syria

Interceptor Debris Sparks Fire in Bint Jbeil

A fire broke out Monday morning between Majdal Selm and Khirbet Selm, in the Bint Jbeil district of South Lebanon, after debris from an interceptor missile fell in the area. The blast was felt in several towns across the region, with residents reporting loud explosions that fueled fears among the population. Such incidents have become ...

Damascus Church Attack Draws International Condemnations

The suicide bombing of a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus during Sunday mass, killing at least 20 people, drew strong international condemnations.  The attack was the first known suicide bombing in the Syrian capital since December, when a rebel coalition ousted Syria’s autocratic president, Bashar al-Assad. EU The EU on Monday condemned as ...

ISIS Suicide Bomber Kills At Least 22 and Injures 59 at Saint Elias Church in Damascus

A shooting and suicide bombing at a Damascus church during a packed service on Sunday killed at least 22 people, authorities said, blaming a member of the Islamic State group for the unprecedented attack. The international community condemned the attack, the first of its kind in the Syrian capital since Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler ...

ISIS Suicide Bomber Attacks Church in Damascus, Killing at Least 22

The Syrian Interior Ministry reported on Sunday that a member of the Islamic State (ISIS) carried out a suicide bombing at St. Elias Church in Damascus. The attacker opened fire before detonating an explosive belt, killing at least 20 people and injuring others, according to emergency services.

Aoun Condemns Damascus Church Bombing

President Joseph Aoun on Sunday expressed his strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing that struck the St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, offering his condolences to the Greek Orthodox Church and the families of the victims. In a statement following the attack, Aoun extended his wishes for a swift recovery ...

Syria Says Assad Cousin Involved in Drug Trade Arrested in Border Ambush

Syrian authorities arrested Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, the interior ministry said Saturday, in one of the most high-profile arrests since the former president's ouster. Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia in December with only a handful of confidants, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom ...

UN Urges More Support to Speed Up Syria Refugee Returns

UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi has urged more international support for Syria to speed up reconstruction and enable further refugee returns after some 14 years of civil war. "I am here also to really make an appeal to the international community to provide more help, more assistance to the Syrian government in this big challenge of ...

Khatchig Babikian: A Perfect Symbiosis of Lebanese and Armenian Identities

Christine Babikian Assaf offers us an unfinished yet invaluable work: the Memoirs of her father, Khatchig Babikian—a towering figure of Lebanese parliamentary history in the 20th century and one of the key architects of the Taif Agreement. Published under the title “My Lives”, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand ...

Syria Resumes SWIFT Transfers for First Time Since 2011

For the first time since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Syria has completed an international bank transfer via the SWIFT system – a symbolic step toward reintegration into the global financial network. The announcement came on Thursday from Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh, who revealed in an interview with Reuters that ...

Israel Mobilizes Troops on Its Northern Border and Strikes Beit Lif in South Lebanon

Tensions rose in southern Lebanon on Saturday afternoon after a drone strike targeted the town of Beit-Lif. This comes as the Israeli army strengthens its presence on the border with Syria and Lebanon. Injuries in Israeli Strike on Beit-Lif In southern Lebanon, the Israeli strike targeted a “Rapid” type car in the border town of Beit ...