Syria

Syria’s Assad to travel to China for summit with Xi – presidency

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will travel to China this week for a bilateral summit with his Chinese counterpart, the presidency in Damascus said in a statement on Tuesday.Assad, Syrian first…

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Syrians tear down poster of Assad in Sweida as protests swell

Demonstrators in the southern Syrian city of Sweida tore down a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad on Friday as anti-government protests that began three weeks ago swelled with crowds coming…

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Syria’s Assad’s ruling party shut by protests in rebellious Druze city

Protesters demanding an end to authoritarian rule shut the ruling Baath party headquarters in the southwestern Syrian Druze city of Sweida as protests which entered their second week showed no…

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Syria says Israeli air ‘aggression’ puts Aleppo airport out of service

An Israeli air 'aggression' put Aleppo international airport out of service, the Syrian defence ministry said on Monday. "The Israeli enemy carried out an air attack ... targeting Aleppo International…

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Four Syrian soldiers killed in Israeli attack on Damascus

Aug 7 (Reuters) - An Israeli missile attack targeting the vicinity of Syria's capital Damascus killed four soldiers, wounded four more and caused "some material damage", Syrian state media reported…

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Islamic State confirms death of its leader, names replacement

(Reuters) - Islamic State confirmed the death of its leader Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi and named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as his replacement, the group's spokesperson said in an undated…

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Syrians still endure poverty despite relative calm and renewed Arab ties

War recedes but poverty persists No boost yet from improved Arab ties Companies fear Western sanctions DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Nesma Daher survived years of war in a Damascus suburb that…

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Syria says air defences intercept Israeli missile strike

AMMAN (Reuters) -Syria said on Sunday its air defences intercepted what it called an Israeli missile strike across central parts of the country and downed most of the missiles, according…

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Syria says Israeli missiles target sites near Damascus

AMMAN, May 29 (Reuters) - Syrian army air defences on Sunday confronted an Israeli missile strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, and there were no casualties, state…

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Arab League readmits Syria as relations with Assad normalise

Syria had been suspended from League since 2011 Some states sought conditions for Syria's return U.S. official says Syria does not merit readmission Qatar says no change in position on…

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Saudi Arabia, Syria welcome thaw in ties, agree to fight drug trafficking

RIYADH, (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia and Syria's foreign ministers welcomed a thaw in bilateral ties, including steps to resume consular services and flights, and agreed to cooperate to fight drug…

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Syria, Tunisia to exchange ambassadors, end decade of estrangement

BEIRUT, April 12 (Reuters) - Syria and Tunisia will reopen their respective embassies, the two countries said on Wednesday, almost a decade after Tunis severed ties to protest at a…

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Israel says it downs aircraft that appeared to come from Syria

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli army said it downed an unidentified aircraft on Sunday that appeared to have crossed into its territory from Syria, as tensions simmer between the two…

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Scientists say recycling rubble can help rebuild Syria faster

Concrete rubble from destroyed buildings in Syria can be safely recycled into new concrete, scientists have shown, which will make the rebuilding of the war-hit country faster, cheaper and greener.…

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Saudi Arabia to invite Syria’s Assad to Arab leaders summit

RIYADH/BEIRUT, April 2 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is planning to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to an Arab League summit that Riyadh is hosting in May, three sources familiar with…

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Syria says Israel hits Homs outposts, sources say air bases bombed

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, April 2 (Reuters) - Israel targeted outposts in Syria's Homs province in a raid early on Sunday, the Syrian defence ministry said, while Western intelligence sources…

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Israel conducts air strike in Syria

DAMASCUS, March 31 (Reuters) - Israel carried out an air strike near the Syrian capital early Friday, Syrian state media reported, the second attack near Damascus in the last two…

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Israel launched missiles at targets near Damascus

DAMASCUS, March 30 (Reuters) - Israel launched a number of missiles from the Golan Heights targeting the vicinity of Syria's capital Damascus that left two soldiers wounded and "some material…

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US will not back off Syria mission despite deadly attacks -White House

The United States will not back away from its nearly eight-year-old deployment to Syria, where it is battling the remnants of Islamic State, despite attacks on U.S. forces there last…

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After Iran, Saudi Arabia to re-establish ties with Syria

