World

G7 Leaders to Discuss Syria Crisis in Virtual Summit
G7 Leaders to Discuss Syria Crisis in Virtual Summit

G7 leaders will attempt Friday to forge a common approach to the new government of Syria, which has pledged to protect the rule of law after years of abuses under ousted president Bashar al-Assad. Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and its allies, which brought a sudden end to ...

Blinken Meets Turkish Counterpart in Ankara
Blinken Meets Turkish Counterpart in Ankara

Mr. Blinken started his meeting with Mr. Fidan at 9:40 a.m. (6:40 GMT) on Friday, according to a U.S. official. He arrived in the Turkish capital on Thursday evening and held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a lounge at Ankara's airport. "Turkey will never show weakness in the fight against ISIS," President Erdogan told ...

Turkey Appoints Interim Envoy to Syria
Turkey Appoints Interim Envoy to Syria

Turkey has named a new chief-of-mission to its long-closed embassy in Damascus, which it has pledged to reopen following the overthrow of strongman Bashar al-Assad, the Anadolou news agency said Thursday. Burhan Koroglu was named as Turkey's temporary charge d'affaires at its embassy, Anadolou said, quoting foreign ministry sources who did not ...

UN Chief 'Concerned' over 'Extensive Violations' of Syria Sovereignty, Israeli Strikes
UN Chief 'Concerned' over 'Extensive Violations' of Syria Sovereignty, Israeli Strikes

UN chief Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" over "extensive violations" of Syrian sovereignty, and by Israeli strikes on the country, his spokesman said Thursday. Guterres "is deeply concerned by the recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Secretary-General is particularly concerned over the ...

Israel Says Blows Against Iran and its Allies Triggered Regional 'Chain Reaction'
Israel Says Blows Against Iran and its Allies Triggered Regional 'Chain Reaction'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that a series of blows by Israel against arch-foe Iran and its allies had triggered a "chain reaction" poised to transform the entire Middle East. "The historic events that we witness today are a chain reaction," Netanyahu declared in a video address directed at the Iranian people. He ...

Exclusive: Shops Reopen in Damascus, Revival After the Fall of the Regime
VideosExclusive: Shops Reopen in Damascus, Revival After the Fall of the Regime

Commercial activity is picking up vigorously in the central markets of Damascus, where shops have reopened and are once again attracting customers. However, the recovery remains more hesitant in Christian neighborhoods like Bab Touma. Political uncertainty and a fragile economic situation are holding back merchants, who are still reluctant to ...

Loyal no more: Syrians Turn from Once-Omnipotent Baath Party
Loyal no more: Syrians Turn from Once-Omnipotent Baath Party

Maher Semsmieh turned in his rifle on Thursday at an office of Syria's Baath party, more than 60 years after its oppressive rule in Syria began, and days after it ended. "We are no longer Baathists," Semsmieh, 43, said with a smile of relief, four days after Islamist-led rebels toppled the Baathist government of president Bashar al-Assad. "We ...

US Official Sullivan Says 'Got the Sense' Israel PM Ready for Gaza Deal
US Official Sullivan Says 'Got the Sense' Israel PM Ready for Gaza Deal

Visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared prepared to negotiate a deal for the release of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire. "We're now looking to close a hostage release deal and a ceasefire (in Gaza). It's time to finish the job and bring all of the hostages ...

The Deadly Legacy of the Assad Regime
ExplainerThe Deadly Legacy of the Assad Regime

More than a decade after the start of the Syrian conflict, concerns about chemical weapons remain. Despite Damascus officially joining the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2013 and efforts to destroy its arsenal, multiple indicators suggest the presence of undeclared residual stockpiles. Recent developments — including Israeli airstrikes, ...

NATO Chief Calls for Defense Surge to Avoid 'Big War' with Russia
NATO Chief Calls for Defense Surge to Avoid 'Big War' with Russia

NATO chief Mark Rutte issued a stark warning Thursday to "turbo-charge" defense spending, saying European nations were not prepared for the threat of future war with Russia. "We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years," Rutte said in a keynote address in Brussels, his first major speech since taking office as NATO ...

UN General Assembly demands immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza
UN General Assembly demands immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel. The resolution -- adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions -- urges "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," and ...

Kurdish Administration Says Adopts Syria's Independence Flag
Kurdish Administration Says Adopts Syria's Independence Flag

The semi-autonomous Kurdish administration that holds swathes of Syria's northeast said Thursday it will adopt the three-starred independence flag used by the opposition, after rebels toppled longtime president Bashar al-Assad. The Kurdish authority said in a statement it has "decided to raise the Syrian (independence) flag on all councils, ...