The Syrian Interim Government closes the Hamam border crossing with Turkey

The General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs, affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government, announced the permanent closure of the Hamam border crossing between Syria and Turkey, located in the Afrin countryside, effective tomorrow.

In a statement, the Authority clarified that travelers and traders wishing to cross between Syria and Turkey can use the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salama crossings to complete travel procedures and transport goods.

The Authority did not provide official reasons for the closure decision.

The ongoing war process in Iran is causing the Turkish state to carefully monitor regional balances, but in this process, its fundamental concern appears to be preventing the Kurds from gaining any form of status.

In this context, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s occasional threatening messages directed at the Kurds demonstrate that the Turkish state mentality still approaches the Kurdish issue from a security-centered perspective.

In reality, the greatest problem facing the Turkish state is its failure to confront its own history. The core logic of state reasoning often gets stuck at the point of: “As long as the Kurds do not become rights-holders, anything else is acceptable.”

This approach leads to such a dulling of political intellect that it becomes unable to foresee the grave consequences that may emerge in the long term. Precisely for this reason, the Turkish state’s greatest vulnerability lies in its continued denial of changing historical realities rather than accepting them.

Buses belonging to Haval Company are being kidnapped and attacked by tribes loyal to the Damascus government. These buses carry Kurdish civilians heading to Damascus for medical treatment, as well as university students studying at universities in Damascus and Latakia.

The Kurdistan Region’s finance ministry has authorized the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Turkey to facilitate the transfer of US dollars to traders through the crossing, in a move aimed at circumventing a decision by the government of Iraq that has restricted traders in the Kurdistan Region from accessing US dollars since January - Announcement

The transfers will be permitted only under specific conditions. Traders must submit a formal request along with receipts for their purchases abroad and a commodities manifest verifying that the goods and services have been imported.

Israeli Defense Minister Katz on IDF operations in Lebanon:

“The IDF has begun a ground maneuver in Lebanon in order to remove threats and protect the residents of the Galilee and the north.

Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for its aggression and its activity in the Iranian axis aimed at destroying Israel.

If Naim Qassem misses Nasrallah and Khamenei so much, he will be able to meet them soon in the depths of hell together with all those eliminated from the axis of evil.”

Attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Continue as Civilian Harm Increases

307 strikes by the IRGC and affiliated groups since February 28 leave 8 people killed and 51 injured

Over the past week, the number of attacks on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has decreased, while the number of casualties has increased.

Between 7 March and 15 March, the IRGC and its affiliated groups carried out 111 drone attacks and bombardments against the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. These attacks resulted in 36 casualties: 4 people were killed and 32 others were injured. Compared to the first week of the conflict—during which the IRGC and affiliated groups carried out 196 attacks against the Kurdistan Region—the number of attacks decreased by 43.5%. However, the number of casualties increased significantly, rising by 56.5% compared to the 23 casualties recorded during the first week.

The IDF confirmed that the head of the Basij, Gholamreza Soleimani, was killed in an airstrike.

He was killed at a tent compound along with other senior Basij leadership, in a strike carried out overnight by the Israeli Air Force.