Syria Financial News

Middle East crisis, potentially involving Iran, the third-largest oil producer in OPEC. Brent crude futures advanced by 4 cents to $90.52 a barrel by 0047 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 2 cents at $86.24 a barrel.

The drone in the video, which is clearly modeled after Iran’s Ababil model — the workhorse of paramilitaries across the Middle East since it was developed in the 1990s — reflected a design tweak: Its two front tires, instead of the usual one, provided actual battlefield evidence that Sudan is modifying the Iranian drone into its own weapon, which it calls the Zagel-3. That revelation follows the emergence in the last two years of ramped-up Iranian drone production in at least five other countries, from South America to Central Asia. Most recently, Russia has started making Iranian drones for its war in Ukraine, bringing the number of countries using Iranian technology, assistance, or parts to at least a dozen.

Oil prices rose in early Asian trading after hopes diminished that negotiations between Israel and Hamas would lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and ease tension in the Middle East. Brent crude futures rose 40 cents to $90.78 a barrel by 0032 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 35 cents to $86.78.

Gold set a fresh record above $2,350 an ounce before paring gains, as investors shifted focus to a key US inflation reading later this week. 

US on high alert as Iran-Israel shadow war spurs chance of wider Middle east row The bloodiest-ever Gaza war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants resulting in the death of 1,170 Israelis. Thereafter, Israel relentlessly bombarded Gaza by air, land, and sea, killing at least 33,137 people, mostly women and children so far. Israel says that around 250 of its citizens and foreigners were taken hostage by militants on October 7.

UNHRC adopts resolution over Gaza war, India among 13 countries to abstain The US is on high alert and is preparing for a “significant" response from Iran against Israeli or American targets in the region. Earlier this week, an Israeli airstrike hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing at least seven Iranians, including two generals. While Israel has repeatedly targeted Iran-linked assets in Syria over the past few months, this was the first time an attack struck an Iranian diplomatic building.

Middle East prompt a dramatic repricing of geopolitical risks. Fears of a wider region conflict are rising, with Israel increasing preparations for an attack from Iran in retaliation for its strike on the country's diplomatic compound in Syria. Limiting crude's gains were US jobs data that beat expectations and strengthened the dollar.

Oil prices extended gains on Friday and were on course for a second weekly gain, supported by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, concerns over tightening supply and expectations about demand growth as economies improve. Brent crude was up 26 cents, or 0.3%, to $90.91 a barrel by 1252 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $86.65 a barrel, up 6 cents, or 0.1%.

suicide bomber set off his explosives late on Thursday in northwestern Syria, killing the co-founder of the country's main al-Qaida-linked group that controls much of the northwest, a war monitor said. Some activists disputed the source of the explosion, saying instead that a remotely detonated bomb killed Abu Maria al-Qahtani, whose real name was Maysara al-Jubouri. Al-Qahtani co-founded the Nusra Front in Syria, a militant group that later renamed itself Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and claimed it had severed ties with al-Qaida. The conflicting accounts could not immediately be reconciled. According to the Britain-based Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor with a network of activists on the ground, the bomber entered al-Qahtani's guesthouse in the town of Sarmada in Idlib province late in the evening and detonated his explosives.

Oil prices extended gains on Friday and headed for a second weekly gain, supported by geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East, concerns over tightening supply, and optimism about global fuel demand growth as economies improve. Brent crude climbed 49 cents, or 0.5%, to $91.14 a barrel by 0108 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $86.96 a barrel, up 37 cents, or 0.4%.

Finland says it will extend the closure of its border crossing points with Russia beyond the current April 14 deadline “until further notice” due to a high risk of organized migration orchestrated by Moscow

Oil prices reached their highest levels in five months this week, and economists say that could make the Bank of Canada a “little concerned” as it figures out the right time to cut interest rates.

Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war across the Middle East, trading attacks by land, sea, air and in cyberspace. Iran has largely used foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests, while targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists have been a key part of Israel's strategy. Israel's strike in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed three top Iranian commanders Monday was the most brazen attack in years, raising fears of a wider confrontation. That would be particularly dangerous in a region already in turmoil on multiple fronts, including Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, cross-border skirmishes between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia against Western interests in the Red Sea. An escalation between Israel and Iran would also risk further entangling the United States, given the presence of U.S. troops in the region.

Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Tuesday that Israel's military had «unintentionally» killed seven aid workers with a US charity in an air strike in Gaza. World Central Kitchen had already said a «targeted attack» by Israeli forces on Monday had killed the group, which included Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian employees.

Tawfiq Muhammad Said Al-Law, a hawala operator involved in Hezbollah crypto funding, has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the federal agency announced Tuesday.

Hezbollah targets in northeast Lebanon's Hermel area on Tuesday, the deepest raid since cross-border hostilities erupted in October with the Iran-backed group over the Israel-Hamas war. Following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas after the Gaza militants' October 7 attack, Israeli forces along the border with Lebanon have exchanged near-daily fire with the powerful Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah. The group says it is acting in support of its ally Hamas, while Israel has also targeted Hezbollah and Hamas officials in Lebanon, including with strikes deep into Lebanese territory.

Islamic State group has taken responsibility for a devastating assault on a concert hall in suburban Moscow, resulting in the deaths of at least 133 individuals, marking one of the deadliest incidents in Russia in recent years. Despite assertions from the US regarding evidence supporting the jihadists' involvement, both Moscow and Kyiv engaged in mutual accusations on Saturday amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. As reported by The Spectator Index, ISIS released bodycam footage of the Moscow terrorist attack.In the comment section, few replied with the videos.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) each year and the IPL 2024 is happening soon in India. But one can watch all the real-time action around this star-studded cricket league right from Syria. There will be 10 teams playing this year's IPL that include Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings. The teams have been named on the basis of popular cities in India. These teams will feature popular players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Pat Cummins, Daryl Mitchell, Harshal Patel and Rachin Ravindra.

Chief mate Mahmoud Gwealy awoke to a loud bang that sent the laptop on his chest crashing into his nose. The 29-year-old Egyptian sailor had dozed off for the evening while watching Lebanese soap operas in the upstairs quarters of the Rubymar. The British-owned bulk carrier had been rocking in such high swells that he wondered if it had been slammed by a huge wave.

Gaza, where nearly 2m Palestinians have been forced out of their homes. Even larger numbers have been displaced in Congo, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. Most people feel compassion when they see fellow humans fleeing from bombs, bullets or machetes.

propaganda is almost as effective and persuasive as real propaganda, a team of researchers have found after a study involving more than 8,000 US adults. They also warned that propagandists could use artificial intelligence (AI) to expose citizens to many articles, thereby increasing the volume of propaganda and making them harder to detect. For the study, researchers at the Stanford University and the Georgetown University in the US identified six English language articles, which, according to investigative journalists and the research community, likely originated from Iranian or Russian state-aligned covert propaganda campaigns.