This is Beirut

From Glorifying Assad to Praising al-Joulani: The Shifting Allegiances of Syrian Celebrities

Soumia Benmerzoug, 19/12 19:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

The term “mukawiin” (literally “those who took a turn” and figuratively “weather vanes”) has flooded Syrian socio-media landscape since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8. As the former president fled to Russia and rebels seized control of Damascus, a new label emerged to describe those who shifted allegiances with ...

Syrians in Lebanon: A Pivotal Moment of Hope and a Political Deadlock

Paul Guillot, 11/12 17:10 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

United Nations Syria refugees Assad repatriation\

Following the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a new chapter is unfolding in Lebanon, where the large-scale presence of Syrian refugees has disrupted the demographic balance since the onset of the 2011 Syrian conflict. Lebanon initially absorbed a significant influx of refugees, who now make up over a third of the country's ...

Gebran Tueni's Martyrdom Anniversary: Justice Almost Achieved 19 Years Later

Sonia Rizk, 11/12 16:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Gebran Tueni Anniversary Syria Assad

December 12, 2005: A date forever etched in memory. That day, the forces of darkness assassinated a fearless journalist who wielded the power of words as a revolutionary tool. He defended Lebanon with unwavering resolve, fighting for freedom, sovereignty and independence. That man was Gebran Tueni, the eternal rebel for the cause of a “Great ...

Syrians Flock to Damascus Old City After Rebel Takeover

This is Beirut, 11/12 15:17 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Syria Assad

Four days after an Islamist-led rebel alliance overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, scenes from Damascus depict daily life in the city, with Syrian rebel forces present in various neighborhoods of the capital.

Assad Followers and Officers Sneaking into Lebanon

Bassam Abou Zeid, 11/12 15:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Assad Border Entry

The Lebanese-Syrian border, particularly the eastern sector, is in disarray as thousands of Syrians – mostly supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad's regime – illegally enter Lebanon. Security sources anticipate that, in the coming days, Syrian rebel factions will establish control over this border, focusing on the official crossings ...

Syria Migrants Eye 'Peace' in Britain Even After Assad's Fall

This is Beirut, 11/12 14:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Assad HTS migrants

Wrapped up against the cold in northern France, Syrian migrant Ali said that while he was delighted president Bashar al-Assad had been toppled, he was still determined to cross the sea to England. "I was happy when Bashar al-Assad left, he's a criminal," he said near the tent where he spent a bitter night in the port city of ...

Khamenei Says Assad's Fall Will not Weaken Iran

This is Beirut, 11/12 13:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Tehran syria khamenei war Assad HTS

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that the weakening of the anti-Israel "resistance" after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria would not diminish Tehran's power. Some, "unaware of the meaning of resistance, imagine that when the resistance becomes weak, Islamic Iran will also become weak... Iran ...

Syrians Celebrate in Damascus After the Fall of The Regime

This is Beirut, 09/12 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Assad

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 ...

Post-Assad Syria: Political and Institutional Prospects

Natasha Metni Torbey, 08/12 17:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Assad Post-Baath

The fall of Bashar al-Assad marks the beginning of a new era for Syria, one that holds the promise of political and institutional transformation after 13 years of civil war. This prolonged conflict has devastated the country’s state institutions and torn its social fabric. Observers believe that the regime’s end could create an opportunity to ...

The Assad Reign in Lebanon: Discord and Destabilization

Michel Touma, 08/12 13:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Kamal Joumblatt Middle East Syria Assad Lebanon

Four years ago, Lebanon celebrated the centennial of Greater Lebanon’s creation. It is important to acknowledge that almost half of these one hundred years were marked by the unfortunate conflicts with the Assad regime, from the early 1970s to the dramatic downfall of Bashar al-Assad and his regime on December 8, a historic day. Lebanon’s ...

Syria's Jolani: From Jihadist to Pragmatist

This is Beirut, 07/12 09:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Jolani HTS Syria war Assad

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, leader of the Islamist rebel alliance that has captured swathes of Syria in a lightning offensive, is an extremist who has adopted a more moderate posture to try to achieve his goals. At the head of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is rooted in Syria's branch of Al-Qaeda, Jolani says the goal of his offensive is to ...

Statue of Former Syrian President Toppled in Hama Amid Cheering Crowd

This is Beirut, 06/12 18:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Assad Syria statue Hama

The image is particularly symbolic: A statue of former President Hafez al-Assad, the father of Syria's current ruler Bashar, was toppled in Hama after Islamist-led rebels overran the country's fourth-largest city, a video authenticated by AFP showed. A machine's long mechanical arm tipped the towering statue over to cheers and cries of "Allahu ...

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