damascus

From Homs to Damascus: An Alarming Escalation of Tensions Between Sunnis and Druze

Sectarian tensions between the Sunni and Druze communities are alarmingly resurging in Syria. From Homs to the outskirts of Damascus, to Sweida, a Druze heartland south of Syria, several violent incidents have reignited sectarian divisions in a country still deeply scarred by more than a decade of war. Clashes in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana ...

UAE Federal National Council President Hails Lebanon's Reforms

On a visit to Lebanon since Monday, UAE Federal National Council President Saqr Ghobash hailed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's “clear and responsible positions,” underlining the Emirates' confidence in Lebanon's ability to regain its regional role. During his meeting with Salam at the Grand Serail on Thursday, he congratulated Lebanon on the ...

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Says Syria Detaining Two Group Officials

Palestinian group Islamic Jihad's armed wing said Tuesday that Syria's new authorities had detained two of the group's officials and called for their release. A statement from the Al-Quds Brigades said Islamic Jihad's Syria official Khaled Khaled and organising committee member Yasser al-Zafri had been detained in Syria for five days "without ...

HTS: From a Jihadist Group to a Military Power

Over the years, Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has built a substantial military arsenal and established a force that is both professional and cohesive – an accomplishment that posed a significant challenge when the group was formed in 2017, following the merger of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra) with five other jihadist ...

Sharaa–Bin Laden: Reversed Paths!

Let it be crystal clear: no Syrian, no Lebanese, no Palestinian… regrets the fall of the Khmer Rouge of the Levant. The Assad dynasty, guilty of crimes against humanity and large-scale massacres against its own people, as well as those of “brotherly” countries, has finally fallen after fourteen years of civil war. The problem is that today, ...

Syria Leader in Qatar for First Time since Assad Fall

Syria's new president arrived in Qatar on Tuesday, state media said, for his first official visit to the Gulf state, a key backer of the new administration after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster. The official Qatar News Agency reported Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Shareh on his arrival at ...

Aoun Reaffirms Anti-Corruption Drive and State Sovereignty

President Joseph Aoun conducted a series of high-level visits to key security and military institutions on Tuesday, underscoring his administration’s firm stance against corruption and its commitment to asserting the sovereignty of the Lebanese state. Early in the day, Aoun visited the General Directorate of State Security in Ramlet el-Bayda, ...

Kurdish Authorities and Syrian Government Reach Deal on Tishrin Dam

The Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria have struck a deal with the central government on running a key dam they captured from jihadists with US support, a Kurdish source said Thursday. "An agreement has been reached between the autonomous administration and the Syrian government for the management of the Tishrin Dam" on the Euphrates ...

HTS: Repression Driving the Protests

Starting in February 2024, a wave of protests has swept through the cities of Idlib, Binnish and Sarmada, quickly spreading across much of Syria's northwestern province. The demonstrations are a direct response to the repressive governance of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), compounded by worsening economic conditions and a collapse in basic ...

HTS: The Syrian Salvation Government and the Formation of a Proto-State

Before gaining control of significant parts of Syria following a swift assault on Bashar al-Assad’s forces, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had spent several years establishing a proto-state model in the region of Idlib. This experiment in governance mirrored the group’s ideological transformation over time. The Takeover of the Idlib ...

The Unbearable Burden of the Syrian Crisis in Lebanon

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the justification long used by the international community – particularly the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) – for maintaining the Syrian presence in Lebanon no longer holds. The agency had argued that “political refugees” would face serious danger if they returned and that coordinating their repatriation with ...