America’s On-Off relationship with Turkey once again took a 180 degree turn as President Trump moved several dozen US Special Forces from the Turkish-Kurdish controlled Syrian border so Turkish military forces could enter Syria in what Turkey calls “Operation Peace Spring.” The Kurds, key US allies in defeating ISIS in …
Read More »Turkey will not take no for an answer from US on Syria safe zone
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that new U.S. proposals for a safe zone in northern Syria fall short and Turkey was running out of patience as Washington appears to be stalling in efforts to seal an agreement. U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey held talks in …
Read More »Pope warns of humanitarian situation in Syria
Pope Francis has expressed concern for the humanitarian situation in northwestern Syria and urged a negotiated end to years of fighting, in a letter delivered on Monday to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Vatican said the letter was handed over by Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, who heads the Vatican …
Read More »Syria: Small Steps towards Economic Recovery
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 …
Read More »Who is to blame for chemical attacks in Syria, verdict pending
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 …
Read More »Syria’s Assad Reaches ‘Understanding’ With Arab States
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 …
Read More »Syrian Foreign Minister Says Country’s ‘Battle Against Terrorism Is Almost Over’
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 …
Read More »If ending Syria’s war means accepting Assad and Russia have won, so be it
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 …
Read More »Trump warns Al Assad against Idlib attack
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 …
Read More »The Latest: French FM says Syria’s Assad has ‘won the war’
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 …
Read More »Russia blames UN for Syria migrant crisis and DEMANDS funding for rebuilding
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 …
Read More »Trump administration to pull back funding for Syria reconstruction efforts
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 …
Read More »Israel claims the Syrian civil war is effectively over — and President Assad is back in control
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 …
Read More »Syrian government forces seal victory in southern territories
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 …
Read More »France Sends Medical Aid To Assad’s Syria After Deal With Russia
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 …
Read More »Assad eyes victory as Syrian rebels poised to leave Golan Heights
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 …
Read More »Syrian government reaches reconciliation deal with rebels in Nawa
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 …
Read More »Israel to Russia: Assad’s safe from us, but Iran must quit Syria
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, …
Read More »The Latest: Syria says it expelled IS from eastern desert
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 …
Read More »ISIS Close to Losing Last Pockets in East Syria
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 …
Read More »Assad’s property law hits hope of return for Syrians in Germany
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 …
Read More »US-backed SDF ready for dialog with Syrian government: Officials
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 …
Read More »Trump Greets Plans for North Korea-Syria Meeting With Deafening Silence
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 …
Read More »Assad threatens to expel U.S. troops from Syria by ‘force’
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 …
Read More »Syria may not have declared entire chemical arsenal, OPCW says
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 …
Read More »US warns Syrian government not to advance on south
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 …
Read More »Syria says withdrawal of Iran, Hezbollah ‘not on agenda’
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 …
Read More »All ‘foreign forces’ to leave Syria, Putin tells Assad
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 …
Read More »Inspectors Confirm ‘Likely’ Use Of Chlorine As Chemical Weapon In Syria In February
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 …
Read More »U.N. warns of “conflagration,” Iran accuses Israel of “baseless” attack
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 …
Read More »Syria Reportedly Regains Control Over Key Highway for First Time in 6 Years
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). …
Read More »Israel minister threatens Assad over Iranian attacks from Syria
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 …
Read More »The Latest: Syrian rebels surrender north of Homs
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 …
Read More »Syria monitor: Missile attack kills 26, mostly Iranians
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 …
Read More »Russian FM says US trying to ‘divide Syria into parts’
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 …
Read More »Chemical Weapons Inspectors Collect Samples From Syria Site
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 …
Read More »Russia claims Syria air defences shot down 71 of 103 missiles
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 …
Read More »U.S. and allies warn Syria of more missile strikes if chemical attacks used again
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 …
Read More »Russia blames UK for Syria chemical attack that killed dozens, many of them children
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 …
Read More »Theresa May summons cabinet to discuss Syria action
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 …
Read More »Saudi Arabia could be part of Syria military action: Mohammad Bin Salman
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 …
Read More »Syria strikes spotlight Israel’s nightmare: an entrenched Iran
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 …
Read More »Dozens killed in apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians in eastern Ghouta — rescue workers
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 …
Read More »Trump Hates ‘Arbitrary Timelines,’ Yet Gave Military 6 Months to Exit Syria: Report
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 …
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