Syria

Lebanon-Syria: Update on Missing Persons and Detainees

The two countries unveiled the creation of joint committees tasked with handling three key files: Lebanese citizens who went missing in Syria, Syrian prisoners currently held in Lebanon, and formal delineation of the common border. The announcement was made on September 1, 2025, during a visit to Beirut by a Syrian delegation composed of former ...

Second Group of Displaced Syrians Departs Lebanon

Lebanon has initiated the second phase of its organized return program for displaced Syrians through the Masnaa border crossing. The process was carried out in coordination with the Syrian government and in partnership with UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC), and other humanitarian ...

Syria Announces Arrest of Hezbollah Cell in Damascus Countryside

The Syrian authorities announced Thursday the arrest of members of a terrorist cell affiliated with Hezbollah. According to Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, commander of internal security in Rif Dimashq (the outskirts of Damascus), this cell was operating in the towns of Saasaa and Kanaker, in southern Syria. According to the authorities, the ...

MP Alameh: Up to 400,000 Syrian Refugees Would Return Home Soon

Lebanon may see up to 400,000 Syrian refugees return home in the near future, MP Fadi Alameh said on Wednesday, noting that between 200,000 and 250,000 have already gone back. Speaking after chairing a session of the Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, Alameh said the meeting focused on the refugee return file and was attended by Deputy ...

High-Level Russian Officials Arrive in Damascus

A Russian government delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, arrived on Tuesday at Damascus International Airport. According to official Syrian news agency SANA, Novak is beginning a visit during which he will meet with several high-ranking Syrian officials. The discussions will mainly focus on economic, security and defense ...

Israeli Strike Hits Near Syrian City of Homs

Israeli air strikes hit areas of the central and western Syrian cities of Homs and Latakia late Monday, state news agency SANA reported. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that "the Israeli strike near Homs targeted a military unit south of the city." Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in ...

EU Asylum Applications Down 23% in 1st Half of 2025

Asylum applications to the European Union fell by 23 percent in the first six months of 2025, driven by a massive drop in Syrians seeking protection, the EU's asylum agency said Monday. Data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) showed Syrians lodged around 25,000 requests in the 27-nation bloc plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+), down ...

Saudi Launches Damascus Area Reconstruction Project

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday humanitarian projects for Syria, including the removal of wartime rubble around Damascus, weeks after inking investment deals worth billions to help rebuild the country's infrastructure. The oil-rich Gulf kingdom has been a major backer of the new Syrian government, which came to power after an Islamist-led ...

The Guardianship Syndrome

Lebanon’s modern history has been shaped by successive forms of foreign tutelage, beginning with the proclamation of Greater Lebanon 105 years ago. Over the course of half a century, the country experienced various mandates and occupations: 23 years under the French Mandate, 30 years under Syrian domination, alongside repeated Israeli invasions ...

Drone Strike Near Syria's Aleppo Airport Kills Two: Security Official

A Syrian security official said a drone strike near Aleppo airport on Thursday killed two people, with state media reporting the attack but without saying who may be behind it. An AFP correspondent saw a vaporized car near the airport in Syria's north, with shrapnel scattered around it. Official news agency SANA reported that "a drone targeted a ...

Lebanese Officials Inspect Northern Borders Ahead of Displaced Syrians’ Return

Lebanon’s top defense and security officials conducted an inspection of Arida and Abboudieh border crossings in northern Lebanon on Tuesday to review the organizational, administrative, and security measures in place for the departure of displaced Syrians returning to their country. Defense Minister Michel Menassa, accompanied by Interior ...

Traces of Uranium Detected at Syrian Site Hit by Israel in 2007

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog detected uranium particles at a remote site in Syria that was bombed by Israel in 2007, reviving questions about whether the destroyed facility once housed a secret nuclear reactor. According to a confidential report shared with member states, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found a ...