Middle East
The trial of several prominent Tunisian opposition figures accused of national security offenses is set to begin Tuesday, with rights groups denouncing the case as politically motivated. The around 40 high-profile defendants include former diplomats, politicians, lawyers and media figures, some of whom have been outspoken critics of President Kais
Middle East
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has traveled to Saudi Arabia on Monday for his first trip abroad since taking office earlier this year, the presidency said. “President Aoun left Rafic Hariri International Airport heading to Riyadh,” the presidency said on platform “X”. Aoun will be accompanied by his country’s foreign
Middle East
Forces fighting alongside Sudan’s army said on Friday they had intercepted a substantial quantity of military supplies from a convoy destined for the rival Rapid Support Forces in North Darfur. The RSF denied that a convoy had been attacked, telling Reuters the statement from the Joint Forces was “incorrect
Middle East
Security forces in Syria said on Monday that they arrested three people involved in the execution of hundreds of civilians by government forces in Damascus in 2013, two years after the country’s 13-year civil war began. Dozens of police and security trucks lined the streets of Tadamon, a Damascus
Middle East
As excitement swept through the Syrian community after Bashar Assad’s overthrow, businesses in Turkiye that rely on them for labor began quickly crunching the numbers. “The Syrians have made a big contribution to the textile sector here. If they leave, there will be a serious labor problem,” said Ali
Middle East
A Syrian whistleblower, who smuggled tens of thousands of pictures depicting torture under Bashar Assad, on Thursday revealed his identity for the first time, two months after the longtime ruler was toppled. “I am First Lt. Farid Al-Madhan, the (former) head of the forensic evidence department at the military police
Middle East
The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the Bashar Assad government were located Tuesday by Syrian civil defense workers in two separate basements in rural Damascus. The discovery adds to the growing tally of mass graves unearthed since the fall of the Assad government in December. The remains,
Middle East
The mother of US journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in Syria in 2012, said on Monday in Damascus that the war-torn country's new leadership was committed to finding him. Tice was working as a freelance journalist for Agence France-Presse, McClatchy News, The Washington Post, CBS and other
Middle East
France’s President Emmanuel Macron Friday announced that Paris would in coming weeks host an international reconstruction conference after a war between militant group Hezbollah and Israel. After more than two years of a political vacuum at the top of the small Mediterranean country, Joseph Aoun was elected president on
Middle East
World figures hailed the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, urging them to stick to it and hurry aid to Gaza civilians. Here is a roundup of reactions from official statements, broadcast remarks and online messages. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was
Middle East
More than 100 children were killed or wounded in Syria last month alone after setting off mines and other unexploded ordnance littering the country after nearly 14 years of civil war, the UN said Tuesday. The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF warned that Syria’s girls and boys “continue
Middle East
In Damascus, the streets were buzzing with excitement Tuesday as Syrians welcomed in a new year that seemed to many to bring a promise of a brighter future after the unexpected fall of Bashar Assad’s government weeks earlier. While Syrians in the capital looked forward to a new beginning
Middle East
Lebanese authorities have arrested Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian opposition activist wanted by Cairo and son of the late spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP on Sunday. Qaradawi, also a poet, was detained on Saturday as he arrived from Syria at the Masnaa border
Middle East
Syria’s new authorities torched a large stockpile of drugs on Wednesday, two security officials told AFP, including one million pills of captagon, whose industrial-scale production flourished under ousted president Bashar Assad. Captagon is a banned amphetamine-like stimulant that became Syria’s largest export during the country’s more than
Middle East
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi emphasized in his Christmas message to the Lebanese on Tuesday the importance of “not giving in to despair or hopelessness, no matter how severe the circumstances or challenges may be.” Speaking on the eve of the most significant date in the Christian calendar, Al-Rahi said:
Middle East
Human rights group Amnesty International on Friday condemned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for firing salvos of unguided rockets at civilian areas of Israel during the latest conflict. “Hezbollah’s reckless use of unguided rocket salvos has killed and wounded civilians, and destroyed and damaged civilian homes in Israel,” said Amnesty’