Ayoola Atitebi

Fourteen interior ministry personnel were killed and ten injured in what Syria's new authorities describe as an ambush by forces loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad near Tartous. The incident occurred Tuesday when security forces attempted to arrest a former officer connected to the Saydnaya prison facility near Damascus. The confrontation comes just over two weeks after Assad's government fell to rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ending the Assad family's 50-year rule and forcing them to seek refuge in Russia. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that three militants also died in the clash, and security forces later brought reinforcements to the area. Meanwhile, authorities imposed an overnight curfew in Homs following unrest sparked by a video allegedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine. The interior ministry claimed the video was from November's rebel […]

Armed attackers killed three people, including two journalists and a police officer, during a press briefing at Haiti's largest public hospital in Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. The incident occurred as media gathered to cover the hospital's reopening announcement, awaiting Health Minister Lorthe Blema's arrival. The Viv Ansanm gang alliance, which controls significant portions of the city, claimed responsibility for the attack. In an online video, they stated they hadn't authorized the hospital's reopening after previously occupying and destroying it in March. The facility had been recaptured by Haiti's government in July. Journalists Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean were among those killed, according to the Online Media Collective spokesman Robest Dimanche. Police spokesman Lionel Lazarre confirmed an officer's death. Several others were wounded in the attack. Photojournalist Dieugo André, who witnessed the violence, told The Haitian Times, "It felt like a terrible […]

Bethlehem, traditionally the heart of Christmas celebrations in the West Bank, has fallen silent this holiday season. For the second consecutive year, public Christmas festivities have been cancelled due to the Gaza war, with Palestinians limiting observances to religious services and family gatherings. The usual festive atmosphere is notably absent - no street decorations or traditional Christmas tree stand before the Nativity Church, the historical birthplace of Jesus. At the Lutheran church, the Nativity scene depicts baby Jesus amid rubble, reflecting the current crisis. Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac, a local Lutheran pastor, notes the town's somber mood in solidarity with Gaza. Many Bethlehem Christians have personal connections to Gaza, where hundreds of Christians have sought shelter in churches amidst the conflict. The war, triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, has resulted in […]