This is Beirut, 12:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Civilians fled a Kurdish-held region of northern Syria on Friday before a deadline set by the army, which seeks to expand its control over the area after driving Kurdish forces from Aleppo. The government is seeking to extend its authority nationwide following the ousting of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The US envoy for ...
This is Beirut, 15/01 20:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Anti-narcotics authorities from Syria and Iraq have seized 2.5 million captagon stimulant pills after carrying out raids in both countries, Syria's interior ministry said on Thursday. Two people were arrested in Syria and one in Iraq in the joint operations, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the successful raids were "the ...
This is Beirut, 10/01 12:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria Aleppo Kurds SheikhMaqsud SDF
Syria's army said it had completed a "security sweep" on Saturday of a neighborhood in Aleppo where it clashed with Kurdish forces, who denied losing control of the area after defying calls to surrender. Government forces began striking the Sheikh Maqsud district overnight after a deadline elapsed for Kurdish fighters to withdraw during a ...
Claudia Groeling, 09/01 12:50 - Reading : 83 minute(s)
Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Hezbollah Israel Syria Egypt
Two eastern Mediterranean natural gas deals announced twelve days apart highlight shifting energy dynamics amid dramatic geopolitical transformations in the region, with Lebanon aiming to benefit. On December 17, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a $35 billion gas deal with Egypt, describing the agreement as ...
This is Beirut, 08/01 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Israel Turkey United Nations Syria
Syria's military warned civilians in two besieged Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo to leave on Thursday, as it prepared to conduct a fresh wave of strikes targeting Kurdish positions. Thousands have already fled the area following clashes between the army and Kurdish-led forces that have killed more than a dozen people. The violence ...
This is Beirut, 07/01 11:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Schools and public institutions were shut in north Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday, as sporadic clashes between government troops and Kurdish-led forces continued into their second day, according to state media. Tuesday's clashes, which killed nine people, were the worst between the two sides, who have so far failed to implement a March deal ...
This is Beirut, 07/01 00:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Trump Netanyahu Israel Syria USMediation
Syria and Israel agreed to pursue permanent security and stability arrangements and to establish a joint coordination mechanism under U.S. supervision, according to a joint statement released on Monday by the U.S., Israel, and Syria. The announcement followed a high-level meeting in Paris between senior Israeli and Syrian officials, held under ...
This is Beirut, 06/01 16:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Donald Trump Benjamin Netanyahu Damascus Israel Syria
An Israeli source on Tuesday described the atmosphere of negotiations between Israel and Syria in Paris as positive, though sources briefed on the talks said it would fall far short of a full peace treaty. Axios quoted an Israeli official as saying that Syria and Israel expressed their desire to reach a security agreement within the framework of ...
This is Beirut, 05/01 14:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria Israel MiddleEast USMediation
Syria has confirmed that it is participating in a new round of negotiations with Israel, coordinated and mediated by the United States, according to a Syrian government source. The source said the Syrian delegation is headed by Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and General Intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama and is taking part in the ...
This is Beirut, 05/01 09:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi held talks with officials in Damascus on Sunday on integrating his forces into the central government, but state media said no tangible results were achieved. Abdi signed a deal in March with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to merge the civil and military institutions of the Kurds' semi-autonomous ...
This is Beirut, 04/01 14:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria Mazloum Abdi Kurds Ahmad al-Sharaa
Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi was in Damascus on Sunday for fresh talks with officials on integrating his forces into those of the central military, the Kurds' armed forces said. Abdi signed a deal in March with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to merge the Kurds' semi-autonomous administration into the government by the end of 2025, but ...
Salam El Zaatari, 04/01 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Nawaf Salam European Union Gulf Hezbollah Syria
Entering 2026, Syria and Lebanon stand at an inflection point along the region’s active fault line. While both nations shook off paralysis at roughly the same time a year ago, neither has become truly stable. What separates them is the nature of the risks they face in the near and medium-term as the Middle East undergoes uneasy post-war ...