Syria Government

Syria's reforms promising but democracy still lacking: Amnesty chief

The secretary general of Amnesty International said Saturday that the new authorities in Syria have taken steps to show commitment to reform, transitional justice and reconciliation but says democracy is still lacking. A year after the fall of President Bashar Assad's government, Agnes Callamard, who visited Damascus this week, said that having legal reform plans before parliament, committees for transitional justice and welcoming international rights groups and other experts were signs that change is happening in Syria. All of those things are very good signs but they are not very deep, Callamard said in an interview with The Associated Press. Messages left with Syrian officials seeking comment Saturday were not immediately returned. After the fall of Assad in an offensive led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria remains unstable. Forces loyal to the government were blamed for taking part this year in sectarian violence against members o

Trump hosts Syria's interim Prez Al-Sharaa in landmark White House visit

President Donald Trump is hosting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday, welcoming the once-pariah state into a US-led global coalition to fight the Islamic State group. It's the first visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state since the Middle Eastern country gained independence from France in 1946, and comes after the US lifted sanctions imposed on Syria during the decades the country was ruled by the Assad family. Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled former Syrian President Bashar Assad last December and was named the country's interim leader in January. Trump and al-Sharaa who once had ties to al-Qaida and had a USD 10 million US bounty on his head first met in May in Saudi Arabia. At the time, the US president described al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past, very strong past. Fighter." It was the first official encounter between the US and Syria since 2000, when former President Bill Clinton met with Hafez Assad, .

What to expect as Syria goes to polls for 1st time since Assad's ouster

Syria is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday for the first time since the fall of the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated in a rebel offensive in December. Under the 50-year rule of the Assad dynasty, Syria held regular elections in which all Syrian citizens could vote. But in practice, the Assad-led Baath Party always dominated the parliament, and the votes were widely regarded as sham elections. Outside election analysts said the only truly competitive part of the process came before election day with the internal primary system in the Baath Party, when party members jockeyed for positions on the list. The elections to be held on Sunday, however, will not be a fully democratic process either. Rather, most of the People's Assembly seats will be voted on by electoral colleges in each district, while one-third of the seats will be directly appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Despite not being a popular vote, the election results wi

Many Syrians unaware of first parliamentary election since Assad's fall

The streets of Damascus barely showed sign Saturday a parliamentary election was set to take place the next day. There were no candidate posters on the main streets and squares, no rallies, or public debates. In the days leading up to the polling, some residents of the Syrian capital had no idea a vote was hours away, the first since Islamic insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in a lightning offensive in December. I didn't know now by chance I found out that there are elections of the People's Assembly, said Elias al-Qudsi, a shopkeeper in Damascus' old city, after being asked for his views about the upcoming election. But I don't know if we are supposed to vote or who is voting. His neighbourhood, known as the Jewish Quarter, although nearly all of its former Jewish residents have left, is one of the few that has a smattering of campaign fliers posted on walls in its narrow streets. The posters announce the candidacy of Henry Hamra, a Jewish former resident of the ...

How Syria's first elections since Assad's ouster are expected to unfold

Syria is set to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday for the first time since the fall of the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated in a rebel offensive in December. Under the 50-year rule of the Assad dynasty, Syria held regular elections in which all Syrian citizens could vote. But in practice, the Assad-led Ba'ath Party always dominated the parliament, and the votes were widely regarded as sham elections. Outside election analysts said the only truly competitive part of the process came before election day with the internal primary system in the Ba'ath Party, when party members jockeyed for positions on the list. The elections to be held on Sunday, however, will not be a fully democratic process either. Rather, most of the People's Assembly seats will be voted on by electoral colleges in each district, while one-third of the seats will be directly appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Despite not being a popular vote, the election resu

Syrian, Israeli delegations meet in Paris as US pushes for normalisation

Syria's foreign minister held a rare direct meeting with an Israeli delegation in Paris on Tuesday, talks that were brokered by the United States as part of a diplomatic push for Syria and Israel to normalise relations despite a recent surge in tensions between them. Syria's state-run SANA news agency said Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani met with Israeli officials to discuss de-escalating tensions and restoring a 1974 ceasefire agreement a deal that established a demilitarised separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces and stationed a UN peacekeeping force to maintain calm. The statement gave no details on the outcome of the Paris meeting. But a senior Trump administration official, who was not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, confirmed the talks. The United States continues to support any efforts that will bring lasting stability and peace between Israel and its neighbours," the official told The Associated Press, adding that the backing follows President ...

French court upholds some of Assad's protections, allows future warrants

France's highest court on Friday upheld some of Syrian ex-leader Bashar Assad's personal immunity as a head of state while green-lighting possible future war crime warrants, drawing criticism from human rights lawyers and Syrian activists. The Cour de Cassation upheld Assad's head-of-state immunity, but added that since he is no longer in office, new arrest warrants may have been or may be issued against him for acts that may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity. The decision is a blow to activists who had hoped the court would set aside the immunity, a decision that could have had far-reaching consequences for other leaders accused of atrocities. From our side as a victim, this is a huge mistake. This will support another dictatorship to keep doing this kind of crime they know they will enjoy immunity, said Mazen Darwish, president of the Syrian Centre for Media, which collected evidence of war crimes. It is a sad day for us, Darwish said. Missed opportunity for ...

