Syria

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Syria must succeed; rights of women, minorities should be respected: US

Our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we are prepared to help them do so, US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said in a press briefing

EU seeks assurances from Syria's leaders in exchange for dropping sanctions

European Union nations on Monday set out conditions for lifting sanctions on Syria and kick-starting aid to the conflict-ravaged country amid uncertainty about its new leaders' intentions just over a week after they seized power. At a meeting in Brussels, the EU's top diplomats said they want guarantees from members of Syria's interim government that they are preparing for a peaceful political future involving all minority groups, one in which extremism and former allies Russia and Iran have no place. Since Damascus fell on Dec 8 and leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow, Syria's transition has been surprisingly smooth. Few reports have surfaced of reprisals, revenge killings or sectarian violence. Most looting or destruction has been quickly contained. But the new leadership has yet to lay out a clear vision of how Syria will be governed. The interim government was set up by former opposition forces led by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a former al-Qaida ...

Photos of Syria's Assad expose world beyond crafted, repressive rule

Personal photos of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad have surfaced from his abandoned residences, sparking ridicule among Syrians who until days ago were persecuted for criticizing his carefully crafted public image. The intimate and candid photos, reportedly discovered in albums from Assad's mansions in the hills of Damascus and Aleppo, offer a stark contrast to the polished, glamorous image that Assad and his father projected as they led Syria for half a century. Syrians have been fascinated by the background glimpses of a seemingly normal family that held the country in an iron grip and bombed some their fellow citizens regarded as a threat. The sharing of photos has become an extension of the dazed first hours after Assad's ouster a week ago, when everyday Syrians wandered the presidential palace and its disheveled signs of a rapid departure. Assad has been granted asylum in Russia. For many Syrians who had endured forced imprisonment, displacement and oppression under the ..

Syrian Christians mark change with tears as UN envoy asks to end sanctions

In churches across long-stifled Syria, Christians marked the first Sunday services since the sudden collapse of Bashar Assad's regime in an air of transformation. Some were in tears, while others clasped their hands in prayer. They are promising us that government will be formed soon and, God willing, things will become better because we got rid of the tyrant, said one worshiper, Jihad Raffoul. Today, our prayers are for a new page in Syria's future, said another, Suzan Barakat. To help those efforts, the UN envoy for Syria called for a quick end to Western sanctions as the rebel alliance that ousted Assad and sent him into exile in Russia a week ago considers the way forward, along with regional and global powers. Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad's brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiralled into civil war. In another sign of yearning for

UN envoy urges sanctions relief to rebuild Syria after Assad's ouster

A UN envoy on Sunday called for a quick end to Western sanctions against Syria as the country's new leaders and regional and global powers begin to chart a path forward following the fall of President Bashar Assad. The Syrian government has been under strict sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad's brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and later spiralled into a civil war. The rebel alliance that ousted Assad and broke his iron grip on the country just days ago faces a nation wracked and deeply isolated by tough international sanctions, which compounded Syria's previous economic troubles. But other challenges also complicate Syria's rebuilding: the new transitional leadership has not laid out a clear vision how the country will be governed, and the main group behind the offensive is saddled with a terrorist designation by the US. The UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, told reporters in Damascu

New Syria: Rebels try to bring normalcy while Syrians vow to speak up

The new head of security arrived at Damascus' international airport with his men, a bearded fighter who marched with other rebels across Syria to the capital. The few maintenance staff who showed up for work huddled around Maj Hamza al-Ahmed, eager for answers about what happens next. They unloaded all their complaints, pent up for years during the rule of President Bashar Assad, which now, inconceivably, is over. They told him they were denied promotions and perks funneled to pro-Assad favorites, that bosses threatened them with prison for working too slowly. They warned him of hardcore Assad supporters among the airport staff, ready to return whenever the facility reopens. As al-Ahmed tried to reassure them, Osama Najm, an engineer, confessed: This is the first time we talk. This was the first week of Syria's transformation after Assad's unexpected fall. Rebels, suddenly in charge, met a population bursting with emotions: excitement at new freedoms; grief over years of repressio

Drug captagon: What it is, how it links to Syria's fallen Assad regime

The drug has the active ingredient fenethylline and was initially marketed for conditions including ADHD and the sleeping disorder narcolepsy

US push for stability in post-Assad Syria: Here's all you need to know

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up perhaps his last Middle East as America's top diplomat, with the aim of preventing Syria from spiralling out of control after the sudden ouster of President Bashar Assad. Blinken was one of several senior U.S. officials travelling across the region in the Biden administration's final weeks amid deep uncertainty in Washington and abroad over how Donald Trump will approach the Mideast when he takes office on Jan. 20, 2025. Blinken held meetings Jordan, Turkey and Iraq with the aim of trying to shape the future of post-Assad Syria by forging consensus among regional partners and allies whose interests often diverge. We know that what happens inside of Syria can have powerful consequences well beyond its borders, from mass displacement to terrorism," he told reporters Saturday in Aqaba, Jordan. "And we know that we can't underestimate the challenges of this moment. Here are some takeaways from Blinken's trip: Charting a new course

