This is Beirut

From Gaza to Iran: Trump and Netanyahu Review Regional Flashpoints

This is Beirut, 30/12 11:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Trump Netanyahu MiddleEast Gaza Iran Lebanon Syria Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held wide-ranging talks in Florida on Monday, addressing key regional crises including Gaza, Iran, Syria, and broader Middle East stability, as both leaders signaled continued strategic alignment despite ongoing regional tensions. The meeting, held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago ...

8 Killed and 18 Wounded in Terrorist Mosque Bombing in Homs

This is Beirut, 26/12 17:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Alawite Homs

Eight people were killed and others wounded on Friday in a terrorist bombing at the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the al-Waer district of Homs, Syrian state media reported. The Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack. The director of the Emergency and Ambulance Department at Syria’s Ministry of Health, ...

Syria Kurds Chief Says 'All Efforts' Being Made to Salvage Deal with Damascus

This is Beirut, 26/12 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Turkey USA SDF Syria

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that "all efforts" were being made to prevent the collapse of talks on an agreement with Damascus to integrate his forces into the central government. The remarks came days after Aleppo saw deadly clashes between the two sides before their respective leaders ordered a ceasefire. In March, Abdi ...

Syria to Start Replacing Currency from Jan 1: Central Bank Chief

This is Beirut, 25/12 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Damascus United States Syria Currency

Syria's central bank chief said Thursday that the country's currency would start to be replaced with a revamped version from January 1, as Damascus tries to relaunch its economy after emerging from the rule of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad last year. Improving the standing of the Syrian pound is among the greatest challenges for Syria's new ...

Festive Lights, Security Tight for Christmas in Damascus

This is Beirut, 24/12 17:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Christmas christians

Christmas lights illuminate Damascus's Old City while government forces patrol its shadows as security fears haunt Syria's Christian community. They recall the shooting and suicide attack in June at the Saint Elias church in the Syrian capital that killed 25 people and wounded dozens more. "People are going home early, and are afraid," said Tala ...

How Syria Can Begin Integrating the SDF

Seth J. Frantzman , 24/12 10:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Turkey Syria SDF Kurds Ahmad al-Sharaa

Clashes erupted December 22 in Aleppo between Syrian government troops and the local Kurdish security forces (Asayish), killing at least three people and underscoring the challenges facing efforts to unify armed factions under the Syrian transitional government. Even as Damascus seeks to consolidate nationwide security and integrate armed ...

Syrian Close to Assad-era Commander Killed in Lebanon

This is Beirut, 23/12 21:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Bashar al-Assad Suhail al-Hassan Ghassan al-Sukhni

A former Syrian intelligence officer who was close to one of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad's top army commanders was killed in Lebanon, a judicial official said Tuesday, with the army announcing it had arrested a suspect. It was the first confirmation since Assad's ouster in December last year of a former Syrian government official being present ...

Why was Sharaa Invited to Washington, but not Aoun?

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 23/12 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Washington Lebanon Lebanese Army Syria Joseph Aoun Ahmad al-Sharaa

Until late 2024, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was a U.S.-designated terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head for leading the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. By contrast, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) until his election in January 2025, was widely regarded as one of ...

Deadly Clashes in Aleppo as Turkey Urges Kurds Not to Be Obstacle to Syria's Stability

This is Beirut, 22/12 22:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Syrian Democratic Forces Aleppo

The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces on Monday ordered their fighters to cease fire following deadly clashes that came as Turkey's top diplomat urged the Kurds to integrate into the Syrian army. At least three people were killed in the clashes, which came ahead of a deadline for implementing a March 10 agreement between Damascus and ...

Turkish Ministers to Meet Syria's Sharaa in Damascus

This is Beirut, 22/12 17:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Syria Syrian Democratic Forces Hakan Fidan Ahmad al-Sharaa

Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers held a joint press conference after talks in Damascus, focusing on relations between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey’s foreign minister said discussions covered ongoing talks with the SDF and reaffirmed Ankara’s support for integrating the group into Syrian forces in a ...

SDF Arrest Senior IS Cell Leader in Syria's Eastern Deir Ezzor

This is Beirut, 21/12 19:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Syrian Democratic Forces Syria Islamic State Group

The Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement on Sunday that their elite units arrested a senior Islamic State cell leader during a security operation in eastern Deir Ezzor province. The SDF said the suspect supplied weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices to Islamic State cells operating in the area, describing him as one of the group’s ...

One Million Refugees Are Expected to Return to Syria in 2026

This is Beirut, 21/12 12:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria UNHCR Refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) predicted that around one million Syrian refugees will return to their country during 2026, given the gradual recovery that Syria is witnessing after the fall of the Assad regime. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the UNHCR representative in Syria, stated, "Our estimates indicate that 2026 could see ...

Syria