#fall-of-assad

#fall-of-assad

Pahlavi pledged to lead a transition to a 'free and democratic Iran.' He called on President Trump to continue the American-Israeli military operation against Iran, in the hope of displacing a regime he decried for placing a 'sea of blood' between itself and its people.

"The news was both surprising and upsetting. Damascus has historically been a city that embraces everyone and diversity is its true identity. This decision makes us feel like we're losing a part of the city's open spirit. It's not just about the drink itself, but about freedom of choice."

The Houthis, a Zaydi Shiite Islamist rebel group, which the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization, are among Iran's most powerful and resilient allies. They are a key part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, an informal Iran-led military coalition in the Middle East. During his speech, al-Houthi suggested that the Houthis were ready to lend military support to Iran: 'We are fully prepared for any necessary developments,' he said.

The SDF denies the Syrian Ministry of Defence's accusations that it had deployed military forces to the Deir Hafer front in the eastern Aleppo countryside. The Syrian army has sent reinforcements to rural eastern Aleppo, after observing the arrival of more Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces in the area, following days of deadly battles inside the city itself and the departure of the SDF. The official news agency SANA broadcast footage on Monday of Syrian army troops heading towards the deployment line east of Aleppo.

All of a sudden, two major provinces that were under the Kurdish forces' control fell in a number of hours and Syrian government forces swept in, he tells Annie Kelly. Soon the forces were at al-Hawl camp, the largest camp holding suspected Islamic State militants and then they were taking it over. In the chaos of the handover, more than 100 prisoners escaped and not all were found again.

Butcher of Hama' and former Syrian vice president, convicted of money laundering in France and accused of war crimes in Switzerland, has died at age 89. Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the former commander of the paramilitary Defence Companies (Saraya al-Difa), has died in the United Arab Emirates at the age of 89. The Reuters news agency cited two sources confirming his death on January 21, 2026.

I arrived in Aleppo early on Wednesday morning after receiving reports of serious clashes between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). What I encountered was far worse than I expected. Heavy artillery shelling was constant, extreme. My team came under attack four times; one bullet hit our equipment. list of 3 itemsend of list This round of clashes, we quickly understood, would not be easily contained like earlier bouts over the past year.