This is Beirut, 11/12 09:45 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Syria's new transitional prime minister on Tuesday said it was time for "stability and calm" in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive. The rebels appointed Mohammad al-Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement ...
This is Beirut, 11/12 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
United States Donald Trump Syria HTS war
For more than a decade, the United States has sought to keep out of Syria's political debacle, seeing no viable partner. Islamist rebels' toppling of strongman Bashar al-Assad has forced a change of tune and a debate over just what US interests are. Donald Trump, who returns to the White House in little more than a month, on the eve of Assad's ...
This is Beirut, 10/12 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Qatari officials are in contact with the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the ouster of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, as well as other groups in Syria, an official briefed on the developments told AFP on Tuesday. "The Qataris have established the first channel of communication with HTS. Communication with HTS ...
Paul Guillot, 10/12 11:13 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria Bachar al-Assad HTS Civil War Iran Turkey Russia
2011: The winds of the Arab Spring reach Syria. Peaceful protests erupt in Deraa, as the people call for reforms and justice. Bashar al-Assad's regime responds swiftly and brutally. The crackdown is bloody, and anger becomes the driving force of the protesters. The demonstrations spread across the country like wildfire. This marks the beginning of ...
This is Beirut, 10/12 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria's Islamist rebel leader said Tuesday that the incoming authorities will announce a list of former senior officials "involved in torturing the Syrian people". "We will offer rewards to anyone who provides information about senior army and security officers involved in war crimes," rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name ...
This is Beirut, 09/12 20:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani met with caretaker Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali and discussed the "transfer of power", the rebels said Monday, a day after toppling president Bashar al-Assad. Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, met Jalali "to coordinate a transfer of power that guarantees the provision of ...
This is Beirut, 09/12 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
European Union Germany HTS Syria Bachar el-Assad
Germany said on Monday it would judge Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the offensive to oust president Bashar al-Assad, by the actions it takes in government. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would "certainly play a role in the future of Syria", foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press ...
This is Beirut, 08/12 22:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Syria's rebel leader hailed a "historic" victory Sunday from a landmark Damascus mosque after his Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group headed a lightning offensive, snatching the capital from government control in less than two weeks. His speech came as Syria's president Bashar al-Assad fled -- for Moscow according to Russian news agencies -- ...
This is Beirut, 08/12 08:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria Iran war HTS Bashar al-Assad
AFP looks back at almost a quarter-century of rule by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since he was propelled to power following the death of his father Hafez in 2000. 2000: takes over from father On July 17, 2000, Assad becomes Syria's new head of state, after the death of his father, aged 69, who ruled Syria with an iron grip for 30 years. He ...
This is Beirut, 07/12 23:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Syria HTS Bashar al-Assad SOHR
Islamist-led rebels announced Sunday they had captured the strategic city of Homs, on the way towards Damascus where Syria's embattled government said it was setting up an impenetrable security cordon. The defence ministry earlier denied rebels had entered Homs, describing the situation there as "safe and stable". But the leader of ...
This is Beirut, 07/12 22:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria Bashar Assad HTS Syrian Arab Army
Syria's embattled government said Saturday it was setting up a military cordon around Damascus, state media reported, as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the city. "There is a very strong security and military cordon on the far edges of Damascus and its countryside, and no one... can penetrate this defensive line that ...
This is Beirut, 07/12 18:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Russia Sergei Lavrov Syria HTS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday that Syria must not be allowed to fall into the hands of a "terrorist group" as Islamist-led rebels advance on President Bashar al-Assad's seat of power. Lavrov spoke after talks in the Gulf state of Qatar on Saturday with fellow Assad ally Iran and opposition supporter Turkey aimed at ...