Middle East

Sharaa said HTS was not a terrorist group. They did not target civilians or civilian areas, he said. In fact, they considered themselves to be victim of the crimes of the Assad regime. The victims, he said, should not be treated the same way as the oppressors. He denied that …

As for Syria’s neighbours, Mr Pedersen said that Israel’s actions since the fall of Assad had been “highly irresponsible”. Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied and later annexed the area of southern Syria known as the Golan Heights. Most other states, other than the US, consider the …

Video shows Syrian rebel fighters destroying tomb of the late president Hafez al-Assad, the father of the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The tomb also houses the graves of Hafez al-Assad’s wife and eldest son. Rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) gathered in mausoleum in the family’s …

Old wounds are still open and painful. Like tens of thousands of other Syrians, he lost a loved one, a brother, in the secret torture cells of Saydnaya prison. When the doors of this notorious prison in Damascus were flung open last week, he did not emerge. This aching hurt …

Assad was nowhere to be seen as Syrian cities and provinces fell to rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) within a period of 12 days. However, speculation mounted that he had fled the country as even his prime minister was not able to contact him …

Another strike hit a Civil Defence building in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said the strike killed the directors of its Nuseirat and Sheikh Radwan centres along with two volunteers, one of whom he named as Ahmad Baker al-Louh. Another five people …

There are more than 30 Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights, which are home to an estimated 20,000 people. They are considered illegal under international law, which Israel disputes. The settlers live alongside some 20,000 Syrians, most of them Druze Arabs who did not flee when the area came under …

The talk both inside and outside Syria after the tumultuous events of recent weeks has been of the vital importance of setting up new governance that represents all Syrians. At the meeting in Jordan, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed concern over Syria’s future shared across the Middle East and …

“What are these notes?” one woman raged. “Nobody is helping us. We want someone to come and check these documents with us. How can I find him among this many prison files?” The lack of any ordered system means critical evidence is being lost each day at sites across Syria …

Syrians made peace signs, waved flags and danced at a rally in central Aleppo to celebrate the end of the Assad regime. Mass rallies are taking place across the country to mark the end of five decades of authoritarian rule, after former President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia. Aleppo witnessed, …

Mass rallies are taking place across Syria to celebrate the end of five decades of authoritarian rule by the Assad regime. The BBC’s Lina Sinjab is in Damascus and says people are singing revolutionary songs, with men, women and children gathered alongside rebel fighters. Former President Bashar al-Assad fled to …

“We’re happy, but there’s still fear,” Samar said. “Why are we still afraid? Why isn’t our happiness full? It’s because of the fear they [the regime] planted inside us”. Her brother, Ahmed, agreed. “You could be sent to jail for saying simple things. I’m happy, but I’m still concerned. But …

In his first speech after the toppling of Assad, Khamenei was putting a brave face on a strategic defeat. Now 85 years old, he faces the looming challenge of succession, having been in power and the ultimate authority in Iran since 1989. “Iran is strong and powerful – and will …

“The occupation once again targeted those securing the aid trucks,” Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the AFP news agency. He added that around 30 people, most of them children, were also wounded in the two strikes. The lorries were carrying flour to warehouses belonging to the UN agency for …

A chemical weapon is described by the UN’s chemical watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), as a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties. Their use is prohibited under international humanitarian law. Between 2013 to 2018, Human Rights Watch documented at …

Decades of rule by the Assad family came to an end over the weekend following the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad. But as the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen explains, there are now demands for retribution from Syrians, with some calling for the public execution of those who served the Assads. Source …

After launching hundreds of air strikes on Syrian military assets and seizing positions including the summit of a mountain with an uninterrupted sightline to the capital Damascus, Israel appears to be taking advantage of what it sees as a unique moment of opportunity. Syrian command structures were in disarray, with …

Frederik Van Lokeren, a former Belgian navy captain and analyst, told BBC Verify that it appeared the Russian vessels were now in a holding pattern while Moscow deliberated on its next move. “They’re effectively in limbo at the moment, because they don’t quite know what’s going to happen,” Mr Van …

“According to an initial examination, the number of casualties resulting from the strike published in the media is inaccurate and does not align with the information held by the IDF,” it said. “The IDF is continuing to examine the incident.” Israeli forces launched a major ground offensive in parts of …

Mohammed al-Bashir is tasked with governing until March by the Islamist-led rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad. Source link