Assad reshuffles Syria's Cabinet amid harsh economic crisis

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad replaced several Cabinet ministers Wednesday amid a sharp increase in prices and worsening economic conditions during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, state media reported. SANA reported that Assad replaced the ministers of oil,...

Amnesty: West's 'double standards' fuel Mideast repression

BEIRUT (AP) — A leading international rights group on Tuesday decried what it said were double standards by Western countries that have rallied behind a “robust response” to Russia's invasion of Ukraine but remain “lukewarm" on issues of human rights violations in the Middle East. ...

US, UK sanction 6 Syria-linked amphetamine traffickers

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. and U.K. on Tuesday slapped sanctions on four Syrians and two Lebanese involved in manufacturing and trafficking the amphetamine drug Captagon, the two governments said. The six include cousins of Syrian President Bashar Assad and notorious Lebanese drug lynchpins. ...

Turkey calls French envoy, protests hosting of Syria Kurds

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's foreign ministry summoned the French ambassador to “strongly condemn” the French senate's decision to host Syrian Kurdish groups that Ankara considers to be terrorists, the Turkish state-run news agency reported Monday. Pierre Laurent,...

UN expert advising IOC gives views on Russians at Olympics

GENEVA (AP) — Russian athletes who have actively served in the military invasion of Ukraine should be allowed to return to international sports if they did not take part in war crimes, according to a United Nations expert advising the International Olympic Committee. The U.N....

Iran-backed fighters on alert in east Syria after US strikes

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran-backed fighters were on alert in eastern Syria on Saturday, a day afte r U.S. forces launched retaliatory airstrikes on sites in the war-torn country, opposition activists said. The airstrikes came after a suspected Iran-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded six other...

A look at the US military mission in Syria and its dangers

WASHINGTON (AP) — When an Iranian drone struck a U.S. base in northeastern Syria, killing a contractor and wounding several U.S. troops, it was just the latest in a growing number of attacks on American forces in Syria. But its lethality was rare. In most recent cases, no U.S. forces have been...

Biden: US will 'forcefully' protect personnel in Syria

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that the U.S. would respond “forcefully” to protect its personnel after U.S. forces retaliated with airstrikes on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard following a suspected Iranian-linked attack...

Reports: Islamic State kidnaps dozens in Syria, dead found

BEIRUT (AP) — Members of the Islamic State group have kidnapped dozens of people in a central province and the bodies of some have been found with their throats slit, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media reported Friday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human...

Activist groups say US airstrikes targeting positions of Iranian-allied forces in Syria killed at least four people