The meeting was attended by Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Brig. Gen. Mulham al-Shantout and directors of the ministry’s departments of Immigration and Passports, International Cooperation, and Combating Human Trafficking.

Hasakah, Oct. 12 (SANA) The fifth convoy under a voluntary return program for displaced families from Ras al-Ayn and its countryside who are currently living in Hasakah city departed on Oct. 12, carrying 358 families back to their areas of origin in northeast Syria.

Dr. Mustafa Abdi, a member of the presidential team implementing the Jan. 29 agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), told a SANA correspondent that the return was part of efforts to accelerate the return of displaced families to their home areas after the necessary measures had been taken to ensure their safe return.

Abdi said demining operations and the removal of remnants of war had been completed in around 75 villages in the Ras al-Ayn countryside.

He added that lists were being prepared for approximately 150 families currently living in Ras al-Ayn ahead of their return to Hasakah city in the coming days. Many displaced families who had moved to Ras al-Ayn had already returned to Hasakah individually, he said.

The first convoy returned in August, carrying 413 families. The second convoy included 700 families, and the third carried 520. The fourth convoy returned the previous Thursday with 518 families.

Damascus, Oct. 13 (SANA) Five people were killed and 27 others injured in road accidents and fires handled by emergency response teams across Syria over the past 24 hours, the Syrian Civil Defense said Tuesday on its Telegram channel.

The Civil Defense said 21 road accidents resulted in five deaths and 24 civilian injuries. Teams provided first aid to the injured and transported them to hospitals for treatment. They also cleared accident sites and secured the affected areas.

Civil Defense teams responded to 47 fires across Syria involving homes, commercial shops, grass, trees, rubbish and electrical wires. They extinguished the fires and cooled the affected sites. Three civilians were injured and received first aid, while the remaining damage was limited to material losses.

The Civil Defense urged the public not to light fires in forests or agricultural fields, throw cigarette butts or glass containers along roadsides, particularly near crops and wooded areas, or burn dry grass around homes and along roads. It advised people to remove dry vegetation using safe methods.

In a separate report on earlier incidents, the Civil Defense said one person was killed and 11 others injured in road accidents across Syria two days earlier.

Damascus countryside, Oct. 11 (SANA) A mortar shell left over from the war was destroyed on Sunday at a busy transport junction between the city of Zamalka and the Al-Motahallik Al-Janubi Bypass in the Damascus countryside, in an operation coordinated with security authorities to protect civilians and motorists.

The bypass is a major arterial road in Damascus, making the location of the shell a particular challenge for clearance teams because of the heavy traffic and the proximity of main roads and intersections.

Hassan Talfah, director of the Unexploded Ordnance Center in Damascus and its countryside, told SANA that the operation required careful coordination because the area sees heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Traffic restrictions during disposal operation

Talfah said the operation involved coordination with road security units and the Internal Security Forces to regulate traffic and close entrances leading to the site.

The measures were intended to allow the shell to be destroyed safely and prevent casualties or damage to vehicles and nearby property, he said.

The incident highlights the risks posed by unexploded ordnance in populated areas and along busy transport routes, where remnants of war can threaten civilians long after fighting has ended.

Clearance operations and public awareness

Talfah stressed that removing unexploded munitions from populated and high-traffic areas was a priority because of the danger they pose to civilian lives and safety.

The Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management previously reported carrying out about 981 operations to remove munitions and other war remnants during the first half of 2026. It also conducted 369 technical and non-technical survey operations and held 631 community awareness sessions during the same period.

These activities form part of efforts to identify explosive hazards, remove them from areas used by civilians and raise public awareness of the risks.

Damascus, Oct. 12 (SANA) Fifteen tankers carrying petroleum products are waiting to enter Syrian ports and unload their cargoes, the Syrian Petroleum Company said on Sunday.

In a statement to SANA, the company said six of the tankers were carrying diesel and nine gasoline, adding that the shipments are part of ongoing efforts to meet domestic market demand and ensure the availability of petroleum products.

Syria’s energy sector continues to face major challenges, including a gap between domestic production and consumption, rising costs of securing oil, gas and refined petroleum products amid the war in the Middle East, and the need to rehabilitate infrastructure at power plants, refineries, oil fields and transportation networks.

The Central Bank of Syria confirmed in an official statement that the banking mechanism was established for the Syrian Petroleum Company to execute a commercial deal with Saudi Aramco, opening a direct channel for energy deliveries to the local market.

The central bank emphasized that the transaction marks a critical shift toward re-establishing official banking channels for strategic trade, establishing a reliable settlement and financing structure for national fuel imports.

The announcement follows high-level financial discussions in New York on October 5, where Central Bank Governor Safwan Raslan met with officials from the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank to discuss practical operations and account management between the two institutions.

Vienna, Oct. 8 (SANA) Syria and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) agreed to develop an integrated cooperation program to strengthen Syria’s capacity to combat drugs following three days of technical consultations in Vienna.

Cooperation priorities

The Syrian delegation, headed by Director of the Anti-Narcotics Directorate at the Ministry of Interior Brigadier General Khaled Eid, held talks with UNODC officials on strengthening international cooperation, exchanging information and expertise, and supporting training and capacity-building programs.

The discussions also covered the possibility of providing modern equipment and technologies for anti-narcotics authorities, Eid told SANA.

The talks addressed the development of early-warning and monitoring mechanisms for drugs and new substances, as well as cooperation in laboratory analysis and drug detection and the use of UNODC expertise and technology, he said.

