BEIRUT: Syria's air defenses intercepted early on Thursday an Israeli attack on the al Qusair area in Homs, Syrian state media reported.
A Syrian military source said in a statement there was some material damage from the strike and no casualties.
The Israeli military said it had no comment.
In a separate development, the Israeli military said in a statement that its troops were searching for “two suspects” who were spotted crossing the Lebanese border into Israeli territory overnight. It did not say whether the infiltrators were believed to be armed.
On Monday, Syria said it had intercepted an attack on Aleppo.
Homs province adjoins Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group holds sway along the rugged frontier.
Western intelligence sources have said Israel’s stepped-up strikes on Syria since last year are part of a shadow war approved by the United States.
The strikes are also part of an anti-Iran policy that in the past two years has undermined Iran’s extensive military power without starting a major increase in hostilities.
Syrian air defenses intercept Israeli attack over Homs - state media
https://arab.news/jab5x
Syrian air defenses intercept Israeli attack over Homs - state media
- The Israeli military said it had no comment
Yemen humanitarian crisis to worsen in 2026 amid funding cuts, says UN
- Yemen has been the focus of one of the world’s largest humanitarian operations in a decade of civil war that disrupted food supplies
GENEVA: The UN warned on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is worsening and that gains made to tackle malnutrition and health would go into reverse due to funding cuts.
“The context is very concerning... We are expecting things to be much worse in 2026,” Julien Harneis, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, told reporters in Geneva.
Some 21 million people will need humanitarian assistance this year, an increase from 19.5 million the previous year, according to the UN The situation has been aggravated by economic collapse and disruption of essential services including health and education, and political uncertainty, Harneis said.
Funding Yemen traditionally received from Western countries was now being cut back, Herneis said, pointing to hopes for more help from Gulf countries.
The US slashed its aid spending this year, and leading Western donors also pared back help as they pivoted to raise defense spending, triggering a funding crunch for the UN
Yemen has been the focus of one of the world’s largest humanitarian operations in a decade of civil war that disrupted food supplies. The country has also been a source of heightened tensions in recent months between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“Children are dying and it’s going to get worse,” Harneis said. Food insecurity is projected to worsen across the country, with higher rates of malnutrition anticipated, he stated.
“For 10 years, the UN and humanitarian organizations were able to improve mortality and improve morbidity...this year, that’s not going to be the case.”
He said Yemen’s humanitarian crisis threatened the region with diseases like measles and polio that could cross borders.
In 2025 680 million dollars was afforded to the UN in Yemen, about 28 percent of the intended target, Harneis said.
