Latest Hakan Fidan News
Middle East latest: Israeli strike in Gaza kills at least 7 people, including 4 kids
An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza killed at least seven Palestinians, including four children, and wounded 16 other people Friday afternoon, health officials said. Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian...
Middle East latest: Syrians celebrate Assad's fall as US seeks a peaceful political transition
Thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus’ main square and a historic mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since former President Bashar Assad was overthrown, a major symbolic moment for the country’s dramatic change of power. The rebels are now working to establish security and start a...
Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fell
DAMASCUS (AP) — Exuberant Syrians observed the first Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, gathering in the capital's historic main mosque, its largest square and around the country to celebrate the end of half a century of authoritarian rule. The newly...
Hundreds of Syrians line up at Turkish border crossings as Erdogan expects more to go home
CILVEGOZU BORDER CROSSING, Turkey (AP) — Hundreds of Syrian refugees gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey on Monday, eagerly anticipating their return home following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government. Many arrived at the Cilvegozu and Oncupinar gates at...
Syrian government services come to a 'complete halt' as state workers stay home after rebel takeover
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country's public sector had come “to a complete...
Global reaction to Assad's sudden ouster from Syria ranges from jubilation to alarm
Across the Middle East and beyond, the fall of Syria’s authoritarian government at the hands of jihadi militants set off waves of jubilation, trepidation and alarm. Expatriate Syrians and many residents across the Middle East exulted at the overthrow of a leader who led his country...
Syria latest: Syrians celebrate Bashar Assad's fall as his whereabouts remain unknown
Crowds gathered in Syria's Damascus on Sunday to celebrate the fall of Bashar Assad’s government with chants, prayers and the occasional gunfire after opposition fighters entered the capital following a stunning advance. Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,...
Where Turkey stands as Syrian government falls to opposition insurgents
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Syrian refugees across Turkey jubilantly welcomed the downfall of Bashar Assad’s government Sunday, with many embracing the chance to return to their homeland. Large crowds waving Syrian and Turkish flags gathered in the main square of Kilis, a border city...
Syrian insurgents capture four central towns as government forces reclaim some territory
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian insurgents captured four new towns early Tuesday, bringing them closer to the central city of Hama, opposition activists said, while government forces retook some territory they lost last week. The new push came as Turkey's president — whose country is a main...
Turkey calls for reconciliation between Syrian government and the opposition to end conflict
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The recent rapid advance by opposition fighters in Syria shows that Syrian President Bashar Assad must reconcile with his own people and hold talks with the opposition, the Turkish foreign minister said Monday. At a joint news conference in Ankara with his...