Syria

Satellite images show Iranian tanker Adrian Darya-1 heading to Syria

The Iranian oil tanker pursued by the US has arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Friday. The appearance of the Adrian…

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Russian warning on US strikes in Syria

The Russian military said on Sunday that the United States had carried out air strikes in Syria’s Idlib de-escalation zone in breach of previous agreements, inflicting numerous casualties and endangering…

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Russia announces ceasefire after it had stepped up raids with its allies on NW Syria

Russia has announced a unilateral ceasefire in northwestern Syria, where Moscow-backed government forces have been waging a fierce offensive to capture the rebels' last major stronghold, from Saturday morning. Russia…

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UN considering Syria ceasefire resolution

The United Nations Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would call for a truce in northwestern Syria "to avoid a further deterioration of the already catastrophic humanitarian situation,"…

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Putin and Erdogan share deep concerns on Syria

The leaders of Russia and Turkey said Tuesday they shared deep concerns over fighting in northwestern Syria, with Ankara warning it would take the steps necessary to protect its troops…

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Intense Israeli air strike in Syria

Israel's military has said it thwarted an "imminent" Iranian attack involving killer drones after its fighter jets had attacked targets in Syria. The announcement came unusually quickly after the attack.…

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US-Turkey operations centre in Syria at full capacity

A joint Turkish-U.S. operation centre to establish and manage a safe zone in northeast Syria is fully operational, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying on Saturday by…

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Doubts about opening of ‘humanitarian corridor’ by Syrian regime for civilians to flee

A "humanitarian corridor" has been opened in Syria so civilians from one of the last remaining rebel-held regions can leave and enter government-held territory, authorities have said. The country's foreign…

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Syrian regime forces take full control of Khan Sheikhun

Syrian regime forces took full control of the key north-western town of Khan Sheikhun on Wednesday, surrounding Turkish forces at a nearby observation post, according to the Syrian Observatory for…

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Syrian ‘rebels’ withdrew from southern Idlib province

Syrian rebels withdrew from a town in southern Idlib province and from their last remaining territory in neighboring Hama province after government troops advances in the area, the Syrian Observatory…

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New tensions between Russia, Iran and Turkey over Syria

Turkey has defied warnings from Russia, Iran and their local allies in Syria by seeking a deal with the United States and continuing to support insurgents as they clashed with…

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Ukraine’s and Syria’s conflict on agenda as Macron hosts Putin

Syria's and Ukraines' conflict were on the agenda as the French and Russian Presidents met on Monday ahead of the G7 summit in Biarritz, southwest France. Russia was excluded from…

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Turkey says its convoy attacked in Syria

Turkish military convoy was attacked en route to one of its observation posts in northwest Syria on Monday, Turkey’s Defence Ministry said, adding that three civilians were killed and 12…

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Ukraine high on agenda as Macron meets Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron will host his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a rare meeting on Monday before the start of the G7 summit in Biarritz. Macron is hoping to…

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Three more humanitarian workers killed in Syria, with civilian death toll ‘rising every day’

An attack in the south of Syria’s restive Idlib province that led to the deaths of a paramedic, an ambulance driver and a rescue worker, were added to the grim…

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Gibraltar to release Iranian vessel (Updated)

Update: Gibraltar has said it will allow a detained Iranian oil tanker to be released after Tehran gave the territory’s government an assurance that it would not allow its cargo…

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Syrian rebels claim to have shot down government warplane

A Syrian government warplane is reported to have been shot down as fighting continues in the rebel-held northern province of Idlib. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring…

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Syrian forces gain ground in Idlib offensive

Syrian regime forces seized a town on the edge of Idlib province on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said, their first ground advance since resuming an…

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High Tensions between the US and Turkey on Syria, as Erdogan threatens military operation

Turkey will pay a higher price later if it does not do what is necessary in northern Syria today, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday after vowing at the weekend…

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US welcomes Syria ceasefire

The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it welcomed news of a ceasefire in Northwest Syria - the last rebel bastion in the country - and urged for an end…