Top diplomats from US, Arab League, Turkey discuss Syria's power transition

Top diplomats from the United States, the Arab League and Turkey met in Jordan on Saturday to discuss how to assist Syria 's transition after the fall of Bashar Assad's government a week ago. No Syrian representatives attended. The collapse of the Assad family's more than half-century of rule has sparked new fears of instability in a region already shaken by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and hostilities between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah despite a tenuous ceasefire. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian insurgent group that led the overthrow of Assad's government, but the group continues to be designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. The insurgent leader in an interview with Syrian TV didn't mention contact with the US, but he warned Israel about the hundreds of airstrikes it has carried out in Syria in the past week. The US is also making a renewed push for a ceasefire

Indian nationals return from crisis-hit Syria, recall panic situation

A batch of Indian nationals, who returned to their homeland on Saturday after being evacuated from crisis-hit Syria, recalled the panic situation they faced in that country but praised the Indian Embassy there for being in "constant touch" with them. Some of the returnees, soon after landing at the Delhi airport late evening, shared with media their experiences of the last week. Sunil Dutt, a native of Chandigarh, and a mechanical engineer, alleged that there were some "anti-social elements" too in the streets who were also "looting stuff". It was a very bad situation and sights of fire and sounds of bombarding made it worse, he said. However, the Indian Embassy was in "constant touch with us" and its personnel" asked us to be calm, not open doors" to ensure safety, Dutt told reporters at Delhi airport. India has evacuated from Syria all its nationals who wished to return home after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar Assad's authoritarian government in the Arab nation. The S

Syrian rebel leader urges Israel to end airstrikes after Assad's overthrow

The head of the Syrian insurgent group that led the overthrow of Bashar Assad's government says they are not about to enter a conflict with Israel. But Ahmad al-Sharaa in his first public comments on Israel in the week since Assad's fall said "the pretexts that Israel uses have ended" for its airstrikes inside Syria in recent days. Al-Sharaa said the Israelis have crossed the rules of engagement in his interview with Syrian TV on Saturday. About 400 Israeli airstrikes in the past days have destroyed much of the Syrian army's assets. Al-Sharaa leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The excerpts released from his interview did not address contact with the United States, which on Saturday said had been in direct communication with HTS, which it designated a foreign terrorist organisation years ago. The HTS leader did say the new authorities in Damascus are in contact with Western embassies, and that authorities have a plan to start reconstruction and development in Syria. He did not give

US in direct contact with Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad: Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the overthrow of President Bashar Assad's government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. Blinken is the first US official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led a coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad from power last Sunday. Speaking at a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken would not discuss details of the contacts but said it was important for the US to convey messages to the group about its conduct and how it intends to govern in a transition period. Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and with other parties, Blinken said. He added that our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we're prepared to help them do so. HTS, which was once an affiliate of al-Qaida, has been ...

Blinken meets Iraqi PM to discuss Syria's future, threat of 'Islamic State'

The Secretary of State underscored the US' commitment to Iraq's security, stability, and sovereignty

Turkey to reopen its embassy in Syria for the first time since 2012

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says that Turkey's Embassy in Syria's capital of Damascus will reopen on Saturday, for the first time since 2012. In an interview with Turkey's NTV television Fidan said a newly appointed interim charge d'affaires had left for Damascus on Friday together with his delegation. "It will be operational as of tomorrow," he said. The Embassy in Damascus had suspended operations in 2012 due to the escalating security conditions during the Syrian civil war. All embassy staff and their families were recalled to Turkey. Earlier on Friday, thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus' historic main mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, while giant crowds celebrated in the capital's largest square and across the country. The gatherings were a major symbolic moment for the dramatic change of power in Syria, nearly a week after insurgents swept into Damascus, ousting the Assad-led state that had ruled the country

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US Secy of State Blinken to visit West Asia amid fresh trouble in region

The State Department said Blinken would meet Jordanian officials, including King Abdullah II, in the port city of Aqaba on Thursday before flying to Ankara for meetings with Turkish officials Friday

India has evacuated all nationals who wished to return from Syria: MEA

India has evacuated from Syria all its nationals who wished to return home after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar Assad's authoritarian government in the Arab nation. The Syrian government collapsed on Sunday as the rebels seized control of capital Damascus after capturing several other prominent cities and towns. India evacuated its nationals from Syria on Tuesday. "We have evacuated all Indian nationals in Syria who wished to return home following recent developments in that country. So far, 77 Indian nationals from Syria have been evacuated," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday. Our embassy personnel in Damascus accompanied them to the border, after which our mission in Lebanon received them and facilitated their immigration, he said. He was replying to a question at his weekly media briefing. Jaiswal said the embassy made arrangements for their boarding and lodging in Beirut and for their travel back home. "Most of our nationals have

Deception, despair marked Syrian Prez Assad's final hours before fleeing

Assad told his presidential office manager on Saturday when he finished work he was going home but instead headed to the airport, according to an aide in his inner circle

Curious case of Travis Timmerman: American citizen found in Syrian prison

How the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria led to the discovery of a missing US citizen 29-year-old Travis Timmerman