Syria

Kurdish-led Force Announces US-Brokered Truce in Syria's Manbij

The Kurdish-led force controlling northeast Syria said Wednesday it had reached a US-brokered ceasefire with Turkish-backed fighters in Manbij, after Islamist-led rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's government. The clashes in Manbij, an Arab-majority city, have killed 218 combatants since Turkish-backed groups launched offensives in the north ...

Lebanese Complaint Against Assad Over Detainees

The Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Change Movement filed a complaint on Wednesday against former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and members of his regime, accusing them of abducting Lebanese nationals. At the Palace of Justice, Elie Mahfoud, president of the Change Movement, stated, “We have submitted documented evidence and testimonies from ...

New Syria PM Calls for 'Stability and Calm'

Syria's new transitional prime minister on Tuesday said it was time for "stability and calm" in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive. The rebels appointed Mohammad al-Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement ...

Assad Exit Puts US at Perilous Crossroads in Syria

For more than a decade, the United States has sought to keep out of Syria's political debacle, seeing no viable partner. Islamist rebels' toppling of strongman Bashar al-Assad has forced a change of tune and a debate over just what US interests are. Donald Trump, who returns to the White House in little more than a month, on the eve of Assad's ...

Syrian Rescuers Urge Russia to Push Assad for Secret Prison Maps

Syria's White Helmet rescuers on Tuesday called on Russia to pressure former president Bashar al-Assad into providing maps of secret jails and lists of detainees as they race against time to release prisoners. The rescuers said they "sent a request to the United Nations through an international mediator to demand that Russia pressure... Assad ...

The Missing and Detained in Syria: Between Confusion and Inaccurate Estimates

An independent emergency committee has been established by the national commission for missing and forcibly disappeared persons to investigate the fate of these individuals. The number of people reported missing during the Lebanese Civil War was previously estimated at 17,415. Additionally, between 200 and 700 Lebanese were believed to have been ...

Interior Minister and PM Comment on Syrian Regime Personnel Entering Lebanon

Caretaker Minister of Interior Judge Bassam Mawlawi affirmed on Tuesday that “no security personnel from the former Syrian regime have entered Lebanon, and the regulations applied at official border crossings are strict.” “Our standards are that anyone wanted for a crime in Lebanon or abroad will be arrested and will not be allowed to enter ...

Rewards for Justice: $10 Million for Information on American Missing in Syria

The US embassy in Beirut shared an announcement by the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Rewards for Justice, offering a “reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Austin Tice's whereabouts for his recovery, location and return.” Austin Tice, a US law student and freelance journalist has been missing since ...

Syria: Mohammed al-Bashir Appointed Head of Transitional Government

The Syrian rebels now in power in Damascus have appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as head of a transitional government that will be in place until March 1, state media said Tuesday. "The general command has tasked us with running the transitional government until March 1," said a statement attributed to Bashir on state television's ...

Israel Orders Creation of Weapons-Free Zone in Southern Syria

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he had instructed the military to create a weapons-free zone in southern Syria following the overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad. "Together with the prime minister, I have instructed the Israeli army to establish a sterile defense zone free of weapons ...

Syria, Rebuilding the Future

According to estimates from various UN and international sources, Syria's reconstruction could yield benefits for all. However, these prospects remain uncertain and far from guaranteed. With the country still reeling from the war that followed the 2011 uprising, Syria's reconstruction is shaping up to be a lengthy and costly process, but it ...

Qatar in Contact with Syrian Islamist Group HTS

Qatari officials are in contact with the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the ouster of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, as well as other groups in Syria, an official briefed on the developments told AFP on Tuesday. "The Qataris have established the first channel of communication with HTS. Communication with HTS ...