Bashar al-Assad

Islamist-Led Rebels Advance Towards Damascus

Rebels on a lightning advance through Syria said they were nearing Damascus on Saturday, although Bashar al-Assad's government denied that the army had withdrawn from areas around the capital. "Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital," said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the Islamist-led alliance ...

Syria: Despite Assad's Appeal, Russian and Iranian Support Remains Shy

As Islamist rebel forces from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) approach the city of Homs, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad desperately needs the help of his Russian and Iranian allies. However, Moscow and Tehran's military resources are already stretched thin due to the war in Ukraine and numerous conflicts in the Middle East. According to experts ...

Syria: UN Chief Decries 'Collective Failure' as Turkey Urges Political Solution to Conflict

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Thursday that the escalating conflict in Syria is the result of a "chronic collective failure" of diplomacy, as he called for an end to fighting. After being dormant for years, the Syrian civil war exploded back into life last week as Islamist-led rebels launched an offensive against the forces of ...

OPCW Concerned Over Syria's 'Large Quantities' of Chemical Weapons

The world's chemical watchdog said Monday that it was "seriously concerned" by large gaps in Syria's declaration about its chemical weapons stockpile, as large quantities of potentially banned warfare agents might be involved. Syria agreed in 2013 to join the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, shortly after an ...

From Uprising to Collapse: 13 Years of Conflict in Syria

On March 15, 2011, Syrians took to the streets in protest against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. Thirteen years later, the country remains embroiled in a deep crisis, caught in an unending conflict. On this occasion, we have the opportunity to interview Fabrice Balanche, author of Les Leçons de la crise syrienne (Odile Jacob).