World

UN Says ‘Ambitious’ Aid to Country Possible as Western Powers Prepare Return

This is Beirut 17/12 15:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Damascus European Union United Nations United States Syria Iran

The United Nations humanitarian chief said Tuesday that he was "encouraged" after meetings in Damascus with Syria's new leaders, saying there was a "basis for ambitious scaling-up of vital humanitarian support", as Western diplomatic missions prepare to return to Damascus. "Moment of cautious hope in Syria," Tom ...

AnalysisAfter Assad’s Fall, Erdogan Enjoys Moment ‘In the Sun'

This is Beirut 17/12 12:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Middle East Turkey Ukraine USA Vladimir Putin

After backing the rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad and brokering a key Horn of Africa peace deal, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan has boosted his international standing, leaving him well-placed to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, analysts say. Although Turkey was not directly involved in the Syrian strongman's overthrow, it has long ...

Israel's Defense Minister Says to Maintain Gaza ‘Security Control’ After War

This is Beirut 17/12 12:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hamas Israel Palestine United Nations West Bank

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that his country's forces would be free to act in the Gaza Strip even after its war with Hamas ends. "After eliminating Hamas's military and governmental capabilities in Gaza, Israel would have security control over Gaza with complete freedom of action" for the Israeli military, Katz said in a ...

EU Chief Holds Talks on Syria With Turkey’s Erdogan

This is Beirut 17/12 11:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Turkey

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday began talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a key visit following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. The talks in the capital Ankara come after the EU Commission announced the launch of an "air bridge" operation to deliver an initial 50 tonnes of health supplies to Syria ...

Tehran Malls Close Early to Save Energy: Media

This is Beirut 17/12 11:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Tehran

Malls and shopping centres in Iran's capital will limit opening hours starting Tuesday, closing two hours earlier to tackle severe energy shortages, local media said. The fuel crisis has already led to frequent power cuts in Tehran in recent weeks and nationwide closures of schools and businesses. The Tehran Chamber of Trade Unions and Guilds ...

Ukraine Claims Killing of Russian Military Official in Moscow

This is Beirut 17/12 09:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Ukraine Russia Moscow

The killing of a senior Russian military official, Igor Kirillov, in Moscow on Tuesday was a "special operation" by Ukraine's SBU security service, a source inside the agency told AFP. Kirillov is the most senior Russian army official to be targeted on Russian territory, killed with his assistant when an explosive device attached to ...

HTS Leader Jolani Says Syrian Rebel Factions Will Be ‘Disbanded'

This is Beirut 17/12 09:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Turkey United Nations USA Syria

Syria's rebel factions will be "disbanded," the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country's new rulers as "terrorists". Assad fled Syria on December 8, as rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured the capital Damascus, ...

15-Year-Old Girl Killed Two in Latest US School Shooting

This is Beirut 17/12 01:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

United States US Congress USA

A 15-year-old female student was identified by police as the assailant who opened fire Monday at a school in the US state of Wisconsin, where a fellow student and teacher were killed and the suspected shooter was found dead. Shon Barnes, police chief in the state capital Madison, told a press briefing that three people had died and seven others ...

Turkish Rescuers Search Saydnaya Prison in Syria

This is Beirut 16/12 21:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Saydnaya Prison Syria Turkey AFAD

A large team of Turkish rescuers began searching Syria's infamous Saydnaya prison near Damascus Monday, trying to check for any hidden underground cells, its director said. Located just north of the Syrian capital, the prison has become a symbol of the rights abuses of the Assad clan, especially since the Syrian civil war erupted in ...

UK Sends Senior Officials to Meet 'Interim Syrian Authorities'

This is Beirut 16/12 21:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

United Kingdom Syria Hayat Tahrir al-Sham David Lammy

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Monday that the UK has sent senior officials to meet with Syria's new leadership. It follows the fall earlier this month of the Assad regime to Islamist-led rebels, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has its roots in Al-Qaeda. HTS has renounced jihadism but remains proscribed as a terrorist ...

Israeli Minister Declares Significant Progress in Gaza Hostage Negotiations

This is Beirut 16/12 21:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Katz Israel Gaza Hostages Gaza Hamas

Israeli negotiators have "not been this close to an agreement" for the release of hostages in Gaza since the November 2023 truce in the war between Israel and Hamas, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday. "We have not been this close to an agreement on the hostages since the previous deal," Katz told members of the Israeli parliament's ...

Israel Trying Via Russia to Locate Famous Spy's Remains in Syria

This is Beirut 16/12 20:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Eli Cohen Syria

Two Palestinian officials told AFP on Monday that Israel, via Russian mediators, was seeking to locate in Syria the remains of famous Israeli spy Eli Cohen and missing soldiers. Israel for years has been trying to find and repatriate the body of Cohen, and in 2021 a war monitor said Russian forces had been searching the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee ...