US President Donald Trump on Monday announced he had ended a program to support rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because it was “massive, dangerous, and wasteful.” The comments came days after General Tony Thomas, the head of US special operations confirmed that the four-year-old operation was brought to a close but denied the … Read more
The head of the US military’s special operations confirmed Friday that the Central Intelligence Agency is shutting down its program to support rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. General Tony Thomas denied that the four-year-old operation was brought to an end as a way to placate Russia and earn its support for a ceasefire … Read more
Six Syrian actors battled a fraught US visa process to tread the boards in New York this week, seeking to impress on American theater goers the human cost of a war raging halfway round the world. Nothing could be further from the typical summer entertainment in this city of flamboyant wealth and consumption, sizzling under … Read more
The Central Intelligence Agency is shutting down its program to support rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Washington Post reported Wednesday. Citing unnamed US officials, the Post said the four-year-old covert operation has had limited impact, especially since Russian forces stepped in to support Assad in 2015. President Donald Trump made the decision … Read more
The United States announced new sanctions against Iran Tuesday over its ballistic missile program and what it called Tehran’s support for terrorist groups in the Middle East. The sanctions announced by the State Department target 18 individuals or entities described as supporting Iran’s ballistic missile program or the elite Republican Guard. The announcement came a … Read more
The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions against 16 more high-ranking military Syrian officials and scientists over chemical weapons attacks on civilians, a statement said. The move by the bloc’s foreign ministers brings to 255 people now facing a travel ban and an assets freeze over President Bashar al-Assad’s violent crackdown on civilians during a … Read more
The French and Russian foreign ministers vowed Thursday to put aside their countries’ differences to fight and defeat extremism. “International terrorism is our number one enemy and combatting it means really putting to side all the rest,” Russia’s Sergei Lavrov after meeting French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris. France is part of an international … Read more
The Syrian government on Monday warned that any new attack by Washington on the war-ravaged country would provoke an even stronger reaction by Damascus and its allies. “We would not be surprised if the United States carried out new attacks against Syria,” deputy foreign minister Faisal al-Moqdad told reporters in Damascus. “But they should carefully … Read more
The Syrian Central Bank has released the war-ravaged country’s largest currency note yet, featuring the face of President Bashar al-Assad for the first time. The new 2,000 pound note went into circulation in several regions including the capital Damascus on Sunday, according to Central Bank governor Duraid Dergham. “Given the worn nature of the bills … Read more
A US Navy supercarrier anchored off the Israeli port of Haifa Saturday on a break from operations supporting the US-led coalition’s fight against the Islamic State group. It is the vessel’s first visit to Israel in 17 years, according to the Israeli military. An AFP photographer said that the USS George H. W. Bush dropped … Read more
Russia on Friday dismissed a report by the UN’s chemical weapons watchdog that sarin was used as a chemical weapon in the April 4 attack in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun. The United States and its allies have accused the Moscow-backed Syrian regime of being behind the attack, a claim Russia rejects. “We must … Read more
US President Donald Trump’s warning to the Syrian government not to carry out a chemical weapons attack appears to have worked, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis said Wednesday. “It appears that they took the warning seriously,” Mattis said, referring to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. White House spokesman Sean Spicer warned Monday night that … Read more
The UN envoy for Syria said Tuesday he hoped that talks set to begin next week in Astana would help create favorable conditions for the next round of talks scheduled in Geneva, despite rising tensions. Staffan de Mistura’s remarks came a day after the United States announced the regime of Bashar al-Assad was preparing a … Read more
US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed during a telephone call Tuesday on the need for a “joint response” in the event of another chemical attack in Syria, the French presidency said. Their call came a day after Washington said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be preparing another chemical weapons … Read more
The US warning that Syria may be preparing another chemical weapons attack was based on suspect activity at the launch site of the regime’s apparent chemical strike in April, the Pentagon said Tuesday. “We have seen activity at Shayrat airfield… that indicated preparations for possible use of chemical weapons,” said Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff … Read more
President Bashar al-Assad toured a Russian airbase in western Syria on Tuesday in his first official visit to Moscow’s main base of operations in an intervention that has shored up his regime. Increasingly confident after his forces scored a series of victories against rebels, Assad has made several visits outside Damascus during this week’s Eid … Read more
Syria’s former defence minister Mustafa Tlass, a close friend of President Bashar al-Assad’s father and predecessor Hafez, died in Paris on Tuesday, his son Firas said. He was 85. Tlass, whose other son Manaf was among the most high-profile regime officials to defect during the early days of Syria’s uprising, died in a hospital on … Read more
US-led coalition air strikes killed nearly 60 people at a Syrian prison run by the Islamic State group, a monitor said Tuesday, as Washington insisted the jihadists remain its only target. The coalition has been hitting IS in Syria and Iraq since mid-2014 but has also been involved in recent confrontations with President Bashar al-Assad’s … Read more
The United States will not be drawn into Syria’s civil war, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said, despite an increasingly complicated battle space that has seen US warplanes down pro-regime aircraft. Speaking to reporters on a military plane late Monday as he headed for meetings in Europe, Mattis said the US-led coalition was determined … Read more
The US says it has identified “potential preparations” for another chemical attack in Syria, and issued a stark warning to the Syrian government. The White House said the activities were similar to those made before a suspected chemical attack in April. Dozens died in that attack and prompted President Donald Trump to order a strike … Read more