HTS

Syria Minister Defends Controversial School Curriculum Changes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 ...

Turkish FM Calls For Removal of Sanctions Imposed on Syria

International sanctions on Damascus must be lifted "as soon as possible" to allow Syria to get back on its feet and refugees to return home, Turkey's top diplomat said Sunday. "The sanctions imposed on the previous regime need to be lifted as soon as possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on a visit to ...

US Drops Reward for Arrest of Syria's New Leader

A senior US diplomat told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday that Washington was scrapping a reward for his arrest and welcomed "positive messages" from their talks, including a promise to fight terrorism. Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, made the comments after her meeting with Sharaa in Damascus, the first ...

Israel Army Says Troops Shot Syrian Protester in Leg

The Israeli military said its forces shot a protester during a demonstration against the army's activities in a village in southern Syria on Friday, injuring him in the leg. Since Islamist-led rebels toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on December 8, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military facilities in what it says ...