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Iran hands directors suspended jail terms over acclaimed film

An Iranian court has handed two Iranian film directors suspended jail terms over a film that angered authorities in the Islamic republic but was acclaimed in Europe and the United States, rights groups said on Thursday.Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha were convicted earlier this week by a Revolutionary Court for the film "My Favourite Cake", the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) and Dadban legal monitor said in separate statements.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iran hands directors suspended jail terms over acclaimed film

Gaza hospital hit as Israel intensifies assault

An Israeli air strike early Sunday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" operating within the facility.Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals, many of which have suffered severe damage in the ongoing hostilities.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Gaza hospital hit as Israel intensifies assault

Syrian forces deploy at key dam under deal with Kurds: media

Security forces from the new Islamist government in Damascus deployed Saturday around a strategic dam in northern Syria, under a deal with the autonomous Kurdish administration, state media reported.Under the agreement, Kurdish-led fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will pull back from the dam which they captured from the Islamic State group in late 2015.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Syrian forces deploy at key dam under deal with Kurds: media

Erdogan accuses Israel of seeking to 'dynamite' Syria 'revolution'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday accused Israel of sowing divisions in Syria in a bid to "dynamite" the "revolution" that toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad.Turkey is a key backer of Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition which ousted Assad in December. "Israel is trying to dynamite the December 8 revolution by stirring up ethnic and religious affiliations and turning minorities in Syria against the government," Erdogan told a diplomacy forum in the southern Mediterranean resort of Antalya.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Erdogan accuses Israel of seeking to 'dynamite' Syria 'revolution'