Connect with us

Featured

Elections in Syria as war winds down

Shaath added “US and Western governments are misleading their own public opinion, while spending the tax payers money on terror gangs in Syria, its own Western Intelligence Services, gathered from around 83 countries and deployed them in Syria labelling them Syrian political opposition, or armed Syrian political opposition”.

Voters line up to cast their ballots during parliamentary elections in the city of Homs, Syria, on July 19, 2020. (Photo by SANA)

SaebPress

Syrians have gone to the polls to elect a new parliament, as the country strives to liberate controlled lands from the hands of foreign-backed militants. 

More than 7,400 polling stations opened at 7:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, including in former militant strongholds of Eastern Ghouta, east of Damascus, and the southern countryside of the northwestern Idlib province.

Many candidates are running on a platform to curb inflation and to fix the infrastructure ravaged by 9 years of war.

This is the third elections to be held in Syria, since foreign-sponsored war of terror broke out in March 2011. The two previous polls were staged in May 2012 and April 2016 respectively. In the last legislative elections in 2016, turnout stood at 57.56 percent.

elections in the coastal city of Tartous, Syria, on July 19, 2020. (Photo by SANA)

The elections, twice postponed from April due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, come weeks after the United States imposed new economic sanctions on Syria under the so-called Caesar Act.

Saeb Shaath, a Middle East Political expert, in an interview with Press TV said “I believe that President Bashar al-Assad’s Baath party and his allies are going to win most of the parliament’s 250 seats” he added “the American- European economic war of terror that has been ravaging Syria, aided with the blockade and sanctions, is aimed to rebuild and strengthen the terror groups, to help them to spread throughout Syria, to keep the destruction of Syria going”.  

Shaath added “US and Western governments are misleading their own public opinion, while spending the tax payers money on terror gangs in Syria, its own Western Intelligence Services, gathered from around 83 countries and deployed them in Syria labelling them Syrian political opposition, or armed Syrian political opposition”.

Shaath stated that “Let’s not forget that, this is the third election to be held in Syria since the unleashing of the war of terror on Syria, 9 years ago”.

He went and added “during them 9 years the Syrian government didn’t disconnect or restrict access to the internet, and did not restrict social media platforms, even when they were used heavily by the terrorist groups to destabilise the country”.

The Syrian government and the country’s leadership, during the nightmare of the global war on terror, protected the democratic rights of its citizens and their values.

Shaath explained,  “On the other hand,  the countries who sponsors  terror  in Syria and serves the US- Zionist plans to destroy Syria, are accusing President Assad of being a dictator. Let me say that, in KSA and UAE, they do not have any form of democratic practices, no elections,  social media platforms  such as WhatsApp, twitter Facebook and  YouTube etc. are heavily monitored and restricted.

 I will remind you with  (Jamal Khashoggi‘s killing in the Saudi consulate in  Istanbul)  his WhatsApp app was monitored, that’s how they got to him.  In the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman, bans on Voice Over IP (VoIP) on platforms, such as WhatsApp, Skype, and FaceTime are blocked ,  so people are  prevented from using these apps to communicate, they have restricted their fundamental rights of privacy and access to information.

While the Syria government and the country’s leadership, during the nightmare of the global war of terror unleashed on Syria, protected the democratic rights of its people.

Featured

‘Yemenis said it very clear, a blockade will be faced by blockade’: Sha’ath

Strait of Hormuz

Saeb Shaath, author and commentator, says Yemen’s control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has emerged as a major strategic challenge for Saudi Arabia and its Western allies, arguing that any disruption to the vital maritime corridor could have far-reaching consequences for global trade, energy markets, and regional security.

News   /   Interviews ‘Yemenis said it very clear, a blockade will be … | TikTok

He also discusses that Yemen’s deterrence capabilities have shifted the regional balance of power while increasing pressure on Riyadh to seek a political solution rather than military escalation.

Continue Reading

Featured

‘Saudis Arabia is not respecting its neighbours’: Commentator

Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression. 

Picture from al-Masirah TV on July 13, 2026 shows smoke and fire rising from the airport in Sana'a, Yemen after Saudi attack.

Commenting to PressTV on Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, author and commentator Saeb Shaath said ”Saudi Arabia’s actions destroy neighbours’ trust and destabilize the region”.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry in Sana’a has condemned Saudi Arabia’s attack on Sana’a International Airport, saying that the strike marks the end of the truce and the beginning of a new phase of war.

