Middle East latest: Netanyahu testifies in his corruption trial as warplanes hit sites in Syria
Israeli warplanes pounded military sites in Syria after Israeli troops seized a border buffer zone following the collapse of President Bashar Assad’s rule. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, testified in his long-running corruption trial.
Israel denied its forces were advancing toward Damascus. Israeli troops on Sunday entered the buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war and the military said it would deploy in “several other places necessary for (Israel’s’) defense.”
Netanyahu told the court in Tel Aviv that the charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust against him are “an ocean of absurd” and promised his version would cut through the prosecution’s case.
Critics have accused him of dragging out the war in Gaza and putting off a ceasefire deal that could release some 100 remaining hostages after 14 months of war triggered by the Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,500 Palestinians in the Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to local health authorities. They say most of the dead are women and children but do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250, including older adults and children.
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Syria’s government will gradually transfer power to interim cabinet
DAMASCUS, Syria — Members of the Syrian government under ousted President Bashar Assad will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir.
The outgoing government met with al-Bashir for the first time since Assad fled Damascus over the weekend.
Al-Bashir told reporters after the meeting that the ministers discussed transferring the portfolios to the interim government during the transitional period until the beginning of March.
He said that in the coming days the new government will decide on each ministry.
Banks and shops reopen in Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria — Banks and shops are reopening in Damascus after the chaos and confusion of the first two days following the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
Sadi Ahmad, manager of Syria Gulf Bank, said life is returning to normal. A customer who came to withdraw money from an ATM was surprised to see it functioning.
At the historic Hamadiyeh market, fighters who seized power were still standing guard but shops had reopened — even an ice cream stand.
Resident Maysoun Al-Qurabi said she was initially “against what happened,” referring to the insurgency, but changed her mind after seeing footage of rebels releasing inmates from the notorious Saydnaya prison.
“People are at ease and secure now,” she said. “Before, people were hungry and scared.”
Syrian Christians are cautious after insurgents seize power
DAMASCUS, Syria — Minority Christians in Syria have been living in a state of uneasy anticipation since insurgents headed by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham took control after ousting President Bashar Assad.
Mazen Kalash, a resident of Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, said he wants to know the plans of the new government that will be formed by the rebels.
“The important thing is to feel safe, bring order, law and respect to the citizens,” he said. “We need to be able to work whatever we want and do whatever we want without any interference from anyone.”
The insurgents have so far attempted to reassure minorities that they will be protected.
Large numbers of Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population, fled after the civil war erupted in 2011. Many of those who stayed supported Assad out of fear they might be targeted by Islamist insurgents.
Netanyahu lashes out at media in his corruption trial
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at media during testimony at his corruption trial, which involves media moguls.
“There has never been such a biased media in any democracy … as there is in Israel,” Netanyahu told the court, describing his testy relationship with the press.
He is accused of exchanging regulatory favors with media bosses for more positive coverage of himself and his family. He has denied wrongdoing.
