JEDDAH: Iran faces international legal action by five countries whose citizens it killed when it shot down a passenger jet.
Foreign ministers from Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan and the UK will meet in London on Thursday to discuss compensation.
All 176 people on board were killed when the Ukrainian plane was hit by an Iranian surface-to-air missile after it took off from Tehran airport on Wednesday.
“We have created this group of foreign ministers from the grieving nations. On Jan. 16, we will meet in London to discuss the ways, including legal, we are following this up, how we are prosecuting them,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said on Monday.
Iran finally admitted on Saturday its military had shot down the plane in a “disastrous mistake.” Tehran said it was misidentified as a hostile target when it turned toward an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base.
“This is nonsense,” Prystaiko said. “Our plane was recorded and confirmed within the international route that was given by the dispatchers.
“This is the Iranian government’s responsibility. We have to dig out who gave the order, who pushed the button, everything ... all these people should be punished.”
Meanwhile protesters in Iran denounced the ruling mullahs on a third day of demonstrations over the downing of the plane. Students shouted “Clerics get lost” and “Death to the dictator,” in chants aimed at Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran faces legal action over downed Ukraine jet
https://arab.news/zcfwc
Iran faces legal action over downed Ukraine jet
- Iran finally admitted on Saturday its military had shot down the plane in a “disastrous mistake”
Aleppo Citadel is a witness to the city’s great history and legacy
- Parts of military fortress date back nearly 2 millennia
- Historian Abdullah Hajjar provides an extensive study
DAMASCUS: Towering above the old city, the Aleppo Citadel has stood for centuries as both a military stronghold and symbol of the location’s layered history.
After years of closure, neglect, and damage during the war, the Aleppo Citadel reopened to visitors on Sept. 27 following months of restoration.
The site has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage landmark since 1986.
Rising around 38 meters above its surroundings, the fortress has played a central role in Aleppo’s political, military, and urban development.
Surrounded by a deep defensive moat, the citadel reflects advanced military engineering.
According to historian Abdullah Hajjar in his book “Archaeological Landmarks of Aleppo,” first published in 2010, the moat was excavated and reinforced during the reign of Ayyubid ruler Al-Zahir Ghazi.
At times it was 22 meters deep and about 30 meters wide, and filled with water to strengthen defenses.
Parts of the citadel date back nearly two millennia.
The lower section of its main entrance originates from the third century A.D., while the upper additions were made in the 15th century. Most of the towers and walls were built or expanded between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The citadel has repeatedly been damaged and rebuilt over the centuries. It was destroyed by the Sassanids in 540 A.D., but later restored.
Inside its walls, the citadel contains mosques, military structures, and residential buildings, offering a rare glimpse into daily life within a medieval fortress.
Among its landmarks are the Ibrahim Al-Khalil Mosque, the Great Mosque, defensive towers, barracks, and several historic houses.
Archaeological excavations have uncovered remains from multiple eras. This includes a ninth-century B.C. temple, Roman and Byzantine sarcophagi, and water cisterns dating to the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian, who rebuilt Aleppo’s fortifications in the sixth century against Persian invaders.
The citadel flourished during the Mamluk period, when it was restored by Sultan Baybars after the 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut.
Later inscriptions document victories by Mamluk rulers over Crusader and Mongol forces.
Under Ottoman rule, following the Battle of Marj Dabiq in 1516, the fortress gradually lost its military role and became an administrative and residential site.
The book outlines the various stages of restoration of the Aleppo Citadel over the centuries.
It highlights that Al-Zahir Ghazi, son of Saladdine Ayyubi, excavated the moat, reinforced the entrance with three wrought-iron gates, and built a large mosque within the fortress.
Later, Al-Zahir Baybars restored the citadel after the Mongol invasion, and in 1417, Sultan Al-Mu’ayyad Shaykh repaired its walls following their destruction by Timur in 1401.
The Aleppo Citadel has also survived powerful earthquakes, including a devastating quake in 1138 and another in 1822, each followed by major restoration efforts led by regional rulers of the time.
Beyond the citadel itself, Hajjar’s research documents Aleppo’s wider architectural heritage, including historic bathhouses and caravanserais that once supported the city’s role as a major trade center.
