World
Trump says Turkey ‘did an unfriendly takeover’ in Syria as US-brokered cease-fire appears to fail
President-elect Trump on Monday described the recent fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime as an “unfriendly takeover” orchestrated by Turkey.
“I think Turkey is very smart,” he said from a press conference at his Florida residence. “Turkey did an unfriendly takeover, without a lot of lives being lost. I can say that Assad was a butcher, what he did to children.”
Assad fled to Russia just over a week ago after the al Qaeda-derived organization dubbed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rapidly took over western Syria in an offensive that began on Nov. 27, first taking Aleppo, Hama and Homsc, before seizing the capital city of Damascus.
Rebel forces seized Mengh Airbase and the city of Tel Rifaat in the Aleppo countryside on Dec. 1, 2024. (Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
ASSAD PAINTS HIMSELF AS ‘CUSTODIAN’ TO SYRIA AS PICTURE UNFOLDS ON COLLAPSE OF DAMASCUS
The future of Syria, for both its government and its people, remains unclear as the HTS organization, deemed a terrorist network by the U.S. but which has the backing of the Turkey-supported Syrian National Army (SNA), looks to hold on to power.
The fall of the Assad regime has meant an end to the nearly 14-year civil war that plagued the nation, though the threat against the U.S.- backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is not over as Turkey continues to view it as one of its chief regional adversaries.
The SDF have assisted the U.S. in its fight against ISIS for more than a decade, but Turkey, which shares a border with Syria, has long viewed the group as being affiliated with the extremist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and which, through the SNA, has clashed with the Kurdish-led forces.
President-elect Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)
It remains unclear how the Kurds will fair under a potential HTS regime, but Western security experts are increasingly concerned that Turkey could have an outsized amount of influence on the neighboring nation.
“The fall of Assad greatly amplified Turkey’s influence in Syria, giving unprecedented influence to his partners and proxies. If the United States wants to ensure that Syria has the best chance to become a reasonably free and stable country, it needs to keep a very close eye on [Turkish President Recep] Erdogan,” David Adesnik, vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
Comrades attend the funeral of five fighters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who were killed during clashes with Turkish-backed opposition factions, in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on Dec. 14, 2024. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)
TURKEY HITS US-ALLIED KURDS IN SYRIA, IRAQ FOLLOWING TERRORIST ATTACK ON DEFENSE GROUP
Last week, the U.S. brokered a cease-fire agreement between the SDF and the SNA over the northeastern city of Manbij, where SDF coalition forces agreed to withdraw from the area after resisting attacks since Nov. 27, according to a Reuters report.
But sources told Fox News Digital on Monday that negotiations relating to the cease-fire had collapsed and that the SNA had begun building up military forces west of the Kurdish town of Kobani – roughly 35 miles east of Manbij – in an apparent threat to resume combat operations.
The terms of the cease-fire remain unclear, and neither the White House nor the State Department responded to Fox News Digital’s questions.
According to a statement released by the SDF, the mediation efforts by the U.S. failed to establish a permanent truce in Manbij-Kobani regions due to Turkey’s “evasion to accept key points,” including the safe transfer of civilians and Manbij fighters.
“Despite U.S. efforts to stop the war, Turkey and its mercenary militias have continued to escalate over the last period,” the SDF said.
A spokesperson for Turkey’s U.N. Mission did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“The re-eruption of tensions around Kobani underlines the extent to which Assad’s fall has ‘opened the gates’ for Turkey and its SNA proxies in northern Syria,” Charles Lister, director of the Syria and countering terrorism and extremism programs at the Middle East Institute (MEI), told Fox News Digital. “For the first time, they’re free to act without a green light from Assad or Russia.”
Anti-regime fighters stand on the roadside as displaced Syrian Kurds drive vehicles loaded with belongings on the Aleppo-Raqqa highway, fleeing Aleppo, on Dec. 2, 2024. (Rami Al Sayed/AFP via Getty Images)
The dynamic between the SDF and SNA forces, backed by Washington and Ankara, respectively, has long proved difficult to maneuver given that both the U.S. and Turkey are allies in NATO.
“After the loss of Tel Rifat and Manbij in recent weeks, the only possible obstacle to further SDF losses is the presence of U.S. troops – but Turkey’s role within NATO has always limited U.S. options,” Lister explained.
