Batool Subeiti

When negotiation is unavoidable: Strategies of engagement and resistance

LONDON - Lebanon's government is under severe pressure. It is in a phase of accommodating imposed American demands, within the limits of what it is capable of achieving. Accommodating the American demands is one of the rare skills that Lebanon happens to master. The Lebanese state does not aim to benefit from the latent capabilities the resistance presents.

Iran condemns terror attack on mosque in Syria’s Homs

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baqaei has categorically condemned a terrorist attack on the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Syrian province of Homs, which left a group of worshippers dead or wounded.

Hundreds mourn victims of deadly bombing at Alawite mosque in Homs

Hundreds gathered in the rain and cold outside Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the Syrian city of Homs on Saturday to mourn the eight people killed in a bombing the day before in the predominantly Alawite Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood.

Homs mosque massacre exposes fatal flaws in Jolani’s security apparatus

TEHRAN — A devastating explosion, described as a terrorist attack, tore through the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs’ Wadi al-Dahab neighborhood during Friday prayers on December 26, killing at least eight worshippers and injuring dozens more.

Israeli military expands presence in Syria’s Quneitra amid rising local protests

Israeli forces have advanced into the Quneitra area of Syria’s occupied Golan Heights and set up two military checkpoints, Al Jazeera reported Saturday.

Trump says US ‘hit ISIS thugs in Syria’ in retaliation for Palmyra deaths

The United States military “hit the ISIS [ISIL] thugs in Syria,” President Donald Trump said in a speech Friday evening in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, a week after two U.S. soldiers and an interpreter were killed in Syria’s Palmyra city.

Iran warns against resurgence of terrorism in Syria

TEHRAN – Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir-Saeed Iravani says the re-emergence of terrorism and an increase in the operational capability of the Daesh terror group in Syria would pose a threat to the Arab country as well as the entire region.

US troops and a civilian executed by Washington’s ‘partner forces’ in Syria

TEHRAN – A deadly ambush near the historic ruins of Palmyra on Saturday claimed the lives of two U.S. Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter, marking the first American fatalities in Syria since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad a year ago.

Israeli troops advance into Syrian village near Golan Heights border

Israeli troops have advanced towards the village of Saida al-Hanout in the countryside of Quneitra, in southern Syria, near the border of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Al Jazeera reported Saturday, citing the Syrian state news agency (SANA).

Israel won’t relinquish newly occupied Syrian territory near Damascus, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his military will not withdraw from territories it occupied in southern Syria, Anadolu reported Monday.

Alawite spiritual leader calls for strike against al-Jolani regime

The spiritual leader of the Alawite religious minority in Syria, Ghazal Ghazal, has called for a strike against the administration of Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Muhammad al-Jolani), one day ahead of the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, The Cradle reported Sunday.

Israel transfers tanks, sets up checkpoints in Syria's Quneitra

The Israeli army raided a Syrian town in the southern Quneitra countryside early Monday in the latest violation of the country’s sovereignty, Anadolu reported Monday, citing local media.

Iran flatly condemns Israel’s latest aggression against Syria

TEHRAN – Iran has categorically condemned the Israeli regime’s recent acts of aggression, from the air and from the ground, against areas in southern Syria in which a number of Syrian citizens were killed.

Alawites rise in mass protests against sectarian violence in Syria

Thousands of Alawites took to the streets in protest across Syria’s coastal cities on November 25 to demonstrate against government-sponsored sectarian violence, one day after the minority’s religious leader called for mass sit-ins, The Cradle reported Tuesday.

Abductions and murders of minorities escalate despite al-Sharaa’s UN pledges

The murder and abduction of religious minorities in Syria has accelerated in the wake of self-appointed President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s speech at the UN General Assembly in New York late last month, The Cradle reported.

MI6 admits covert links to HTS during Syria’s regime change

The outgoing chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Richard Moore, has confirmed that London maintained clandestine communications with the extremist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) before the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

At UN, Iran defends Syria’s sovereignty and blasts Israeli expansionist agenda

TEHRAN – Iran has once again underscored its unwavering support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, declaring that any attempts to impose external agendas or fragment the country are unacceptable.

Iran in no rush to resume relations with Syria: Foreign Ministry

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Wednesday that Iran is in no rush to resume relations with Syria, emphasizing that any restoration of ties will depend on conditions that genuinely serve the interests of the Syrian nation.

Israel's southern Syria offensive continues despite ‘advanced security agreement’ talks

Israeli military operations intensified in southern Syria on Monday, with reports of troops firing on unarmed civilians west of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, according to videos posted on social media and local witnesses. The incursion coincided with an Israeli drone strike in central Quneitra, further escalating tensions despite multiple rounds of negotiations between Syria and Israel.

Ancient carving shows Assyrian soldiers using goat skins to cross river 2,900 years ago

TEHRAN – A 2,900-year-old carved panel from the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud shows soldiers swimming across a river using inflatable goat skins, according to the British Museum.