This is Beirut, 03/06 11:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has in six months established himself internationally and had crippling sanctions removed, but still needs to rebuild national institutions, revive the economy and unite the fractured country. AFP looks at the main challenges facing Sharaa, whose Islamist-led coalition toppled longtime Syrian ruler ...
Michel Touma, 02/06 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Hezbollah Damascus Donald Trump Israel Joseph Aoun
Syrian authorities recently intercepted two large shipments of weapons and ammunition — just days apart — being smuggled into Lebanon as part of Iranian-led efforts to replenish Hezbollah’s military arsenal. Similar attempts had also been thwarted in recent weeks by security services loyal to the Damascus regime. The ongoing arms smuggling ...
This is Beirut, 29/05 19:26 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus USA Barbara Leaf Donald Trump Middle East
The US Special Envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, arrived in Damascus on Thursday, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA, marking a new stage in the normalization of relations between the two countries following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. He is currently meeting Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Shareh. Barrack, who also serves as the ...
This is Beirut, 27/05 13:20 - Reading : less than a minute
Damascus Yarmouk Camp Palestinian
A historic shift in Syria: Under US pressure, pro-Iranian Palestinian factions have quietly left Damascus. Offices are shut, flags removed – even in Yarmouk. Once close allies of Assad, these groups now face arrests and exile as Syria cuts ties to ease sanctions.
This is Beirut, 26/05 13:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Damascus Donald Trump United States USA White House
Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an Islamic State group cell near Damascus on Monday, accusing them of preparing attacks against the country. Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, IS attacks on the country's new rulers have been scarce, but the Islamist-led authorities have been trying to ...
This is Beirut, 24/05 20:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria Interior Ministry Damascus
Syrian authorities on Saturday announced an interior ministry restructuring that includes fighting cross-border drug and people smuggling as they seek to improve ties with Western nations that have lifted sanctions. Keen to reboot and rebuild nearly 14 years after a devastating civil war broke out, the new authorities in Damascus have hailed ...
This is Beirut, 23/05 18:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The leaders of pro-Iran Palestinian factions close to former ruler Bashar al-Assad have left Syria under pressure from the new authorities, Palestinian sources said Friday, a key US demand for lifting sanctions. A pro-Iran Palestinian faction leader who left Syria after Assad's December overthrow said on condition of anonymity that "most of the ...
This Is Beirut, 22/05 17:50 - Reading : less than a minute
Syria Damascus Bashar al-Assad
The National Museum in Damascus hosted an exhibition entitled “Detained and Missing” on Sunday.
This is Beirut, 22/05 17:26 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus European Union Turkey Energy
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday in Damascus that his country would ramp up energy exports to Syria to help boost electricity supplies as its neighbour seeks to recover after years of war. "We want to triple our current electricity exports to meet Syria's electricity needs, and realise an electricity export of ...
This is Beirut, 22/05 14:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
European Union Abbas Halabi Damascus Saudi Arabia Tik Tok
At a currency exchange in Damascus, Anas al-Shammaa is one of many Syrians hopeful that promised relief from Western sanctions will help revive their country's economy after years of war and isolation. "We were totally cut off from the world," said Shammaa, 45, who has been running the exchange shop since 2008. With the lifting of ...
Marc Saikali, 22/05 08:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Donald Trump Damascus European Union Hezbollah
Bashar al-Assad has been out of the picture for almost six months now. No one seems to miss him. The chapter is firmly closed. Enter Ahmad el-Chareh – once an Islamist, now a man of compromise – captured smiling alongside Donald Trump in Riyadh. Syria is reinventing itself, trying to appear more approachable. At least, that’s the ...
Christiane Tager, 20/05 16:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria, long recognized as the birthplace of distillation and fermentation, is a land where arak and wine embody the essence of the terroir, the resilience of its people, and the vibrancy of its local communities. The Alawite and Christian populations play a vital role in sustaining this heritage, actively shaping the production of both arak and ...