Syria | DD News

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 2, 2025 2:34 PM

Syrian president will visit White House in early November, foreign minister says

Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaibani confirmed on Sunday that President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit the White House in early November and discuss the reconstruction of Syria. U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack said the previous day that Sharaa would visit Washington, with a White House official later saying the visit would happen around November 10. "There will be many issues on the table, starting with the lifting of sanctions and opening of a new chapter between the United States and Syria. W...

October 7, 2025 1:41 PM

Syrian army and SDF reach ceasefire deal in Aleppo city following clashes

The Syrian army and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached a ceasefire deal in two districts of Aleppo city, Syria's state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday, following a spike in tensions between the two sides. The Syrian army had redeployed along several frontlines with the Kurdish-led group in northeast Syria, the Defence Ministry said on Monday, saying the move was not a prelude to military action but to prevent repeated attacks and attempts by the SDF to seize territory. ...

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...

September 18, 2025 3:32 PM

Syria’s foreign minister in Washington, a first in 25 years

Syria's foreign minister arrived in Washington on Thursday, the first official visit at that level in more than 25 years as the U.S. makes a pro-Damascus policy push, lifting sanctions and mediating between the new Islamist rulers and Israel. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani will meet U.S. lawmakers to discuss the lifting of remaining U.S. sanctions on his country, Senator Lindsey Graham was quoted as saying by Axios. Two sources familiar with the trip confirmed the visit to Reuters. It comes...

August 19, 2025 1:43 PM

Syria faces food crisis as worst drought in 36 years devastates harvests

Syria is confronting a severe food crisis triggered by the worst drought in nearly four decades, threatening the livelihoods and food security of millions in the war-battered country. The prolonged dry spell has severely impacted agriculture, compounding the impact of years of conflict and economic turmoil. According to experts, water levels in rivers and reservoirs have dropped to critical lows, with wheat and barley production, dietary staples, falling by as much as 70% in some regions. ...

August 14, 2025 1:40 PM

Iraq and Syria Explore Revival of Banias Pipeline after two decades

Iraq and Syria have agreed to study the potential reactivation of the Banias pipeline to transport Iraqi oil through Syrian territory. The decision emerged during talks in Baghdad between Hayan Abdul-Ghani Al-Sawad, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil, and Syria’s Minister of Energy, Mohammed Bashir. The two sides agreed to form a joint committee to assess the condition of the pipeline and determine the feasibility of resuming exports, with plans to engage an...

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...

July 21, 2025 10:36 AM

Calm reported in Syria’s Sweida, Damascus says truce holding

Residents reported calm in Syria's Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a U.S. envoy signalled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented. With hundreds reported killed, the Sweida bloodshed is a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes against government forces last week as it declared support for the Druze.Fighting continued on Saturda...