syria

U.S. Mediating Prisoner Exchange Talks Between Damascus and Druze

The United States is leading negotiations between a prominent Druze leader and the Syrian government to secure an exchange of prisoners held since sectarian clashes in a Druze-majority Syrian province last year, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP Tuesday. Thousands are estimated to have been killed when clashes erupted between Druze ...

Four Syrian Security Personnel Killed in IS Attack: State Media

Four Syrian security personnel were killed in an Islamic State (IS) group attack in the northern city of Raqqa, which was recently taken by Damascus from Kurdish forces, state media reported on Monday. The attack, the second against security forces in as many days per Syria's interior ministry, comes after IS called on its fighters to ...

U.S. Announced Plans to Reopen Embassy in Damascus, Syria

U.S. officials have announced on Friday that the U.S. plans to reopen its embassy in Damascus for the first time in 14 years, according to AP News.  The Trump administration told congress that they plan to initiate a phased approach towards the resumption of embassy operations in Syria, with plans slated to begin soon. However, there is no ...

U.S. to Withdraw All Troops From Syria, Officials Announced

U.S. officials announced on Wednesday that troops stationed in Syria will be completely withdrawn over the next two months, according to the Wall Street Journal. Currently, around 1,000 U.S. personnel are in Syria and will leave through a “deliberate and conditions-based transition,” the official said. They also commented that U.S. ...

SDF Commander Says Integration With Syrian State Has Begun

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, said Tuesday that the integration of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration and its security forces into Syria’s state institutions has formally begun, while cautioning that the process “may take some time” due to political and operational obstacles. Speaking ...

Syrian Interior Ministry Sets February Deadline to Absorb SDF Into State Institutions

The Syrian Ministry of the Interior announced on Monday that it would impose a deadline on the Syrian Democratic Forces for integration into the government by the end of February. Focusing on governorates in northeastern Syria, the ministry will mandate that SDF members to regularize their status as of March, with the threat of legal troubles if ...

Syrian Kurdish Authorities Release 34 Australians Related to Jihadists

Thirty-four Australian relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists had to return to Syria's Roj detention camp due to coordination issues with Damascus after Kurdish authorities released them on Monday, a Kurdish official told AFP. Camp director Hakmieh Ibrahim had earlier said the women and children from 11 families were handed over to ...

Israeli Strike Eliminates Hezbollah Member in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli drone strike killed a Hezbollah member on Monday morning in the southern Lebanese town of Hannin, in the Bint Jbeil district. The strike eliminated Mohammad Tahsin Hassan Qashqash after targeting two vehicles parked outside his home with multiple missiles. According to local reports, Qashqash was preparing to start a van parked in ...

White House Official to TIB: ‘Redeployment of U.S. Troops From Al-Tanf…Following a Comprehensive Operational Reassessment’

In an exclusive statement given to This is Beirut, a senior official in the White House elaborated on their transfer of troops from al-Tanf in Syria to Jordan. The official said, “the redeployment of U.S. troops from the al-Tanf position in Syria to Jordan was carried out following a comprehensive operational ...

Lebanese Army Cracks Down on Illegal Crossings as Syria Temporarily Eases Truck Restrictions

The Lebanese army has stated it will crack down on illegal border crossings along its boundary with Syria on Thursday, as the two countries work towards addressing their porous border and the illicit networks operating across it. Crossings in the northern Beqaa Valley are a primary focus of the army’s efforts to increase monitoring of the ...

Lebanon and Syria Reach One-Week Deal to Resume Truck Transit

A temporary Lebanese-Syrian agreement was reached on Thursday to restore normal truck traffic through the Masnaa border crossing for one week, until February 20, 2026, following days of disruption and protests. The understanding was concluded during a joint meeting between Lebanese and Syrian delegations at the Lebanese Customs Center in the ...