syria

The Return of ISIS in Syria: Who’s Pulling the Strings?

The deadly June 22 attack on the Mar Elias Church in Damascus, which killed at least 25 people, has brought back into focus a lingering threat: the Islamic State group, commonly known as ISIS (or Daesh). While the terrorist organization appeared weakened in recent years, a new affiliated jihadist faction, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, claimed ...

Syrian Authorities Seize 3 Million Captagon Pills Near Lebanese Border

Syria said Friday that authorities had seized some three million pills of the illicit stimulant captagon after clashes with a drug trafficking network near the Lebanese border. Authorities observed the network "coming from Lebanon into Syrian territory" via illegal border crossings in the Jarajir area in the northern Damascus countryside, said a ...

Toward the Normalization of Syria-Israel Relations? Insights from the Israeli Press

As major regional dynamics shift, the prospect of a rapprochement between Damascus and Tel Aviv—once unthinkable—is starting to take shape. On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the outcome of the war with Iran, which began on June 13 and ended with a ceasefire agreement on June 24, “could lead the way to new ...

Barrack: US Will Back Israeli Withdrawal if Hezbollah Disarms

According to MTV, United States Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack informed Lebanese officials, during his visit to Beirut on June 19, that a government’s public commitment to disarming Hezbollah would significantly advance the issue of Israeli withdrawal from the five hills at the border. This effort, he asserted, would ...

Syria Arrests Assad-Era Air Force Officer Under EU, UK Sanctions

Syria's interior ministry said Wednesday a former air force officer who is under British and EU sanctions had been detained, the latest such arrest announcement since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster. Authorities in the Harasta area outside Damascus "arrested the criminal pilot Major General Meezar Sawan," the ministry said in a ...

Syria Arrests General Linked to Infamous 'Checkpoint of Death'

Syrian authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of General Mowafaq Nadhir Haidar, former commander of the Syrian regime’s 3rd Armored Division, notorious for his role at the infamous Qatifa checkpoint, known by locals as the “Checkpoint of Death.” The checkpoint, located along the Damascus-Homs highway near the division's headquarters, ...

Controlled Detonation Behind Loud Blast in Damascus

A loud blast heard in Damascus on Tuesday was caused by a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance by authorities, Syria's official SANA news agency reported. "The explosion heard a short while ago in the vicinity of the capital resulted from the detonation of war remnants by the competent authorities," SANA said on messaging network ...

EU Reaffirms Support for LAF Ahead of Key Partnership Council

Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji received assurances on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) will continue its support for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), amid growing regional tensions and internal challenges. The pledge came during a phone call between Minister Rajji and EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Partnership Dubravka ...

Shadowy Extremist Group Claims Damascus Church Attack

A little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a weekend suicide attack on a Damascus church, as the city mourned those killed. Sunday's attack killed 25 people and wounded dozens, striking terror into Syria's Christian community and other minorities. A statement from Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said an operative ...