This is Beirut - Damascus

Loyal no more: Syrians Turn from Once-Omnipotent Baath Party

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 19:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus HTS Baath Syria Bashar al-Assad

Maher Semsmieh turned in his rifle on Thursday at an office of Syria's Baath party, more than 60 years after its oppressive rule in Syria began, and days after it ended. "We are no longer Baathists," Semsmieh, 43, said with a smile of relief, four days after Islamist-led rebels toppled the Baathist government of president Bashar al-Assad. "We ...

Iran must face new "realities" in Syria, says Revolutionary Guards

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 12:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Turkey

Iran must face new "realities" in Syria following the regime's fall, said Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, on Thursday. Iran had been a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia. For decades, Syria has been a cornerstone of the land bridge between Iran and Hezbollah, a member of its anti-Israeli "axis of ...

Abolish the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council Immediately!

Maurice Matta, 2024-12-12 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Banks Beirut Port Damascus Hezbollah Middle East

Syrian presence in Lebanon dates back to 1976, a year after the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war. Syrian forces entered Lebanon as part of the Arab Deterrent Forces, and the Syrian government successfully cemented its presence. This was later consolidated by the Arab League mandate under the Taif Agreement, signed on October 22, 1989, which ...

From Torture to Advocacy: One Man’s Mission to Document Syria’s Darkest Chapter

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 09:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey

Riyad Avlar spent 20 years languishing in Syria's jails, including a decade in the infamous Saydnaya prison, the scene of some of the Bashar al-Assad government's most brutal abuses. Those long years behind bars have left him with one obsession: documenting and healing the atrocities committed inside the prison where he himself was locked up. "I ...

Is Democracy Possible in the Arab World?

Marc Saikali, 2024-12-12 07:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Bachar el-Assad Democracy Morocco Iraq syria

The Assad family, more accurately known by the name "Al-Wahesh" (the savage), has surpassed all limits of hatred and brutality. After the dictator and his cronies fled, the world, horrified, discovered the full extent of the crimes against humanity that had been the norm in a country left in ruins. In Lebanon, we have long known, through our own ...

Father Siraj Dib from Damascus: 'As Long as We Have Faith, We Have Hope!'

Elie Ziadé, 2024-12-11 22:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Bachar el-Assad Christians Revolution

However, in Bab Touma, a district with a strong Christian majority in the eastern part of Old Damascus, a sense of apprehension and waiting prevails in the almost deserted streets. Most shops and churches remain closed, awaiting a stabilization of the political and military situation. This is Beirut spoke to the residents of this neighborhood, ...

The Story of a Christian Community in Damascus, After Assad...

Elie Ziadé, 2024-12-11 22:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus

Father Siraj Dib, a Maronite priest of the Archdiocese of Damascus, shares a powerful testimony about the situation of Christians in the Syrian capital after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In this exclusive interview, he reflects on the liberation of Syria, the hopes and fears of the residents of Bab Touma and the uncertainty surrounding ...

Syria's New Leaders Pledge Justice and Inclusivity After Assad's Fall

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 20:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus United Nations Syria

Syria's new prime minister said the Islamist-led alliance that ousted president Bashar al-Assad will guarantee the rights of all religious groups and called on the millions who fled the war to return home. Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and its allies, which brought to a ...

Damascus Airport Set to Reopen in the Coming Days

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 19:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Syria

Damascus airport, closed since rebel forces overran the Syrian capital at the weekend, is to reopen "in the next few days", its director Anis Fallouh told AFP on Wednesday. "God willing, the airport will reopen as quickly as possible because we are going to work flat out," Fallouh said. Pushed to give a timeframe for the ...

Rebels Set Fire to Hafez al-Assad's Tomb in Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 18:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Syria rebels

The tomb of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez was torched in his hometown of Qardaha, AFP footage taken Wednesday showed, with rebel fighters in fatigues and young men watching it burn. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor told AFP the rebels had set fire to the mausoleum, located in the Latakia heartland of ...

Israel Blames Iran for Assad's Downfall, Rejects US-Israeli Plot Claims

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 17:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Israel Iran

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz rebuffed on Wednesday Iranian accusation of a US-Israeli "plot" to oust Syria's Bashar al-Assad, saying Tehran has itself to blame for the fall of its ally. Katz, on a tour of the Jordanian border with military commanders, accused arch rival Iran of trying to establish an "eastern ...

Syrians Flock to Damascus Old City After Rebel Takeover

This is Beirut, 2024-12-11 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.