Iran Confirms Its Nuclear File Has Been Removed from the UN Security Council Agenda
ARK News.. Iran’s Parliament Speaker announced that the country’s nuclear file has been officially removed from the UN Security Council agenda under Clause 8 of Resolution 2231, which stipulates the continuation of lifting previous sanctions and recognizes Iran’s right to enrich uranium.
Speaking during a parliamentary session on Sunday, October 26, 2025, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibav said that Iran, along with Russia and China, had sent an official letter to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, rejecting the “legal validity” of the European Troika’s (Britain, France, Germany) attempt to activate the “snapback” mechanism to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.
Ghalibav added that this joint position represents a strategic show of solidarity among three major powers in the face of Western pressure.
He further emphasized that “the era of American unipolarity has ended,” calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to adhere to the provisions of its December 2015 Board of Governors resolution.
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An Israeli military force penetrates several villages in the Quneitra countryside.
ARK News.. The Syrian-Israeli border near the Golan Heights witnessed extensive Israeli military activity on Saturday, October 25, 2025, involving ground incursions and the establishment of temporary checkpoints, though no direct clashes or arrests were reported.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an Israeli military force consisting of five four-wheel-drive vehicles advanced from the village of al-Ashah toward the al-Rabi‘a neighborhood and nearby farmlands north of al-Rafid and Ain al-Abd in southern Quneitra countryside, before proceeding toward the Tel Ahmar West base, amid heavy drone activity over the area.
Simultaneously, two tanks entered al-Hamidiya in central Quneitra, accompanied by a broad military alert in the surrounding positions. In another maneuver, three tanks and several military vehicles moved near the old al-Suqri checkpoint at the start of the Peace Highway, advancing from the destroyed Quneitra base, while four additional tanks advanced toward al-Samadaniya, escorted by armored vehicles.
Elsewhere, Israeli forces set up a temporary checkpoint on the road between Turanja and Hader in northern Quneitra, as Israeli helicopters conducted intensive overflights.
Israeli troops and two military vehicles also moved from Tel Ahmar West toward Tel Ahmar East, marking a visible escalation of field activity along the Syrian contact lines, though no civilian confrontations were reported.
In a separate development, Israeli forces established another temporary checkpoint between Jabba and Khan Arnaba, where they conducted ID inspections and fired illumination flares over the al-Suqri area on Jabba’s outskirts, seizing several civilian motorcycles under heavy surveillance drone activity.
Later in the day, six Israeli military vehicles advanced near Tel Kroum in central Quneitra, as field mobilizations continued along the border strip. No direct clashes or attacks were reported.
These movements come amid a notable escalation of Israeli military activity in recent weeks, with incursions now occurring almost daily along Syria’s southern border—indicating a growing push to consolidate Israel’s field presence inside Syrian territory.
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Once Again, Protesters in Suwayda Demand the Right to Self-Determination
ARK News.. Dozens of citizens in Suwayda organized a protest calling for the right to self-determination and the disclosure of the fate of missing and abducted men and women.
According to local sources, demonstrators gathered on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in al-Karama Square in the city of Suwayda, demanding the liberation of villages and towns in the northern and western countryside from armed groups affiliated with the Syrian transitional government.
The same sources reported that the protest banners carried messages urging influential international powers to pressure the Syrian transitional government to allow displaced residents to return to their homes, protect minorities across Syrian territories, and work toward building a democratic state.
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The Kurdish National Council issues a statement on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of its founding.
ARK News.. On the occasion of its 14th founding anniversary, the Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC) reaffirmed its commitment to the outcomes of the Kurdish Unity and Common Stance Conference and to the Joint Kurdish Delegation formed from it, praising the substantial support extended by President Masoud Barzani, whose backing made the event a historic milestone in the process of Kurdish unity.
In its statement dated October 25, 2025, the KNC called on Syria’s Transitional Administration to refrain from exclusionary and marginalizing policies, and instead adopt a constructive approach to dialogue with all national, ethnic, political, and societal components — ensuring broad participation in national decision-making and the reconstruction process.
The Council also urged amendments to the Constitutional Declaration to guarantee greater freedoms and rights, including the recognition of the Kurdish people's rights.
