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Navigating the Uncertainties of the Post-Assad Era

Michel Touma, 16/12 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu Syria Bashar al-Assad

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had anticipated it well before Bashar al-Assad's downfall, pointing to the emergence of a new Middle East. Likewise, President-elect Donald Trump had set the tone during his campaign, emphasizing his commitment to forging peace in a region beset by over seven decades of armed conflict and largely ...

EU Sending Envoy to Talk to Syria's New Leaders

This is Beirut, 16/12 10:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Syria HTS

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday the bloc's envoy to Syria was going to Damascus to talk to the new Islamist-led rulers, as Western powers stepped up engagement after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. The outreach from Brussels comes after the United States and Britain said they had made contact with the new authorities in Damascus, ...

Syria’s Future and the Shifting Tectonics

Charles Chartouni, 16/12 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Turkey USA Israel

Syria’s political plight is at the crossroads between potential disintegration, renewed civil instabilities and eventual reconciliation, which helps overcome the bitter legacy of a long-haul civil war. The downfall of the Assad regime is of good omen since it sets an end to the excruciating travails bequeathed by a bloody dictatorship and its ...

Qatar Announces Embassy in Syria Will Reopen on Tuesday

This is Beirut, 15/12 22:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Qatar Syria Diplomacy HTS

Qatar's embassy to Syria is to resume operations on Tuesday, the Gulf emirate announced on Sunday as its diplomats visited the country and met with its transitional government following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. "Qatar announces the resumption of the work of its embassy in the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic starting the day after ...

Syrians Return to Ruined Homes in City That Became Hezbollah Hub

This is Beirut, 15/12 21:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hezbollah Syria HTS Qusayr

Residents of Qusayr in central Syria are finally returning home after the departure of Hezbollah fighters, who helped Bashar al-Assad's forces seize the city a decade ago and left with his fall. Many of the houses are now in ruins, after years under the control of the Lebanese armed group, a key Assad ally which had set up a military base and ...

Israel Approves Plan to Double the Population of Annexed Golan Heights

This is Beirut, 15/12 20:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Golan Heights Israel Syria

The Israeli government on Sunday approved a plan to double the population of the occupied and annexed Golan Heights, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the prime minister's office said. The government had "unanimously approved" the 40 million shekel ($11 million) "plan for the demographic development of the Golan... in light of the ...

Moscow Says ‘Part’ of Its Diplomatic Personnel in Syria Evacuated by Plane

This is Beirut, 15/12 20:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Russia Syria Tartus

Russia's foreign ministry said it has evacuated some of its diplomatic staff from Syria Sunday, a week after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. "On December 15, the withdrawal of part of the personnel of the Russian (diplomatic) representation in Damascus was carried out by a special flight of the Russian Air Force from the Hmeimim airbase" in Syria, ...

UK in ‘Diplomatic Contact’ with Syrian Rebels Says Foreign Secretary

This is Beirut, 15/12 19:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

UK Syria HTS Diplomacy

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that the British government has had “diplomatic contact” with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian rebel group that played a key role in toppling the Assad regime. While Lammy emphasized that HTS remains a proscribed terrorist organization, he noted that diplomatic contact is still possible. ...

Un Envoy Urges Justice, Not Revenge in Syria

This is Beirut, 15/12 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria UN HTS

"We need to see justice and accountability for crimes, and it must go through a credible justice system. We must ensure that no acts of revenge take place," Geir Pedersen said upon his arrival in Damascus. Assad fled Syria last weekend following an 11-day rebel offensive led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), marking the ...

Syria: From Euphoria to Growing Concern

Elie Ziadé, 15/12 15:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Turkey HTS Bashar al-Assad Syria

The fall of Bashar al-Assad took everyone by surprise, almost no one saw it coming. Yet, it was met with joy. Scenes of celebration across Syria, as well as in countries hosting millions of Syrian nationals and refugees, along with the shared joy of other populations — notably in Lebanon — reflect the harsh rule that the Assad dynasty had ...

Turkey Ready to Provide Military Support to New Syria Government

This is Beirut, 15/12 12:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Turkey United Nations Syria

Turkey is ready to provide military support to Syria's new Islamist-led government set up by rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad if it requests it, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on Sunday. He said the new leadership should be given "a chance" and that Turkey was "ready to provide the necessary support if the new ...

Rai Urges Syrian Christians to Embrace Political and Social Role

This is Beirut, 15/12 11:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sunday Homily Bkerke Syria Christians Béchara Raï

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai stressed the need to “encourage Christians (in Syria) to get involved in national and political work.” In his Sunday homily in Bkerke, Archbishop Rai affirmed that “it is essential to unite all components of Syrian society to collaborate in rebuilding the country,” stressing the importance of “building a ...

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