Ici Beyrouth

Syria Post-Assad – Day 1: Basic Necessities, Telecommunications and the Future of the Syrian Pound

Liliane Mokbel, 08/12 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Syria is left with a crumbling economy, shaped by decades of state control and average wages barely surpassing $40 per month. The country’s economic prospects now depend largely on the removal of American and Western sanctions, as well as financial assistance from the international community. ...

The Assad Reign in Lebanon: Discord and Destabilization

Michel Touma, 08/12 13:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Kamal Joumblatt Middle East Syria Assad Lebanon

Four years ago, Lebanon celebrated the centennial of Greater Lebanon’s creation. It is important to acknowledge that almost half of these one hundred years were marked by the unfortunate conflicts with the Assad regime, from the early 1970s to the dramatic downfall of Bashar al-Assad and his regime on December 8, a historic day. Lebanon’s ...

Syrian Rebels Engage Kurdish Forces in Manbij With Turkish Support

This is Beirut, 08/12 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute

USA Syria SDF

Turkish-backed Syrian National Army’s fighters announced they had entered the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Sunday, while the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces withdrew from it, according to rebel officials interviewed by Reuters. SNA claimed to have launched an attack against the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic ...

Syria Rebels Enter Damascus, Bashar al-Assad Flees Country

This is Beirut, 08/12 11:35 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Syria Conflict Rebels

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor said that President Bashar al-Assad has left the country, after losing swathes of territory to a lightning offensive led by an Islamist-led rebel coalition that said it entered Damascus on Sunday. Residents in the Syrian capital told AFP heavy gunfire rang out, after a source close to ...

Syria: The Middle East’s Berlin Wall Has Fallen

Marc Saikali, 08/12 11:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Middle East Syria Bachar el-Assad Iran

It only took a few days for the "rebels" to overthrow one of the world's most tyrannical regimes—almost without a fight. At this point, it’s still difficult to understand how such a heterogeneous group, mostly armed with light weapons—at least according to the images we've seen—managed to bring down the Assad regime, which has been in ...

Lebanese Leaders Hail the Fall of the Syrian Regime

This is Beirut, 08/12 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Middle East

The announcement of the Syrian regime's fall has sparked strong reactions from Lebanese political figures, highlighting shared histories and hopes for a new chapter in Syrian-Lebanese relations. Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt showed solidarity with Syria's people following years of conflict and oppression. He ...

The Syrian regime has fallen: Damascus in the grip of the opposition factions

This is Beirut, 08/12 08:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Bachar el-Assad Baath Party Rebels

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime was toppled on Sunday, less than two weeks after an alliance of opposition groups launched a lightning offensive, ending decades of the Baath Party authoritarian rule. Damascus fell into the hands of the rebels overnight, as Assad fled the country heading to an unknown destination. Syrians across the ...

Syria's Bashar al-Assad's Quarter Century in Power

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 ...

Bashar al-Assad: From Tyranny to Collapse

This is Beirut, 08/12 08:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Bashar al-Assad Iran war Russia

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad oversaw a merciless crackdown on a pro-democracy revolt that morphed into one of the bloodiest wars of the century. On Sunday, as rebels entered the capital, a Syrian war monitor said he had left the country, in what could spell the end not just of his 24-year rule but the downfall of his clan's five-decade ...

Syria Rebels Say They Control Homs

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 ...

Syria Government Sets Up Security Cordon as Rebels Advance on Damascus

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 ...

Assad Ally Russia Says 'Terrorist Group' Cannot Be Allowed to Govern Syria

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 ...

Syria