Syria

Syrian War Photographer Killed in Air Strike Near Hama

Award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who worked for German press agency DPA, was killed Wednesday in an air strike near the Syrian city of Hama, his employer said. "Our photographer Anas Alkharboutli, who documented the civil war in Syria in a unique visual language, has been killed in an air strike near the Syrian city of Hama. ...

Russia Finds Itself Caught Off-Balance in Syria

Syria’s 12-year Civil War has surged to the top of global news bulletins this week after rebel fighters – largely under the banner of Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – seized control of Aleppo, the country’s second largest city, advancing to the outskirts of Hama, a key node linking Damascus to Syrian President Bashar ...

Aleppo Loss Marks a Turning Point for Assad’s Regime

The ease with which rebel groups captured Aleppo (North) and advanced toward central Syria has shaken Bashar al-Assad’s legitimacy, fueling the ambitions of his opponents, analysts unanimously say. The capital remains well-defended, with the army launching a counteroffensive on Wednesday, aided by Russian airstrikes. However, the blow dealt in ...

Syrian Government Launches Counteroffensive Against Rebels

A Syrian war monitor said Wednesday that government forces have launched a counteroffensive near Hama, pushing back Islamist-led rebels seeking to advance on the key central city. Hama was a bastion of opposition to the government of President Bashar al-Assad early in the country's civil war, which erupted in 2011. It was also the scene of a ...

Syria's Rebels About to Invade Central City Hama

Syrian rebel forces arrived at the gates of the key city of Hama on Tuesday, as their fighting with the military sparked "a large wave of displacement", a war monitor said. The Islamist-led rebels were advancing on Syria's fourth-largest city, buoyed by their lightning capture of swathes of the north in an offensive that ended four ...

Iran Declares Readiness To Study Any Syrian Request For Troops

Iran will consider any request from its Syrian ally for troops to help tackle a sweeping rebel offensive in the north, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday. "If the Syrian government asks us to send forces to Syria, we will study their request," Araghchi said in an excerpt from an interview published on his official Telegram ...

Qatar Warns No Military Solution to Syria Civil War

Qatar said Tuesday that there was no military solution to the Syrian civil war, as the Damascus government scrambled to contain a rebel offensive now nearing its second week. The gas-rich Gulf state, which has remained an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad even after his rehabilitation by most other Arab countries, called for a ...

Islamist-Led Rebels Battle Syrian Troops and Advance in Hama

Islamist-led rebels battled army troops on Tuesday as they advanced towards the city of Hama in central Syria, a war monitor said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies fought some of the "most violent" clashes with troops in the area since launching a lightning offensive last week, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. Since ...

Israel Strikes Car on Damascus Airport Road: State Media

An Israeli airstrike hit a car on the Damascus airport road on Tuesday, causing it to explode, Syria's official news agency SANA reported. "A car exploded after it was targeted in an Israeli aggression on the road to Damascus International Airport," SANA reported, citing a police source. It did not say who was targeted or if there were any ...

UN Secretary-General "Alarmed" by Syria Fighting

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was "alarmed" by the escalation of violence in Syria and called for an immediate end to fighting that his organization says has displaced nearly 50,000 people. "All parties must do their utmost to protect civilians and civilian objects, including by allowing safe passage to civilians who are ...

Who Are Syria's Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham?

The Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized Aleppo in a shock offensive over the weekend, is an Islamist movement that has long ruled swathes of the country's northwest. The group has sought to moderate its image in recent years, including by cutting ties with its one-time sponsor Al-Qaeda, but it faces an uphill battle ...

Changes in Lebanon and Syria Redefine Regional Dynamics

Regional developments are unfolding at an unprecedented pace. From Lebanon to Syria, a surge of violence is sweeping through the region, igniting multiple fronts targeting Iran’s proxies in its self-declared spheres of influence. Iraq risks being drawn in unless it distances itself and aligns with a broader international effort that appears ...