STOCKHOLM: A Swedish court on Monday sentenced a 55-year-old man to life in jail for his role in war crimes during the Syrian civil war in 2012 and 2013.

The court found that the man was guilty of participating in a shooting against a peaceful protest in July 2012 in the Damascus suburb of Yarmouk, where several demonstrators were killed, it said in a statement.

It also found that he had served at a roadblock set up by the Syrian government in the same area from December 2012 to July 2013, where “a very large number of civilians” had been arrested and taken away to be tortured and in some cases killed.

According to the court, both offenses happened as part of the Syrian civil war, triggered by popular discontent with the rule of longtime leader Bashar Assad.

“The district court has found the offenses to be aggravated because they were directed at a large number of civilians and several people have died and been injured,” judge Hampus Lilja said, explaining this had warranted the life sentence.

The man, who denied the charges, was born in Yarmouk, left Syria in 2013 and was granted asylum in Sweden, according to court documents viewed by AFP.

He then gained Swedish citizenship in 2017.

The court noted that the trial had taken 54 days and that a large number of people had been called as both plaintiffs and witnesses.

Sweden has adopted a principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows it to try cases of serious crimes against international law regardless of where the offenses took place.

BAMAKO, MAY 4: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed 425 food baskets to internally displaced persons, families in need, and people with disabilities in the city of Djenné in the Republic of Mali, benefiting 2,550 individuals, as part of the food assistance distribution program in Mali for 2026.

This comes within the framework of the humanitarian and relief efforts provided by the Kingdom through its humanitarian arm, KSrelief, to support various brotherly and friendly countries.

BEIRUT, MAY 4: Lebanon’s army chief Gen Rodolphe Haykal held an emergency meeting with US General Joseph Clearfield, head of the US-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism, as Israeli strikes intensified across southern Lebanon.

The Saturday meeting in Beirut, described as “exceptional” by state media, focused on the security situation, regional developments, and ways to strengthen the mechanism overseeing the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Both sides stressed the importance of supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces at a critical moment, according to Lebanese state media. The army has faced criticism from US officials for what they see as insufficient action to disarm Hezbollah, while the US-led mechanism has come under fire for failing to halt Israeli breaches of the already fragile ceasefire.

On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered residents of at least 11 villages in southern Lebanon, instructing civilians to move to open areas. Lebanese state media reported the new forced displacement orders and a wave of attacks across the south earlier in the day, with at least three people killed.

The escalation comes despite the ceasefire and a parallel diplomatic push led by Washington. On Friday, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, reiterating US support for Lebanon and its state institutions.

Both Mr Aoun and Mr Salam stressed the need to consolidate the ceasefire, calling for a halt to attacks on civilians and infrastructure ahead of further meetings in Washington aimed at advancing the talks towards ending the state of war between the two countries.

According to Lebanese political sources, Israel is intensifying ceasefire breaches to increase leverage in these talks, particularly over security arrangements in the south and the future of Hezbollah’s weapons. Lebanese officials have signalled reluctance to move towards a direct political meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before a more durable ceasefire extended is secured.

The Lebanese military is seen as one of the country’s few functioning state institutions. However, it has historically avoided direct confrontation with Hezbollah, raising questions about whether it has the capacity or political mandate to forcibly disarm the group without risking internal conflict. Last year, the government instructed the army to disarm Hezbollah, starting in areas south of the Litani River before expanding to the rest of the country.

Hezbollah is a powerful military and political group in Lebanon. It has sustained its military capabilities despite a year of war with Israel that ended in November 2024. It has also refused to hand over its weapons. Observers have cautioned against cutting support for the Lebanese army, arguing it could undermine efforts to counter the group. The US has been tightening conditions on its military aid to Beirut over the disarmament impasse.

The ceasefire was announced following six weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which began after the group fired rockets at Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In response, Israel launched relentless bombardment across Lebanon, killing 2,000 people, including more than 170 children, according to Lebanese authorities.

The latest war is one of several conflicts that Hezbollah has fought against Israel, resulting in massive destruction in Lebanon. Experts argue the group would not voluntarily relinquish its arsenal unless directed by its patron, Iran. Analysts say the US role must extend well beyond brokering a pause in hostilities.

Mr Trump said that Iran will have to stop funding Hezbollah to secure a permanent ceasefire deal with the US. “Yeah, they’ll have to cut that,” Mr Trump told reporters on Thursday when asked about aiding the militant group. “That’s a must.”

YEREVAN, MAY 4: Europeans have “heard” US President Donald Trump’s message of frustration over the Iran war and are “stepping up”, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Monday after Washington announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.

“European leaders have gotten the message. They heard the message loud and clear,” Rutte said before talks with European leaders in Armenia, acknowledging “disappointment on the US side” faced with European allies’ resistance to joining the war.

“Europeans are stepping up, a bigger role for Europe and a stronger NATO,” Rutte insisted ahead of a European Political Community meeting dominated by the twin security threats posed by the Ukraine and Middle East wars.

“We have seen all these countries now participating with their bilateral agreements making sure that when it comes to basing requests and all the logistical support,” Rutte said.

The Pentagon troop move comes with transatlantic ties badly strained over the Middle East war — although German Chancellor Friedrich Merz insisted Sunday there was “no connection” with his recent spat with Trump over the conflict.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas called the announcement’s “timing” a “surprise”.

“There has been a talk about a withdrawal of US troops for a long time from Europe,” she told reporters in Yerevan. “But of course, the timing of this announcement comes as a surprise.”

“I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in NATO, and we have to really do more,” Kallas said, while stressing that “American troops are not in Europe only for protecting European interests, but also American interests.”

Europe has been ramping up its defense spending in the face of fears over Trump’s commitment to NATO and Russia’s assault on Ukraine — a push underscored by several leaders in the Armenian capital.

“Europeans are taking their destiny into their own hands, increasing their defense and security spending, and building their own common solutions,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

“We have to step up our military capabilities to be able to defend and protect ourselves,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.