“[U.S. Central Command Gen. Michael’ Kurilla’s recent visit and the SDF’s willingness to cede Manbij spoke to the unprecedentedly isolated position the SDF currently faces,” he added in reference to a visit Kurilla made to Syria last week. “If the SDF is going to survive these challenges, it’s going to need to be extremely flexible, willing to concede on major issues, and rely heavily on U.S. diplomacy with Turkey.”
World
Family demands answers in death of young Black man in Mississippi
World
Gunfire shatters Toronto Latin street festival, leaving at least 2 dead and multiple wounded
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The Toronto Police Service is investigating after gunfire broke out Saturday night at a large Latin street festival in Midtown Toronto, leaving at least two people dead and four others wounded.
Police said they received reports of a shooting at St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue at 8:12 p.m. local time and discovered an active shooter situation.
First responders found six people suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
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It is unclear what led to the shooting, and authorities said suspect(s) are still “outstanding.” No arrests have been made as of Saturday evening, police said.
Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said during a news conference there seemed to be an “exchange of gunfire” between two individuals targeting each other.
“This is a very chaotic scene,” he said. “I think we had something in the neighborhood of 13,000 people participating in this festival.”
Police initially described the incident as an active shooter situation before later determining that was not the case.
Police officers stand guard at the site of a deadly shooting at a salsa-themed street festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Cole Burston)
“There was some concern of an active shooter. That turned out not to be the case,” Barredo said.
Barredo said authorities were managing three separate crime scenes connected to the shooting. Two firearms have been recovered, he added.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “horrified” by the shooting.
“My prayers are with the families grieving their loved ones, those who are in critical condition, and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event,” he said in a statement.
“My thanks to the police officers and other first responders whose courage and fast action prevented further tragedy,” he continued. “Police have my full support as they work to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Paramedics respond to an active shooter at the Salsa on St. Clair event in Toronto, Saturday. (Keito Newman/The Canadian Press via AP)
FOUR DEAD AND 29 SHOT IN CHICAGO WEEKEND VIOLENCE AS LEADERS TOUT CRIME PROGRESS
Following the shooting, the Toronto Transit Commission suspended train stops at the nearby St. Clair West station on Line 1 Yonge-University due to what officials described as a “security incident.”
Regular transit service has since resumed.
Authorities urged the public to avoid the area and follow all directives from police at the scene.
The TD Salsa on St. Clair Festival, Toronto’s biggest Latin culture celebration, was celebrating its 22nd annual event in Toronto’s Hillcrest Village.
Emergency Task Force vehicles and police officers are seen on the site of a shooting in Toronto on Saturday. (Jorge UZON / AFP via Getty Images)
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The Toronto Police Service told Fox News Digital no further information is available.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
World
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, architect of modern Qatar
Published On 12 Jul 2026
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former emir of Qatar who transformed the small Gulf state into one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential nations through its vast natural gas wealth and an ambitious programme of political, economic and social reforms, has died. He was 74.
A charismatic figure with a friendly demeanor, the father Emir assumed the reins of power in 1995. Regarded as the architect of modern Qatar, he embarked on forging development and reform plans and education programs.
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During his reign, Qatar’s GDP increased more than twenty-fourfold, while production from the North Field turned the country into the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2006. After four years, the small nation’s LNG production capacity reached 77 million tons per annum, according to government’s figure.
His tenure also saw the establishment of the Qatar Foundation, the launch of Al Jazeera News Channel in 1996, the promulgation of Qatar’s first permanent constitution in 2004 and the introduction of municipal elections in which women were granted the right to vote and stand as candidates. Under his leadership, the Gulf nation also adopted the Qatar National Vision 2030 and secured the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Doha in January 1952, Sheikh Hamad graduated from the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst before becoming commander of Qatar’s armed forces. He became heir apparent and defence minister in 1977, assumed power as emir on June 27, 1995, and handed over leadership to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on June 25, 2013.
“The future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner,” Sheikh Hamad said as he announced his abdication and the carefully crafted transition to his son, the British-educated crown prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then 33.
The peaceful, voluntary transfer of power was rare in a region where such change usually results from death or overthrow.
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