Latest Abu Mohammad al-Golani News

Syria's de facto leader says it could take up to 4 years to hold elections

Dec. 29, 2024 14:56 PM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's de facto leader said Sunday it could take up to four years to hold elections in Syria, and that he plans to dissolve his Islamist group that led the country's insurgency at an anticipated national dialogue summit for the country. Ahmad al-Sharaa, who leads...

Syria's embassy in Lebanon suspends services as Lebanon hands over former Syrian army officers

Dec. 28, 2024 14:28 PM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s embassy in Lebanon suspended consular services Saturday, a day after two relatives of deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad were arrested at the Beirut airport with allegedly forged passports. Also on Saturday, Lebanese authorities handed over dozens of...

An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence

Dec. 26, 2024 21:58 PM EST

HOMS, Syria (AP) — Syria's new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs on Thursday, a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country's fragile peace could break down. A tense calm...

Clashes between Islamists now in power in Syria and Assad's supporters kill 6 fighters

Dec. 25, 2024 18:30 PM EST

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad's government killed six Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to a British-based war monitor. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the...

Editorial Roundup: United States

Dec. 18, 2024 15:35 PM EST

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: ___ Dec. 12 The Washington Post says Joe Biden shouldn't use preemptive pardons President Joe Biden used his pardon power on Thursday as the Constitution’s framers had...

Israel's borders have shifted throughout its history. Action in Syria may reshape them again

Dec. 17, 2024 23:59 PM EST

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, entered Syrian territory Tuesday and said Israeli troops would remain in the area indefinitely, blurring the border with its northern neighbor. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has never had fully recognized...

Palestinian refugees return to Yarmouk amid questions about their place in the new Syria

Dec. 14, 2024 18:30 PM EST

DAMASCUS (AP) — The Yarmouk refugee camp outside Damascus was considered the capital of the Palestinian diaspora before the war in Syria reduced it to row after row of blasted out buildings where there were once falafel stands, pharmacies and mosques. Taken over by a series of...

US officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad, Blinken says

Dec. 14, 2024 16:14 PM EST

AQABA, Jordan (AP) — American officials have been in direct contact with the terrorist-designated rebel group that led the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday. Blinken, speaking at a news conference in Jordan, was the...

Middle East latest: Syrians celebrate Assad's fall as US seeks a peaceful political transition

Dec. 13, 2024 19:31 PM EST

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

Dec. 13, 2024 16:31 PM EST

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...