President Bashar al-Assad

Could UN sanctions on Syrian rebels HTS be removed?

The rebel group that led the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad - Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - has long been under United Nations sanctions, which the U.N. special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen has described as "a complicating factor for all of us." Formerly known as the Nusra Front, HTS was al Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Since May 2014 the group has been on the United Nations Security Council al Qaeda and Islamic State sanctions list, and subjected to a ...

December 2, 2024 11:29 AM

At least 25 killed as Russian, Syrian jets intensify bombing of Syrian rebel territory

At least 25 people were killed in northwestern Syria in air strikes carried out by the Syrian government and Russia, the Syrian opposition-run rescue service known as the White Helmets said early on Monday. Russian and Syrian jets struck the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria on Sunday, military sources said, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush insurgents who had swept into the city of Aleppo. The army also said it had recaptured several towns that rebels had overrun in recen...