This is Beirut - damascus

Detainee Swap in Sweida Following Deadly Clashes

This is Beirut, 26/02 13:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus United States Syria Druze Sweida ICRC Red Cross SOHR Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

Syria's government and Druze factions conducted an exchange of 86 detainees held since the two sides fought a deadly battle last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday. Druze factions battled Bedouin fighters in the southern Syrian province of Sweida last July, in some of the worst internecine violence the country ...

Syria Confirms Mass Escape from Al-Hol Camp for Relatives of Jihadists

This is Beirut, 25/02 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus European Union USA

Syria's interior ministry confirmed on Wednesday the mass escape of relatives of suspected Islamic State group jihadists from the Al-Hol camp last month following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces who had overseen the facility. "When our forces arrived, they found cases of collective escapes due to the camp having been opened up in a ...

Israeli Druze Leader Says Syrian Community 'Besieged' Months After Clashes

This is Beirut, 20/02 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Damascus Israel Middle East United Nations

Seven months after deadly clashes between Syria's Druze minority and government‑backed forces, the spiritual leader of Druze in neighbouring Israel said members of the community across the border remained in peril. "They're still besieged -- completely encircled. They aren't allowed to bring in any humanitarian aid, including the aid we're ...

From Strategic Depth to Strategic Disruption: Hezbollah’s Next Move in Syria

Samar El-Kadi, 18/02 15:15 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Hezbollah Lebanon Damascus Israel LAU

Hezbollah is seeking to disrupt Syria’s security, according to the country’s authorities. They accused the Iran-backed group, which fought alongside Bashar Assad’s ousted regime, of providing weapons to a cell that conducted rocket attacks on Damascus’s Mazzeh district. The authorities said they seized weapons, including several drones ...

Syria Starts Evacuating IS-Linked Al-Hol Camp: Officials to AFP

This is Beirut, 17/02 14:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus United Nations USA

Syria began evacuating remaining residents of Al-Hol camp, which long housed relatives of suspected Islamic State group fighters, as it empties the formerly Kurdish-controlled facility, two officials told AFP. Al-Hol, located in a desert region of Hasakeh province, had been Syria's largest camp housing relatives of suspected IS ...

Israeli Report: Damascus Does Not Rule Out Military Action Against Hezbollah

This is Beirut, 16/02 15:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Damascus Hezbollah Israel

Israel’s Kan News reported that the Syrian government, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, is not ruling out potential military action against Hezbollah, as tensions escalate between the two sides despite a relative improvement in official relations between Damascus and Beirut. The report cited a Syrian security source as saying that ...

Syria Expected to Form a New Government, Reports I24 News

This is Beirut, 16/02 11:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Donald Trump Turkey Washington

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in the coming weeks to convene a workshop aimed at forming a new, inclusive government with expanded powers, a Syrian source close to the president told i24NEWS. The planned government is expected to include representatives from across Syrian society in an effort to address the concerns of minority ...

Rubio: U.S. Satisfied With Overall 'Trajectory' in Syria

This is Beirut, 16/02 11:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump US Secretary of State Damascus United States USA

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Washington is pleased with the "trajectory" in Syria, which has launched talks with Kurdish minority groups, despite troubles. "There's been some days that have been very concerning, but we like the trajectory," Rubio said on a brief visit to Bratislava. "We have to keep it on that trajectory. ...

U.S. Military Says Struck More Than 30 IS Targets in Syria

This is Beirut, 14/02 16:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus United States USA Washington

The U.S. military said Saturday that its forces had struck more than 30 Islamic State group targets in Syria this month, maintaining pressure on the jihadists after a deadly attack on US troops last year. The strikes also came as the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in recent weeks transferred thousands of IS detainees from Syria to Iraq, ...

Turkey Calls EU Statements on Syria 'Misguided'

This is Beirut, 14/02 10:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Turkey

Ankara on Friday accused the EU of adopting "misguided" resolutions condemning violence in Syria and Turkey and said the bloc was interfering in Turkish affairs. European Union lawmakers had on Thursday voted in favour of two resolutions, one condemning violence against civilians in northeastern Syria and calling on regional actors, particularly ...

U.S., Syrian Top Diplomats Meet at Munich Conference

This is Beirut, 14/02 10:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus United States US Secretary of State

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday and they discussed Damascus's recent agreement with the Kurds. A post by the Syrian foreign ministry included pictures showing that the head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum ...

Iran-Lebanon Trade Surges as Hezbollah Adapts Smuggling Networks Under Pressure

This is Beirut, 13/02 19:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Damascus Israel Tehran

Despite mounting pressure on Hezbollah’s smuggling networks and Iran’s deepening financial crisis, trade flows between Tehran and Beirut surged in 2025, suggesting the two are adapting illicit channels to sustain Hezbollah’s parallel economy. Hezbollah's position has weakened since 2024 and Iran's financial crisis has ...

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