Syria

Pope Francis laments decade of Syria’s destructive civil war

Pope Francis on Sunday joined the Church in the Philippines in commemorating 500 years of Christianity in the Southeast Asian nation. He celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with several…

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Ten years of Syria conflict, from protest to war to economic decline

Ten years into Syria’s conflict, President Bashar al-Assad has survived the bloody insurgency which started out with peaceful protests in March 2011. He holds sway over many parts of the…

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Syria’s President Assad and his wife test positive for COVID-19

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for COVID-19 after showing minor symptoms, the president’s office said in a statement on Monday. It said they were…

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Missile strikes hit oil refineries in north Syria, killing one

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Missile strikes in northern Syria near the Turkish border killed one person and injured at least eleven others on Friday, Turkish state media and a source from…

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UPDATED: Biden orders air strikes against Iranian-backed militia facilities in Syria

President Joe Biden on Thursday directed U.S. military air strikes in eastern Syria against facilities belonging to what the Pentagon said were Iran-backed militia, in a calibrated response to rocket…

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German court issues guilty verdict in first Syria torture trial

A German court sentenced a former member of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s security services to four and half years in prison after finding him guilty of facilitating the torture of…

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Syrian army says air defences intercepted ‘Israeli aggression’ over Damascus

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syria's army said on Monday the country's air defences intercepted "Israeli aggression" over the capital, Damascus, in the latest stepped-up bombing of Iranian targets inside the country…

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UPDATED: Syria reports Israeli military activity over Hama

Syrian air defences confronted early on Friday "an Israeli aggression" in the region of Hama that killed four people from the same family, state media said. Israel has carried out…

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Syria says extinguishes huge fire near Homs refinery

Syrian civil defence teams extinguished a huge fire that swept a number of oil tankers loading crude oil from an installation near the country’s main Homs refinery after a blast…

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Beirut blast chemicals possibly linked to Syrian businessmen – report, company filings

BEIRUT/LONDON/MOSCOW, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The company that bought the ammonium nitrate which exploded in Beirut last August had possible links to two Syrian businessmen under U.S. sanctions for ties…

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Veteran Syrian diplomat Mekdad named foreign minister

Syria’s President Bashar al Assad named veteran diplomat Faisal Mekdad as foreign minister on Sunday to replace Walid Moalem, who died last week, state media reported. Mekdad, 66, had been…

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Iran vows to defeat any Israeli attempt to harm its Syrian role

Iran on Sunday vowed to defeat any Israeli attempt to harm its role in Syria, saying the era of "hit and run" attacks by Israel there was over, days after…

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Israeli warplanes strike Syrian army, Iranian Quds force in Syria

Israel launched air strikes against Syrian and Iranian targets in southern Syria on Wednesday after explosive devices were planted in the Israeli-held Golan Heights, the Israeli military said. The Syrian…

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Syria mourns the death of its veteran top diplomat

Syria's long-time foreign minister Walid al-Moalem, an unyielding defender of Syrian President Bashar al Assad's bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters that sparked a decade old conflict, died on Monday, the…

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Syria’s Assad says Russian bases in his country keep balance of power in region

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said the continued presence of Russia’s major naval and air bases in his country help counter the influence of Western powers in the region as…

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Main Syrian opposition called on major powers to help on reaching ceasefire

The main Syrian opposition called on major powers on Saturday to help clinch a nationwide ceasefire in coming months to pave the way for a political transition after nearly a…

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Fire from explosion on gas pipeline in Syria extinguished

An explosion on the Arab Gas Pipeline that caused a power blackout in Syria on Monday was the result of a "terrorist" attack, state media cited the energy minister as…

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Explosion at Arab gas pipeline leads to total blackout in Syria

An explosion on the Arab Gas Pipeline has caused a power blackout in Syria and initial indications point to an attack, the energy minister told state-run television on Monday. The…

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Putin, Erdogan discuss conflicts in Libya, Turkish, Qatari and German ministers visit Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflicts in Libya and Syria with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in a telephone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement. The…

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Jordan to close border with Syria after spike in COVID-19 cases

Jordan will close its land trade border crossing with Syria for a week after a rise in COVID-19 cases coming from its northern neighbour, officials announced. The interior minister’s decision…

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Tensions on Israel-Syrian border in the Golan Heights

Four Syrian militants had been reportedly killed in the early morning of Monday by Israeli soldiers. According to an Israeli military spokesperson, Israeli soldiers thwarted an attempt to place improvised…

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Syrian tycoon says front companies used to dodge sanctions

Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf revealed he had set up a web of offshore front companies to help President Bashar al Assad evade Western sanctions, in a social media post blasting…

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Israeli helicopters target 3 outposts in Syria, causing two injuries

Israeli helicopters targeted three outposts in the Quneitra area of southwest Syria with anti-tank guided missiles, causing two injuries and some fires, the Syrian state news agency reported on Friday, quoting a military…

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Assad’s Baath Party comes first in Syria election

Bashar Assad's Baath party came first in the parliamentary elections, results announced Tuesday by the regime's electoral commission showed. The party took 177 seats out of 250 in Sunday's polls,…

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Five die in car bomb in Syria

A car bomb attack in northwestern Syria's Azaz region killed five people and wounded 85 others, a local hospital in Syria and Turkish state media said on Sunday. The incident…

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ElectionWatch : Syria goes to the polls

Syrians go to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament as the Damascus government grapples with international sanctions and a crumbling economy after retaking large parts of the war-torn…

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On fifth attempt, U.N. Security Council renews Syria aid via Turkey

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday approved aid deliveries to Syria through one border crossing from Turkey, a day after its authorization for the six-year-long humanitarian operation ended, leaving…

