Syrian civil war

Greece rescued 27 migrants and recovered the bodies of four dead people after their boat sank close to the island of Kos, the Greek coast guard said on Tuesday night.

Three coast guard ships along with a commercial vessel searched for more people in the area, the agency said.

Türkiye's U.N. envoy, Ahmet Yıldız, warned on Friday regarding the "dangerous" impact of the PKK/YPG terror group in Syria, stressing that it is a "major destabilizing factor" in the country.

Türkiye has urged once again that the United States should cut its support to the YPG in the fight against ISIL, an issue the two allies are at odds with since 2015.

Israeli strikes hit central Syria late Sunday, killing at least 16 people and wounding 43 others as well as causing fires at sites believed to house Iranian forces, according to Syrian state media.

European aid sent to Lebanon in an attempt to regulate migration by sea is funding practices that violate human rights, according to a global watchdog report published Wednesday.

As part of a policy to contain migration, authorities in Cyprus have physically pushed Syrian refugees back to Lebanon, and Lebanese security agencies have deported them, the Human Rights Watch report said.

The man arrested for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany, was a Syrian refugee who was scheduled to be deported to Bulgaria, according to reports from DPA and Die Welt. The deportation, planned for last year, was ultimately unsuccessful.

Türkiye and Russia have resumed their joint ground patrols, which had been suspended since October last year due to security concerns, the Turkish National Defense Ministry announced on Friday.

Prior to the suspension, 344 joint ground patrols had been successfully conducted.

Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in Syria following clashes between the PKK and Arab tribesmen, and reports of Russia and Syria establishing a new base in the region, defense sources have said.

Deir el-Zour in eastern Syria saw fighting early on Aug. 7 between the PKK's Syrian wing YPG and local tribes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Syrian leader Bashar Assad to the Kremlin for a meeting in Moscow. The two leaders discussed the rising tensions in the Middle East, including the conflict in Gaza and recent clashes between Lebanon and Israel.

Turkey will extend an invitation to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "any time" for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.