Syria

Damascus Airport Set to Reopen in the Coming Days

Damascus airport, closed since rebel forces overran the Syrian capital at the weekend, is to reopen "in the next few days", its director Anis Fallouh told AFP on Wednesday. "God willing, the airport will reopen as quickly as possible because we are going to work flat out," Fallouh said. Pushed to give a timeframe for the ...

Rebels Set Fire to Hafez al-Assad's Tomb in Syria

The tomb of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez was torched in his hometown of Qardaha, AFP footage taken Wednesday showed, with rebel fighters in fatigues and young men watching it burn. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor told AFP the rebels had set fire to the mausoleum, located in the Latakia heartland of ...

'Tyrants Are Great Only Because We Are on Our Knees'

"Tyrants are great only because we are on our knees." This quote about individual and collective voluntary subjugation is attributed to Étienne de La Boétie, author of Discourse on Voluntary Servitude. Published in 1576, the text presents remarkably modern insights into the foundations of tyranny and the reasons for people's submission, ...

Syrians in Lebanon: A Pivotal Moment of Hope and a Political Deadlock

Following the recent fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, a new chapter is unfolding in Lebanon, where the large-scale presence of Syrian refugees has disrupted the demographic balance since the onset of the 2011 Syrian conflict. Lebanon initially absorbed a significant influx of refugees, who now make up over a third of the country's ...

Blinken Embarks on Syria Crisis Tour After Assad’s Fall

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads Wednesday on an emergency tour after the overthrow of Syria's dictatorship, in a new, last-minute attempt to shape a Middle East legacy after a turbulent year. The top US diplomat of President Joe Biden, who has little more than one month in office, is set to press principles he has outlined for a ...

Gebran Tueni's Martyrdom Anniversary: Justice Almost Achieved 19 Years Later

December 12, 2005: A date forever etched in memory. That day, the forces of darkness assassinated a fearless journalist who wielded the power of words as a revolutionary tool. He defended Lebanon with unwavering resolve, fighting for freedom, sovereignty and independence. That man was Gebran Tueni, the eternal rebel for the cause of a “Great ...

The Atrocities Committed by the Assad Regime

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime embodies the worst a tyrannical regime can inflict on its people. The only hope for Syrians lies in achieving justice and holding those responsible accountable to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated in the future, and to organize a peaceful power transition to close this long, dark chapter in ...

Syria Migrants Eye 'Peace' in Britain Even After Assad's Fall

Wrapped up against the cold in northern France, Syrian migrant Ali said that while he was delighted president Bashar al-Assad had been toppled, he was still determined to cross the sea to England. "I was happy when Bashar al-Assad left, he's a criminal," he said near the tent where he spent a bitter night in the port city of ...

Khamenei Says Assad's Fall Will not Weaken Iran

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that the weakening of the anti-Israel "resistance" after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria would not diminish Tehran's power. Some, "unaware of the meaning of resistance, imagine that when the resistance becomes weak, Islamic Iran will also become weak... Iran ...

Russia Calls for Rapid Syria Stabilization, Criticizes Israel

The Kremlin said Wednesday that it wanted to see rapid stabilization in Syria, criticizing Israeli strikes and its creation of a "buffer zone" along the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Russia also said its military offensive on Ukraine remained its "absolute priority" amid questions over whether Moscow's almost three-year campaign there meant it ...

New Syria PM Calls for Syrians Abroad to Return

Syria's new transitional prime minister has called for Syrians who have sought refuge abroad to return to their homeland following the ouster of longtime president Bashar al-Assad. Mohammad al-Bashir, appointed by rebel groups as the transitional head of government to run the country until March, told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily that one of ...