Syria, officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic, is an Arab nation in the Middle East, situated in the Levant region. The country boasts a rich history and some of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.
In 1963, Syria's government was taken over by the Ba'ath Party, led by Hafez al-Assad. For decades, he and his son and successor, Bashar al-Assad, would rule the country in a reign that has been highly criticized for being totalitarian and for carrying out widespread human rights abuses.
In 2011, a major civil war broke out in Syria, leaving governance of the country fractured between the Russia- and Iran-backed Assad regime based in Syria's largest city and capital of Damascus, US-backed rebel groups led by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkey-backed forces, and Islamists under the banner of Hay'at Tahir al-Shams (HTS).
However, in December 2024, HTS and its allies carried out a major offensive from their base of operations in the Idlib province, eventually fully ousting the Assad regime and seizing control of Damascus as well as other major cities such as Homs and Aleppo. Currently, HTS has been spearheading the establishment of a new Syrian interim government. However, the country still remains fractured between them, Assad loyalists, Turkey-backed forces, and the SDF and its allies.
The Syrian Druze were a minority in the Assad era who mostly kept to themselves, with some past positive history with Israel.
Syria has been beset by some of the worst violence since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
A defense ministry source told state media on Saturday that all roads leading to the coast had been blocked to stop violations and help return calm.
Hamas says it may release US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander • Israel to send delegation to Doha for talks on Monday
Strengthening ties between the Kurds and Israel could counterbalance Turkish and Iranian ambitions, promote regional stability, and redefine power dynamics in the Middle East.
The IDF began operating in Syria when HTS took power in order to preemptively stop a sudden invasion by Syrian jihadists.
Massacre reports put pressure on Syria’s new leadership to respond.
If Ocalan's declaration does not by itself signal the conclusion of the PKK-Ankara war, what is it nevertheless likely to herald? And does the declaration have broader regional implications?
A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world
In his first comments on the violence, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said government forces would pursue "remnants" of the ousted Bashar al Assad government and bring them to trial.
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