International

Deaths from clashes between military groups and clans in southern Syria rise to 30

The death toll from the clashes between local military groups and clans in the southern Syrian city of Al Sueida, with a Druse majority, amounted to 30 and the number of injuries to about a hundred, the Syrian Ministry of the Interior reported on Monday.

The government department warned in a statement that it is still a “preliminary” recount and explained that the clashes “exploded between local military groups and clans in the Al Maquas neighborhood, in the city of Al Sueida, in a context of tensions accumulated in previous times.”

The incidents began on Sunday, after formations in the area were recently entangled in a series of mutual kidnappings following a robbery on the road that connects Damascus to Al Sueida, inhabited by the Druse religious minority, according to local media.

“This dangerous escalation comes in the midst of the absence of the relevant official institutions, which has aggravated the chaos, the deterioration of security and the inability of the local community to contain the crisis despite the repeated calls for calm,” the Ministry of the Interior warned in its statement.

The central authorities tried to negotiate the deployment of their security forces in the area after a wave of violent clashes between them and Druzian groups took place in areas populated by the community on the outskirts of Damascus and Al Sueida at the end of last April.

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However, leaders of the Druze minority insisted that local security remain in the hands of local forces, despite the fact that the incidents two months ago left more than a hundred dead, according to estimates by the organization Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.

The Interior announced on Monday that its units, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, will initiate an intervention in the area to resolve the conflict and stop violence, as well as to guarantee security and bring those responsible for the incidents to justice.

In this line, the head of the department, Anas Khattab, also considered in his X account that “the absence of state institutions, in particular the military and security ones, is one of the main causes of the persistent tensions in Al Sueida and its surroundings.”

Therefore, he sees the presence of the central authorities in the administrative demarcation as the “only” way to achieve a peaceful environment and a return to “normality”.

After the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Asad, the country’s new government seeks to extend its control to the entire Syrian territory and integrate other armed actors into state forces, something to which both the Drusians and the Kurds have been reluctant.

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Also at least six members of the Syrian government forces died on Monday while intervening to contain the clashes.

“Armed bandits attacked military personnel while carrying out their mission in the Al Thala area, in rural areas of Al Sueida,” a source from the Ministry of Defense told Syrian state television, Al Ijbariya, confirming the death of six of them during the incidents.

In addition, another 15 were injured and an undetermined number of them were taken hostage, according to the channel.

International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.