This is Beirut

Syria Battles Wildfires for Fourth Day as Jordan and Turkey Send Help

This is Beirut, 06/07 17:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syrian authorities said some 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest had "turned to ash" in wildfires as firefighters from neighboring Jordan arrived Sunday to battle a fourth day of blazes in the province of Latakia. Syrian emergency workers have faced tough conditions, including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous ...

Mufti Derian's First Official Visit to Syria: Prayer, Symbols and Rapprochement

This is Beirut, 06/07 11:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

lebanon Syria

Lebanon's Grand Mufti Abdel Latif Derian paid a visit to Syria, his first since taking office in 2014. Accompanied by a delegation of senior Lebanese Sunni religious leaders, he began his visit with a solemn prayer at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, one of the most important sites of Islam and Arab-Muslim heritage. Mufti Derian and the ...

UK Re-Establishing Full Syria Ties, Lammy Says During Visit in Damascus

This is Beirut, 05/07 19:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

David Lammy Ahmad al-Sharaa United Kingdom Syria

The UK's top diplomat, David Lammy, met Syria's leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus on Saturday, the Syrian presidency said, in his first visit since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December. During the visit, Lammy announced that the UK is re-establishing full diplomatic ties with Syria following Assad’s ...

Syria Battles Fierce Wildfires in Latakia for Third Day as Turkey Sends Assistance

This is Beirut, 05/07 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Latakia Syria Forest fires

Syrian emergency workers were battling forest fires raging in the coastal province of Latakia on Saturday for a third day in tough conditions as neighboring Turkey sent assistance. An AFP correspondent saw strong winds fanning the flames in forest areas and farmland in Qastal Maaf, around a dozen kilometers (eight miles) from the Turkish border, ...

Lebanese Army Arrests 33 Syrians for Illegal Crossing and Robbery

This is Beirut, 04/07 21:30 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Syria Lebanese Army Batroun Robbery gang

The Lebanese Armed Forces arrested 31 Syrian nationals on Friday for illegally entering Lebanese territory, and two others for forming an armed robbery gang. According to the statement issued by the Lebanese Army Command Directorate, the 31 Syrian nationals were attempting to enter Lebanon via the Madfoun-Batroun checkpoint. A patrol from the ...

Syrian Authorities Evacuate Citizens Amid Major Forest Fires

This is Beirut, 04/07 21:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Wildfires Latakia

Syrian rescuers were evacuating residential areas in the coastal Latakia province because of major forest fires, authorities said on Friday. Fires have been spreading across large parts of Syria, particularly the coast, for several days, with firefighters struggling to control them due to strong winds and an intense drought. Abdulkafi Kayyal, ...

Syria Ready to Work With US to Return to 1974 Disengagement Deal With Israel

This is Beirut, 04/07 17:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Israel USA United Nations Damascus New York Syria

Syria said on Friday it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, which created a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two countries' forces. In a statement after a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed Damascus's ...

Syria State Media Says Talk of Peace Deal with Israel 'Premature'

This is Beirut, 02/07 22:09 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Syria Lebanon

Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace agreement with Israel were "premature," days after Israel said it was interested in striking normalization agreements with Syria and neighboring Lebanon. "Statements concerning signing a peace agreement with the Israeli occupation at this time are considered ...

Lebanon’s Sunni Leadership's Void Post-Hariri

Bassam Abou Zeid, 02/07 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Mufti Sunnis Ahmad al-Sharaa Abdel Latif Derian

Lebanon’s Sunni Mufti, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, is set to travel to Syria this Saturday, leading a delegation from Dar al-Fatwa to meet Syrian President Ahmad el-Chareh. This visit follows the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which had kept Syria’s Alawite minority in power for decades. In contrast, Chareh has restored ...

Israel Captures Iran-Linked Militant Cell in Southern Syria

This is Beirut, 02/07 14:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Israel Iran

Israel's military said on Wednesday it had apprehended members of an Iranian-backed "terrorist cell" in southern Syria, where state TV reported three were arrested by Israeli troops. Since the December overthrow of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes, primarily on military sites, and sent troops ...

Washington Moves Toward Easing Economic Pressure on Syria

Liliane Mokbel, 02/07 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Donald Trump Sanctions

In a move that could signal a turning point in Washington-Damascus relations, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 30, 2025, partially lifting economic sanctions against Syria. These measures, in place for more than two decades, had severely isolated the Syrian economy and disrupted the functioning of most public ...

LAF Arrests 67 Syrians for Illegal Entry

This is Beirut, 01/07 16:25 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanese Army lebanon Syria Beqaa Crossings Border

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Tuesday that army units arrested 67 Syrians over the past week for illegally crossing into Lebanese territory. In a statement, the Army Command said the arrests were made during security operations in the Beqaa region along the Lebanese-Syrian border. The measures, which include regular patrols and ...

syria