This is Beirut, 09/12 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syrians flocked to the main square of the capital Damascus on Monday, AFP journalists saw, to mark what many regard as a long-awaited new dawn after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad. A lightning offensive spearheaded by Islamist rebels ousted Assad from power on Sunday, opening a new chapter in Syria's history after five decades of rule by ...
Michel Touma, 09/12 12:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A chapter of bloodshed and tyranny in Lebanon’s modern history has drawn to a close — a chapter defined by half a century of occupation and killing tyranny. However, today heralds a beacon of hope: an opportunity to seize this historic juncture and flip another equally somber page — the nearly century-long narrative of tumultuous and ...
This is Beirut, 09/12 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Gulf Middle East United States
It took just 11 days for Syrian rebels to force Bashar al-Assad to flee the country and impose a new revision of the strategic map in the Middle East. The Syrian strongman had for nearly 14 years held off an uprising that many believed had been exhausted. But his downfall followed a series of battlefield convulsions for other allies of ...
This is Beirut, 08/12 22:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Syria's rebel leader hailed a "historic" victory Sunday from a landmark Damascus mosque after his Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group headed a lightning offensive, snatching the capital from government control in less than two weeks. His speech came as Syria's president Bashar al-Assad fled -- for Moscow according to Russian news agencies -- ...
Ali A. Hamadé, 08/12 20:55 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Damascus Turkey Bachar el-Assad
Sunday, December 8, marks a historic turning point for Syria and, more broadly, for the Middle East. The dictatorial regime of Bashar al-Assad has fallen! After decades of authoritarian rule, defined by brutal repression and years of devastating civil war, a new chapter of freedom is beginning to unfold. At dawn on Sunday, rebel forces took ...
Elie Ziadé, 08/12 15:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah Israel Middle East Tehran
The collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime delivers a major blow to the Iranian axis in the region, with Hezbollah bearing the brunt of the impact. Assad's departure signals the disintegration of the once-aspired "Shia Crescent," which aimed to connect Tehran to Beirut via Baghdad and Damascus. As a new Middle East takes shape ...
This is Beirut, 08/12 13:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran's embassy in Syria was "attacked" on Sunday, Iranian state TV said, after Islamist-led rebels declared the fall of Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad following a sweeping offensive that culminated in Damascus. "Unknown individuals have attacked the Iranian embassy, as you can see in these images shared by various networks," a state TV broadcaster ...
Alissar Boulos, 08/12 10:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Donald Trump Hezbollah Tehran Turkey USA
Syria has been under the rule of the Assad dynasty for more than half a century. Hafez al-Assad, the founder, seized power in 1970, followed by his son Bashar, who took control in 2000 after his father's death. Belonging to the Alawite minority, the Assads established an autocratic regime over a predominantly Sunni population, portraying ...
This is Beirut, 08/12 08:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Damascus Syria Bashar al-Assad Iran war Russia
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad oversaw a merciless crackdown on a pro-democracy revolt that morphed into one of the bloodiest wars of the century. On Sunday, as rebels entered the capital, a Syrian war monitor said he had left the country, in what could spell the end not just of his 24-year rule but the downfall of his clan's five-decade ...
This is Beirut, 07/12 17:55 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Damascus Syria HTS Bashar al-Assad
Rebels on a lightning advance through Syria said they were nearing Damascus on Saturday, although Bashar al-Assad's government denied that the army had withdrawn from areas around the capital. "Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital," said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the Islamist-led alliance ...
This is Beirut, 06/12 23:22 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Damascus Hezbollah Syria HTS SOHR Russia
According to a security source in Damascus, rebels have taken control of three army and police posts in Sweida, and most of Deraa is no longer in the hands of the regime. Rebel forces pressing a lightning offensive in Syria aim to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's rule, their Islamist leader said in an interview published on Friday. The ...
This is Beirut, 06/12 19:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The issue of the Lebanese detainees in Syria resurfaced unexpectedly, on Thursday, when Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) announced the release of the Hama prison inmates, including some Lebanese. This revelation prompted widespread sharing of a list of names of individuals arrested during Lebanon’s war (1975–1990) on WhatsApp and social ...