This is Beirut - damascus

With Assad Down and Sanctions Lifted, Are Syrian Refugees Finally Being Pressed to Leave?

Natasha Metni Torbey, 19/05 20:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

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The startling decision by United States President Donald Trump to lift economic sanctions on Syria, coupled with the collapse of the Assad regime, could fundamentally reshape how the Syrian displaced population in Lebanon is managed – unless their permanent return to Syria remains excluded from the agreement being brokered among the key parties ...

Riyadh Without Beirut: Lebanon’s Omissive Absence From a Key Regional Summit

Natasha Metni Torbey, 15/05 16:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Riyadh, May 2025—In the heart of the Saudi desert, a private summit between US President Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh reignited crucial conversations on the Middle East’s future. But one absence was consistently noted: that of Lebanon. While Lebanon’s persistent crises were ...

Sanctions Lifted on Syria: Damascus Faces Hope and Real Challenges

Liliane Mokbel, 15/05 15:32 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

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From Riyadh on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced—at the request of the Saudi crown prince—the full lifting, not just suspension, of economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria. It was a crucial distinction, noted by many observers attending the US-Saudi Investment Forum, where every word of the American president’s remarks was ...

Secret Talks Between Israel and Syria via the UAE

This is Beirut, 07/05 15:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has established a discreet channel to facilitate indirect discussions between Israel and Syria, aiming to manage the tense relationship between the two countries, according to Reuters. This initiative comes as Syria's new leadership seeks regional support to address escalating tensions with Israel. The previously ...

Syrian Leader to Meet Macron in First European Visit

This is Beirut, 07/05 14:32 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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The Syrian president, Ahmad al-Chareh, arrived in Paris this Wednesday and was received by French president Emmanuel Macron for a first and controversial visit to the West. On this occasion, he is expected to call on Macron to punish those responsible for the "abuses" that have tarnished the image of the Islamist coalition in power since ...

Syria: State Television Back on the Air for the First Time Since the Fall of Assad

This is Beirut, 06/05 15:10 - Reading : less than a minute

Damascus

In Damascus, on May 5, 2025, Syrian state television resumed broadcasting after five months of silence. Although press freedom remains fragile, this is a symbolic step in a country undergoing transition.

Macron to Host Syrian President's First European Visit

This is Beirut, 06/05 09:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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French President Emmanuel Macron will host Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Chareh on Wednesday for the former Islamist rebel's first European visit, the French presidency told AFP. Macron will "reiterate France's support for the construction of a new Syria, a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of Syrian society", the ...

Woman Killed as Gunmen Attack Damascus Nightclub

This is Beirut, 05/05 16:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Armed men opened fire inside a club in Damascus on Monday, killing a woman, according to a witness and a war monitor, the second attack in a week targeting the Syrian capital's nightlife. The perpetrators or their motives were unknown. Some Syrians have expressed fears that the country's new Islamist authorities would seek to impose restrictions ...

The Leader of a Palestinian Group Based in Syria Arrested in Damascus

This is Beirut, 03/05 17:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

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Officials of a small Palestinian militant group that was close to ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad said their leader was arrested Saturday by the country's new Islamist-led authorities. The arrest of the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) came after the armed wing of another Palestinian ...

Syria: UN Envoy Denounces Israeli Strikes and Calls for De-escalation

This is Beirut, 03/05 15:37 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Israel

United Nations special envoy Geir Pedersen on Saturday urged Israel to immediately stop its attacks on Syria, after strikes including one near Damascus's presidential palace, which followed sectarian violence this week. Fresh overnight strikes were reported, coming as Israel has repeatedly said its forces were ready to protect the Druze ...

Syria Slams “Dangerous Escalation” After Israeli Strike in Damascus

This is Beirut, 02/05 22:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

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Syria's Islamist rulers on Friday denounced an air strike near the presidential palace as a "dangerous escalation", as Israel called it a "clear message" not to harm the Druze minority. The dawn strike came hours after senior Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to Damascus and rejected any call for secession. They also ...

Syria: Drone Strike Kills Four Druze Fighters in Sweida

This is Beirut, 02/05 21:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

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Four Druze fighters were killed on Friday in a drone strike targeting Syria’s southern province of Sweida, a stronghold of the Druze minority, according to a rights group, which did not specify who carried out the attack. “Four Druze fighters were killed on a farm in Kanaker in an explosion that coincided with the overflight of a drone,” ...

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