Syria

December 12, 2024 9:28 AM

Syria’s rebel leader vows to dissolve Assad regime security forces, close prisons

The main commander of the fighters who toppled Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, close its prisons and hunt down anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees. Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa - better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani - said in a statement to Reuters he will "dissolve the security forces of the previous regime and close the notorious prisons." Syria ran one of the most oppressive police states in the M...

December 11, 2024 5:18 PM

“Whatever Iran needs is available in India,” Iran’s envoy to India

Iran's Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, highlighted the significant potential for collaboration between the two nations, saying that India has everything that Iran needs. Speaking at the Iran Food Festival in New Delhi on Wednesday, Elahi emphasized his commitment to improving trade accessibility and fostering stronger cultural ties between the countries. Elahi said that he is actively working with Indian officials to address hurdles in bilateral trade, particularly the issue of financial tran...

December 11, 2024 9:41 AM

India successfully evacuates 75 nationals from Syria after rebel forces overthrow Assad regime

India evacuated 75 of its nationals from war-torn Syria after rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), overthrew President Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian regime. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Wednesday that all evacuees, including 44 ‘zaireen’ from Jammu and Kashmir, have safely reached Lebanon and will soon return to India via commercial flights. The evacuation operation was executed against the backdrop of escalating violence and instability in Syria, where ...

December 11, 2024 10:05 AM

Refugees return to Syria as caretaker prime minister appointed

Refugees from Syria's long civil war were making their way home on Wednesday, as a new interim prime minister said he had been appointed with the backing of the rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad. U.S. officials, engaging with rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), urged them not to assume automatic leadership of the country but instead run an inclusive process to form a transitional government. The new government must "uphold clear commitments to fully respect the rights of min...

December 10, 2024 10:46 AM

Syria’s rebels work to form government, restore order after Assad ouster

The lightning overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad left Syrians, countries in the region and world powers nervous on Tuesday about what comes next as the rebel alliance took its first steps in a government transition. The United Nations Security Council met behind closed doors late on Monday, and diplomats said they were still in shock at how quickly Assad's overthrow unfolded over 12 days, after a 13-year civil war that was locked in stalemate for years. "Everyone was taken by surprise,...

December 9, 2024 9:29 PM

Assad’s fall brings ‘the moment’ to rid Syria of chemical weapons

The downfall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, found to have used chemical weapons against his own people on multiple occasions during the civil war, creates an opportunity to rid the country of banned munitions, diplomatic sources said on Monday. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said it was following the situation in Syria with "special attention" to chemical weapons-related sites and had reminded Syria, through its embassy, of its continued obligation to declare and d...

December 9, 2024 7:10 PM

Russian exporters won’t stop supplying wheat to Syria unilaterally

Russian grain exporters do not plan to unilaterally stop supplying wheat to Syria amid political turmoil there, Eduard Zernin, head of the Russian Grain Producers and Exporters Union, said on Monday Russia is a major supplier of wheat to Syria, where rebels seized capital Damascus, ending the rule of Bashar al-Assad and ousting him as president. Assad fled to Moscow after a lightning rebel offensive. "Russian grain exporters do not plan to unilaterally terminate their obligations under conclud...

December 9, 2024 9:14 AM

With Assad ousted, a new era starts in Syria as the world watches

Syrians awakened on Monday to a hopeful if uncertain future, after rebels seized the capital Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, ending a 13-year civil war and more than 50 years of his family's brutal rule. The lightning advance of a militia alliance spearheaded by Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, marked one of the biggest turning points for the Middle East in generations. Assad's fall wiped out a bastion from which Iran and Russia exercis...

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...

October 24, 2024 11:54 PM

Nepal Army prepares contingency plans to rescue peacekeepers from Syria and Lebanon

The Nepal Army is preparing contingency plans to rescue Nepali peacekeepers deployed in Syria and Lebanon should the situation deteriorate further. The ongoing conflict between the militant group Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon has created a slightly uncomfortable situation for some Nepali peacekeepers deployed under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Currently, 877 Nepali peacekeepers are stationed in Lebanon as part of UNIFIL, while 452 are deployed at a border point in Syr...