Hamas Tells Gaza Militant Groups to Identify Hostages They Hold

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 15:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Gaza Israeli Hostages Israel Hamas

Sources within Palestinian militant groups in Gaza said Sunday that Hamas had told them to compile information on the hostages they hold in preparation for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal with Israel. Hamas told factions including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front and the Popular Resistance Committees to prepare information such ...

Iranian Embassy in Syria "Attacked" After Assad's Fall

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 13:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Tehran syria

Iran's embassy in Syria was "attacked" on Sunday, Iranian state TV said, after Islamist-led rebels declared the fall of Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad following a sweeping offensive that culminated in Damascus. "Unknown individuals have attacked the Iranian embassy, as you can see in these images shared by various networks," a state TV broadcaster ...

Syrian Rebels Engage Kurdish Forces in Manbij With Turkish Support

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute

USA Syria SDF

Turkish-backed Syrian National Army’s fighters announced they had entered the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Sunday, while the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces withdrew from it, according to rebel officials interviewed by Reuters. SNA claimed to have launched an attack against the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic ...

VideosRECAP: Rebel Offensive Overthrows Assad Regime, Marking Syria's New Era

Vanessa Kallas 2024-12-08 11:55 - Reading : less than a minute

The Assad regime, which ruled Syria for over five decades, has fallen. Here’s a Recap of the events that led to the fall of Assad's government and the beginning of Syria’s uncertain future.

ExplainerThe Assad Dynasty in Syria: Autocratic Legacy, Repression and Challenges

Alissar Boulos 2024-12-08 10:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Donald Trump Hezbollah Tehran Turkey USA

Syria has been under the rule of the Assad dynasty for more than half a century. Hafez al-Assad, the founder, seized power in 1970, followed by his son Bashar, who took control in 2000 after his father's death. Belonging to the Alawite minority, the Assads established an autocratic regime over a predominantly Sunni population, portraying ...

SpotlightSyria's Bashar al-Assad's Quarter Century in Power

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 08:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Iran war HTS Bashar al-Assad

AFP looks back at almost a quarter-century of rule by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since he was propelled to power following the death of his father Hafez in 2000. 2000: takes over from father On July 17, 2000, Assad becomes Syria's new head of state, after the death of his father, aged 69, who ruled Syria with an iron grip for 30 years. He ...

PortraitBashar al-Assad: From Tyranny to Collapse

This is Beirut 2024-12-08 08:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Bashar al-Assad Iran war Russia

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad oversaw a merciless crackdown on a pro-democracy revolt that morphed into one of the bloodiest wars of the century. On Sunday, as rebels entered the capital, a Syrian war monitor said he had left the country, in what could spell the end not just of his 24-year rule but the downfall of his clan's five-decade ...

Syria Rebels Say They Control Homs

This is Beirut 2024-12-07 23:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria HTS Bashar al-Assad SOHR

Islamist-led rebels announced Sunday they had captured the strategic city of Homs, on the way towards Damascus where Syria's embattled government said it was setting up an impenetrable security cordon. The defence ministry earlier denied rebels had entered Homs, describing the situation there as "safe and stable". But the leader of ...

Six Dead in Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon

This is Beirut 2024-12-07 22:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Hezbollah Israel Southern Lebanon

The health ministry said on Saturday that Israeli strikes killed six people in southern Lebanon, 10 days into a ceasefire between the Hezbollah and Israel. "The Israeli enemy's air strike on the town of Beit Lif resulted in the martyrdom of five people and the injury of five others," a health ministry statement said, adding that in a separate ...

Syria Government Sets Up Security Cordon as Rebels Advance on Damascus

This is Beirut 2024-12-07 22:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Bashar Assad HTS Syrian Arab Army

Syria's embattled government said Saturday it was setting up a military cordon around Damascus, state media reported, as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the city. "There is a very strong security and military cordon on the far edges of Damascus and its countryside, and no one... can penetrate this defensive line that ...

Assad Ally Russia Says 'Terrorist Group' Cannot Be Allowed to Govern Syria

This is Beirut 2024-12-07 18:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Russia Sergei Lavrov Syria HTS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday that Syria must not be allowed to fall into the hands of a "terrorist group" as Islamist-led rebels advance on President Bashar al-Assad's seat of power. Lavrov spoke after talks in the Gulf state of Qatar on Saturday with fellow Assad ally Iran and opposition supporter Turkey aimed at ...

Trump Says US Should ‘Not Get Involved’ in Syria War

This is Beirut 2024-12-07 18:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States Syria Donald Trump

US President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States should "not get involved" in the situation in Syria, where fast-moving rebel forces say they have begun to encircle the capital Damascus. "Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO ...