Tag Archives: Assad regime

By Areej Zaher*   The World Bank has reported that the Syrian conflict, till 2017, had disastrous effects on about a third of the residents and half of the medical and educational institutions, as a result of the collapse of vital economical systems. This caused the ending of 538 jobs …

The global chemical weapons watchdog will in February begin to assign blame for attacks with banned munitions in Syria’s war, using new powers approved by member states but opposed by Damascus and its key allies Russia and Iran. The agency was handed the new task in response to an upsurge …

President Bashar al-Assad told a little-known Kuwaiti newspaper that Syria had reached a “major understanding” with Arab states after years of hostility over the country’s civil war. The interview in the Al-Shahed newspaper, published Wednesday, was Assad’s first with a Gulf newspaper since the war began in 2011. Assad didn’t …

Syria’s top diplomat told the world Saturday that his country’s “battle against terrorism is almost over” after more than seven years of civil war, as an envoy from another of the planet’s most troubled spots — North Korea — prepared to address the U.N. General Assembly. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid …

Just when it seems the Syrian war cannot get more complex, it does. In the skies above the Mediterranean, Syrian missiles shoot down an allied Russian surveillance plane after mistaking it for an Israeli bomber. In the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the Russian and Turkish presidents produce a plan …

US President Donald Trump warned Syria against launching an attack on the country’s last rebel stronghold with the help of Russia and Iran, saying the offensive could trigger a “human tragedy.” “President Bashar Al Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making …

The Latest on the Syrian conflict (all times local): 3:40 p.m. France’s foreign minister says Syrian President Bashar Assad has won his country’s civil war but won’t “win the peace” without a political solution brokered by the international community. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also reiterated threats of Western …

RUSSIA’S foreign minister Sergei Lavrov today accused the United Nations of hampering reconstruction efforts in Syria, as the Kremlin-backed Syrian regime continues to urge refugees to return to the war-ravaged country. Russia, a staunch ally of the Assad regime, is urging the West, which backs the opposition, to help fund …

The State Department will pull back funding it had allocated to rebuild parts of Syria once held by the Islamic State, saying Friday that other countries will now provide $230 million in planned spending. Most of the U.S. money was first announced in January by then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson to …

Israel claimed Syria’s long-running civil war had effectively come to an end Thursday and predicted the Golan Heights frontier between the two countries would be much quieter over the coming months. Syrian President Bashar Assad has sought to restore central rule in several southwestern areas of the country in recent …

The Syrian regime has reclaimed a sliver of territory in southern Syria that was under the control of Islamic State, sealing its military victory in the strategic southern territories that rebelled in 2011 against Bashar al-Assadand fully reestablishing its hold over the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Syrian Observatory …

France sent 50 tonnes of medical aid to government-controlled eastern Ghouta in Syria on Friday after Russia agreed to facilitate its delivery, raising hopes for future aid efforts, French officials said. The aid, which will arrive on a Russian plane to a Russian military base in north-western Syria from France …

Defeated Syrian rebels near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are preparing to evacuate the region and cede control of the frontier to Bashar al-Assad, securing a key victory for the Syrian president, whose forces are on the verge of concluding a swift campaign to reclaim control of southern …

The Syrian government reached a reconciliation agreement Wednesday with rebels in Nawa, in southern Daraa province. According to the agreement, rebel forces agreed to hand over “military hardware” followed by the rest of their weapons once ISIS is removed from southern Syria. Anyone who is unwilling to be part of …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russia on Wednesday that Israel would not seek to topple its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but Moscow should encourage Iranian forces to quit Syria, a senior Israeli official said. Netanyahu conveyed the message in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official said, …

The Latest on the situation in Syria (all times local): 4:45 p.m. Syria’s military says it has expelled the Islamic State group from the country’s vast eastern desert. The military says it’s cleared about 5,800 square kilometers — or 2,200 square miles — of the expanse linking its heartland to …

ISIS fighters are close to losing their small pockets in east Syria after being besieged in the two provinces of Hasaka and Deir Ezzor, particularly in areas located east of the Euphrates River. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by Italian, French and US forces, advanced in the southern al-Hasaka governorate …

Husam Idris dreams of returning to his bakery in the Syrian city of Aleppo. But three years after escaping the war, he worries that a new law allowing the Syrian government to seize homes for redevelopment will scupper his plans. People wait at the Syrian embassy in Berlin, Germany, June …

The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of mainly Kurdish militants that maintains a grip on northeastern Syria, is reportedly prepared to hold talks with Damascus over the future of the territory under its control. Ilham Ahmed, the co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, the SDF’s political wing, suggested on Wednesday …

When Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, met with top Chinese and Russian officials before a planned summit meeting with President Trump, the American leader raised a red flag. But North Korea’s announcement that Mr. Kim is also planning to meet President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has brought no similar …

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned in comments broadcast Thursday that he would wage war to expel U.S. troops from northeastern Syria if dialogue fails to bring the area back under government control. It was not the first time that Assad has threatened to attack U.S. troops, but it was his …

The head of the world’s chemical weapons watchdog has questioned whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared his entire arsenal. Ahmet Uzumcu, director general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), highlighted that attacks involving chlorine barrel bombs and deadly nerve agent sarin have continued despite the landmark …

