This is Beirut - damascus

Islamic State Executes 54 Soldiers Fleeing Rebel Advance in Central Syria

This is Beirut, 10/12 18:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Damascus US Secretary of State USA

A Syria war monitor said Tuesday that Islamic State group jihadists in central Homs province killed 54 soldiers who were fleeing as Islamist-led rebels pressed a major offensive on government-controlled areas. IS jihadists captured "personnel fleeing military service in the desert... during the collapse of the regime" of president Bashar al-Assad ...

Tehran : 4,000 Iranians Returned From Syria Since Assad's Fall

This is Beirut, 10/12 14:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Tehran Iran Syria

Tehran said Tuesday it had brought home 4,000 Iranian citizens from Syria following the ouster of its ally Bashar al-Assad as rebels took over Damascus. "Over the past three days, 4,000 Iranian citizens were returned to Iran," Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokeswoman for Iran's government, said at a press conference in the capital. She added that ...

Israel Has 'Destroyed the Most Important Military Sites in Syria'

This is Beirut, 10/12 12:38 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Syria war

A war monitor said Tuesday that Israel had "destroyed the most important military sites in Syria" with a flurry of airstrikes since the fall of president Bashar al-Assad's government. Israel, which borders Syria, sent troops into a buffer zone on the east of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights after Assad's fall, in what Foreign ...

European Countries Suspend Syrian Asylum Decisions After Assad’s Fall

This is Beirut, 09/12 20:39 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus European Union

Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland and several Nordic countries said Monday they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Vienna signalled it would soon deport ...

Mohammad al-Bashir to Lead Syria’s Transition After Assad’s Fall

This is Beirut, 09/12 20:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey

Mohammad al-Bashir, a prominent figure in the administration led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has been named Syria’s new Prime minister, according to reports on Monday. Al-Bashir previously headed the ‘Salvation’ Government, an HTS-affiliated authority that governed parts of northwestern Syria, including Idlib. Reports ...

Syria Rebels and Caretaker PM Discuss Power Transition Post-Assad

This is Beirut, 09/12 20:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Syria HTS

Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani met with caretaker Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali and discussed the "transfer of power", the rebels said Monday, a day after toppling president Bashar al-Assad. Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, met Jalali "to coordinate a transfer of power that guarantees the provision of ...

The King Is Dead, Long Live the King

Sana Richa Choucair, 09/12 18:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus

The 54-year-old Assad regime collapsed following an 11-day swift rebel offensive, launched without bloodshed. The country seems to be surfing the waves of change like a sailboat that has suddenly changed course. "Free elections," "the will of the people," "cooperation"—a political discourse at odds with that of the man who was overthrown. On ...

Syria Central Bank Assures Depositors Their Funds Are 'Safe'

This is Beirut, 09/12 16:45 - Reading : less than a minute

Banks Damascus

Syria's central bank said Monday depositors' funds in the country's lenders were "safe" after rebels took the capital, and following chaotic scenes near some official institutions. "We assure our fellow citizens dealing with all operating banks that their deposits and funds at these banks are safe and have not been and will not be exposed to any ...

UN Watchdog Warns Syria to Safeguard Chemical Weapons Stockpiles

This is Beirut, 09/12 16:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus United Nations

The United Nations chemical watchdog OPCW said Monday it had warned Syrian authorities to make sure suspected stockpiles of chemical weapons were safe after the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. The OPCW said it had contacted Syria "with a view to emphasising the paramount importance of ensuring the safety and security of all chemical ...

Hezbollah Shifts from Military Tactics, Targeting Media, Opinion Leaders

Michael al-Andary, 09/12 15:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Israel Lebanese Forces Palestine USA

Hezbollah appears to be pivoting its strategy from direct military confrontation with Israel to targeting journalists and opinion leaders in Lebanon. This shift was highlighted recently by the assault on journalist Daoud Rammal, who was attacked by suspected Hezbollah members while visiting his parent's grave in Doueir, located in the ...

Under Assad, 'the Walls Had Ears'

This is Beirut, 09/12 15:49 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus syria war Bashar al-Assad

After the sudden and unexpected fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Syrians in Damascus express their relief and optimism for the future.

Political Transition in Syria Must Include "Accountability": UN

This is Beirut, 09/12 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)