Israeli fighter jets struck various military targets in the areas of Latakia and Tartus on the Syrian coast, known to be Alawite and Assad strongholds, Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath reported on Thursday. This is a developing story.

Turkey-backed rebel forces are continuing their advance to "clear terrorism" in northern Syria, a Turkish defense ministry source said on Thursday, referring to the forces' battle against Kurdish forces in the region.Turkey has been telling the United States repeatedly that "a terrorist organization cannot be eliminated by using another terrorist organization," the source also said.The source was speaking about US support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against Islamic State. The SDF is spearheaded by a Kurdish militia that Ankara regards as a terrorist group.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Jordanian King Abdullah agree on the importance of an inclusive political process in Syria, a German government spokesperson said on Thursday following a phone call between the two leaders."Both agreed that an inclusive political process in Syria was now very important and that the transition process needed to be supported. Both attached great importance to the protection of ethnic and religious minorities," the spokesperson said in a statement.The two leaders also stressed the importance of Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, he added.

A British Nazi sympathizer who targeted a prominent immigration lawyer in a knife attack was on Thursday sentenced to indefinite detention in a hospital.Cavan Medlock, 32, took a knife, handcuffs, a Nazi flag, and a Confederate flag to the London office of law firm Duncan Lewis in September 2020 and demanded to see Toufique Hossain, the firm's head of public law.Hossain has represented claimants in a number of high-profile court cases, including legal challenges to Britain's controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.Prosecutors said Medlock intended to restrain Hossain and display the two flags in the office's windows as a "rallying cry" for others with extreme right-wing views.Medlock was disarmed by a receptionist and held by staff until police arrived. He later told police that he had targeted Hossain after reading an online Daily Mail article.A spokesperson for DMG Media, which publishes the Daily Mail and MailOnline, said in a statement: "The Mail gives no support to terrorists, whatever their politics.

Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa - better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani - told Reuters in a written statement on Wednesday that he would dissolve the security forces of the toppled regime of Bashar al-Assad.The military command affiliated with his group, which is known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, already said they would grant an amnesty to military conscripts.He would now also "dissolve the security forces of the previous regime and close the notorious prisons," Sharaa said in a statement shared exclusively with Reuters by his office.Sharaa also said he was closely following up on possible chemical weapons depots and coordinating with international organisations to secure them. The group had already announced it would not use those weapons under any circumstances.

Former defense minister Yoav Gallant said that he met with US officials and senators to discuss Israel's war and achieve a possible hostage deal during his visit to Washington in a Wednesday video address posted to X/Twitter.Gallant met with the officials and senators at the White House and Capitol Hill."We discussed the unprecedented success of the State of Israel during the ‘seven-front war against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. We also discussed the recent fall of the [Syrian] regime as a result of these actions," Gallant said.He added that a ceasefire and hostage deal was also discussed."Achieving a hostage agreement is possible," Gallant said.Following the meetings I held with senior U.S. officials at the White House, I came to Capitol Hill to meet with Senators from both parties. We discussed the unprecedented success of the State of Israel during the ‘seven-front war,’ the opportunity to achieve a hostage agreement,… pic.twitter.com/6pUp1EHSi8— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) December 11, 2024