This is Beirut, 13:25 - Reading : less than a minute
In a speech in front of the Maronite Archdiocese of Damascus, former MP Fares Souhaid declared, “We have come from Lebanon to tell everyone to look with hope at the transformations in our region.” Souhaid added, “We came to tell our brothers in Syria that what unites us is stronger than the events, to wish a free and dignified life for all ...
This is Beirut, 26/12 11:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
In post-Assad Syria, stand-up comedians are re-emerging to challenge taboos, mocking the former president and his regime and even testing the waters with Damascus's new rulers. Melki Mardini, a performer in the Syrian capital's stand-up scene, is among those embracing newfound freedoms. "The regime has fallen," he declares from the stage, ...
Marc Saikali, 26/12 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Hamas Hezbollah Israel Palestine Tehran Turkey
Erdogan seems to be indomitable and relentless in pursuing his ambitions. He just pulled off a remarkable masterstroke: toppling the Assad regime, with an American green light and a tacit Russian approval. Once shunned and labeled the gravedigger of Ataturk’s secular legacy – not to mention contested in the ballot box – he has now staged a ...
This is Beirut, 25/12 14:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Saudi Arabia Syria captagon
Syria's new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar al-Assad. Captagon is a banned amphetamine-like stimulant that became Syria's largest export during the country's more than ...
This is Beirut, 24/12 14:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Qatar syria sanctions Damascus
Qatar called on Tuesday for the quick removal of sanctions on Syria following the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad by Islamist-led rebels. "We call for intensified efforts to expedite the lifting of international sanctions on Syria," foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a regular briefing. Qatar's call came a day after a ...
This is Beirut, 24/12 13:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus USA Syria Austin Tice NGO
US group Hostage Aid Worldwide said Tuesday that it believes journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012, is still alive, though it did not offer concrete information on his whereabouts. "We have data that Austin is alive till January 2024, but the president of the US said in August that he is alive, and we are sure that he is alive ...
This is Beirut, 24/12 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
More than 25,000 Syrians have returned home from Turkey since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by Islamist-led HTS rebels, Turkey's interior minister said Tuesday. Turkey is home to nearly three million refugees who fled the civil war that broke out in 2011, and whose presence has been an issue for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. "The ...
This is Beirut, 23/12 13:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Damascus Saudi Arabia syria meeting
A Saudi delegation has met Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, a source close to the government told AFP on Monday. The delegation joins a list of visitors to the Syrian capital since the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, led by Sharaa, spearheaded the toppling of president Bashar al-Assad on December 8. The "Saudi senior ...
This is Beirut, 23/12 12:58 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus European Union Middle East United Nations USA
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed his country's support for Syria's reconstruction in a meeting with its new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday, in the latest visit to Damascus by a high-profile delegation since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow. It was the first trip to Syria by a senior Jordanian official since Assad's ...
This is Beirut, 23/12 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Walid Jumblatt Ahmed al-Sharaa Lebanon
Following Sunday’s visit to Syria by the former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Joumblatt, a 13-point memorandum was submitted to Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa. The memorandum focuses on establishing “healthy and stable relations” between Beirut and Damascus. It also provides a potential roadmap for addressing ...
This is Beirut, 23/12 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Iran affirmed its support for Syria's sovereignty on Monday, and said the country should not become "a haven for terrorism" after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, a longtime Tehran ally. "Our principled position on Syria is very clear: preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the people of Syria to decide on its future ...
This is Beirut, 22/12 18:59 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
International sanctions on Damascus must be lifted "as soon as possible" to allow Syria to get back on its feet and refugees to return home, Turkey's top diplomat said Sunday. "The sanctions imposed on the previous regime need to be lifted as soon as possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on a visit to ...