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The new authorities want to 'affirm Syria's role in promoting regional peace and building privileged strategic partnerships with countries in the region'

New Syrian leaders want to contribute to 'regional peace'

Syria wants to contribute to "regional peace", the country's new authorities said, after a meeting between leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and a US diplomatic delegation.

World • 21 Dec 24

New Syrian leaders want to contribute to 'regional peace'

Syria wants to contribute to "regional peace", the country's new authorities said, after a meeting between leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and a US diplomatic delegation.

World • 21 Dec 24

Syrians wave the independence-era flag after Friday Noon prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in the capital Damascus

US officials discuss transition with new Syrian rulers

US diplomats have discussed the principles of transition in Syria and regional events in a meeting with representatives of Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Damascus, a US State Department spokesperson has said.

Middle East • 20 Dec 24

Syrian rebels faced little resistance and reached Damascus on 8 December

Iraq to repatriate Syrian troops who fled offensive

Iraq has said it would begin repatriating Syrian troops who fled a lightning offensive that precipitated the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad.

Middle East • 19 Dec 24

Addressing reporters in Syria, UN special envoy Geir Pedersen said 'there is a lot of hope that we can now see the beginning of a new Syria'

UN calls for 'free and fair' elections in Syria

The UN envoy to Syria called for "free and fair" elections after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad, voicing hope for a political solution for Kurdish-held areas.

World • 19 Dec 24

The White Helmets discovered the remains of what are believed to be more than 20 people in a warehouse in the Sayyidah Zaynab area on the outskirts of Damascus

Syria rescuers say bodies found in Damascus warehouse

A Syrian civil defence official has said that White Helmets rescuers discovered unidentified bodies and remains in a medicine warehouse in a Damascus suburb, 10 days after Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Middle East • 19 Dec 24

A boy walks past a collapsed building in the Baba Amr district of Homs, Syria

'Massive flow of support' needed in Syria - UN aid chief

The UN humanitarian chief said that huge amounts of aid were needed in war-ravaged Syria following the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad.

Middle East • 16 Dec 24

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered troops to seize the demilitarised zone on the Golan Heights

Israel aims to 'double population' in Golan Heights

The Israeli government has approved a plan to increase the population of the annexed Golan Heights, while insisting it had no intention of confronting Syria after seizing a UN-monitored buffer zone.

Middle East • 16 Dec 24

Bashar al-Assad fled Syria on 8 December following an 11-day rebel offensive led by HTS

Countries intensify contact efforts with new Syria rulers

Countries have stepped up efforts to establish contacts with Syria's interim rulers, a week after Islamist-led rebels sent president Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia, ending decades of brutal rule.

Middle East • 15 Dec 24

Syrians living in Ireland say there is hope among the community now for a bright future for their country

Syrians feel future is bright now Assad regime has fallen

Young Syrians living in Ireland say they feel "like a weight has been lifted" off their shoulders now that the Assad regime has fallen.

Ireland • 16 Dec 24

Sarmada was generally spared from the deprivations of the Assad rule because it is so close to neighbouring Turkey

Shopping spree in Syria's former rebel heartland

Crowds of visitors wander brilliantly lit shopping aisles, stunned by the abundance of goods on offer in the heart of the former rebel stronghold in northwest Syria.

World • 14 Dec 24

Syrians celebrate the fall of the Assad regime

US has made 'direct contact' with Syria's HTS - Blinken

Jordan will host US, EU, Turkish and Arab diplomats for high level talks on Syria, a day after celebrations in Damascus and nationwide at the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad.

Middle East • 15 Dec 24

Lana Bader Eddin wants to do her 'civilian duty' and help to rebuild her home country

Young law graduate wants to help 'rebuild' Syria

A young law graduate has said she wants to help 'rebuild' Syria into a prosperous nation following the fall of the Assad regime.

Syria • 14 Dec 24

Thousands flocked to the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque, some raising the three-star Syrian independence flag which none dared wave in the capital during Assad's repressive rule

Mass rallies across Syria celebrate end of Assad

Thousands of jubilant people rallied in central Damascus and cities across Syria to celebrate during the first Friday prayers since the ousting of president Bashar al-Assad.

Middle East • 13 Dec 24

People drive past an abandoned Syrian army tank near the Lebanon border

Pause on Syrian asylum process not long term - McEntee

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said she had paused decisions on the international protection process for people from Syria because decisions can only be made based on the current situation in that country.

Ireland • 12 Dec 24

A Syrian man waving the independence-era Syrian flag over Umayyad Square in Damascus

UN concern over Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" over "extensive violations" of Syrian sovereignty, and by Israeli strikes on the country, his spokesman has said.

Middle East • 12 Dec 24

Syria's new prime minister also called on the millions who fled the war to return home

Syria PM will 'guarantee' all religious groups' rights

Syria's new prime minister said the Islamist-led alliance that ousted president Bashar al-Assad will guarantee minority rights, in an interview published, also calling on the millions who fled the war to return home.

Middle East • 12 Dec 24

Hasna Aarab joined the so-called Islamic State in Syria

Dutch woman jailed for keeping Yazidi slave in Syria

A Dutch court has sentenced a woman to ten years in prison for joining the so-called Islamic State in Syria and keeping a Yazidi woman as slave.

World • 11 Dec 24

A woman takes a selfie in front of a destroyed tank in Umayyad Square, Damascus

Syria's rebel leader vows to dissolve Assad regime forces

The main commander of the fighters who toppled Syria's president Bashar al-Assad said that he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, close its prisons and hunt down anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees.

Middle East • 12 Dec 24

World oil prices had risen more than 1% yesterday

Oil prices steady as Syria concerns ease

Oil prices were little changed today as concerns eased about the fallout from the overthrow of Syria's president while the market found support from Chinese stimulus that could boost demand from the world's biggest crude buyer.

Business • 10 Dec 24

As it happened: Transitional PM appointed in Syria

Follow the latest developments following the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad by a rebel alliance.

Middle East • 10 Dec 24

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the International Protection Office would temporarily pause the issuing of final determinations

Final decisions on Syrian asylum applications paused

Final decisions with respect to international protection applications from Syrian nationals are being temporarily paused, the Department of Justice has said.

Ireland • 10 Dec 24

A man waves a flag of the Syrian opposition on a street in Damascus

Syrian transitional PM calls for 'stability and calm'

Syria's transitional prime minister has said it is time for "stability and calm" in the country, two days after longtime president Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels in a lightning offensive.

Middle East • 11 Dec 24

Suad Aldarra left Syria in 2012 and has built a life for herself in Dublin

Watch: Syrian-Irish writer on 'a dream coming true'

For Syrian-Irish writer Suad Aldarra, the possibility of returning home to the Syrian capital of Damascus finally feels real again, after rebels ousted the government of President Bashar al-Assad following a 13-year civil war.

Middle East • 10 Dec 24

Syria central bank says depositors' funds at banks 'safe'

Syria's central bank said today that depositors' funds in the country's lenders were "safe" after rebels took the capital, and following chaotic scenes near some official institutions.

Business • 09 Dec 24