This is Beirut

From Homs to Damascus: An Alarming Escalation of Tensions Between Sunnis and Druze

This is Beirut, 16:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Druze Islamists HTS fighting

Sectarian tensions between the Sunni and Druze communities are alarmingly resurging in Syria. From Homs to the outskirts of Damascus, to Sweida, a Druze heartland south of Syria, several violent incidents have reignited sectarian divisions in a country still deeply scarred by more than a decade of war. Clashes in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana ...

Renewed Lebanese-Syrian Border Clashes

This is Beirut, 24/04 21:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanese Army Syria HTS

Tensions flared once again along the Syrian-Lebanese border Thursday night, as clashes reportedly resumed between unidentified fighters on both sides of the border, with Syrian officials accusing Hezbollah of initiating the escalation. A Syrian Ministry of Defense source told SANA that Hezbollah “fired five artillery shells from Lebanese ...

HTS: From a Jihadist Group to a Military Power

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 18/04 13:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Damascus Gulf Israel HTS Al Nusra

Over the years, Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has built a substantial military arsenal and established a force that is both professional and cohesive – an accomplishment that posed a significant challenge when the group was formed in 2017, following the merger of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra) with five other jihadist ...

Sharaa–Bin Laden: Reversed Paths!

Marc Saikali, 17/04 13:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Israel HTS Ahmad al-Sharaa Syria Bachar el Assad

Let it be crystal clear: no Syrian, no Lebanese, no Palestinian… regrets the fall of the Khmer Rouge of the Levant. The Assad dynasty, guilty of crimes against humanity and large-scale massacres against its own people, as well as those of “brotherly” countries, has finally fallen after fourteen years of civil war. The problem is that today, ...

HTS: The Syrian Salvation Government and the Formation of a Proto-State

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 09/04 13:05 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Damascus Hezbollah Turkey idlib HTS

Before gaining control of significant parts of Syria following a swift assault on Bashar al-Assad’s forces, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had spent several years establishing a proto-state model in the region of Idlib. This experiment in governance mirrored the group’s ideological transformation over time. The Takeover of the Idlib ...

HTS: From a War Economy to a Fully-Functioning State

Marie de La Roche Saint-André, 09/04 12:50 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Turkey idlib HTS Syria jolani

After seizing control of most of the Idlib region, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) evolved from a mere Islamist group into a de facto governing authority responsible for millions of civilians. It was thus forced to rebuild an economy ravaged by years of war while also shifting the sources of its internal funding. Following Jabhat al-Nusra’s split ...

Syria President Calls for Unity After Reports of Mass Killings

This is Beirut, 09/03 18:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

HTS Syria Latakia

President Ahmed al-Sharaa called for national unity and peace on Sunday amid a growing international backlash following the killing of Alawite civilians in the worst violence since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said the killings "must cease immediately", while the Arab League, the United ...

Syria Church Leaders Condemn ‘Massacres Targeting Innocent Civilians'

This is Beirut, 08/03 21:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

HTS Syria Latakia

The leaders of Syria's three main Christian churches issued a joint statement Saturday condemning "massacres targeting innocent civilians", following reports of mass killings of Alawite civilians by the security forces. Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said "532 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal ...

Amal MP’s Nephew Found Dead in Syria

This is Beirut, 11/02 15:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Amal Lebanese Army Lebanese Red Cross HTS Hermel

The body of Khodr Karam Zeaiter, nephew of Amal movement MP Ghazi Zeaiter, was discovered on Tuesday in Hanna Valley, inside Syrian territory near the eastern Lebanese caza of Hermel. Zeaiter’s body bore multiple bullet wounds. Zeaiter was kidnapped two days ago along with three other young men from his village, Blouza, on the outskirts of Homs ...

Four Dead, Ten Wounded in Border Clashes Between HTS and Hezbollah-Linked Drug Traffickers

This is Beirut, 06/02 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria HTS

A precarious calm prevailed Friday evening along the Lebanese-Syrian border after intense clashes between Syrian forces of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Lebanese tribes involved in trafficking in which four people were killed and ten injured. On Friday morning, artillery fire was launched by HTS towards the Jarmash area in Syria, ...

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

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

Vladimir Putin Syria HTS Russia

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 ...

HTS