes were dispatched, and authorities have declared a “fire emergency.”
As a precaution, residents of Mevaseret Zion are being evacuated. Access to the town from Route 1 has already been blocked, and officials are weighing a full closure of the major highway.
Fire crews from the Ha’uma station are on site working to contain the flames, while motorists in the area are urged to heed traffic updates and follow instructions from emergency services.
Eight firefighting aircraft are currently operating above the blaze in support of ground teams. The fire comes amid one of the hottest, driest summers on record, with conditions fueling a series of destructive wildfires across the country.
Officials warn the situation remains critical, as the blaze threatens a vital transportation corridor leading into Jerusalem.
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Egyptian Army Reinforces Its Eastern Border Ahead of Israel’s Gaza City Takeover
A man sits against a wall with a graffiti of a heart with the word “Gaza”, near the Rafah border crossing, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, Feb. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
i24 News – The Egyptian army has reinforced its presence on the eastern border, fearing the humanitarian and military repercussions of the IDF’s takeover of Gaza City as authorities remain on high alert, Qatari media outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported Sunday.
According to the report, Egyptian authorities estimate that Israeli military operations will force roughly one million Gazans to flee Gaza City toward the southern part of the Strip, creating the opportunity for Israel to attempt to deliberately push these refugees toward the Egyptian border.
Cairo fears that Israel will force Gazans south — only as a temporary stop — before taking advantage of the chaos of the operation to push them further towards the Rafah crossing, bordering Egypt’s North Sinai.
According to the report, Egypt intends to send two messages with its reinforced military presence on the border: the first a stand against an attempted crossing breach, and the second against the idea of a humanitarian solution at the expense of its territory.