Natasha Metni Torbey, 02/04 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Lebanese Red Cross United Nations
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 ...
This is Beirut, 28/03 23:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Joseph Aoun Emmanuel Macron Damascus Israel Middle East
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasized on Friday the importance of lifting international sanctions on Syria to enhance stability in Lebanon and the region as a whole and to facilitate the return of displaced persons. He made these remarks during a virtual summit organized by France at the Élysée Palace while on an official visit to Paris. ...
This is Beirut, 28/03 17:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syrian authorities have reversed a decision to shut bars and restaurants serving alcohol in Christian-majority areas of Damascus after public outcry, witnesses, and a Syrian news outlet said on Friday. After Islamist-led rebels ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the new authorities had pledged to protect the country's ethnic and ...
This is Beirut, 26/03 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Washington UN Security Council Damascus Syria
Three months after the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Washington underscored the persisting challenges facing the process of peaceful political transition in light of recurring security incidents, notably mass killings in the country’s western part. At a UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, US interim ...
Paul Guillot, 25/03 18:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Damascus European Union Middle East Turkey United States
The arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and Erdoğan’s main political rival, has triggered an unprecedented wave of protests across Turkey. Accused of corruption, İmamoğlu denounces what he describes as a politically motivated attempt to sideline him ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Since his detention, tens of thousands ...
This is Beirut, 25/03 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A committee investigating a wave of sectarian killings this month on Syria's coast said on Tuesday it had recorded dozens of reports into the worst bloodshed since Bashar al-Assad's ousting, with investigations ongoing. Spokesman Yasser al-Farhan told a press conference in Damascus that the committee had recorded "more than 95 testimonies" and ...
This is Beirut, 24/03 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
European Union Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Damascus Lebanon
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Monday during a visit to Jerusalem that Israeli strikes on Syria and Lebanon threatened to worsen the situation. The most intense escalation since a November ceasefire, which ended the war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, occurred on Saturday. Lebanon's health ...
Fady Noun, 22/03 12:40 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Damascus Europe Middle East Pope Francis USA
The chaplaincy of Saint Joseph University (USJ) had the inspired idea this year to honor Father Jean Ducruet (1922–2010), rector of USJ from 1975 to 1995, by dedicating its 8th Jesuit Week (March 10–14) to him. This tribute coincided with the 150th anniversary of the university’s founding in 1875. To rediscover Father Jean Ducruet, one need ...
This is Beirut, 21/03 23:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Damascus Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Syria Palmyra
Israeli air strikes on Friday targeted the military airport near Palmyra in central Syria, a war monitor said, reporting the latest Israeli attack in the country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. "Israeli warplanes targeted the Palmyra military airport," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Since Islamist-led rebels ...
This is Beirut, 20/03 18:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Syria Germany Annalena Baerbock
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said after meeting Syria's interim leaders on Thursday that they must bring under control and hold accountable groups behind sectarian massacres committed this month on the Syrian coast. "It is imperative that extremist groups in their ranks are brought under control and those responsible for ...
This is Beirut, 20/03 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Lebanese Army United Nations
Lebanon is set to hand over over 700 Syrian detainees to Syria out of the more than 2,000 currently held in its overcrowded prisons, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP on Thursday. “There are more than 700 Syrian detainees and convicts whose files have been finalized and who meet the conditions for extradition,” the official, speaking on ...
This is Beirut, 17/03 15:19 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Germany on Monday kicked off a new pledging round of aid for Syria, as the EU hosted a donor drive for the war-torn country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. For the first time, the Syrian authorities will be represented at the annual conference in Brussels -- with interim foreign minister Assaad al-Shibani attending. Western and regional ...