This is Beirut, 28/01 17:45 - Reading : less than a minute
The Israeli military will remain “indefinitely” in the recently occupied parts of Mount Hermon in Syria, announced Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday. Katz said that Israel’s security “will not be dependent on others for our defense – whether here or in any other place.” Ahmad al-Sharaa, the head of Syria’s new ...
This is Beirut, 28/01 13:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Vladimir Putin Syria HTS Russia
The first Russian official delegation to visit Syria since the toppling of Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Damascus, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday. The delegation includes deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also President Vladimir Putin's special representative in the Middle East and Africa, as well as Alexander ...
This is Beirut, 24/01 17:49 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Saudi Arabia Syria Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat said Friday the kingdom was seeking to help Syria's new authorities secure the lifting of international sanctions, during his first visit to Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. Prince Faisal bin Farhan was received by Syria's Islamist interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is eyeing investments ...
This is Beirut, 23/01 18:15 - Reading : less than a minute
Fighting continues in north-eastern Syria as Turkish-backed forces intensify pressure on Kurdish forces, while al-Sharaa seeks to centralize military control.
This is Beirut, 23/01 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
US Treasury Economy Syria imports foreign trade
When Bashar al-Assad ruled Syria, merchants like Youssef Rajab kept much of their imported stock hidden for fear of arrest for breaking the law. But after an Islamist-led coalition toppled Assad in a lightning offensive last month, Rajab put previously banned foreign goods such as chocolate, biscuits and shampoo back on the shelf. Such products ...
This is Beirut, 22/01 16:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Murhaf Abu Qasra Syria Syrian Democratic Forces
Syria's Defense Minister said on Wednesday that Damascus was open to talks with a Kurdish-led group on its dismantling, but did not rule out the use of force should negotiations fail. "The door to negotiation with the (Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces) SDF is currently open," Murhaf Abu Qasra told reporters including AFP. "If we have to use ...
This is Beirut, 21/01 20:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Six people were killed on Tuesday in Syria's central Homs province, a war monitor said, as security forces launched a sweep of the area. The security forces were operating in the area around the village of Ghour al-Gharbiya in western Homs "against the remaining militias supporting" ousted president Bashar al-Assad, the official ...
This is Beirut, 21/01 19:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
France Bashar al-Assad Syria prosecution
Two French investigating magistrates have issued an arrest warrant against ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes, the second such move by France's judicial authorities, a source said on Tuesday. Assad, who was ousted late last year in a lightning offensive by Islamist forces, is held responsible in the ...
David Hale , 21/01 18:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Syria Hezbollah Israel USA
A window for peace between Israel and Lebanon just unexpectedly opened. There was an old adage that "Lebanon will never be the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, but it won't be the last." Sadly, with Lebanese decisions dictated by the Assad family backed by Iran, that concept became obsolete. Since 1983, the Assads ensured that South ...
This is Beirut, 21/01 09:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Donald Trump Middle East United States Syria
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his Monday inauguration, saying the American would "bring peace to the Middle East". "We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region," Sharaa's administration said in a statement. "We look forward to ...
Charles Chartouni, 20/01 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Syria USA Gaza Ceasefire
The election of a president and the nomination of a new prime minister in Lebanon were good omens, but the process of political normalization doesn’t seem to be moving in the right direction. The ongoing negotiations in Gaza about the release of Israeli hostages and the swap of Palestinian prisoners are stumbling as well. The smooth transition ...
This is Beirut, 18/01 20:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Syria Turkey United Nations Refugees
Nearly 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned home since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in early December, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said Saturday ahead of a visit to the region. Between December 8 and January 16, some 195,200 Syrians returned home, according to figures published by Grandi on X. "Soon I will visit Syria — and its ...