This is Beirut - Damascus

US-Brokered Israel-Syria Security Deal Possible in September?

Mario Chartouni, 26/08 17:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The Trump administration is working to secure a preliminary security agreement between Tel Aviv and Damascus ahead of the UN General Assembly in September, according to Israel National News. A source close to the talks said there is “a real possibility of reaching security arrangements” by then. Ongoing Talks and Key Players Syria’s ...

Israel Strike on Syria Kills One

This is Beirut, 26/08 13:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Israel syria

An Israeli strike killed a man in southern Syria, state media reported Tuesday, a day after a new Israeli incursion in the area drew condemnation from Damascus. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since an Islamist-led alliance toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. It has also opened talks with the interim ...

Damascus Says Drug Smuggling Foiled Near Lebanese Border

This is Beirut, 25/08 19:55 - Reading : less than a minute

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According to the Syrian Interior Ministry, security forces on Monday foiled an attempt to smuggle a large quantity of narcotics from Lebanon into the Zabadani area, close to the Syrian-Lebanese border. The ministry said that the shipment was intercepted before reaching its destination but did not disclose details about the type or amount of drugs ...

Sharaa: 'Lebanon Must Benefit from Syria’s Revival, or It Will Lose a Lot'

This is Beirut, 24/08 23:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Sunday that he seeks “a state-to-state relationship with Lebanon, based on economic solutions, stability and common interest, away from the interventions and policies that harmed both sides in the past.” “The Syria I see today is a major opportunity for Lebanon, and the Lebanese ...

Syria Kurds Say Lawmaker Selection Process Undemocratic

This is Beirut, 24/08 11:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Syria's Kurds on Sunday criticised the upcoming selection of members of a new transitional parliament as undemocratic, after authorities postponed the process for Kurdish-controlled areas in the north and northeast. After toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria's new authorities dissolved the parliament and adopted a temporary ...

Suicide Bombing Kills Syria Police Officer: State Media

This is Beirut, 22/08 20:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus IS

A suicide attack on Friday at a security checkpoint in Syria's east killed one police officer, state media said, blaming the bombing on the Islamic State group (IS). A second would-be assailant was killed by security forces, the official news agency SANA reported. "A suicide bomber of the terrorist organisation Daesh attacked the Siyasiyeh ...

Sweida at the Center of Damascus-Tel Aviv Talks in Paris

Soumia Benmerzoug, 20/08 20:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Syria and Israel resumed direct dialogue on Tuesday in Paris. Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Chaibani met with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer to explore ways to stabilize southern Syria, which has been rocked by violent clashes in recent weeks. This marks the second direct meeting between the two countries in less than a ...

Syrian, Israeli Diplomats Met in Paris to Discuss De-Escalation: Syrian State Media

This is Beirut, 20/08 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Syria's foreign minister met with an Israeli delegation in Paris to discuss de-escalation and the situation in Druze-majority Sweida province after deadly sectarian violence last month, state media reported Wednesday. State news agency SANA said late Tuesday that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister ...

Syrian President Says Unifying Country 'Should Not Be With Blood'

This is Beirut, 17/08 11:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war "should not be with blood", rejecting any partition and accusing Israel of meddling in the south. His remarks, released by state TV on Sunday, came as hundreds demonstrated in south Syria's Sweida province, denouncing sectarian ...

Syria State Media Reports Car Blast in Damascus, No Casualties

This is Beirut, 16/08 21:30 - Reading : less than a minute

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Syrian state media said a car bomb exploded in Damascus on Saturday evening without causing casualties. "An explosion was heard in the Mazzeh area," state news agency SANA said, referring to an upscale area of Damascus also home to embassies and United Nations offices. State television said the blast was caused by "an explosive device planted ...

UN Commission Finds Violence Against Syria Alawites Likely Included 'War Crimes'

This is Beirut, 14/08 11:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus United Nations Alawites War

A UN commission investigating sectarian bloodshed in Syria's Alawite heartland documented systematic violence at the hands of government forces and allied groups, warning Thursday that some of the acts could constitute war crimes. The violence in March unfolded along Syria's predominantly Alawite Mediterranean coast, where security personnel ...

How Long Will Impunity Prevail in Syria?

Moncef Ait-Kaci, 12/08 18:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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In Sweida, the worst escalation in years erupted on July 12 after reciprocal kidnappings between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes spiraled into rapidly escalating armed clashes. The Syrian Army intervened but, according to the UN and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the fighting left more than 1,400 dead, mostly Druze civilians, and ...

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