Full Text of the Statement:
On October 26, 2025, the Kurdish National Council in Syria marks the 14th anniversary of its establishment — a founding moment born out of an urgent national and Kurdish necessity during a decisive period in Syria’s history, when the Syrian people of all components rose up against an authoritarian regime that inflicted suffering and humiliation upon its citizens and targeted the Kurdish people through racist and discriminatory policies. In response to these developments, the First Kurdish National Congress was held on October 26, 2011, giving birth to the Kurdish National Council in Syria as a political alliance that brought together most Kurdish parties at the time, along with civic, cultural, women’s, and youth organizations. The Council adopted peaceful and democratic means of struggle to achieve its vision and program, which viewed a political solution as the only path out of the cycle of violence and toward the end of authoritarian rule. From its inception, the KNC has advocated for a democratic, decentralized, and pluralistic Syria — one that recognizes the national rights of the Kurdish people and the rights of all other components of the country within a constitution founded on equality, justice, and mutual respect.
Throughout its struggle as an active part of the Syrian national opposition, the Council has carried forward its vision of a political solution, insisting that the Kurdish question is an essential and integral part of the national agenda — a democratic and national issue at the heart of Syria’s future. Through participation in regional and international forums, conferences, and committees dealing with the Syrian file, the KNC succeeded to a large extent in bringing the Kurdish issue in Syria to national and international attention, stressing that resolving the Kurdish question is key to building the new Syria as a democratic, pluralistic, and decentralized state for all its citizens. As the former regime deepened its policies of violence, hatred, and division among Syrians, the KNC worked to preserve civil peace and strengthen the culture of coexistence among Syria’s diverse communities.
Together with its partners in the Peace and Freedom Front, the Council reaffirmed its rejection of all forms of incitement and discrimination, calling for the promotion of fraternity and national partnership. Since its founding, the KNC has served as a unifying framework for the Kurdish political movement and a genuine representative of the Kurdish people’s aspirations. It has consistently sought to unify Kurdish ranks and positions in the face of the immense challenges confronting Syria and the Kurdish regions in particular.
These efforts culminated in the Kurdish Unity and Common Stance Conference, held in Qamishlo on April 26, 2025, with the strong support of President Masoud Barzani. The Council expressed pride in its role in this landmark event and reaffirmed its full commitment to its outcomes, emphasizing the importance of enabling the joint Kurdish delegation to fulfill its mission through responsible national dialogue with the Transitional Authority in Syria.
The statement noted that the Syrian people’s struggle, backed by international support and the efforts of friends of the Syrian cause, resulted in the fall of the authoritarian regime and its disgraceful flight on December 8, 2024. Syrians welcomed this turning point with hope for a new era free from oppression and pain. However, despite the passage of several months, many Syrians continue to seek security, stability, and the realization of the rights for which they have long struggled.
Accordingly, the KNC called on the Transitional Administration to abandon exclusionary policies and embrace a comprehensive national dialogue with all political and social components, urging a genuine inclusion in decision-making and reconstruction efforts. The Council reiterated the need to amend the Constitutional Declaration to ensure wider freedoms and rights — including those of the Kurdish people — and affirmed its readiness to contribute positively to the current transitional phase and the shaping of a comprehensive national project that safeguards Syria’s unity and guarantees justice, dignity, and rights for all its citizens.
On this occasion, marking the 14th anniversary of its founding, the Kurdish National Council extended its greetings to the Kurdish people and to all Syrians, reaffirming its steadfast commitment to peaceful and democratic struggle for a decentralized, pluralistic, and democratic Syria, where all its citizens may live together in harmony and peace.
The statement concluded by honoring the martyrs of the Kurdish people and the martyrs of the Syrian revolution, whose sacrifices remain forever alive in the memory and conscience of their people.
October 25, 2025
Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC)
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Israel Thwarts Attempt to Smuggle Weapons Between Syria and Lebanon
ARK News.. The Israeli army announced that it had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons from Syrian territory into Lebanon, near the summit of Mount Hermon, and confirmed the arrest of several suspects involved in the operation.
Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli army, stated that troops from the “Mountain Brigade”, in cooperation with Unit 504, detained several individuals who were attempting to transfer weapons from Syria into Lebanon across the Mount Hermon area on the Syrian side.
Adraee added that during the operation, the forces detected suspicious movements and acted immediately to arrest the suspects, confiscating the weapons that were being smuggled. The detainees were transferred for further investigation, he noted.
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The Wall Street Journal: ISIS Changes Its Tactics, Becomes Active Again in Syria
ARK News.. The Wall Street Journal has revealed that the Islamic State (ISIS) has intensified its attacks in northeastern Syria throughout 2025, taking advantage of the reduced U.S. military presence and the instability following recent political changes in the country.
According to the newspaper’s sources, the withdrawal of U.S. forces has “emboldened ISIS,” with the group’s militants carrying out more frequent operations as civilians increasingly complain about the deteriorating security situation in northeastern Syria.
