Syria

Israel Approves Plan to Double the Population of Annexed Golan Heights

The Israeli government on Sunday approved a plan to double the population of the occupied and annexed Golan Heights, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the prime minister's office said. The government had "unanimously approved" the 40 million shekel ($11 million) "plan for the demographic development of the Golan... in light of the ...

Moscow Says ‘Part’ of Its Diplomatic Personnel in Syria Evacuated by Plane

Russia's foreign ministry said it has evacuated some of its diplomatic staff from Syria Sunday, a week after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. "On December 15, the withdrawal of part of the personnel of the Russian (diplomatic) representation in Damascus was carried out by a special flight of the Russian Air Force from the Hmeimim airbase" in Syria, ...

UK in ‘Diplomatic Contact’ with Syrian Rebels Says Foreign Secretary

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that the British government has had “diplomatic contact” with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian rebel group that played a key role in toppling the Assad regime. While Lammy emphasized that HTS remains a proscribed terrorist organization, he noted that diplomatic contact is still possible. ...

Un Envoy Urges Justice, Not Revenge in Syria

"We need to see justice and accountability for crimes, and it must go through a credible justice system. We must ensure that no acts of revenge take place," Geir Pedersen said upon his arrival in Damascus. Assad fled Syria last weekend following an 11-day rebel offensive led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), marking the ...

Syria: From Euphoria to Growing Concern

The fall of Bashar al-Assad took everyone by surprise, almost no one saw it coming. Yet, it was met with joy. Scenes of celebration across Syria, as well as in countries hosting millions of Syrian nationals and refugees, along with the shared joy of other populations — notably in Lebanon — reflect the harsh rule that the Assad dynasty had ...

Turkey Ready to Provide Military Support to New Syria Government

Turkey is ready to provide military support to Syria's new Islamist-led government set up by rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad if it requests it, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on Sunday. He said the new leadership should be given "a chance" and that Turkey was "ready to provide the necessary support if the new ...

Rai Urges Syrian Christians to Embrace Political and Social Role

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai stressed the need to “encourage Christians (in Syria) to get involved in national and political work.” In his Sunday homily in Bkerke, Archbishop Rai affirmed that “it is essential to unite all components of Syrian society to collaborate in rebuilding the country,” stressing the importance of “building a ...

Syrian Pubs Cautiously Reopen After Islamist Victory

The citizens of Damascus largely celebrated the fall of Bashar al-Assad's hated regime with joy, after 13 long years of brutal civil war. But the city's drinking holes did have one concern. The rebel army that overthrew the former leader was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group which some drinkers feared would forbid the sale of ...

Naim Qassem After Fall of Assad Regime: 'Hezbollah Lost Its Supply Lines Through Syria'

In a televised speech on Friday, his first since the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem acknowledged that “Hezbollah has lost its military supply route through Syria,” but emphasized that this loss was merely a minor detail and that a new supply route would be established. Qassem further ...

US Says in Contact With New Syria Rulers

The United States has made contact with Syria's victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday, despite previously designating the group as terrorists. Blinken's comments, after talks on Syria in Jordan, came as Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus, nearly a week after the Islamist-led rebels toppled ...

Turkey Reopens Embassy in Syria as Diplomats Gather for Talks

Turkey reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, nearly a week after president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by forces backed by Ankara, and 12 years after the diplomatic outpost was shuttered early in Syria's civil war. The move came as Middle Eastern and Western diplomats were meeting in Jordan for high-level talks on Syria, and a day after ...

Arab FMs Urge Support for Inclusive, 'Peaceful' Syria Transition

Top diplomats from eight Arab countries, meeting in Jordan on Saturday, called for a peaceful transition in Syria with UN and Arab League support following Bashar al-Assad's ouster. In a final statement after the talks in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba, foreign ministers from Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab ...