syria

Rafic Hariri, 20 Years Later, an Enduring Legacy

  Twenty years after #RaficHariri's tragic assassination, Rafic Hariri’s legacy as a leader, philanthropist and symbol of hope continues to shape Lebanon’s identity, inspiring a nation still striving for the progress he envisioned.  

Kurds Seek to Empty Refugee Camps of Syrians, Iraqis by Yearend

Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration aims to empty camps in the northeast of thousands of displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees, including suspected relatives of jihadists, by the end of the year, an official said. "The autonomous administration is working to empty the camps" of Syrians and Iraqis "in 2025... in coordination with the ...

A Deep-Rooted Crisis at the Lebanon-Syria Border

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, the Syrian-Lebanese border—particularly the region east of Lebanon—has become a flashpoint for violent clashes between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces, Syria’s new rulers, and Lebanese tribes. While these tensions are not new, they mark a turning point in a region already ...

Syria Leader tells Podcast Thousands Joining New Army

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in an interview released Monday that "thousands" of people were joining the country's new army following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and the dissolution of his military. "I did not impose mandatory conscription in Syria. Instead, I opted for voluntary enlistment, and today thousands are joining ...

Syrian Artillery Bombs Border Areas

Tensions remain high on the Lebanese-Syrian border, with violent clashes continuing, particularly in Matraba, between armed elements in Hermel and Syrian security forces. Sunday afternoon, the Lebanese army has sent reinforcements to Masharih el-Qaa, on the border. This afternoon, shells struck the official school in Qanaf and the locality of ...

Syrian Whistleblower "Caesar" Reveals Identity

A Syrian whistleblower, who smuggled tens of thousands of pictures depicting torture under Bashar al-Assad, on Thursday revealed his identity for the first time, two months after the longtime ruler was toppled. "I am First Lieutenant Farid al-Madhan, the (former) head of the forensic evidence department at the military police in Damascus, known ...

Four Dead, Ten Wounded in Border Clashes Between HTS and Hezbollah-Linked Drug Traffickers

A precarious calm prevailed Friday evening along the Lebanese-Syrian border after intense clashes between Syrian forces of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Lebanese tribes involved in trafficking in which four people were killed and ten injured. On Friday morning, artillery fire was launched by HTS towards the Jarmash area in Syria, ...

Syria: UN Reports "Systematic" Looting During War

A United Nations commission said Thursday it had documented the systematic destruction and pillaging of displaced people's property during Syria's war, warning of demographic change nearly two months after Bashar al-Assad's ouster. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Syria has documented "pillages of such large scale that ...

Erdogan Hails Syria Leader's 'Strong Commitment' to Fighting Terror

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday hailed Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa for his "strong commitment" to fighting terror as the newly installed interim president made his first visit to Turkey. Sharaa flew to Ankara from Saudi Arabia where he had sought Riyadh's support to fund Syria's reconstruction and revive its economy after 13 years of civil ...