Tough questions in Damascus and the region Al-Ahram, Egypt, December 13 For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org The recent developments in Syria, including those of the past few weeks and as recently as yesterday, are certain not to remain confined within Syrian borders. Indeed, it may not be an overstatement … Read more
First published on Cagle.com, Bulgaria, Dec. 17, 2024 | By Christo Komarnitski First published on Cagle.com, The Netherlands, Dec. 13, 2024 | By Tom Janssen First published in The Boston Globe, United States, Dec. 19, 2024 | By Christopher Weyant First published in the Columbia Missourian, United States, Dec. 18, 2024 | By John Darkow … Read more
Senior US diplomatic officials emphasized that Iran “will have no role whatsoever” in Syria’s rebuilding efforts in America’s first visit to Damascus since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2012. “Iran’s had decades now of the most predatory and destructive behavior and presence in Syria. So, it’s hard for me to imagine Iran … Read more
On December 18, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with Jens Plotner, Foreign Policy and Security Advisor to the Federal Chancellor of Germany. “I emphasized that the international community has a role in protecting the minorities in Syria, including the Kurdish minority that is under attacks and threats these days,” Sa’ar said. Many Kurds … Read more
Following Bashar Assad’s fall from power in Syria, thousands of detained Syrians have been released from prison. Yet tens of thousands of imprisoned individuals are still missing, with many presumed dead. When search operations began in Sednaya military prison, one woman from Idlib named Naima was hopeful that her son would be found alive … Read more
‘Jewlani confirmed!’ Conspiracy theories regarding the origins of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, leader of triumphant Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, have been going rampant on social and traditional media across the Middle East and beyond, propagated mainly by Islamic Republic sympathizers and Assad regime loyalists. Al-Sharaa, who took the nickname Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, has been facing staunch criticism … Read more
The head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organization on Monday said that a mass grave outside of Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Mouaz Moustafa, speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Damascus, said the site at al Qutayfah, 25 … Read more
In the early hours of Sunday, December 8, President Bashar al-Assad flew out of Syria to Moscow, ending a 54-year dynasty during which the Assad family had ruled the country with an iron fist. Hours earlier, rebel forces had entered the capital, Damascus, simultaneously seizing control of the strategic city of Homs to the … Read more
The vault of Syria’s central bank holds nearly 26 tons of gold, the same amount it had at the start of its bloody civil war in 2011, even after the chaotic fall of Bashar al-Assad’s despotic regime, four people familiar with the situation told Reuters. But the country has only a small amount of … Read more
The Russian military has begun withdrawing soldiers from Syria, CNN reported on Monday night, citing Western and American officials who referred to the withdrawal as “large-scale” and “significant.” Moscow also continued withdrawing military equipment from bases across Syria, as reported last week by The Jerusalem Post. EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters … Read more
