Syria

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

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 ...

Syria's Economy Reborn After Being Freed from Assad

When Bashar al-Assad ruled Syria, merchants like Youssef Rajab kept much of their imported stock hidden for fear of arrest for breaking the law. But after an Islamist-led coalition toppled Assad in a lightning offensive last month, Rajab put previously banned foreign goods such as chocolate, biscuits and shampoo back on the shelf. Such products ...

Syrian Defense Minister Signals Openness to Kurdish Talks but Ready to Use 'Force'

Syria's Defense Minister said on Wednesday that Damascus was open to talks with a Kurdish-led group on its dismantling, but did not rule out the use of force should negotiations fail. "The door to negotiation with the (Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces) SDF is currently open," Murhaf Abu Qasra told reporters including AFP. "If we have to use ...

Six killed as Syria Security Forces Launch Sweep in Homs Province

Six people were killed on Tuesday in Syria's central Homs province, a war monitor said, as security forces launched a sweep of the area. The security forces were operating in the area around the village of Ghour al-Gharbiya in western Homs "against the remaining militias supporting" ousted president Bashar al-Assad, the official ...

France Issues New Arrest Warrant for Syria's Assad

Two French investigating magistrates have issued an arrest warrant against ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes, the second such move by France's judicial authorities, a source said on Tuesday. Assad, who was ousted late last year in a lightning offensive by Islamist forces, is held responsible in the ...

It Is Time for Israeli-Lebanese Peace

A window for peace between Israel and Lebanon just unexpectedly opened. There was an old adage that "Lebanon will never be the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, but it won't be the last." Sadly, with Lebanese decisions dictated by the Assad family backed by Iran, that concept became obsolete. Since 1983, the Assads ensured that South ...

The Deferred Normalization

The election of a president and the nomination of a new prime minister in Lebanon were good omens, but the process of political normalization doesn’t seem to be moving in the right direction. The ongoing negotiations in Gaza about the release of Israeli hostages and the swap of Palestinian prisoners are stumbling as well. The smooth transition ...

Syria: Nearly 200,000 Refugees Returned Since Assad's Fall

Nearly 200,000 Syrian refugees have returned home since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in early December, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said Saturday ahead of a visit to the region. Between December 8 and January 16, some 195,200 Syrians returned home, according to figures published by Grandi on X. "Soon I will visit Syria — and its ...

Austin Tice’s Mother Visits Najib Mikati

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Friday at his residence with Deborah Tice, the mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria since 2012. Tice expressed her gratitude to Mikati for his efforts in raising the issue of her son’s disappearance during his recent meeting with Syria’s new leader, Ahmad ...