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No air strikes in Syria’s northwest as ceasefire declared

Syrian and Russian warplanes mounted no air strikes in the rebel-held northwest on Friday after a ceasefire was announced. Though rockets hit both Syrian government- and rebel-held territory on Friday…

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U.N. laments “international indifference” to rising death toll in Syria

Air strikes by the Syrian government and its allies on schools, hospitals, markets and bakeries have killed at least 103 civilians in the past 10 days, including 26 children, U.N.…

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Children: The forgotten victims of the Syrian conflict

The BBC carries a heart wrenching story about two sisters caught in an aerial strike that demolished their residence in Ariha, in Idlib. A journalist captured the moment a five-year-old…

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Reports of an Israeli attack in southern Syria

Syrian state television said on Wednesday that Israel struck a strategic area in southern Syria overlooking the Golan Heights where Western intelligence sources previously said Iranian-backed militias are known to…

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Pope Francis writes to Syrian President Assad

Protection of civilian life, an end to the humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib Province, concrete initiatives for a safe return of displaced persons, the release of detainees and access for families…

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Air strikes kill 18 in Syria’s Idlib

Air strikes killed at least 18 people, including seven children, in rebel held Idlib region in north western Syria on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. The northwest…

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Reports of Russian special forces fighting in Idlib in Syria

Russia has sent special forces in recent days to fight alongside Syrian army troops struggling to make gains in a more than two-month assault in north western Syria to…

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Air raids kill 11 civilians in northwest Syria

Syrian government air strikes on Tuesday killed 11 civilians in opposition-held northwest Syria, the target of months of bombardment by the government and its ally Russia, a war monitor said.…

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Photo Story: La Liga project at Zaatari refugee camp

Refugee children, beneficiaries of La Liga Foundation socio-educational project, prepare to join a celebration, at the Big Sports House Stadium, in the Zaatari refugee camp, about 100 km north of…

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UN’s Guterres condemns ongoing airstrikes on Syria’s hospitals, medical workers

Reports that airstrikes have hit several health facilities in north-west Syria have been strongly condemned by the UN Secretary-General. In a statement issued late Thursday evening, António Guterres said that…

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Who is Alan Kurdi?

In February 2019 the rescue ship Professor Albrecht Penck of the German sea rescue organization Sea-Eye was renamed to Alan Kurdi . Following a serious confrontation, similar to the one in early July…

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At least seven children killed in yet another airstrike in Syria

According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), at least seven children were killed in an airstrike against displaced civilians on Saturday on the village of Mhambel, in the outskirts…

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UPDATED: Royal Marines board oil tanker in Gibraltar

Royal Marines have boarded an oil tanker on its way to Syria thought to be breaching EU sanctions. The government of Gibraltar said there was reason to believe the ship,…

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Two hundred corpses found near Raqa, Syria

Two hundred corpses, including those of people believed to have been executed by the Islamic State group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqa, a local official and a…

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The RAF continues to take the fight to Daesh in Syria

Following the liberation by the Syrian Democratic Forces of the last territory held by Daesh or ISIS in Syria, Royal Air Force aircraft have continued to fly daily armed…

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Israeli missile strikes near the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs

Four civilians were killed and 21 injured in Israeli missile strikes near the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs, Syrian state media said. The Syrian military responded to missiles launched…

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Pregnant in Idlib, Syria means giving birth outdoors alone

This was not how Rabaa al-Shamaa imagined the birth of her fifth child. Out in an open field near the Syrian-Turkish border, the expectant mother lay on the grass, doubled…

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U.S. wants the Netherlands to supply ground support in Syria

The Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported that the United States asked the Netherlands to supply ground military resources as part of a new mission to Syria. The newspaper quoted the…

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Warning that Syria’s Idlib ‘on the brink’ of a nightmare

The heads of 11 global humanitarian organizations warned on Thursday that the embattled rebel-held province of Idlib in Syria, stands on the brink of disaster, with three million civilian lives…

