Latest Syria News

Cyprus can help rid Syria of chemical weapons and search for its missing, Cypriot top diplomat says

Dec. 21, 2024 10:55 AM EST

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus stands ready to help eliminate Syria’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and to support a search for people whose fate remains unknown after more than a decade of war, the top Cypriot diplomat said Saturday. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos...

Syrian soldiers distance themselves from Assad in return for promised amnesty

Dec. 21, 2024 09:09 AM EST

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Hundreds of former Syrian soldiers on Saturday reported to the country's new rulers for the first time since Bashar Assad was ousted to answer questions about whether they may have been involved in crimes against civilians in exchange for a promised amnesty and return to...

Sectarian violence in Syria has been less intense than feared since Assad's ouster

Dec. 21, 2024 00:15 AM EST

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian rule. While there have been bursts of deadly sectarian violence in the days since Assad was ousted, it’s nothing...

Middle East latest: Israeli strike in Gaza kills at least 7 people, including 4 kids

Dec. 20, 2024 17:09 PM EST

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...

US drops $10M terrorism bounty offered for capture of Syrian rebel leader who ousted Assad

Dec. 20, 2024 14:03 PM EST

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of a Syrian rebel leader whose forces led the ouster of President Bashar Assad earlier this month. The announcement followed a meeting in...

What will Syria's future look like? The answer could lie in other Arab countries' recent pasts

Dec. 20, 2024 12:30 PM EST

CAIRO (AP) — Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew. The Middle Eastern and North African nations that attempted to transition to democracy in recent years can attest to that. Now it's Syria's turn to try...

AP PHOTOS: Glimpses of horror emerge inside Syria's Saydnaya prison, dubbed 'The Slaughterhouse'

Dec. 20, 2024 12:01 PM EST

SAYDNAYA, Syria (AP) — Behind the coils of razor wire and concrete walls, glimpses of the horror emerge from the warren of dank, airless corridors of what has been dubbed “The Slaughterhouse.” A coarse, heavy rope lies on the ground, tied into a hangman’s noose. Prosthetic...

International students urged to return to US campuses before Trump inauguration

Dec. 20, 2024 08:33 AM EST

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A growing number of U.S. colleges and universities are advising international students to return to campus before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, over concerns that he might impose travel bans like he did during his first administration. More than...

Two AP journalists in Ukraine and the Mideast break down the wars they covered in 2024

Dec. 20, 2024 08:30 AM EST

For the world, 2024 was riven by — and in some ways defined by — conflict on two fronts. The ripples after the previous year's Hamas attacks in Israel left Gaza a shambles and tens of thousands dead, and an adjacent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is playing out across the...

The warm Turkish welcome for refugees is ending and Syrians are worried

Dec. 20, 2024 01:22 AM EST

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) — Turkey gained renown as a haven for refugees by welcoming more than 3 million Syrians fleeing violence between forces from Bashar Assad ’s government and a patchwork of rebel groups. But the Syrian president’s ouster this month has led many in Turkey to...