Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, met Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Damascus on Saturday in a bid to improve long-fraught ties, with the pair focusing on strengthening their shared border. The trip was the first by a head of government to Syria since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by a sweeping rebel … Read more
The European Union is considering easing sanctions on Syria to facilitate humanitarian aid and recovery efforts, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Wednesday. For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org Speaking to France Inter radio, Barrot suggested that sanctions obstructing aid delivery and the country’s rebuilding could be lifted swiftly, though … Read more
The US is set to imminently announce an easing of restrictions on providing humanitarian aid and other basic services such as electricity to Syria while still keeping its strict sanctions regime in place, according to people briefed on the matter. The decision by the outgoing Biden administration will send a signal of goodwill to … Read more
Rabbi Binyamin Hamra, son of the late Rabbi Avraham Hamra, a renowned leader of Syria’s Jewish community, has made an appeal to Syria’s new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani. According to a report by KAN, Hamra sent a letter in three languages—Arabic, English, and Hebrew—urging al-Julani to preserve the heritage of Syria’s Jewish community. In … Read more
Syria’s new de-facto leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, has urged the United States to exert pressure on Israel to retreat from the buffer zone in Syria, including the Syrian part of Mount Hermon, according to a Friday report by Kan 11. Despite Julani’s reported request, Israeli authorities allegedly stated they had received no formal communication … Read more
Syria’s Alawites are living in fear following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, according to the Washington Post this week. During his rule, Assad recruited many Alawites as military allies, and therefore many have been targeted by those angry at the previous regime, the Washington Post reported. According to the report, the new Sunni … Read more
Three weeks before the new year, Syria’s Assad regime fell from power, one that has been in power for 50 years. Syria now has an unprecedented opportunity to turn a new page and begin 2025 with a fresh start. However, not everything in Syria is a fresh start. While Damascus has been taken by … Read more
Syria’s de facto ruler Abu Muhammad al-Julani held talks on Monday with a senior Ukrainian delegation led by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported, as Kyiv moves to build ties with the new leadership in Damascus. SANA provided no immediate details about their talks, held in Damascus, but Ukrainian … Read more
Syria’s new leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani (Ahmed al-Shara’a) said Syria could have elections in the future, but it will take up to four years to prepare for them to take place. In addition, he said the change in power in Syria from the Assad regime to the new rulers will help lead to stability … Read more
An extraordinary fleet carrying regional leaders arrived in Damascus over the past week, all en route to pay a visit to Syria’s new leader, Abu Muhammad al-Julani. Julani’s control over Syria is not yet complete: the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the east, constantly targeted by the Turkish military, is a potential challenge to his … Read more
