syria

What Next?

So many Syrians and Lebanese are celebrating the downfall of the Assad regime, whose last decade of rule came courtesy of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. The proximate cause of the final collapse is debatable; some attribute it to the inability of Russia to come to Assad's defense, while others cite Israel's decimation of Assad's Hezbollah ...

Germany Says Turkey Must not Wage War on Syria's Kurdish Groups

Germany on Monday warned Turkey against stepping up military action against Kurdish armed groups in the north of Syria, two weeks after Islamist-led rebels toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday it was time to destroy "terrorist" groups that posed a threat to Syria's survival, namely the ...

Saudi Delegation Meets Syria's New Leader

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 ...

Iran Affirms Support for Syria's Sovereignty

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 ...

Lebanon and Syria, the Tangled Web

The political evolutions in both countries are quite ambivalent since they usher in a new political era beset by the pitfalls and the dirty arcane of domestic and regional power politics. The downfall of Hezbollah and the Assad regime is dawning a new chapter in the life of both Lebanon and Syria, notwithstanding their societal and political ...

Israeli Women Mobilise Against Ultra-Orthodox Military Exemptions

Exhausted by more than 14 months of war, the wives and mothers of Israeli soldiers are uniting in protest against exemptions from conscription for ultra-Orthodox men. For several Saturday evenings, the bridge over a key highway that runs between Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox suburb of Tel Aviv, and Givat Shmuel, a bastion of religious Zionists ...

UN Investigator Says Possible To Find 'Enough' Proof For Syria Prosecutions

The visiting head of a UN investigative body for Syria said it was possible to find "more than enough" evidence to convict people of crimes against international law, but there was an immediate need to secure and preserve it. The doors of Syria's prisons were flung open after an Islamist-led rebel alliance ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad ...

Kataeb Party Welcomes Syria's Shift Toward Balanced Relations

The Kataeb Party issued a statement on Sunday welcoming recent remarks by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the General Commander of Syria’s new administration, about Lebanese-Syrian relations. The party described the remarks as a “positive turning point” and a crucial step toward “balanced relations that respect the sovereignty and independence of both ...

Syrian Leader Vows State Monopoly Over Weapons

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said Sunday all weapons would come under state control during a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who urged the lifting of sanctions on Syria. Sharaa said that after upcoming consultations with defense and military officials on a new structure for the military, armed "factions will ...

Turkish FM Calls For Removal of Sanctions Imposed on Syria

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 ...

Syria's New Rulers Nominate New Foreign Minister

The Islamist-led fighters who overthrew president Bashar al-Assad nearly two weeks ago on Saturday named Assaad al-Shibani as Foreign Minister in the transitional government. "The general command announces the nomination of Mr Assaad Hassan al-Shibani to the post of foreign minister in the new Syrian government," a statement said. "He joined the ...

Qatar Embassy Reopens in Damascus with Flag Raising

Qatar reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, 13 years after it was closed early in Syria's civil conflict, as foreign governments seek to establish ties with the country's new rulers. An AFP journalist saw Qatar's flag raised over the mission, making it the second nation, after Turkey, to officially reopen its embassy since Islamist-led ...