Heavy rain, thunder, lightning as storm sweeps into Oman

September 5, 2015

Muscat, Sep 5: At least two people died and three others were missing as rains lashed northern parts of Oman on Friday afternoon.

The provinces of Muscat, Samayil, Amerat, Rustaq, Buraimi, Bahla, Ibri, Yanqul and Dhank were hit by heavy hailstorm which lasted for more than two hours.

An Omani woman and her housemaid died when their vehicle was swept away by flood waters in wadi Huqain of Rustaq province, according to the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA). The woman’s husband and son are still missing.

Rain in the provinces of Rustq, Dima wa Tayeen and Ibra flooded the nearby wadis and led to the closure of several roads.

The provinces of Bahla and Nizwa witnessed light rainfall.

Several low-lying areas in the provinces of Muscat, Nizwa, Hamra, Suwaiq, Sohar and Saham were flooded.

Another national was reported missing after he was swept away in Mutrah wadi.

In Muscat the flooding caused huge disruptions in traffic and caused hit capital’s roads like Sultan Qaboos road and Muscat Expressway.

Officials said traffic was still paralysed hours after the rain as many streets in the capital were submerged.

Gigantic rocks fell on Bausher Amerat road leading to the closure of the road for hours. Several trees were uprooted by the accompanying strong winds in Muscat.

Damage in properties were reported in Muscat. Flood waters entered houses and swept away vehicles in Hamriyah and Ruwi.

Water also entered some shops and houses in Muscat Grand Mall in Baushar province and Hamriyah area of Mutrah province.

More rain is expected in the northern part of Oman’s Hajar mountain range, according to Oman’s meteorology centre.

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) are advising residents to take precaution during the rains.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Muscat and Seeb were hovering between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius on Friday.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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