Erdogan says Turkiye, Lebanon agree to act together on Syria

Turkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Ankara, Turkiye, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 18 December 2024
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Erdogan says Turkiye, Lebanon agree to act together on Syria

  • “The stability of Syria means the stability of the region,” Erdogan said
  • Turkiye and Lebanon are home to a large number of Syrian refugees

ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said Turkiye and Lebanon would work together on Syria after the overthrow of Bashar Assad by militants.
“A new era has now begun in Syria. We agree that we must act together as two important neighbors of Syria,” Erdogan told a news conference, alongside Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
“The stability of Syria means the stability of the region,” he said, adding that reconstruction of the war-ravaged country on their borders would be their priority.
Assad fled to Russia after a lightning offensive spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) wrested city after city from his control until the militants reached the Syrian capital earlier this month.
The ousting of Assad sparked celebrations around Syria and beyond, and has prompted many refugees to begin returning home.
Turkiye and Lebanon are home to a large number of Syrian refugees.
To rebuild Syria, Erdogan said: “This is a critical period in which we need to act with unity, solidarity and mutual reconciliation.”


Pro-Palestinian flotilla announces new mission to Gaza

Updated 07 February 2026
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Pro-Palestinian flotilla announces new mission to Gaza

  • Israel controls Gaza's borders and scrutinises all aid coming into the territory

TUNIS: A flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists who attempted to reach Gaza last year will set sail for the besieged territory again next month, one member told AFP on Friday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said the new mission set for March 29 would be "the largest coordinated humanitarian intervention for Palestine in history" and will mobilise "thousands from over 100 countries".
"We will be sailing from Barcelona, Tunis, Italy and many other ports not yet made public," Brazilian activist Thiago Avila told AFP.
The group said an overland convoy would also leave for Gaza on the same day, without specifying from where.
The campaigners sought to break an Israeli blockade by delivering aid to Gaza by sea last October, before they were intercepted by Israel, detained and deported.
Israel controls Gaza's borders and scrutinises all aid coming into the territory.
The activists describe their actions as a "non-violent response to genocide, siege, mass starvation, and the destruction of civilian life in Gaza".