French court to rule on Assad immunity over Syria chemical attack charges

France's highest court is ruling Friday on whether it can strip the head of state immunity of Bashar Assad, the former leader of Syria now in exile in Russia, because of the brutality of the evidence in accusations against him collected by Syrian activists and European prosecutors. If the judges at the Cour de Cassation lift Assad's immunity, it could pave the way for his trial in absentia over the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta in 2013 and Douma in 2018, and set a precedent to allow the prosecution of other government leaders linked to atrocities, human rights activists and lawyers say. Assad has retained no lawyers for these charges and has denied he was behind the chemical attacks. Ruling could open door for prosecutions in other countries A ruling against Assad would be a huge victory for the victims, said Mazen Darwish, president of the Syrian Center for Media which collected evidence of war crimes. It's not only about Syrians, this will open the door for the victims from

Syrian govt evacuates Bedouin families from Sweida to end weeklong clashes

The Syrian government on Monday started evacuating Bedouin families trapped inside the city of Sweida, where Druze militiamen and Bedouin fighters have clashed for over a week. The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile postwar transition. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. The UN International Organisation for Migration said some 128,571 people were displaced in the hostilities that started with a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks a week ago. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. Syrian state media said early Sunday that the government had coordinated with some officials in Sweida to bring in buses to evacuate some 1,500 Bedouins in the city

Who are Syria's Druze, caught in sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes?

Israel has claimed that its military stepped in to protect the Druze community in Syria and eliminate pro-government forces accused of attacking them

Israel threatens to escalate involvement in Syria as ceasefire collapses

Clashes raged in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Wednesday after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed and Israel threatened to escalate its involvement in support of the Druze religious minority. Syria's Defence Ministry blamed militias in Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire and continue military operations in the Druze-majority province. Military forces continue to respond to the source of fire inside the city of Sweida, while adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes, the statement said. A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control over the territory. The primarily Sunn

US revokes foreign terrorist designation of Syria's HTS

HTS was labelled a terrorist group by the US in 2018 because of its previous connections to al-Qaeda. However, in late January, it was disbanded and the fighters were integrated into Syrian military

Syria to grant inspectors access to suspected nuclear sites: UN watchdog

Syria's new government has agreed to give inspectors from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the agency's head told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency's director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, spoke in an exclusive interview in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials. He also said al-Sharaa expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear energy for Syria in the future, adding, Why not? The agency's aim is to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgment of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons, Grossi said. He described the new government as committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation and said he is hopeful of finishing the inspection process within months. An IAEA team in 2024 visited some sites of interest while former President Bashar Assad was still in power. Since the fa

From terrorist to Trump's ally: Who is Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa?

Once hunted by the US with a $10 million bounty, Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa now shakes hands with Donald Trump in a rare and dramatic diplomatic U-turn

Trump meets Syria's new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, a US-designated terrorist

US President Donald Trump met Syria's interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia during his Gulf tour; talks signal shift as Trump plans to lift decades-old US sanctions on Syria

Trump to meet Syria's prez before heading to Qatar on his Mideast tour

President Donald Trump is set to meet Wednesday with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, going face-to-face with the onetime insurgent leader who spent years imprisoned by US forces after being captured in Iraq. The White House said Trump has agreed to say hello to al-Sharaa before the US leader wraps up his stay in Saudi Arabia and heads to Qatar, where Trump is to be honoured with a state visit. His Mideast tour also will take him to the United Arab Emirates. Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family. Trump said he agreed to meet with al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president also pledged to lift yearslong sanctions on Syria. There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country and

Syria, Israel holding indirect talks to avoid escalation, says Prez Sharaa

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Wednesday that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent recent hostilities from getting out of control. He spoke on his first visit to Europe since taking office in January, and as he seeks to broaden ties to Western countries. Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on parts of Syria last week, saying it aims to protect the country's Druze minority coming under attack by pro-government gunmen. Speaking to reporters in Paris, al-Sharaa said, "Regarding negotiations with Israel, there are indirect talks through mediators to calm down the situation so that they don't go out of control." He did not say who the mediators are. His visit to Paris comes amid renewed sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where al-Sharaa took power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led an offensive that toppled former President Bashar Assad in December. Assad, a member of Syria's Alawite minority, ruled for more than two decades. The vi

Israeli strikes kill nine in Syria as tensions rise over Turkish influence

Israeli strikes in Syria reportedly killed at least nine people in the southwest of the country on Thursday, as Israel accused Turkey of trying to build a protectorate in Syria. Syrian state news agency SANA said that those who died in the strikes were civilians, without giving details. Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that they were armed residents from the Daraa province. Israel had also struck five cities in Syria late Wednesday, including more than a dozen strikes near a strategic air base in the city of Hama, where Turkey, a key ally of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, reportedly has interests in having a military presence. Syria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the strikes had resulted in the near-total destruction of the Hama military airport and the injury of dozens of civilians and military personnel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Turkey of playing a negative role in Syria. They are doing their utmost to h

Syrian Prez Ahmed al-Sharaa forms transitional govt with diverse cabinet

Unlike traditional structures, the government will not have a prime minister, with al-Sharaa expected to directly lead the executive branch

Syria at crossroads: Can return to violence or move to peace, says UN envoy

Three months following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Syria is at a crossroads, the top UN envoy for the country said. Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council that Syria can return to violence or start an inclusive transition and end decades of conflict. He said the road back to conflict, fragmentation and violations of Syrian sovereignty by external powers "must not come to pass". The other road, which would restore Syria's sovereignty and regional security, is "viable" but "requires the right Syrian decisions" and international support, Pedersen said. Syria's civil war had gone on for 13 years when a lightning insurgency led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew Assad in December, ending his family's more than 50-year rule. Former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was announced as the country's interim president after a meeting of armed groups that took part in the offensive. Pedersen spoke weeks after clashes between al-Sharaa's security forces an