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German firm Brenntag under the spotlight for selling chemicals to Syria

Shares in German chemicals distributor Brenntag dropped 4.4% on Wednesday after a German media report that said the company sold substances to Syria that could be used in chemical weapons.…

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Syrian forces temporarily regain control over strategic positions in Hama

The Syrian troops backed by militias from the National Defense Forces have seized Tell Maleh strategic heights in the northwest of the Hama Governorate, the Al-Masdar news portal has reported.…

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Saudi Crown Prince calls for decisive international position against Iran

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, said that Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region, but stressed that it “will…

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Dozens dead as escalation of clashes and violence in Syria is reported

Dozens of combatants, including 26 pro-government fighters, were killed on Saturday in clashes and air strikes that erupted in northwestern Syria, a UK-based activist group has said. The latest escalation in…

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Syrian and Russian bombardment leaves 28 dead

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian and Russian air strikes and shelling on Thursday killed at least 28 people including seven civilians in embattled northwest Syria. The attack…

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Israel retaliates after rockets fired at Golan Heights

The Israeli military said its aircraft struck Syrian army targets on Sunday after rockets were fired at the Golan Heights with an Israeli military spokeswoman saying it was still unclear…

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UK security services foiled 19 major terror attacks over past two years

Home Secretary Sajid Javid revealed in a speech Monday that the the tempo of terror activity is increasing. He said that in the past two years they have foiled…

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Probable Israeli drone attack in Syria

Syrian state media reported that "foreign bodies" - the use of the term indicates they may be unmanned drones - Saturday evening entered Syrian air space from Israel in the…

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Analysis – Is the Middle East on the bring of a major showdown?

War clouds in the Middle East are thickening. A worrisome conjunction of circumstances is leading towards a possible showdown between the Axis of Resistance (Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and some Iraqi…

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Escalation in bombardments in Syria’s Idlib province raises concern of another humanitarian catastrophe and a new Aleppo

Renewed violence in rebel-held northwestern Syria has killed dozens of civilians and forced 150,000 people into flight in one week alone, leading to fears of a government offensive that humanitarians have…

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing – Friday April 26th, 2019

Good morning, A clear morning, after days characterised by the presence of sand from the Sahara Desert in the atmosphere. Your morning briefing brings you a quick over-view of the…

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Number of civilian deaths in Syria five times higher than numbers released by US-led coalition

An inquiry by Amnesty International into civilian deaths in modern conflict claimed the US-led coalition killed 1,600 noncombatants in the fight for Raqqa. The figure is five times higher than…

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Singer Dua Lipa visits children uprooted by Syria’s conflict

Dua Lipa traveled to Lebanon with UNICEF this week to meet children and young people who were uprooted by the eight-year conflict in Syria. There are more than 1 million Syrian refugees…

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Three soldiers injured in Israeli air strike in Syria

An Israeli air strike on a military position in central Syria injured three soldiers, possibly Iranian, on Saturday, the official Syrian news agency SANA said. SANA, citing a military source,…

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Venezuela seeking to avoid a Syrian-style civil war

Venezuela's top diplomat said on Thursday his government was seeking to avoid a Syria-style civil war during a visit to long-time ally Damascus. Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused the United…

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Denmark to deprive jihadists’ children of their citizenship

The Danish Immigration Ministry in a statement announced that children born abroad to Danish citizens who fought alongside Islamic militants will no longer receive Danish citizenship. "As their parents have…

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Kurds want an international court to try ISIS foreign fighters

Kurdish Syrian fighters that defeated and removed ISIS fighter from their last strongholds called for an international tribunal to prosecute hundreds of foreigners rounded up in the nearly five-year campaign…

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Trump formally recognises Israel’s authority on Golan Heights

President Trump signed a proclamation on Monday formally recognizing Israel’s authority over the long-disputed Golan Heights, handing the pen to his grateful guest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Mr.…

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