In the final, chaotic hours before rebel forces stormed Damascus and ended Bashar al-Assad‘s iron-fisted rule, the Syrian president had already fled the country. His departure, shrouded in secrecy, marked the abrupt collapse of his 24-year regime and his family’s 50-year hold over Syria. As the clock ticked towards Sunday morning, Assad had already abandoned…
BEIRUT (AP) — The last time Syrian President Bashar Assad was in serious trouble was 10 years ago, at the height of the country’s civil war, when his forces lost control over parts of the largest city, Aleppo, and his opponents were closing in on the capital, Damascus. Back then, he was rescued by his…
The Chinese embassy in Syria urged its citizens to leave the Middle Eastern nation “as soon as possible” as the country’s decade-long civil war reignited and anti-government militants captured more cities. “At present, the war in northwestern Syria is growing tense, and the security situation in Syria is further deteriorating,” the embassy said in a…
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian rebels said on Thursday they had started pushing into Hama, a major city where pro-government forces backed by intense Russian air strikes are trying to stave off a new rebel victory and halt the insurgents’ lightning advance. Rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany posted on social media that the…
(Reuters) – Syrian rebels’ capture of Aleppo from President Bashar al-Assad has brought the Syrian civil war back into focus, jolting frontlines that had been dormant for years with implications for the region and beyond. WHAT IS GOING ON? The rebels launched their surprise offensive on Nov. 26, attacking from areas to the north and…
The Syrian military and its ally Russia conducted deadly joint air raids on areas under Islamist-led rebel control on Monday, as they battle a lightning offensive that has wrested swathes of Syria from government control. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia and Iran, both of which have confirmed they will help his army…
Former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Donald Trump‘s pick for the director of national intelligence, has previously said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “is not the enemy of the United States,” which may give a glimpse into how she will handle issues in Syria if she’s confirmed by the U.S. Senate as insurgents seized the Middle…
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian government troops battled insurgents inside the country’s largest city Aleppo for the first time since 2016, while warplanes targeted rebel supply lines on the city’s edge, state media reported Saturday. Insurgents broke through government defense lines in Aleppo on Friday and entered the city’s western neighborhood with little resistance. The insurgents…
BEIRUT — Insurgents breached Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, after blowing up two car bombs Friday and clashed with government forces on the city’s western edge, according to a Syria war monitor and fighters. Residents were fleeing neighborhoods on the city’s edge because of missiles and gunfire, according to witnesses in Aleppo. The insurgents’ advance on Aleppo…