This is Beirut - Damascus

Erbil Set to Host New Syria-Kurdish Talks as Ceasefire Strains in the North

This is Beirut, 22/01 16:55 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

A new round of negotiations between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is set to take place in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Kurdish sources cited by Al Arabiya, as efforts intensify to salvage a ceasefire and revive talks over the future of northeastern Syria. The planned meetings come just days after ...

PM Salam: Arms Consolidation Plan Covers All Lebanese Territory

This is Beirut, 22/01 16:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanese Army Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah Syria Litani South Lebanon

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterated on Thursday that the Lebanese Army’s (LAF) plan to consolidate all arms under state authority applies to the entirety of Lebanon, not only areas south of the Litani River, underscoring the government’s commitment to restoring the state’s exclusive control over weapons. In an interview with ...

Lebanon and Syria Seek Rapprochement Amid Lingering Distrust

Samar el Kadi, 22/01 16:00 - Reading : 10 minute(s)

Lebanon Lebanese Army Damascus European Union Hezbollah

Since the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024, Lebanon and Syria have been in the process of rebuilding trust and repairing relations. The challenging endeavor, supported by Saudi Arabia with Washington’s backing, follows decades of recriminations and Lebanon’s former subjugation under Syria’s Baathist rule. Syria did not ...

Syria Says 7 Soldiers Killed, Accuses Kurdish Force of Truce Breach as Army Enters IS-linked Camp

This is Beirut, 21/01 16:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Daesh Al-Hol Jihadists

Syria on Wednesday accused Kurdish-led forces of breaching a ceasefire after seven soldiers were killed in a strike, while authorities entered a camp holding suspected relatives of Islamic State jihadists. The government announced a new truce with the Kurds on Tuesday after taking swathes of north and east Syria that had long been under the ...

Talks Between Damascus And Kurdish-led Forces "Collapse"

This is Beirut, 20/01 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Donald Trump Turkey USA Kurds SDF

Negotiations have collapsed between the Syrian president and the chief of the country's Kurdish-led forces, a Kurdish official told AFP, as the army deployed reinforcements to flashpoint areas in the north. President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, who heads the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), were meeting to discuss a ceasefire ...

Syria's Leader Agrees Truce With Kurds After Govt Troops Advance

This is Beirut, 19/01 09:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus USA

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday announced a deal with the chief of Kurdish-led forces that includes a ceasefire, after government troops advanced across Kurdish-held areas of the country's north and east. Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said he agreed to the deal to avoid a broader war. He made the decision after deadly clashes ...

Syria Army Takes Territory East of Aleppo After Kurdish Forces Withdraw

This is Beirut, 17/01 14:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus United States USA

Syria's army said Saturday that its forces had taken control of swathes of the region east of Aleppo city after Kurdish forces agreed to withdraw following recent clashes. The advance comes a day after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree declaring Kurdish a "national language" and granting the minority official recognition in ...

Syria's Leader Set to Visit Berlin With Deportations in Focus

This is Beirut, 16/01 13:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus United States USA

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in Berlin on Tuesday for talks, as German officials seek to step up deportations of Syrians, despite unease about continued instability in their homeland. Sharaa is scheduled to meet his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president's office said. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's office ...

Syria Moves Military Reinforcements East of Aleppo After Telling Kurds to Withdraw

This is Beirut, 14/01 12:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey United States USA

Syria's army told civilians to stay away from Kurdish military positions east of second city Aleppo on Wednesday, after it moved reinforcements to the area following deadly clashes last week. The deployment comes as Syria's Islamist-led government seeks to extend its authority across the country, but progress has stalled on integrating ...

Aleppo Unrest was Kurdish Fighters' Bid to Wreck Turkey Peace Process: Erdogan's Party

This is Beirut, 13/01 09:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey

Recent deadly clashes in Syria's Aleppo were an attempt by Kurdish fighters to sabotage Turkey's efforts to end a decades-long conflict with the Kurdish militant PKK group, Ankara's ruling party said Monday. "The YPG/SDF terrorist organisation's attacks and the operation in Aleppo... is an attempt to sabotage the goal of a ...

Syria Army Warns Will Strike Kurdish District of Aleppo: State Media

This is Beirut, 09/01 20:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus Aleppo Kurds

Syria's army warned on Friday it would renew attacks against a Kurdish-majority district of Aleppo and urged residents to evacuate, state media reported, hours after a ceasefire was announced. The army said it would target military sites used by Kurdish fighters in the Sheikh Maqsud district, in statements published by state news agency SANA ...

Syrian President Sharaa Meets With EU Chief von der Leyen: State Media

This is Beirut, 09/01 11:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus European Union

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, state media said, as she became the highest ranking EU official to visit since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted. After the meeting, Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would do everything possible to assist Syria's recovery and ...

Damascus