Eid said the two sides also discussed prevention, awareness, treatment and rehabilitation programs, including those targeting prisons and communities, and the possibility of Syria joining international cooperation and expertise-sharing networks affiliated with the United Nations.

He said the two sides agreed to continue coordination and work on an integrated cooperation program that addresses Syria’s needs and priorities in combating drugs, strengthens national capabilities and expands cooperation with specialized international institutions and networks.

Laboratory visit

During the visit, the Syrian delegation held a series of meetings and specialized sessions with UNODC representatives and visited the office’s laboratories at the Vienna International Centre.

The delegation was briefed on standards and procedures for analyzing and identifying narcotic substances, as well as the latest detection and laboratory-analysis equipment and technologies.

The Vienna-based UNODC assists member states in addressing illicit drugs, organized crime, corruption and crime prevention.

Damascus, Oct. 5 (SANA) SYRIAN Airlines launched Monday its updated visual identity and new strategic vision during a ceremony held at Damascus International Airport, organized in cooperation with the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport.

During the event, the national carrier confirmed the official entry into service of the first aircraft featuring the updated visual identity.

Syrian Aviation Holding CEO Anwar Akkad stated during the ceremony that the rebranding accompanies comprehensive digital upgrades, including modernized booking and payment platforms, a mobile application, and automated internal management systems, with a new global-standard reservation system launching early next month.

Damascus, Oct. 4 (SANA) The Syrian Arab Republic on Sunday condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing violations committed by the Israeli occupation against Syrian territory, the latest of which was the completion of work on the so-called “Sufa 53 Line,” in flagrant violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and international law.

In a statement published on its official Telegram channel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the continued aggressive approach of the Israeli occupation, along with its attacks and field incursions, constitutes a direct threat to regional security and stability and undermines international law.

The ministry called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take effective deterrent measures to put an end to these violations and prevent their recurrence.

The Syrian Arab Republic reaffirmed its legitimate right to exercise full sovereignty over all its territory in accordance with the principles of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

It also called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities in safeguarding the sovereignty of states and respecting the inviolability of their borders.

Idlib, Oct. 1 (SANA) A convoy carrying 212 displaced families left camps in northern Syria on Thursday for their home communities across five provinces, as government-backed voluntary returns continue.

Mohammad Bakir, director of the northern department at the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor in Idlib, told SANA that the returns were being organized under Presidential Decree No. 59 and the “Zero Tents 2026” initiative.

Bakir said four more convoys were being prepared for next week and registration remained open. About 170,000 families have returned since the liberation, he added.

Support for returnees

Manaf Hammam, a UNHCR official responsible for camp coordination and management in Aleppo and Idlib, said the agency was working with relevant authorities to facilitate voluntary returns and assist families moving back to their areas of origin.

Support includes transportation, food and relief assistance, as well as connecting returnees with UNHCR offices in other provinces to help them access available services and programs, Hammam said.

Families head home after years of displacement

Among those returning was Abdul Karim Hassan al-Aliwi of Qastoun village in northern Hama countryside, who said he had lived in displacement camps since 2013 amid limited services.

Al-Aliwi said he hoped families would receive the support they need after returning, adding that nothing compared with going back to his village.

Fatima al-Mustafa, from Hama countryside, said she was returning to her town after 14 years of displacement, while Talaat Harb, from Homs countryside, said she was heading home after more than 11 years in camps.

The latest convoy follows the departure on Sunday of 263 families from camps in Idlib and Aleppo for communities in southern Idlib countryside and areas of Hama, Aleppo and Damascus.

The talks took place during a meeting between the Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Qutaiba Kadish, and a U.S. State Department delegation headed by Andrew Kent.

The two sides stressed the United States’ role in supporting Syria’s recovery and stability and discussed prospects for developing bilateral cooperation.

The meeting also addressed the “Syria Without Camps” initiative as a priority for the current phase, with representatives of relevant Syrian ministries attending.

 A convoy carrying 263 families left displacement camps in northern Syria on Sunday for their home areas in southern Idlib and parts of Hama, Aleppo and Damascus provinces, as well as Damascus city.

The return was coordinated by Idlib Governorate and its Social Affairs and Labor Directorate, with support from the UN refugee agency, the Muzn Organization, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate.

Mohammad Bakir, director of the northern district office of social affairs and labor in Idlib, said most families were heading to towns and villages in southern Idlib. He said the convoy was organized under Presidential Decree No. 59.

Manaf Hammam, an official coordinating camps in Aleppo and Idlib, said the convoy responded to families’ requests to return voluntarily. Air-conditioned buses were provided for passengers and trucks for their belongings, he said. Registration remains open, and further convoys are planned.

Returnees said they were glad to go home after years of displacement, although some villages remain damaged and lack basic services. Mahmoud Ibrahim al-Muhaimid, from al-Nahl village in rural Idlib, said financial difficulties had delayed his return. Rakez al-Jadaan, from the eastern Maarat al-Numan countryside, said he was returning after 14 years of displacement.

Idlib Governorate has organized several such convoys since the decree was issued, carrying thousands of families from camps in Idlib and Aleppo to their home areas.

Records and preliminary investigations showed that Ibrahim was involved in issuing orders to kill and arrest people and suppress protesters, as well as participating in military campaigns targeting villages and towns in eastern Daraa countryside, pursuing civilians and targeting their homes.

Investigations also indicate that he was directly responsible for the Saida Housing massacre, in which nearly 120 people were killed, and that his name was linked to systematic arrests and torture involving a large number of people from the province, including child martyr Hamza al-Khatib.