This is Beirut - Damascus

US NGO Believes Missing Journalist Austin Tice 'Alive' in Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-24 13:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

US group Hostage Aid Worldwide said Tuesday that it believes journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012, is still alive, though it did not offer concrete information on his whereabouts. "We have data that Austin is alive till January 2024, but the president of the US said in August that he is alive, and we are sure that he is alive ...

Turkey Says over 25,0000 Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall

This is Beirut, 2024-12-24 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey Syria refugee

More than 25,000 Syrians have returned home from Turkey since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by Islamist-led HTS rebels, Turkey's interior minister said Tuesday. Turkey is home to nearly three million refugees who fled the civil war that broke out in 2011, and whose presence has been an issue for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. "The ...

Saudi Delegation Meets Syria's New Leader

This is Beirut, 2024-12-23 13:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Saudi Arabia syria meeting

A Saudi delegation has met Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, a source close to the government told AFP on Monday. The delegation joins a list of visitors to the Syrian capital since the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, led by Sharaa, spearheaded the toppling of president Bashar al-Assad on December 8. The "Saudi senior ...

Jordan Foreign Minister Hold Talks With Syria's New Leader

This is Beirut, 2024-12-23 12:58 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed his country's support for Syria's reconstruction in a meeting with its new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday, in the latest visit to Damascus by a high-profile delegation since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. It was the first trip to Syria by a senior Jordanian official since Assad's ...

Joumblatt Delivers 13-Point Memorandum to Al-Sharaa

This is Beirut, 2024-12-23 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Walid Jumblatt Ahmed al-Sharaa Lebanon

Following Sunday’s visit to Syria by the former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Joumblatt, a 13-point memorandum was submitted to Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa. The memorandum focuses on establishing “healthy and stable relations” between Beirut and Damascus. It also provides a potential roadmap for addressing ...

Iran Affirms Support for Syria's Sovereignty

This is Beirut, 2024-12-23 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Tehran Syria Iran

Iran affirmed its support for Syria's sovereignty on Monday, and said the country should not become "a haven for terrorism" after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, a longtime Tehran ally. "Our principled position on Syria is very clear: preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the people of Syria to decide on its future ...

Turkish FM Calls For Removal of Sanctions Imposed on Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-22 18:59 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey Syria HTS

International sanctions on Damascus must be lifted "as soon as possible" to allow Syria to get back on its feet and refugees to return home, Turkey's top diplomat said Sunday. "The sanctions imposed on the previous regime need to be lifted as soon as possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on a visit to ...

Al-Sharaa met Joumblatt, vows country will not negatively interfere in Lebanon

This is Beirut, 2024-12-22 13:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Lebanon Walid Jumblatt Ahmad al-Sharaa

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told Lebanese Druze leaders on Sunday that his country would not negatively interfere in Lebanon and would respect its neighbour's sovereignty. Syria will no longer exert "negative interference in Lebanon at all -- it respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories, the ...

US Drops Reward for Arrest of Syria's New Leader

This is Beirut, 2024-12-20 22:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus United States Syria Jolani HTS

A senior US diplomat told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday that Washington was scrapping a reward for his arrest and welcomed "positive messages" from their talks, including a promise to fight terrorism. Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, made the comments after her meeting with Sharaa in Damascus, the first ...

American Strike Killed Islamic State Group Leader in Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-20 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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American forces killed an Islamic State (IS) group leader and another of the group's members in a strike in Syria, the US military said on Friday. Washington has stepped up military action against the jihadist group since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government earlier this month, hitting areas that were shielded by Syrian and Russian air ...

US diplomats visit Syria to meet new rulers

This is Beirut, 2024-12-20 10:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Barbara Leaf Damascus Donald Trump United States

US diplomats have arrived in Syria to speak directly to the new rulers, hoping to encourage a moderate, inclusive path and to find clues on missing Americans, the State Department said Friday. It is the first formal US diplomatic mission to Damascus since the early days of the brutal civil war that broke out in 2011 and culminated in a surprise ...

Hundreds in Damascus Protest for Democracy, Women's Rights

This is Beirut, 2024-12-19 20:58 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Women's Rights Syria HTS

In Damascus's Ummayad Square, hundreds gathered Thursday, demanding a democratic state that includes women in public life, marking the first such demonstration since Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Women and men, young and old, chanted slogans including "No to religious rule", "God is for religion ...

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