Britain on Thursday lifted sanctions that had been imposed on several Syrian government agencies during the rule of the now-deposed president, Bashar al-Assad, in the latest sign of Western engagement with the country’s new leaders. In a notice updating its list of those sanctioned, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office named a dozen organizations…
More than 100 chemical weapons sites are suspected to remain in Syria, left behind after the fall of the longtime president, Bashar al-Assad, according to the leading international organization that tracks these weapons. That number is the first estimate of its kind as the group, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, seeks to…
The trainer paced the grounds of a mountain enclave in southwestern Syria, shouting at dozens of new recruits as they drilled sprints between barricades made from old car tires. “You have to practice as if it’s real,” screamed the instructor, Fadi Azam. “Want me to start shooting at you instead to make it real?” he…
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, announced late Saturday the formation of a caretaker government that will lead the country through a crucial transition as it emerges from more than 50 years of dictatorship under the Assad family’s iron-fisted rule. Mr. al-Shara, who led the coalition of rebel forces that overthrew the Assad regime, appointed a…
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon soldiers patrol past the rubble of destroyed buildings in the village of Houla, southern Lebanon, earlier this month. A cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in November 2024. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 21 (UPI) — The deadly clashes that erupted this week in…
Syria’s new government has adopted a temporary constitution that concentrates much power in the hands of the interim president and retains Islamic law as the foundation of the legal system. The interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, signed the constitutional declaration on Thursday following the dissolution in January of the previous constitution under the authoritarian president, Bashar…
Lubna Labaad walked among a flattened wasteland that was once her neighbors’ homes. The only building left standing was a mosque, a years-old message scrawled on its outer wall from when rebels surrendered control of the area to the Syrian regime during the country’s brutal civil war: “Forgive us, oh martyrs.” Now, many former residents…
Netanyahu’s War Strategy Under Fire: Explosive Report Reveals Israel ‘Killed 41 Hostages’ In Gaza A shocking New York Times investigation has revealed that at least 41 Israeli hostages were killed by Israeli airstrikes and “friendly fire” since October 7, 2023. The report, citing forensic evidence, military probes, and witness accounts, suggests that many hostages perished…
Gunmen attacked a position held by Syrian security forces in Damascus overnight, a war monitor said on Monday, raising fears that the deadly violence sweeping Syria’s coastal region could spread to other parts of the country. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has monitored the Syrian conflict since 2011, said that unidentified gunmen…
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, appealed on Sunday for calm and for unity as he moved to reassure the nation after days of clashes that a monitoring group said had killed hundreds of people. “We must preserve national unity and civil peace,” he said from a mosque in Damascus, according to video that circulated online….