Saudi Arabia, Syria cut ties more than a decade ago Agreement on reopening embassies follows Saudi-Iran deal BEIRUT/RIYADH, (Reuters) - Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen their embassies…

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UPDATED: US strikes in Syria aimed at protecting personnel, combatting Islamic State -White House

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. strikes in Syria were aimed at protecting American personnel in the country, where Islamic State and Iran-backed militant groups remain a threat, White House…

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US sees spike in unprofessional Russian Air Force behavior over Syria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has seen a significant spike in unprofessional behaviour by Russia's air force in Syria since March 1, the top U.S commander for the region…

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UPDATED: Syria’s Assad says would welcome more Russian troops

Assad courts more Russian support Assad would welcome more Russian troops Assad suggests Russian bases should be permanent Syria supports Putin's war in Ukraine - Assad By Guy Faulconbridge and…

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UN, Syrian government implicated in Syria aid failures after quake – commission

GENEVA, March 13 (Reuters) - The United Nations, the Syrian government and other actors are responsible for delays in getting emergency aid to Syrians after last month's earthquake, a U.N.-appointed…

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Syria says Israeli strike puts Aleppo airport out of service

An Israeli air strike knocked Aleppo airport out of service on Tuesday and forced the Syrian authorities to reroute flights carrying aid for people affected by last month's earthquake, Syrian state…

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Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) aid convoy enters northwestern Syria

PARIS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Paris-founded medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said that a convoy of 14 MSF trucks had entered northwestern Syria on Feb. 19 from a nearby…

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Survivors dug out of rubble in Turkey, but many families pray to find a body to mourn

Survivors dug out of rubble 12 days after quake Many families just want a funeral and grave to mourn Death toll more than 46,000 Some 26 million people need aid,…

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Israeli missile strikes building in central Damascus, five dead

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - An Israeli rocket strike early on Sunday hit a building in central Damascus's Kafr Sousa neighbourhood near a large, heavily guarded security…

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World Food Programme boss criticises northwestern Syrian authorities for slowing quake aid

By John Irish MUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) on Saturday pressured authorities in northwestern Syria to stop blocking access to the area as it…

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UPDATED: Teenager rescued from rubble in Turkey 10 days after quake

Death toll in Turkey and Syria surpasses 42,000 Authorities have yet to announce numbers still missing Concerns for rebel-held northwest Syria By Suhaib Salem and Ali Kucukgocmen KAHRAMANMARAS/ANTAKYA, Turkey, Feb…

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Earthquake piles misery on war-ravaged Syrians in wintry north

JANDARIS, Syria (Reuters) - Wailing children, flattened buildings and hospitals full of bodies - a devastating earthquake on Monday looked painfully familiar for Syrian families and rescuers worn down by…

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UN aid chief says earthquake is region’s ‘worst event in 100 years’

Feb 11 (Reuters) - UN aid chief Martin Griffiths described on Saturday the devastating earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northwestern Syria as the "worst event in 100 years in…

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UPDATED: Two women survive for days in earthquake rubble as death toll tops 24,150

Death toll 20,665 in Turkey, more than 3,500 in Syria Hundreds of thousands homeless in the middle of winter First U.N. aid convoy enters northwest Syria from Turkey Children pulled…

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World Food Programme warns of stock shortage in quake-hit northwest Syria

GENEVA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that 14 trucks carrying humanitarian aid had crossed into northern Syria from Turkey on Friday. "These convoys are…

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UPDATED: After 104 hours buried by Turkey earthquake, woman brought out alive

Death toll is over 17,000 in Turkey, more than 3,000 in Syria Hundreds of thousands homeless in the middle of winter First U.N. aid convoy enters northwest Syria from Turkey…

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First U.N. quake aid convoy reaches Syria as envoy says needs immense

GENEVA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The first United Nations convoy carrying aid to Syrians stricken three days ago by a deadly earthquake crossed from Turkey on Thursday, witnesses and a…

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UPDATED: Earthquake death toll rises over 14,000 in Turkey; Hopes fade for finding more Turkey-Syria quake survivors

ANKARA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The death toll in Turkey from this week's powerful earthquakes has risen to 14,014, with more than 63,000 injured, President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on…

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UPDATED: Erdogan visits earthquake-hit south as anger grows over rescue effort

Anger in Turkey and Syria over government response Combined death toll tops 11,000 International aid gathers pace By Mehmet Caliskan, Huseyin Hayatsever and Ece Toksabay KAHRAMANMARAS/ANTAKYA, Turkey, Feb 8 (Reuters)…

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Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so powerful?

