Latest Bashar Assad News
Syria says Israeli strikes near Damascus wound 2 soldiers
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian state media said Israel staged airstrikes in the Damascus area early Thursday, wounding two soldiers and causing material damage. Loud explosions were heard over the Syrian capital around 1:30 a.m., and the SANA state news agency said Syrian air...
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. The state news agency said Assad replaced the ministers...
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. ...
Saudi Arabia, Syria may restore ties as Mideast reshuffles
BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia is in talks with Syria to reopen its embassy in the war-torn nation for the first time in a decade, state television in the kingdom reported late Thursday, the latest diplomatic reshuffling in the region. The announcement on state TV comes after...
Syria's Assad in UAE to mark ongoing thaw in relations
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, his first visit to the wealthy Gulf country since the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria last month. Assad, who arrived with his wife, Asma, and a delegation of Syrian...
Putin, Assad discuss rebuilding Syria, regional issues
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian leader Bashar Assad in the Kremlin on Wednesday for talks that focused on rebuilding Syria after a devastating civil war and efforts to stabilize the region. Welcoming Assad at the start of the meeting, which took place...
Analysis: Syria rebuilding hopes dim as war enters year 13
BEIRUT (AP) — The recent deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria which caused billions of dollars in damage has boosted the prospects of Syria's once widely shunned president return to the Arab fold, but appears unlikely to jump-start large-scale reconstruction in the war-ravaged country. ...
Syrian president Assad arrives in Moscow, set to meet Putin
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, where he is scheduled to meet top ally Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia is a main backer of Assad and has a broad presence in Syria, where a 12-year uprising-turned-civil war has killed nearly half a...
UN inquiry commission: Quake aid was slow to reach Syria
GENEVA (AP) — The international community and the Syrian government did not act quickly enough last month to help people in need in the rebel-held northwest after a deadly earthquake hit Turkey and conflict-ravaged Syria, a U.N.-backed commission said Monday. The Feb. 6 magnitude...
Countries that could be impacted by renewed Iran-Saudi ties
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to resume diplomatic ties has wide-reaching effects across the Middle East and beyond, and reduces the chance of armed conflict between regional rivals. Here’s a look at some of the countries that could be...
