On Tuesday, Japan announced the lifting of asset freezing measures and other restrictions on 16 Syrian parties, including the Ministries of Defense and Interior, while maintaining the sanctions imposed on 59 people, including the head of the former regime, Bashar al-Assad, and 15 entities associated with him.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, in a statement published on the “X” platform, that “the government decided, in light of developments related to Syria and bilateral relations between the two countries, to lift the freeze on the entities included in the decision, provided that the measure enters into force according to a notice issued by the ministry today” Tuesday.
According to the Foreign Ministry’s statement, the entities included in the decision include: “Syriatel”, “Military Housing Corporation”, “Real Estate Bank”, “Political Security Administration”, “Syrian Commercial Bank”, “Syrian-Lebanese Commercial Bank”, “Syrian Oil Trading Company (Sytrol)”, “General Petroleum Corporation”, “Syrian Oil Company”, and “Syrian Oil Transport Company”. Oil, the General Corporation for Radio and Television, the International Islamic Bank of Syria, the Ministries of Defense and Interior, the Cotton Marketing Corporation, and the Fuel Company.
The Japanese measures stipulate that payments and financial transfers related to entities and persons listed on the sanctions lists are subject to prior approval from the Japanese Ministries of Finance and Economy and Trade and Industry, in accordance with the “Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law.”
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) noted that since 2011, Japan had imposed measures to freeze the assets of Syrian parties, and other restrictions, against the backdrop of the war launched by the former regime against the Syrian people, and on May 30, 2025, it lifted the freeze on 4 Syrian banks, namely: “Industrial”, “Popular Credit”, “Savings”, and “Agricultural”. "Cooperative", within the framework of reviewing these measures after the fall of the former regime.
The Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, vowed to burn the body of Yahya Sinwar, head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, who was killed in sudden clashes in the city of Rafah in October 2024, with an Israeli force that was carrying out military operations in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood.
Ben Gvir said in a tweet on the “X” platform: “When I become Minister of Defense in the next government, I will burn the bodies of Sinwar and the October 7 terrorists.” He commented on a photo he posted of himself with Yahya Al-Sinwar, and a lifeless body behind them with a gallows, saying: “This is the moral, correct and just action... for the sake of our sacred brothers and sisters who were killed, raped and slaughtered in the horrific massacre on October 7.”
The various Hebrew media outlets did not stop much at Ben Gvir’s tweet, which came within the framework of the election campaign, and coincided with his continued storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday, and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron on Tuesday, accompanied by hundreds of settlers who stormed the two mosques in large numbers on the occasion of the Jewish “Throne Day.”
Ben Gvir, who appeared yesterday performing Talmudic dances and prayers in Al-Aqsa, and today in Al-Ibrahimi, claimed that he was subjected to about 11 assassination attempts as a result of his policies aimed at restraining the Palestinians, in reference to repeated announcements from Israeli intelligence to thwart attacks by Palestinians who were in the early stages of planning to assassinate him.
Two days ago, Ben Gvir appeared in a video clip, accompanied by the Israeli repressive forces, storming an Israeli prison containing the prisoner Hassan Salama, one of the historical leaders of the “Al-Qassam Brigades,” the armed wing of the “Hamas” movement, and one of Sinwar’s comrades. He threatened him with death and execution, which sparked widespread Palestinian criticism in light of the repetition of this scene, which was repeated previously with the prominent leader of “Fatah,” Marwan Barghouti.
In an interview with the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday morning, Ben Gvir said that he aspires to be Minister of Defense in the next government, and that he will lead a different change based on decisiveness, not containment, indicating that this is what the people of Israel want.
Ben Gvir held the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, responsible for the failure and failure of the “October 7, 2023” attack, accusing at the same time the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Herzi Halevy, and the head of the General Security Agency (Shin Bet), Ronen Bar, of misleading Netanyahu and not providing him with sufficient information about the intelligence they had about Hamas’ intentions.
Ben Gvir said about Netanyahu: “I also have criticisms of him, and that is why I am in the (Jewish Power) party and not in (Likud)... Before October I presented a different vision for Gaza, but it was met with disdain from senior officials... They despised me as Minister of National Security, and Netanyahu also belittled me and said that professionals say that nothing will happen from Gaza, and that was only a week before October 7.”
Ben Gvir also responded to accusations directed at Netanyahu regarding the transfer of millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip, indicating that the decision at that time was not made within the framework of the government or the mini-council (cabinet), and that if it had been at that time, he would have turned the tables and rejected such a decision, pointing out that he had previously resigned from the previous government after being dissatisfied with some of its decisions, saying: “In the end, it turned out that I was right in everything I said, and no one believed me and no one listened to me.”
Ben Gvir appeared on the twenty-second of this month, in a press conference, during which he confirmed that he would demand in the next government to assume the position of Minister of Defense, as he is a person who is not captive to any concept, and that he is a person who comes from outside the military institution.
He pointed out that the ministry he is currently responsible for (National Security) will remain in the hands of his party and will be led by a minister from his party.
Ben Gvir presented his security vision for the next government, based on encouraging voluntary migration of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank.
