ISTANBUL (AA) – Syrian armed factions have agreed to dissolve themselves and merge under the Defense Ministry, the state media has said. The state news agency SANA said the move was finalized during a meeting in Damascus between the head of Syria’s new administration Ahmed al-Sharaa and representatives of the revolutionary factions in the coun...
ISTANBUL (AA) – A UK-based Syrian rights group has said that it has compiled a list of around 16,200 members of the ousted Assad regime accused of crimes against civilians. “The ousted Assad regime committed serious violations that affected millions of Syrians,” the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said in a statement. The ri...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Qatar will have an active and purposeful role in Syria’s reconstruction and development process, said Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of Syria’s new administration. He was speaking at a press conference after meeting in Damascus with Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Al-Khulaifi, the first official Qatari...
DAMASCUS (AA) – The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria during a meeting with a delegation led by Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East. During the meeting in Damascus, Al-Jolani called on his interlocutors to support Syria’s recovery and [&hel...
ANKARA (AA) – A “strong” arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Syria’s deposed leader Bashar Assad is “just a matter of time,” says an international affairs expert. Levent Ersin Oralli, an academic at Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, said that Syrian ousted leader Bashar Assad clearly...
LONDON (AA) – The EU plans to reopen its delegation in Syria, signaling a shift in its diplomatic approach to the war-torn country. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced this during a European Parliament session. While the EU delegation in Damascus was never officially closed, there has been no accredited ambassador or active diplomati...
ISTANBUL (AA) – The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Ahmad al-Shera, has stressed the need to shift from a “revolutionary mentality to a state-centric mentality to govern” Syria and establish a state based on law and institutions to ensure stability. Ahmed al-Shera, who is also known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, told Syria...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed Saturday that Washington has had direct contact with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group which led Syrian factions in the overthrow of the Baath regime. The announcement came during a news conference in southern Jordan, where Blinken participated in international minist...
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Arab League has condemned the Israeli grab of the buffer zone in the Syrian territory, saying that the Arab countries have approached the Security Council to hold a session on Israel’s actions against Syria. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that under the initiative of Egypt and other Arab [&hel...
HOMS, Syria (AA) – Anti-regime groups in Syria on Friday began entering the suburbs of Homs city center that serves as a gateway to the capital Damascus, according to sources. The groups, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have captured large swathes of territory since the surprise offensive launched last week. After gaining control of [&hell...
