Germany: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Will Be Judged by Its Actions

This is Beirut 2024-12-09 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

European Union Germany HTS Syria Bachar el-Assad

Germany said on Monday it would judge Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the offensive to oust president Bashar al-Assad, by the actions it takes in government. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) would "certainly play a role in the future of Syria", foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a regular press ...

S. Gemayel Gives Government 15 Days to Act on Lebanese Detainees in Syria

This is Beirut 2024-12-09 13:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Samy Gemayel, leader of the Kataeb Party, called on the Lebanese government on Monday to take immediate action to address the fate of Lebanese citizens detained and forcibly disappeared in Syria, describing it as a pressing humanitarian issue. In a letter to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Gemayel posed several critical questions about the matter ...

Global Reactions to Assad's Fall: World Powers Call for Stability

This is Beirut 2024-12-09 09:35 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Donald Trump Ukraine Vladimir Putin Syria

World powers vowed to work for stability in Syria and the surrounding region after Islamist-led rebels on Sunday toppled its longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Here is a round-up of key reactions: High alert: Russia Assad's ally Moscow said Russian troops in Syria were on high alert but that the rebels had "guaranteed" the security ...

AnalysisThe Fall of Assad Brings a New Middle East

This is Beirut 2024-12-09 09:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Gulf Middle East United States

It took just 11 days for Syrian rebels to force Bashar al-Assad to flee the country and impose a new revision of the strategic map in the Middle East. The Syrian strongman had for nearly 14 years held off an uprising that many believed had been exhausted. But his downfall followed a series of battlefield convulsions for other allies of ...

Israeli Airstrike Targets a Car in Bint Jbeil, Injures LAF Personnel

This is Beirut 2024-12-09 09:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Lebanon Israel Hezbollah

An Israeli airstrike targeted a car on Monday morning along the Saf al-Hawa road near a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Bint Jbeil.  According to a statement on X by the Lebanese Army, the strike resulted in the death of a civilian and moderate injuries to four soldiers. Additionally, a missile was removed from the highway in the town of ...

AnalysisThe Debacle

Charles Chartouni 2024-12-09 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Lebanon Bachar el-Assad Turkey

The meteoric downfall of the Alawite regime in Syria is symptomatic of the systemic changes taking place throughout the Middle Eastern geopolitical spectrum and its overall reverberations. However inchoate, the ongoing military and political dynamics are substantively overhauling the regional landscape. The inevitable demise of Iranian influence, ...

Syria Islamist Rebel Chief Hails ‘Victory’, at Landmark Damascus Mosque

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 22:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus HTS Jolani

Syria's rebel leader hailed a "historic" victory Sunday from a landmark Damascus mosque after his Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group headed a lightning offensive, snatching the capital from government control in less than two weeks. His speech came as Syria's president Bashar al-Assad fled  -- for Moscow according to Russian news agencies -- ...

SpotlightIsrael Helped to Topple Assad, But It Wasn't Planned, Analysts Say

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 22:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Israel Bashar al-Assad Iran Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria as a direct outcome of Israel's actions in the region, something analysts in Israel said was only partially true. Speaking while under growing domestic pressure over the fate of Israeli hostages in Gaza and a corruption trial, Netanyahu said Assad's ...

Biden Calls For Assad To Be 'Held Accountable'

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 21:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Joe Biden United States Syria Bashar al-Assad

US President Joe Biden on Sunday said deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should be "held accountable" but called the nation's political upheaval a "historic opportunity" for Syrians to rebuild their country. In the first full US reaction to Assad's overthrow by an Islamist-led coalition of rebel factions, Biden ...

Assad and Family Take Refuge in Moscow After Fleeing Damascus

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 21:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Bashar al-Assad Russia Kremlin

Syria's ousted president Bashar al-Assad and his family are in Moscow, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies, hours after he fled the country as Islamist-led rebels entered Damascus. The announcement comes as Russia, a key Assad ally, called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council on the fast-changing situation on the ground in ...

Syrians Enter Bashar al-Assad's Looted Damascus Home

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 18:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Bashar al-Assad Syria

Dozens of Syrians explored President Bashar al-Assad's luxurious Damascus home after it was looted on Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, following the fall of the capital to rebel forces. Women, children and men could be seen touring the home and its large garden, with the rooms completely empty, save some furniture and a portrait of Assad ...

Biden To Meet With National Security Advisors on Syria

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 18:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Joe Biden United States

US President Joe Biden will meet Sunday with his national security advisors over Syria, where Islamist-led rebels declared they had taken Damascus and overthrown President Bashar al-Assad. The United States so far has been muted in its response, as other world leaders have weighed in to urge peace, hailing the fall of Assad and encouraging a ...