The U.S. government says it will take “firm and appropriate measures” to protect a cease-fire in southern Syria if President Bashar Assad’s forces attack rebels there. In a statement released Friday, the State Department said it was concerned by reports that Assad’s forces were preparing for an operation near the …

When Syria’s Bashar al-Assad met ally Vladimir Putin in Sotchi last week, the Russian leader said all foreign forces would be pulling out Syria’s deputy foreign minister said Wednesday Damascus did not envisage Iran and Hezbollah participating in the withdrawal of foreign forces from the war-torn country as announced last …

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Thursday that “foreign armed forces” would leave Syria, according to Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA. Assad was on a surprise visit to Russia. He and his counterpart hailed the beginning of the “political process” in Syria amid an ongoing “fight against …

Two cylinders that were dropped on the rebel-held Syrian city of Saraqeb in February — sending nearly a dozen people to seek medical help for nausea and other symptoms — had contained chlorine, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. A team samples the impact site of …

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate halt to “all hostile acts” to avoid “a new conflagration” in the Middle East after Israeli forces bombed Iranian targets inside Syria. Guterres’ comments came as a calm night followed intense attacks on parts of Syria by Israel. Israel said the strikes …

The militants, who blocked the road, left their positions and handed over their weapons to government forces. According to the newspaper Al-Watan, the Syrian Arab Army has regained control over the stretch of the M5 highway between the cities of Homs and Hama due to the implementation of a reconciliation agreement in a militant-held enclave north of Homs (165 km from Damascus). …

A minister in Israel’s security cabinet says it could topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if he allows Iranian forces to attack Israel from Syria. Yuval Steinitz warned that if there was an attack, Mr Assad “must know that it is his end and the end of his regime”. His comments …

The Latest on the Syria conflict (all times local): 10 p.m. Syrian state media say rebels have agreed to surrender an enclave near Syria’s third largest city to the government. Al-Ikhbariya TV says rebels have agreed to allow government forces into the countryside north of Homs and re-establish state institutions. Rebels will have the …

A missile attack targeting government outposts in Syria’s northern region killed 26 pro-government fighters, mostly Iranians, a Syria war monitoring group said Monday, amid soaring Mideast tensions between regional archenemies Israel and Iran. Iranian media gave conflicting reports about the overnight incident amid speculation that it was carried out by …

Russia’s foreign minister said Saturday the United States is trying to divide Syria. During a meeting with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey, Sergey Lavrov said the recent U.S.-led missile strikes on Syria “seriously aggravated the situation.” He added that statements about supporting the territorial integrity of Syria “are only …

Chemical weapons inspectors collected samples from Syria’s Douma on Saturday, two weeks after a suspected gas attack there followed by retaliatory strikes by Western powers on the Syrian government’s chemical facilities. The site visit, confirmed by the Organization of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, would allow the agency to proceed …

The Russian military has claimed that the Syrian air defences, whose most modern weapon is a three-decades-old Russian-supplied anti-aircraft system, shot down 71 of 103 missiles fired by the US and its allies, the UK and France, a claim denied by the Pentagon. As further details began to emerge about …

Western allies warned Syria on Saturday that they could launch further attacks if chemical weapons are used again, even as Syria’s powerful backer Russia denounced the missile strikes but gave no signs of possible retaliation. The flurry of statements after Friday’s coordinated strike of U.S. cruise missiles — along with …

The Russian military says that an alleged chemical attack in Syria was staged and directed by Britain. Volunteer first responders and activists claimed a chemical attack by the Syrian government killed over 40 people in the town of Douma, which drew international outrage and prompted Washington and its allies to …

Theresa May has summoned ministers to an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the UK’s response to the suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria. Ministers are expected to back her call to join military action threatened by the United States and its allies. Sources say the PM is prepared to take …

Saudi Arabia could take part in military action in Syria after a suspected chemical attack that killed at least 60 people in the eastern Ghouta region over the weekend, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman said on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump on Monday promised quick, forceful action in response to …

The missile strikes targeting a Syrian air base on Monday highlight the nightmare scenario Israel is facing: arch-enemy Iran entrenching to the east. Russia blamed Israel for the pre-dawn strike in Homs province. Two U.S. officials later confirmed to NBC News that Israel fired the missiles after informing Washington. Israel did …

Syrian doctors and rescue workers said Sunday that scores of people had died in an apparent chemical attack on a besieged enclave near Damascus, as government forces escalate their battle there. At least 42 people were killed in the attack in Douma, the final rebel stronghold northeast of Damascus, according …

In an aside during what was supposed to be a speech about infrastructure last week, President Trump announced, “We’re coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let the other people take care of it now. Very soon — very soon we’re coming out.” This was at odds with what basically …

President Donald Trump’s unexpected announcement on Thursday that the US would “be coming out of Syria like very soon” is raising concerns among some national security officials who warn that withdrawing now would not only undermine American credibility in the region but prompt a significant escalation to an already devastating …

Russia troops said Monday they expect to reach an agreement with a major Syrian rebel group to arrange its exit from the last rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta in another key victory for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces as they push to gain control of the region on the edge …

Syrian rebel groups said Friday that a deal had been struck to evacuate thousands of people from the besieged and ­broken Syrian enclave of Eastern ­Ghouta amid growing reports that men who crossed to government territory are being forcibly conscripted. Friday’s agreement, which was expected to take force in the …