Latest Damascus News

Russian government delegation makes first official visit to Syria since Assad's fall

Jan. 28, 2025 20:26 PM EST

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A delegation of Russian officials arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for the first such visit to Syria since the fall of former President Bashar Assad. Assad, an ally of Moscow, took refuge in Russia after his ouster in December in a lightning rebel offensive. ...

Intelligence sharing by the US and its allies has saved lives. Trump could test those ties

Jan. 27, 2025 00:10 AM EST

LONDON (AP) — As Russia moved closer to invading Ukraine nearly three years ago, the United States and its allies took the extraordinary step of declassifying and sharing intelligence to expose Moscow’s plans. Information flew across the Atlantic from U.S. spy agencies to NATO...

Syria's economic pains far from over despite Assad's ouster

Jan. 24, 2025 00:24 AM EST

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Samir al-Baghdad grabbed his pickax and walked up a wobbly set of stairs made of cinderblocks and rubble. He is rebuilding his destroyed family house in the Qaboun neighborhood near Damascus, Syria 's capital. The traditional building, which...

Southern rebels loom large as Syria's new rulers try to form a national army

Jan. 22, 2025 21:17 PM EST

NAWA, Syria (AP) — As insurgents raced across Syria in a surprise offensive launched in the country's northwest late last year, officials from several countries backing either the rebels or Syria’s government met in Qatar on what to do. According to people briefed on the Dec. 7...