By Gloria Dickie (Reuters) - The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday is likely to be one of the deadliest this decade, seismologists said, with a…

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Opinion: Turkey-Syria earthquake: how diplomacy can bring warring countries together to save lives

by Ilan Kelman - Professor of Disasters and Health, UCL, via The Conversation The death toll of the massive earthquakes that have rocked the Turkey-Syria border region has now exceeded 5,000…

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Syria’s Red Crescent ready to deliver aid to opposition-held areas

Syria's Red Crescent is ready to deliver relief aid to all the country's regions including opposition-held areas and is urging the United Nation to facilitate this, its head said on…

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WATCH: Death toll from earthquake in Turkey nears 3,000, rescuers search for survivors

Rescue teams worked early on Tuesday to release people trapped in the rubble of buildings in southern Turkey as the death toll in the country from a devastating earthquake a…

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Bad weather hampers efforts to find survivors after huge Turkey quake

A huge earthquake killed more than 2,700 people across a swathe of Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday, with freezing winter weather adding to the plight of the thousands left…

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UPDATED: Netanyahu says Syria requests quake relief, Israel ready to send it

JERUSALEM, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Israel said on Monday that it had received a Syrian request for assistance with earthquake relief for the Arab state and that it was prepared…

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U.S. military says it captured two Islamic State members in Syria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American forces have captured two Islamic State members during an air and ground assault in eastern Syria, the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement released…

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Dutch authorities arrest alleged Syrian ISIS security chief

The Dutch national prosecutors office on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 37-year old Syrian refugee who is accused of committing war crimes as a security official for Islamic State.…

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Syria weakens official exchange rate

DAMASCUS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Syria weakened its official exchange rate to 4,522 Syrian pounds to the dollar, a central bank statement said on Monday, while black market rates used…

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UPDATED: Syria says Israel strike puts Damascus airport briefly out of service

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The Syrian army said on Monday an Israeli missile strike had briefly put the Damascus International Airport out of service, the latest…

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Syria’s Assad issues conditional amnesty for draft dodgers

(Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued an amnesty on Wednesday that pardons draft dodgers and helps them avoid prison if they report to duty within three to four months.…

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Turkish air strikes destroy 89 Kurdish militant targets in Syria, Iraq – ministry

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's defence ministry said on Sunday that 89 targets, including shelters and ammunition depots, were destroyed in air strikes on Kurdish militant bases in northern Iraq and…

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Four Syrian soldiers killed in Israeli “air aggression” – state media

DAMASCUS, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Four Syrian soldiers were killed and one wounded in Israeli "air aggression" on some posts in the coastal and central regions of Syria on Saturday…

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Syrian military says Israel strikes air base in central Syria, killing two servicemen

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Israeli missiles hit a major air base in Syria's Homs province on Sunday, killing two servicemen and injuring three others, the Syrian military said…

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Syrian refugees return home as Lebanese repatriation scheme begins

ARSAL, Lebanon Oct 26 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon returned home on Wednesday, the first day of repatriations organised by Beirut, amid concerns from rights groups…

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Lebanon, Syria discuss sea border after Beirut’s Israel deal

BEIRUT, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday discussed delineating their countries' shared maritime border, a Lebanese official said. A dispute over…

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Lebanon to begin returning Syrian refugees to Syria next week – presidency

BEIRUT, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Lebanon will start sending Syrian refugees back to their home country at the end of next week, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Wednesday, despite…

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UPDATED: After Syria raid, U.S. kills Islamic State militants in air strike

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. military said it carried out an air strike on Thursday in northern Syria that killed two Islamic State members including a leader it named as…

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Syria may ‘return to larger-scale fighting,’ U.N. warns in new report

Sept 14 (Reuters) - Syria's bloody conflict is at risk of further escalation after several frontlines across the country flared up in recent months, the United Nations warned on Wednesday…

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