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Turkey and Syria Highlight Security Concerns and Gaza Talks

This is Beirut, 08/10 18:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Turkey Syrian Democratic Forces Syria Hakan Fidan Gaza Asaad al-Shaibani

In a joint press conference on Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Turkey and Syria addressed a wide range of issues, from ongoing negotiations in Gaza to developments in southern Syria and the future of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that Israel’s military operations in southern Syria pose a ...

Syria Votes Again: Is Real Change Finally Possible?

Maroun Chahine, 08/10 16:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Syria

On Sunday, October 5, between 6,000 and 7,000 delegates cast votes at 62 polling stations across 11 governorates to elect Syria’s new legislative assembly. The People’s Assembly will have 210 seats, 119 of which have been filled so far, 40 fewer than under the Assad regime. Candidates must meet strict requirements, including age and ...

Erdogan Urges Syria's Kurds to Integrate With New Government

This is Beirut, 08/10 14:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Turkey Kurds Recep Tayyip Erdogan Syria

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Syrian Kurds to "complete their integration" with Syria's new government after the announcement of a comprehensive ceasefire, in a transcript shared by his office Wednesday. "The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) must keep their word. They must complete their integration with Syria," Erdogan told Turkish ...

Few Women, Minorities Win Seats in Syria Parliament Ballot

This is Beirut, 06/10 23:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Syrian Parliament Parliamentary Elections

Women and minorities were underrepresented in a weekend ballot for members of Syria's transitional parliament, results announced Monday showed, for the first assembly to form since the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. In a process criticized as undemocratic, several thousand members of local committees cast their ballots Sunday to elect ...

Syria Selects Members of First Post-Assad Parliament

This is Beirut, 05/10 13:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa Syrian Parliament Parliamentary Elections

Members of local committees in Syria began on Sunday selecting members of a transitional parliament in a process criticized as undemocratic, with a third of the members appointed directly by interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The assembly's formation is set to consolidate the power of Sharaa, whose Islamist forces led a coalition that ...

Are Things Looking Brighter for the Middle East?

David Hale , 03/10 18:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Gaza Hamas Israel United States

A year after Israel defanged Hezbollah, and in the wake of the annual opening of the UN General Assembly and several developments related to the Middle East, it may be a good time to take stock. In my 38-year career of diplomacy in the Middle East, anytime someone expressed optimism, I would suggest a head examination might be in order. However, ...

Israeli Airstrikes on the outskirts of Damascus

This is Beirut, 03/10 04:20 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Israel Airstrikes

Israeli airstrikes reportedly targeted the outskirts of the Al-Kiswah area in the rural Damascus region. So far, eight airstrikes have been reported. No details about casualties have been reported yet.

Lebanon: Political Supervision and Army Support

Bassam Abou Zeid, 01/10 17:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanese Army United Nations Hezbollah Syria Palestine

Western diplomatic sources have noted that international and regional focus on Lebanon has shifted toward the Palestinian and Syrian issues. This was particularly evident during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where attention to Syria and Palestine prevented a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and French President Emmanuel ...

Syrian Army Clashes with Narcotics Smugglers on Lebanese Border

This is Beirut, 26/09 09:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Syria lebanon Homs captagon

The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that army units clashed with a group of narcotics smugglers near Dabousiya, west of Homs, along the Lebanese-Syrian border. In a statement, the ministry said the confrontation led to the seizure of a batch of drugs, which was handed over to the competent authorities. It added that operations to ...

Syrian Kurdish Forces Say Five Members Killed in IS Attack

This is Beirut, 25/09 17:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Kurds Syria ISIS

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said that an attack on Thursday by Islamic State group militants in Syria's east killed five of its members. IS jihadists, once in control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria, were territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 in a battle spearheaded by the SDF with support from an international ...

The United Nations: A Global Stage Without Teeth

Salam El Zaatari, 25/09 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

UN Syria Iraq United States

When Donald Trump addressed the UN General Assembly yesterday, his words reignited an old debate: Is the United Nations an effective institution for peace and security, or merely a costly theater where leaders posture? Trump called the UN “obsolete,” echoing his long-standing skepticism about multilateral organizations. But behind the bluster ...

Washington Lifts Broad Sanctions on Syria but Maintains Pressure on Assad Allies

This is Beirut, 25/09 09:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

State department United States Sanctions Syria Bachar el-Assad

The US Department of the Treasury has announced a sweeping overhaul of its sanctions' regime targeting Syria. In a statement released Wednesday, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the publication of a final rule amending the regulations on sanctions related to Syria. This update, which implements two presidential executive ...

Syria