Leader of rebels who toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad is named country's interim president

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Syrian factions that toppled President Bashar Assad last month named an Islamist former rebel leader as the country‘s interim president on Wednesday in a push to project a united front as they face the monumental task of rebuilding Syria after nearly 14 years of civil...

The leader of the former rebel group that toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad is named the country's interim president

A mysterious meeting with Syrian president is at the center of spy chief's nomination fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Tulsi Gabbard returned to Washington from a clandestine sit-down with Syria’s then-president Bashar Assad eight years ago this month, she was greeted with a flurry of criticism. Lawmakers and civil society groups chastised Gabbard, then a Hawaii...

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

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. ...

Middle East latest: Palestinians return to their homes in northern Gaza for a second day

Crowds of displaced Palestinians made the arduous journey back to heavily destroyed northern Gaza for a second day Tuesday, under a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. More than 375,000 Palestinians have crossed into northern Gaza since Israel allowed their return on Monday...

The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad's legacy of horror

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the Bashar Assad government were located Tuesday by Syrian civil defense workers in two separate basements in rural Damascus. The discovery adds to the growing tally of mass graves unearthed since the fall of the...

EU cautiously agrees roadmap to ease sanctions on Syria in wake of Assad's downfall

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union foreign ministers on Monday agreed to begin lifting sanctions on Syria, while insisting that the measures should be reimposed if they see any abuses by the country’s new rulers. The EU started to impose asset freezes and travel bans on Syrian...

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

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

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...

Commercial flights between Turkey and Syria resume after 13 years

ISTANBUL (AP) — Commercial flights between Turkey and Syria resumed Thursday after 13 years with a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Damascus. Turkish media showed Syrian families draped in their national flag singing pro-opposition songs and cheering as they prepared to...