Noontime News Recap: Congo Ebola toll climbs as Hormuz hit and tariff tensions deepen
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has worsened sharply, with confirmed cases rising to 4,945 and deaths reaching 2,325 as health authorities struggle to contain the spread. đź”—In the Middle East, a ship was hit in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran's top negotiator said the waterway would remain shut, raising fresh concern over one of the world's most sensitive shipping routes. đź”—Also in the region, eight air strikes hit the runway at Abu al Duhur military base in Syria's Idlib province, damaging the airfield but causing no reported casualties. In Damascus, a court sentenced Wassim al... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews Recap | 18 Aug 2026 12:20 LONDON
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Eight air strikes hit Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria's Idlib province
Eight air strikes have hit the runway of the Abu al-Duhur military base in Syria's Idlib province, causing damage but no reported casualties. Syrian state media said the attack took place early on Tuesday in the eastern countryside of Idlib, in northwestern Syria. The report said the base was targeted by Israeli forces, although there was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.State television quoted an unidentified military source as saying Israeli aircraft struck the runway with eight separate attacks. The same report said the airbase was hit for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 18 Aug 2026 11:33 LONDON
Damascus court sentences Wassim al-Assad to death over murders and war crimes
A court in Damascus has sentenced Wassim al-Assad to death after convicting him of multiple murders and of murder accompanied by torture and brutality. The ruling was issued on Tuesday and concerns a detainee who is a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, the overthrown former Syrian ruler. The case adds a high-profile judicial decision to Syria's post-Assad political and legal landscape.Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Wassim al-Assad's crimes were classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court said the conviction covered multiple murders and murder accompanied by torture and brutality. The sentence was announced in the capital, Damascus, where... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 18 Aug 2026 10:30 LONDON
Syrian intervention in Lebanon would be too costly for Damascus, analysis says
The Syrian government is unlikely to send forces into Lebanon to act against Hezbollah, according to an analysis published on 15 August. The assessment says the idea has been repeatedly raised in recent weeks by United States President Donald Trump, but argues that Damascus has stronger reasons to reject military involvement than to pursue it. It says any cross-border move could strengthen Hezbollah politically, destabilise both countries and expose Syria to retaliation linked to Iran.The analysis says Washington has not set out a clear and comprehensive vision of what it expects from Damascus. It describes a limited version of Syrian... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 15 Aug 2026 09:04 LONDON
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Syria court sentences Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad and former officials to death in absentia
A court in Damascus has sentenced ousted former leader Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, along with his brother Maher al-Assad and six other former high-ranking officials. The ruling also covered Atef Najib, Assad's cousin and former security chief in Deraa province, who was present at the trial and was also sentenced to death. The case is being presented by Syria's new authorities as a landmark step in a transitional justice process that is still taking shape.The verdicts relate to crimes committed during nearly 14 years of war, including killings, disappearances and torture. The court said the men were convicted... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews | 12 Aug 2026 22:33 LONDON
Fear the Shia, Arm the Sunnis: The Uncomfortable Numbers Behind America’s War Narrative
“When fear is managed carefully enough, a nation can be taught to look away from the blood on the floor and stare instead at the shadow on the wall.” A friend of mine, whose name I will not reveal because he asked me not to, sat across from me over dinner and placed a question on the table that would not leave me alone. He was born into a Muslim Shia background, and for the angle of this article, that detail matters, not because I wish to reduce a man to a sect, but because sect has become one of... [Continue Reading]
360LiveNews-Opinion | 23 May 2026 08:00 LONDON
