This is Beirut

First Russian Delegation After Bashar al-Assad's Ouster Arrives in Syria

This is Beirut, 28/01 13:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

The first Russian official delegation to visit Syria since the toppling of Moscow ally Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Damascus, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday. The delegation includes deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also President Vladimir Putin's special representative in the Middle East and Africa, as well as Alexander ...

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan Meets Syria's New Leader

This is Beirut, 17/01 16:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Karim Khan Ahmed al-Sharaa ICC HTS Syria

Chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, met Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Friday, state media reported, as last month's ouster of Bashar al-Assad sparks hopes for justice. Sharaa and Syria's foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, met "a delegation from the International Criminal Court, headed" by Khan, state news ...

Is Flexibility on Lebanon’s Prison Crisis Looming?

Fady Noun, 12/01 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Roumieh Prison Islamists HTS Syria Lebanon

Although the issue was not explicitly mentioned during the joint press conference between Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, the matter of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons – an intersection of humanitarian, judicial and political concerns – was reportedly discussed during their ...

Syria Minister Defends Controversial School Curriculum Changes

This is Beirut, 02/01 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria education HTS uproar

Syria's education minister on Thursday sought to minimize curriculum changes announced this week by the new Islamist-led authorities, after activists denounced them as "extremist" and potentially harmful to religious minorities. The amendments were announced Wednesday on the Facebook page of the interim leadership's education ministry, a little ...

Syria's New Information Minister Promises "Free" Press

This is Beirut, 01/01 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

HTS Syria Bashar al-Assad Freedom of expression

Syria's minister of information in the country's transitional government told AFP he is working towards a free press and committed to "freedom of expression" after decades of tight control under the country's former rulers. "We are working to consolidate freedoms of the press and expression that were severely restricted" in areas controlled by ...

'Foreign Jihadists' Among Rebels to Be Made Syria Army Officers

This is Beirut, 2024-12-30 16:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria HTS Ahmad al-Sharaa SOHR

Former rebels were promoted to officers in Syria's future army in a decree passed by de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa—with a war monitor and experts identifying on Monday foreign jihadists among them. The new authorities in Damascus, who until recently were Islamist-led rebels fighting to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, last week unveiled an accord ...

Uproar After Syria Official's Comments on Women

This is Beirut, 2024-12-29 19:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria HTS women rights

Comments by Syria's newly appointed head of women's affairs have sparked uproar, with social media users expressing outrage on Sunday, weeks after Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Turkey's state-run TRT broadcaster this week asked Aisha al-Dibs, the only woman so far in Syria's transitional government since Assad's ...

Syria: Al-Joulani Announces Elections in Four Years

This is Beirut, 2024-12-29 16:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Saudi Arabia Syria HTS Jolani elections

The new leader of Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, announced in an exclusive interview with Al-Arabiya on Sunday that organizing elections in Syria could take up to four years, as it would require a complete population census. He also stated that drafting a new constitution could take three years. Rejecting criticism ...

Nearly 300 Arrested in Syria Crackdown on Assad Loyalists

This is Beirut, 2024-12-29 12:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Latakia Syria HTS

Syria's new authorities have arrested nearly 300 people, including informants, pro-regime fighters and former soldiers, in a crackdown on loyalists to ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor said Sunday. Since rebels led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group toppled Assad ...

Visiting Libyan Official Says Discussed Energy, Migration with New Syria Leader

This is Beirut, 2024-12-28 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Libya visit HTS

A senior official from Libya's UN-recognized government met Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday and discussed issues including diplomatic relations, energy and migration. "We expressed our full support for the Syrian authorities in the success of the important transitional phase," Libyan Minister of State for Communication and ...

Syria Remains Tense as New Leadership Struggles to Establish Authority

This is Beirut, 2024-12-28 14:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria SOHR Latakia HTS

Syria remains fraught with tensions on Saturday, as the new leadership — emerging from a rebellion led by the Islamists of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and responsible for overthrowing former President Bashar al-Assad — struggles to assert its authority across the entire country. Operations in Latakia The new authorities launched a sweeping ...

Syria Authorities Say Armed Groups Have Agreed to Disband

This is Beirut, 2024-12-24 15:01 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

syria HTS milicia

Syria's new authorities announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with the country's rebel groups on their dissolution and integration into the regular defense forces. Photos published by the state-run SANA news agency showed the country's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, surrounded by the heads of several armed factions -- but ...

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