Ahmed al | DD News

January 9, 2026 9:53 AM

Syria signals renewed cooperation on chemical weapons destruction

Syria’s current government under Ahmed al-Sharaa has indicated a renewed willingness to cooperate with international efforts aimed at dismantling the country’s chemical weapons programme. The United Nations has described this as a critical opportunity to address long-standing gaps in verification. Briefing the Security Council, Adedeji Ebo, officer-in-charge of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, said Damascus is now working with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, ...

November 11, 2025 10:18 AM

Trump vows to do everything he can to help Syria after landmark talks with Sharaa

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Monday to do everything he can to make Syria successful after landmark talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by Washington as a foreign terrorist. Sharaa's visit capped a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled longtime autocratic leader Bashar al-Assad and has since traveled the world trying to depict himself as a moderate leader who wants to unify his war-ravaged nation and e...

November 10, 2025 1:56 PM

Trump to meet Sharaa at White House, capping major turnaround for Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday caps a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled a longtime autocratic leader and has since toured the world as he seeks to end Syria's international isolation. Trump is set to welcome Sharaa in the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to the White House, six months after the pair first met in Saudi Arabia and just days after Washington said the former al Qaeda member was no longer a "...

November 9, 2025 10:35 AM

Syria carries out pre-emptive operations against Islamic State cells

Syria has carried out nationwide pre-emptive operations targeting Islamic State cells, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said on Saturday. Syrian security forces carried out 61 raids, with 71 people arrested and explosives and weapons seized, the spokesperson told state-run Al Ekhbariya TV. The raids come ahead of a trip by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Washington to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and join an anti Islamic State U.S.-led coalition. The U.S. State Department...

November 7, 2025 10:45 AM

UN Security Council removes sanctions on Syria’s president, interior minister

The United Nations Security Council has removed sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The U.S.-drafted resolution on Thursday also lifted sanctions on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab. It received 14 votes in favor, while China abstained. Washington has been urging the 15-member Security Council for months to ease Syria sanctions. Trump announced a major U.S. policy shift in May when he said he would lif...

November 5, 2025 9:12 AM

US asks UN to lift sanctions on Syria’s president ahead of White House visit

The United States has proposed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is due to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The draft resolution, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, would also lift sanctions on Syria's Interior Minister Anas Khattab. It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the U.S., France ...

October 3, 2025 12:51 PM

Syria to establish first post-Assad parliament amid political inclusivity concerns

Syria will hold an indirect vote on Sunday to establish its first parliament since Bashar al-Assad was ousted, a key step in the transition from his rule but one that has stirred concerns about political inclusivity under the country's new leaders. The process is unfolding as President Ahmed al-Sharaa tries to consolidate his hold over a nation fractured by 14 years of war and recent bouts of sectarian violence that have fueled suspicion of his Islamist-led administration among minorities. The...

September 23, 2025 4:27 PM

Syria to establish new parliament, testing inclusivity pledge

Syria is preparing to establish the first parliament since Bashar al-Assad was toppled, a milestone in the transition from his rule but one that has stirred new concerns about political inclusivity under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Regional committees have selected electoral colleges that will elect two-thirds of the 210-member People's Assembly, on October 5. Sharaa appoints the remaining third. The authorities say they resorted to this system rather than universal suffrage due to a lack of re...

July 21, 2025 4:28 PM

Bedouin civilians evacuate Syria’s Sweida as tense truce holds

Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday as part of a U.S.-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, state media and witnesses said. With hundreds reported killed, the violence in the southern province of Sweida has posed a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, drawing Israeli airstrikes last week and deepening fissures in a country fractured by 14 years of war. A ceasefire took hold on Sunda...

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa (C-L) is welcomed by the Syria's new administration leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C-R) during an official visit in Damascus, Syria on January 28, 2025. Photo by Palestinian Prime Ministry/ Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

January 30, 2025 1:38 PM

Syria’s Sharaa declared president for transition, consolidating his power

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared president for a transitional phase on Wednesday, tightening his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa was also empowered to form a temporary legislative council for a transitional period and the Syrian constitution was suspended, according to an announcement made by the military command which led the offensive against Assad. The decisions emerged from a meeting of military commanders ...