In comments in an interview with The National, US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack warned that Lebanon faces an “existential” crisis if they don’t give in to US demands to fully disarm Hezbollah and all other armed factions by November. “You...
US Envoy Faults Kurds as Syria Integration Slows
Back in March, the Kurdish SDF agreed on integration into the Syrian Army. The deal was mostly “in principle” with the details to be worked out in later talks. The process seems to have slowed on a number of different points, and the US isn’t happy. The SDF retains...
US Revokes Terror Designation for HTS, the Al-Qaeda Offshoot That Took Over Syria
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that the Trump administration is revoking the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the al-Qaeda offshoot that took power in Damascus in December 2024. HTS started as the...
Report: Syria Talks With Israel Involve Seizing North Lebanon
Israeli media began reporting new specificities about the Syria-Israel peace talks that have been ongoing for awhile, and incredibly they seem to suggest that the deal is centering around discussions of carving off parts of Lebanon to give to Syria’s Islamist...
Locals Fear Demolitions as Israeli Troops Set Up New Base in Syria’s Quneitra
When Israel invaded southwest Syria in December, the Quneitra Governorate was the first place hit. Right along the frontier of the occupied Golan Heights, Israeli forces entered after the ouster of the Assad government. They have only expanded the amount of area...
Israel Seeks Normalization With Syria, But Not at the Cost of the Golan Occupation
Since the December regime change in Syria, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government has repeatedly talked up improving the nation’s relationship with Israel. That talking point hasn’t gone away, even if it seemed less probable with Israel actively invading...
HTS Offshoot Claims Credit for Damascus Church Bombing
On Sunday, a massive suicide bomb attack tore through the important Greek Orthodox church Mar Elias in Damascus, killing 27 and wounding dozens more. The huge attack just added to the spate of sectarian violence across Syria, which undercuts the Islamist Hayat Tahrir...
Israel Raids Southwest Syria Villages, Child Wounded by Shrapnel
Israeli troops continue to carry out cross-border raids into southwest Syrian villages, particularly in the Quneitra Governorate, as their invasion and occupation of that frontier near Golan continues. Two ground raids were reported against two Quneitra villages on...
At Least 27 Killed in Suicide Bombing of Damascus Church
Updated 6/23/25 12:13 EDT An enormous number of Christians were killed today in the Douila area of the Syrian capital city of Damascus when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb during a Sunday mass at the Mar Elias church. State media initial reported 9 killed and dozens...
Israel Demolishes South Syria Homes, Detains Civilians
Israeli troops have been operating in growing number in southwest Syria’s Quneitra Governorate lately, leveling homes and detaining civilians on unspecified charges. They have also taken to building roadblocks and bulldozing trees near the ceasefire line. The home...