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UN says that Syrian, Russian air strikes in Idlib amount to war crimes

Syrian and Russian planes have carried out deadly aerial strikes on schools, hospitals and markets in Idlib province that amount to war crimes, U.N. investigators said on Tuesday in a…

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Russia quits U.N. system aimed at protecting hospitals, aid in Syria

Russia said on Thursday it has quit a voluntary United Nations arrangement that aimed to protect hospitals and humanitarian aid deliveries in Syria from being hit by the warring…

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Syrian army says Israel hits several bases across country

The Syrian army responded to Israeli strikes on southern, central and eastern Syria in which two soldiers were killed, the army said on Tuesday in what military defectors and intelligence…

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Turkish-Russian talks on Libya and Syria postponed

Russia and Turkey have postponed ministerial-level talks which were expected to focus on Libya and Syria, where the two countries support opposing sides in long-standing conflicts. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut…

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EU adopts €55 million package for Syrian refugees and local communities in Jordan and Lebanon to mitigate coronavirus pandemic

As part of the EU's global response to the coronavirus outbreak, the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis has mobilised an additional €55 million for refugees…

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Putin and Merkel discuss Syria, Libya, Ukraine in phone call

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed Syria's humanitarian aid needs in a telephone call, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday. Putin and Merkel also…

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Libya – A ‘Syria’ in the making in the Mediterranean

A Russian drive to recruit Syrians to fight in Libya for militia leader Khalifa Haftar accelerated in May when hundreds of mercenaries were signed up, five Syrian opposition sources and…

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Explosion heard near Aleppo in Syria

An explosion was heard in the Syrian city of Aleppo in the early hours of Saturday morning, Syrian state TV said. No other details were immediately available. The Syrian official…

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Portugal to take 60 unaccompanied children from Greek refugee camps

Portugal is to take up to 60 unaccompanied children from Greek refugee camps, according to Socialist Party lawmaker Isabel Santos, as concern mounts over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak…

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Syrian air defences intercept hostile targets over Damascus

Syrian air defences early on Monday intercepted “hostile targets” over the capital of Damascus, the state news agency SANA reported. SANA added that the air defense system had intercepted…

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Russian pilots intercept US Navy aircraft over Mediterranean

Russian pilots intercepted a US Navy aircraft in an "unsafe and unprofessional manner" on Sunday for the second time within four days, claimed the US Naval Forces Sixth Fleet. A…

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Syria reports first coronavirus death

Syria’s health ministry said on Sunday that a woman who died after being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment was found to have been infected by coronavirus in the country’s…

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EU calls for immediate ceasefire in Syria

The EU on Sunday called for an immediate and nationwide cease-fire in Syria to deal with the novel coronavirus. Anadolu reports that in a statement, the EU External Action spokesman Peter…

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Syria confirms first coronavirus case

War-ravaged Syria on Sunday confirmed its first case of the coronavirus after weeks of rejecting opposition allegations that the disease had already reached a country with a wrecked health…

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Erdogan expected in Brussels on Monday

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to be in Brussels on Monday for a one-day working visit, his office said amid a charged conflict between Turkey and the European Union…

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EU foreign affairs chief calls on countries involved in Greek-Turkey standoff to stop this game

Migrants attempting to get into Europe need to know the border between Turkey and Greece is closed, the EU's foreign affairs chief has said, as he called on countries involved…

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Relative calm in Syria’s Idlib as ceasefire takes hold

A ceasefire agreed by Russia and Turkey has gone into effect in Syria's northwestern region of Idlib, activists and a monitoring group confirmed Friday. The temporary stop in fighting was…

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Putin and Erdogan agree on a ceasefire in Idlib, Syria (Updated)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he had agreed a deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at talks in Moscow that he hoped would lead to a halt of…

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Erdogan flies to Moscow for Syria ceasefire talks with Putin

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan flew to Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin over a potential ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib, where their militaries are facing off in a…

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EU ministers hold emergency talks in the wake of tensions at the Greek-Turkish borders

European Union countries offered more money on Wednesday for border policing in Greece and humanitarian aid in Syria's Idlib, but they were in a bind over Turkey as they sought…

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Greece is Europe’s Shield – Von Der Leyen extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs council

The head of the European Commission has sent a strong message of support to Greece in its attempts to stop migrants crossing its border from Turkey. "Our first priority is to…

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Actions by Russia and Turkey in Syria could amount to war crimes

The United Nations said the actions of Russia and Turkey in Syria could amount to war crimes by both Moscow and Ankara. Russia backs the Syrian government’s forces, while Turkey…

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Syrian warplane targeted by Turkish forces in Idlib

A Syrian government warplane was targeted by Turkish forces in Idlib on Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported. Syrian warplane was hit by a missile fired by Turkish regime’s air…

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Erdogan says EU and world is not understanding Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that "millions" of migrants would soon head for Europe, drawing accusations from EU leaders that he is trying to pressure them into backing his…

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Turkey downs two Syrian fighter jets as it intensifies Idlib attacks

Turkey has escalated a widespread offensive against Syrian troops and their allies, shooting down two government planes, wiping out dozens of pieces of military hardware including tanks and radar systems,…

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Greece stops accepting asylum applications following Turkish decision to let migrants pass through border

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that his country will not be accepting asylum applications for one month, after Turkey's decision to let migrants pass in their attempts to travel…

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I am saddened by the news of so many displaced people, so many men, women and children who are discarded by war – Pope Francis

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his sorrow for the plight of refugees and migrants fleeing war and asked the faithful to pray for them. “I am saddened by the news…

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