The newly appointed president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shara, pledged in a speech on Thursday to create an inclusive transitional government that reflects Syria’s diversity and that will lead the country until it can hold “free and fair elections.” The speech was Mr. al-Shara’s first public address since his rebel coalition toppled the country’s longtime dictator, … Read more
In the Syrian capital Damascus, anticipation was running high on Wednesday. Ahmed al-Shara, who led the overthrow of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, was expected to address the public for the first time since his rebel coalition seized power almost two months ago. But the speech never came. Instead, a series of critically important decisions were … Read more
President Trump’s sweeping executive order to halt foreign aid threatens to freeze a U.S. program supporting security forces inside a notorious camp in the Syrian desert that holds tens of thousands of Islamic State members and their families, Syrian and U.S. officials said. The order has also wreaked havoc on another U.S. organization in Syria … Read more
The rebel coalition that seized control of Syria last month appointed its leader, Ahmed al-Shara, as president of the country to preside over a transitional period, Syrian state media reported on Wednesday. A spokesman for the coalition, Col. Hassan Abdel Ghani, also declared that the Constitution had been nullified and the legislature and army formed … Read more
Anita van Duyn, a former retail entrepreneur who left Science of Identity in 1994 after more than a decade in the group and knew Ms. Gabbard as a young woman, has written a letter to members of Congress warning that Ms. Gabbard is “under the complete influence of” Mr. Butler, who she said “harbors ambitious … Read more
One early evening in December, the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled his country as rebel forces advanced on Damascus. In France, three days later, one of the country’s most-watched TV news channels turned to a cartoonist for expert opinion on the news. “Did you think that this could have happened so rapidly?” a news anchor … Read more
When Hamas militants led a deadly cross-border raid on Oct. 7, 2023, they triggered a war with Israel that has devastated Gaza. They also set off shock waves that have reshaped the Middle East in unexpected ways. Powerful alliances were upended. Long-established “red lines” were crossed. A decades-old dictatorship at the heart of the region … Read more