This is Beirut

Blinken on ME Tour: Pledges to Work with Iraq Against IS Jihadists

This is Beirut, 2024-12-13 17:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Antony Blinken United States Iraq ISIS syria

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised Friday to work with Iraq to ensure no resurgence of the Islamic State group after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow in neighboring Syria. On a regional tour devoted to a suddenly-changed Syria, the top US diplomat flew to Baghdad from the Turkish capital Ankara and headed into talks with Iraqi Prime ...

Saydnaya: The Suffering of Families Who Still Have Hope

Elie Ziadé, 2024-12-13 14:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria Prisons

The human slaughterhouse at Saydnaya, the Assad clan's prison 30 kilometers from Damascus, is still torturing Syrians, despite the fall of the regime last Sunday. Hundreds of families have no news of their loved ones, in some cases for more than a decade. In spite of everything, some try to search for clues to obtain proof of life... or death.

Aleppo: Christmas Amid Hope and Concerns for Christians

This is Beirut, 2024-12-13 13:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Christians

Where should the crown be placed? In the courtyard of the Marist Brothers in Aleppo, one of the eleven Christian communities in Syria’s second city (northwest), the question that is sparking debates is about the Christmas tree. Just days after their swift conquest of power in Damascus on December 8, the new rulers of the country, former ...

The Israeli Army Urged to Remain in the Syrian Buffer Zone Throughout the Winter

This is Beirut, 2024-12-13 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu United Nations Syria

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday instructed the army to “prepare to stay” throughout the winter in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria, located atop the Golan Heights. Israel captured part of this strategic plateau during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Israel seized control of the demilitarized zone on Sunday, just hours after ...

Blinken Meets Turkish Counterpart in Ankara

This is Beirut, 2024-12-13 10:01 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Antony Blinken Middle East USA Syria

Mr. Blinken started his meeting with Mr. Fidan at 9:40 a.m. (6:40 GMT) on Friday, according to a U.S. official. He arrived in the Turkish capital on Thursday evening and held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a lounge at Ankara's airport. "Turkey will never show weakness in the fight against ISIS," President Erdogan told ...

Turkey Appoints Interim Envoy to Syria

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 22:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Turkey erdogan syria

Turkey has named a new chief-of-mission to its long-closed embassy in Damascus, which it has pledged to reopen following the overthrow of strongman Bashar al-Assad, the Anadolou news agency said Thursday. Burhan Koroglu was named as Turkey's temporary charge d'affaires at its embassy, Anadolou said, quoting foreign ministry sources who did not ...

UN Chief 'Concerned' over 'Extensive Violations' of Syria Sovereignty, Israeli Strikes

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 22:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel United Nations Syria Guterres

UN chief Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" over "extensive violations" of Syrian sovereignty, and by Israeli strikes on the country, his spokesman said Thursday. Guterres "is deeply concerned by the recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Secretary-General is particularly concerned over the ...

Exclusive: Shops Reopen in Damascus, Revival After the Fall of the Regime

Elie Ziadé, 2024-12-12 20:19 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus Economy Syria Businesses

Commercial activity is picking up vigorously in the central markets of Damascus, where shops have reopened and are once again attracting customers. However, the recovery remains more hesitant in Christian neighborhoods like Bab Touma. Political uncertainty and a fragile economic situation are holding back merchants, who are still reluctant to ...

Loyal no more: Syrians Turn from Once-Omnipotent Baath Party

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 19:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus HTS Baath Syria Bashar al-Assad

Maher Semsmieh turned in his rifle on Thursday at an office of Syria's Baath party, more than 60 years after its oppressive rule in Syria began, and days after it ended. "We are no longer Baathists," Semsmieh, 43, said with a smile of relief, four days after Islamist-led rebels toppled the Baathist government of president Bashar al-Assad. "We ...

The Deadly Legacy of the Assad Regime

Paul Guillot, 2024-12-12 19:04 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Bashar el-Assad Syria Chemical weapons Israel

More than a decade after the start of the Syrian conflict, concerns about chemical weapons remain. Despite Damascus officially joining the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2013 and efforts to destroy its arsenal, multiple indicators suggest the presence of undeclared residual stockpiles. Recent developments — including Israeli airstrikes, ...

Kurdish Administration Says Adopts Syria's Independence Flag

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 16:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Kurds flag Bachar al-Assad

The semi-autonomous Kurdish administration that holds swathes of Syria's northeast said Thursday it will adopt the three-starred independence flag used by the opposition, after rebels toppled longtime president Bashar al-Assad. The Kurdish authority said in a statement it has "decided to raise the Syrian (independence) flag on all councils, ...

Syria: Israeli Strikes Hit Latakia and Tartous

This is Beirut, 2024-12-12 10:40 - Reading : less than a minute

Israel Syria

Israeli airstrikes targeted military installations in Syria, belonging to the army of the former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, an NGO said on Wednesday. Among the "military sites" targeted were "the port of Latakia" and warehouses in Tartous. "Israeli fighter jets continue to destroy what remains of Syria's military arsenal, for the fourth ...

Syria