Next month, Iraq will host the Arab League’s 34th summit in Baghdad. This was seen as an exciting opportunity for Iraq after the protracted US invasion and occupation, to finally reclaim some regional influence for themselves. It’s become a source of no small amount...
Syrian Kurds Fault New ‘Inclusive’ Government After Getting Shut Out of Cabinet
Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) promised to deliver a diverse, inclusive new government for the nation, and while some media reports are praising the new government unveiled today as mission accomplished, many are extremely unsatisfied at what passes for...
Iraqi Tribal Council Proposes Volunteer Force to Fight HTS in Syria
Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led government and its role in the massacre of well over a thousand civilians, mostly Alawites, in the northwest earlier this month continues to loom large not just internally but in Syria’s relationship with the...
Ceasefire in Doubt as Syrian Troops Occupy Lebanon Border Village, Burn Homes
Yesterday’s clash at the border between the Lebanese Army and the Syrian Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government’s forces seemingly ended with a ceasefire overnight. Eight Syrian soldiers were killed in the Monday fighting, along with five (some unconfirmed reports say...
Syria Placed Under Islamist Rule for Five Years by New Interim Constitution
In December, the Sunni Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took over Syria in an internationally-backed offensive. HTS was formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, and al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) before that. Today, their leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammad...
Syria Military Operation Over, But Killing of Alawite Civilians Continues
Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) declared their military operation against the Alawites over on Monday morning, but the execution of Alawite civilians has not halted. The number of civilians executed before Monday has also been rising further as more are counted. At...
Israel Condemns Syria Government as ‘al-Qaeda Terrorists,’ Demands Global Denunciation
After a weekend of fighting between the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government and Alawite militias in northwestern Syria, and the subsequent massacres of Alawite civilians that left well over 1,000 people dead, Israel is expressing newfound outrage against...
Latest US Strike Killed Brother of Syrian Government Minister
The US has continued carrying out airstrikes against Syria’s Idlib Governorate’s Harem District, near the Tel al-Karama refugee camp this weekend, targeting and killing Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, who they described as a “senior leadership facilitator” for the...
Six Killed as Syrian Islamist Troops Raid Western Shi’ite Village
Clashes were reported in the western part of Syria’s Homs Governorate as troops loyal to the new Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government attacked the Shi’ite majority village of Ghawr al-Gharbiyah. At least six people were killed. The troops were backed by...
Syrian Islamist Rebels Seize Aleppo, Army Vows Counterattack
After several days of blisteringly fast gain, the Syrian Islamist rebel force led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has forced Syrian Army forces to withdraw and has taken the major northern city of Aleppo. There has been video footage of rebel forces outside the police...