The report stated that since April 2025, the United States began withdrawing 500 of its roughly 2,000 troops from Syria, most of them from Deir Ez-Zour, while several bases have been handed over to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The paper noted that ISIS has shifted its combat tactics, now operating through small, independent cells of no more than five fighters each. These cells often function within a single city without knowing or coordinating with other units, making them harder to track.
Moreover, ISIS fighters no longer wear military uniforms or display black flags as they once did, instead blending into the local population, particularly as most of them are Syrian nationals.
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Israeli Artillery Shells Land Near a Town in Western Daraa Countryside
ARK News.. A Syrian human rights source reported that Israeli army artillery shells landed near a town in the western countryside of Daraa.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, three artillery shells fired by the Israeli army fell late Wednesday night, October 22, 2025, in the vicinity of Koya town in western Daraa.
The shells were launched from the “Al-Jazeera Barracks,” where Israeli forces are stationed in Quneitra Governorate. No human casualties or material damage were reported.
The Observatory added that Israeli forces fired several artillery rounds from the Tel al-Ahmar al-Gharbi base located in the town of Kodna in Quneitra countryside, as part of large-scale military maneuvers the Israeli army recently launched in the Golan Heights.
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UN Calls for Broader and Faster Lifting of Sanctions on Syria
ARK News.. The United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, stated that the Syrian parliamentary elections were conducted in an orderly and sound environment.
Speaking at a UN Security Council session on Syria, Rochdi emphasized the need to lift sanctions on a wider and faster scale to give the transitional phase a genuine chance to succeed.
For his part, U.S. Representative to the Security Council Mike Waltz expressed his country’s support for Syria’s efforts to strengthen relations with neighboring states and to make the most of President Donald Trump’s decision to ease sanctions.
Waltz added: “We call on the Security Council to support efforts aimed at reducing UN sanctions on Syria to ensure the well-being of the Syrian people and to give the country a fair opportunity to achieve the desired development.”
He affirmed that the United States will continue to work with Syria to prevent the resurgence of terrorism and ISIS, and to support the return of displaced persons and refugees to their homeland.
Meanwhile, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Ulabi, said the country is entering a new phase of active political participation and engagement, noting that the Syrian government has granted the International Commission of Inquiry unrestricted access to Suwayda Governorate.
Ulabi also highlighted the government’s continued efforts to combat narcotics, stressing that the previous regime had used the drug trade to destabilize the region’s peoples.
He reaffirmed Syria’s ongoing regional and international cooperation in counter terrorism, which he said “reflects Syria’s commitment not to be a source of threat to any nation in the world.”
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Kurdistan Region Implements 87.5% of International Human Rights Recommendations
ARK News.. The Coordinator for International Recommendations in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced that 87.5% of international human rights recommendations have been implemented under the KRG’s 2021–2025 Human Rights Action Plan.
The announcement came during a forum held in Erbil on Thursday, October 23, 2025, dedicated to reviewing the implementation results of the KRG Human Rights Plan (2021–2025). The event was attended by representatives of government institutions, international organizations, members of the Human Rights Forum, and the International Human Rights Council.
Dindar Zibari, the KRG Coordinator for International Recommendations, stated that the plan’s main achievements included the appointment of 47 representatives from ministries and related institutions, submission of 109 reports to international bodies, and the issuance of over 175 statements explaining KRG policies on governance and human rights.
He added that the office also prepared 10 analytical reports assessing progress, and organized 12 training sessions and workshops with government agencies, consulates, and UN bodies.
According to Zibari, the office played a central role in evaluating 364 recommendations submitted by 96 countries during the 18th Universal Periodic Review (UPR). He also highlighted the UN’s key role in ensuring that the KRG’s perspectives, challenges, and achievements were reflected in Iraq’s national position.
Regarding specific fields, Zibari noted that:
• 84% of recommendations on counter terrorism were implemented,
• 75% of anti-corruption recommendations were fulfilled,
• 83.3% of recommendations on the right to live in a clean environment were achieved,
• 80% of recommendations on internally displaced persons (IDPs) were implemented,
• 53 recommendations on drug and narcotics control were completed, while 73.7% are still in progress.
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Kurdistan Region President Receives Turkish Ambassador to Iraq
ARK News.. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received Anil Bora Inan, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Iraq, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed relations between Turkey, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region, as well as the water issue between Turkey and Iraq, the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, and the future of the political process and internal situation in both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Both sides stressed the importance of strengthening Turkey’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, particularly in the economic sphere.
They described the resumption of Kurdistan Region oil exports as a positive step for the overall Iraqi economy and exchanged views on cultural and social ties between both sides.
The meeting also addressed recent regional developments and several issues of shared interest, with the Turkish Consul General in the Kurdistan Region in attendance.
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