SANA - Syrian Arab News Agency

Washington, March 8 (SANA) U.S. Central Command said Sunday that claims Iran had detained American soldiers were “false,” describing them as part of a “disinformation campaign” by Tehran.

Reuters quoted U.S. Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins as saying: “The Iranian regime is doing its best to spread disinformation, and this is yet another clear example of that.”

The U.S. denial came after Iranian National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani posted on the X platform that he had received reports of several American soldiers being captured.

The statements come amid ongoing military conflict since February 28 involving the United States and Israel and Iran, as well as Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting countries in the Arabian Gulf region, Jordan and Iraq.

Damascus, March 8 (SANA) Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union Delegation to Syria Michael Ohnmacht affirmed on International Women’s Day the EU’s support for Syrian women and its solidarity with them.

In a post on X, Ohnmacht said: “Today, on International Women’s Day, we celebrate the Syrian woman who has contributed to shaping her country’s history and forging its future. The European Union stands with women and girls in Syria, supporting their empowerment and promoting their full participation in society and decision-making.”

International Women’s Day is celebrated globally on March 8 each year in recognition of women’s achievements in economic, political, and social spheres.

N.J

Washington, March 8 (SANA) U.S. President Donald Trump said he is currently not interested in negotiating with Iran, suggesting that the United States may target senior Iranian military leaders if tensions continue to escalate.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One in remarks carried by Reuters, Trump said Sunday that the ongoing air campaign could render any negotiations “meaningless” if the Iranian leadership is eliminated and the Iranian military is destroyed.

He added, “At some point, there may be no one left to say, ‘We surrender.’”

Last Friday, Trump said that there would be no agreement with Tehran unless it surrendered unconditionally, indicating that the United States and its allies were prepared to support Iran economically if it accepted this, including installing what he described as a “competent and acceptable leader.”

Since Feb. 28, the region has seen significant military escalation, with the United States and Israel launching continuous attacks on sites inside Iran, while Tehran has responded by launching missiles and drones toward Israel, in addition to drone and missile attacks targeting Arab and regional countries.

Damascus, March 8 (SANA) Behind bars, the defunct Syrian regime showed no respect for the sanctity of Ramadan, subjecting detainees to severe psychological abuse during exhausting fasts and extreme hunger. Former detainees said they were forced to endure spoiled food and contaminated water, while even their most basic rights to worship were denied.

Testimonies from former detainees under the ousted regime, obtained by SANA, reveal harsh suffering, as prison guards turned the holy month into a period marked by humiliation and oppression, far removed from the spirituality and higher purposes of Ramadan as a symbol of mercy, tranquility, and piety.

An Exhausting Fast

Assaad al-Mohammed, a mosque imam who spent several years in Saydnaya Prison, described the difficulty of fasting in detention due to poor food quality and irregular meal schedules.

“Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal) was not served at the usual time before dawn, but rather close to sunset,” he said, explaining that detainees went many hours without food, which intensified the hardship of fasting.

“The situation resembled a form of psychological and physical torture at once,” he added.

Harsh Iftar Meals

Mariam al-Ali, a former detainee at the Palestine Branch detention facility, said the meal used to break the fast was essentially a “lunch portion” and extremely meager.

The barley bread provided was often “moldy,” she said, accompanied only by small amounts of rice or bulgur cooked in water. Drinking water was foul-tasting and malodorous, further compounding detainees’ suffering.

Despite severe hunger and thirst, no suhoor meal was provided.

Strict Penalties and Harsh Treatment

Ahmed Mohammed Banyan, who was detained in several facilities including the Palestine Branch and Saydnaya Prison, said prison authorities imposed harsher penalties on detainees during Ramadan.

Meals were consistently reduced, he said. Iftar sometimes consisted of just five olives, while bread rations were noticeably cut and left for hours before distribution.

Regarding religious observance, Banyan said prison authorities banned congregational prayer and even punished detainees for gathering to pray.

“We were forced to pray under blankets or in isolated corners, fearing discovery by guards,” he said.

Calculating Iftar and Fasting Times

Former Saydnaya detainee Ahmed al-Hamad explained that in underground cells, detainees had to estimate iftar time by adding roughly four hours to the lunch meal, which was typically served around 3:00 p.m.

Everything was approximate, he said, noting that suhoor was prohibited and punishable.

Violation of International Human Rights Law

Al-Mu’tasim Billah al-Kailani, a researcher in international law, told SANA that the defunct regime’s practices in prisons during Ramadan constituted clear violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Denying detainees’ right to practice their religion, contravenes Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, he said.

It also conflicts with Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Rule 65 of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which guarantee detainees the right to religious practice.

Al-Kailani added that starving detainees and denying them adequate food, particularly during fasting hours, may constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment prohibited under Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention Against Torture.

He also cited violations of Rule 22 of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which obligates authorities to provide detainees with adequate food and clean water.

Such abuses, including starvation, mistreatment, and denial of religious rites, could amount to crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, he said.

For decades under the defunct regime, more than 100 prisons and detention centers, along with dozens of security branches and interrogation facilities, operated as closed spaces controlled by security apparatuses that practiced repression, torture, and persecution of citizens without clear charges or due process.

These detention sites became symbols of a dark period during which justice was absent and human dignity was stripped away behind prison walls.