In a statement on Monday, the Ministry declared that Yemen will enter a new stage to fully reclaim its rights, warning that Saudi Arabia will find itself in a major strategic deadlock and will bear high costs for its aggression. 

Separately, the spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, stated that “the Saudi aggression will not go unpunished,” adding, “The Saudi enemy has ended the de-escalation phase, and must bear responsibility for all potential consequences.”
 
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport announced in a statement that “Saudi Arabia’s bombardment of Sana’a airport and violation of the Yemeni airspace signifies the Riyadh regime’s insistence, with Americans’ and Zionists’ push, to continue the siege.”

On March 26, 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies initiated a blockade on Yemen, marking the beginning of a comprehensive war, backed with military, political, and logistical assistance from the United States and other Western countries.

The war has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Yemen, while failing to achieve its primary goal of reinstating the previous government that was aligned with Riyadh.

Amid a power struggle, the government fled the country, leading Yemen’s popular resistance movement, Ansarullah, to take charge of state affairs.

After a delicate ceasefire brokered by the UN in 2022, multiple rounds of significant attacks were launched against Yemen by the United States, Britain, and the Israeli regime.

The assaults aimed to weaken Sana’a’s ability to conduct solidarity strikes against Israeli targets, which were being conducted in response to Tel Aviv’s genocidal actions in the Gaza Strip.

Continue Reading

Culture & Arts

Over 43 million join funeral ceremonies for Martyr Leader Imam Ali Khamenei in Iran, Iraq

Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .

Mourners-pack-the-streets-during-the-funeral-procession-for-martyred-Leader-of-the-Islamic-Revolution-Ayatollah-Seyyed-Ali-Khamenei-in-Mashhad

Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .

Tens of millions of Iranians and devotees from across the world turned the funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, into the largest procession the world has ever witnessed, according to a report.

The six-day grand farewell and burial rites for the revered Leader were held across five cities — Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad — drawing massive, passionate crowds that defied all previous records, the Fars News Agency reported.

The ceremonies included three days in Tehran, two days of public mourning at the Grand Mosalla and one day of the main funeral procession, with each of the other cities hosting a full day of tributes. Many mourners traveled between cities, multiplying the scale of participation and creating a continuous wave of devotion.

Official estimates, compiled from multiple independent field and government sources, confirm that between 41 and 43 million people took part in the historic events.

These figures are based on a rigorous combination of data including public transport passenger records to and from ceremony sites, active mobile phone signals in key areas such as the Mosalla and main procession routes, average individual attendance duration of approximately two and a half hours, detailed crowd density calculations along Tehran’s procession paths, physical area measurements from Jamkaran Mosque to the Holy Shrine in Qom, and the route from the airport to the Imam Reza Holy Shrine in Mashhad.   

The endless sea of mourners, who had gathered since early morning, accompanied the vehicle carrying the blessed bodies, transforming the streets of Mashhad into a scene of unparalleled grandeur and devotion.

The sheer scale of the gathering defied description. From the moment the funeral vehicle entered Imam Reza Street, it was completely surrounded by waves of mourners who had traveled from every corner of Iran, all united in grief and determination.

Their tear-streaked faces and fervent chants filled the air, creating an atmosphere that observers described as one of the most remarkable displays of national unity in recent history.

Iraqi authorities, through the Prime Minister’s Office, separately verified the presence of around 10 million mourners in Najaf and Karbala, providing an important independent pillar for the overall calculation.

Even when applying the most conservative methodologies, Iranian officials and relevant authorities emphasize that this monumental event has surpassed every comparable gathering of the past century.

It stands without doubt as the single largest funeral procession in recorded history, a powerful and everlasting testament to the deep love and unwavering allegiance of the Iranian people and the broader Islamic Ummah for their martyred Leader.

The Leader and members of his family were martyred in a terrorist attack on February 28, carried out by the United States and the Zionist regime against the leader’s residence.

Among those martyred were new Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, the late leader’s son-in-law; a daughter of the late leader and his 14-month-old granddaughter.

The funeral ceremonies began last Friday, with tributes from political officials from over 45 countries and scholars from more than 90 nations. This was followed by farewell ceremonies at Tehran’s Mosalla over the weekend, where millions paid their respects.

Watch Fra Hughes, reporting back From Iran, as he attending the funeral service in Mashhad for martyred Leader Imam Ayatollah Ali Khamenei :

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNREVSqqW

Millions bid final farewell as Martyr Leader is laid to rest in Mashhad
Continue Reading

Trending