Syria

Aoun Condemns Damascus Church Bombing

President Joseph Aoun on Sunday expressed his strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing that struck the St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, offering his condolences to the Greek Orthodox Church and the families of the victims. In a statement following the attack, Aoun extended his wishes for a swift recovery ...

Syria Says Assad Cousin Involved in Drug Trade Arrested in Border Ambush

Syrian authorities arrested Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, the interior ministry said Saturday, in one of the most high-profile arrests since the former president's ouster. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia in December with only a handful of confidants, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom ...

UN Urges More Support to Speed Up Syria Refugee Returns

UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi has urged more international support for Syria to speed up reconstruction and enable further refugee returns after some 14 years of civil war. "I am here also to really make an appeal to the international community to provide more help, more assistance to the Syrian government in this big challenge of ...

Khatchig Babikian: A Perfect Symbiosis of Lebanese and Armenian Identities

Christine Babikian Assaf offers us an unfinished yet invaluable work: the Memoirs of her father, Khatchig Babikian—a towering figure of Lebanese parliamentary history in the 20th century and one of the key architects of the Taif Agreement. Published under the title “My Lives”, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand ...

Syria Resumes SWIFT Transfers for First Time Since 2011

For the first time since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Syria has completed an international bank transfer via the SWIFT system – a symbolic step toward reintegration into the global financial network. The announcement came on Thursday from Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh, who revealed in an interview with Reuters that ...

Israel Mobilizes Troops on Its Northern Border and Strikes Beit Lif in South Lebanon

Tensions rose in southern Lebanon on Saturday afternoon after a drone strike targeted the town of Beit-Lif. This comes as the Israeli army strengthens its presence on the border with Syria and Lebanon. Injuries in Israeli Strike on Beit-Lif In southern Lebanon, the Israeli strike targeted a “Rapid” type car in the border town of Beit ...

Clash Erupts Between Lebanese Army, Syrian Border Forces

A gunfight broke out on Friday between the Lebanese Army and armed members of the newly formed Syrian General Security forces in the northern Bekaa border area of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, resulting in the injury of a Lebanese soldier. According to An-Nahar, the incident occurred when a member of the Syrian General Security attempted to cross from ...

Syria Says Israeli Overnight Incursion Killed One, Abducted Seven

Syria's interior ministry said an Israeli overnight incursion killed one civilian and abducted seven people on Thursday, with the Israeli army saying it seized members of Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Israeli army said on X that its soldiers seized several suspected members of Palestinian militant group Hamas in a "targeted" ...

Syria: The New Battleground for Influence and Investment

The international community appears determined to reintegrate Syria both economically and politically after decades of isolation. This momentum stands in stark contrast to neighboring Lebanon, which fears that Syria’s reconstruction will monopolize international attention, pushing its own geopolitical and economic challenges into the ...

Israeli Forces Arrest Hamas Members in Operation in Southern Syria

Israeli soldiers arrested several Hamas members during a nighttime operation in southern Syria, the Israeli army announced Thursday, as reported by Israeli media. The Hamas members were captured by reservists from the Alexandroni Brigade in the village of Beit Jinn, located about 6 kilometers from the Israeli border, outside the buffer zone ...