This is Beirut, 13/12 13:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Where should the crown be placed? In the courtyard of the Marist Brothers in Aleppo, one of the eleven Christian communities in Syria’s second city (northwest), the question that is sparking debates is about the Christmas tree. Just days after their swift conquest of power in Damascus on December 8, the new rulers of the country, former ...
This is Beirut, 13/12 12:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
The leader of the Islamist-dominated armed coalition that seized power in Syria on Friday called on residents to take to the streets en masse to celebrate the "victory of the revolution." In a video, Abou Mohammad al-Jolani, now using his real name, Ahmad al-Chareh, "congratulated the Syrian people on the revolution’s victory" and urged the ...
This is Beirut, 13/12 10:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
G7 leaders will attempt Friday to forge a common approach to the new government of Syria, which has pledged to protect the rule of law after years of abuses under ousted president Bashar al-Assad. Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and its allies, which brought a sudden end to ...
This is Beirut, 12/12 22:40 - Reading : less than a minute
Turkey has named a new chief-of-mission to its long-closed embassy in Damascus, which it has pledged to reopen following the overthrow of strongman Bashar al-Assad, the Anadolou news agency said Thursday. Burhan Koroglu was named as Turkey's temporary charge d'affaires at its embassy, Anadolou said, quoting foreign ministry sources who did not ...
Elie Ziadé, 12/12 20:19 - Reading : less than a minute
Damascus Economy Syria Businesses
Commercial activity is picking up vigorously in the central markets of Damascus, where shops have reopened and are once again attracting customers. However, the recovery remains more hesitant in Christian neighborhoods like Bab Touma. Political uncertainty and a fragile economic situation are holding back merchants, who are still reluctant to ...
This is Beirut, 12/12 19:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus HTS Baath Syria Bashar al-Assad
Maher Semsmieh turned in his rifle on Thursday at an office of Syria's Baath party, more than 60 years after its oppressive rule in Syria began, and days after it ended. "We are no longer Baathists," Semsmieh, 43, said with a smile of relief, four days after Islamist-led rebels toppled the Baathist government of president Bashar al-Assad. "We ...
This is Beirut, 12/12 12:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Iran must face new "realities" in Syria following the regime's fall, said Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, on Thursday. Iran had been a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia. For decades, Syria has been a cornerstone of the land bridge between Iran and Hezbollah, a member of its anti-Israeli "axis of ...
Maurice Matta, 12/12 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Banks Beirut Port Damascus Hezbollah Middle East
Syrian presence in Lebanon dates back to 1976, a year after the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war. Syrian forces entered Lebanon as part of the Arab Deterrent Forces, and the Syrian government successfully cemented its presence. This was later consolidated by the Arab League mandate under the Taif Agreement, signed on October 22, 1989, which ...
This is Beirut, 12/12 09:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Riyad Avlar spent 20 years languishing in Syria's jails, including a decade in the infamous Saydnaya prison, the scene of some of the Bashar al-Assad government's most brutal abuses. Those long years behind bars have left him with one obsession: documenting and healing the atrocities committed inside the prison where he himself was locked up. "I ...
Marc Saikali, 12/12 07:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Bachar el-Assad Democracy Morocco Iraq syria
The Assad family, more accurately known by the name "Al-Wahesh" (the savage), has surpassed all limits of hatred and brutality. After the dictator and his cronies fled, the world, horrified, discovered the full extent of the crimes against humanity that had been the norm in a country left in ruins. In Lebanon, we have long known, through our own ...
Elie Ziadé, 11/12 22:50 - Reading : less than a minute
Damascus Bachar el-Assad Christians Revolution
However, in Bab Touma, a district with a strong Christian majority in the eastern part of Old Damascus, a sense of apprehension and waiting prevails in the almost deserted streets. Most shops and churches remain closed, awaiting a stabilization of the political and military situation. This is Beirut spoke to the residents of this neighborhood, ...
Elie Ziadé, 11/12 22:25 - Reading : less than a minute
Father Siraj Dib, a Maronite priest of the Archdiocese of Damascus, shares a powerful testimony about the situation of Christians in the Syrian capital after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In this exclusive interview, he reflects on the liberation of Syria, the hopes and fears of the residents of Bab Touma and the uncertainty surrounding ...