Middle Orient

Syria’s Kurds faced with all-out war as Turkey, Sunni allies target Kobani

A day after the fall of the SDF-controlled town of Manbij, Turkish proxies advanced today toward the town of Kobani. The collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime following a lightning offensive led by al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and an array of Sunni factions supported by Turkey has created new …

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Syrian Rebels Who Overthrew Assad Name Interim Government Leader

The Syrian rebels who overthrew longtime iron-fisted ruler Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday appointed a transitional head of government to run the country until March 1. After a cabinet meeting in Damascus of rebel leaders and ousted officials from Assad’s government, Mohammed al-Bashir, a figure little known across most of Syria …

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Why did Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas announce his successor now?

On Wednesday, Abbas, 89-years-old, announced that the Palestinian National Council chairman, Rawhi Fattouh, would be his temporary replacement. Suddenly, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas issued a controversial presidential decree announcing who would replace him in an interim period when the post became vacant. On Wednesday, Abbas, 89-years-old, announced that …

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Analysis: Al-Assad’s fall is Iran and Russia’s loss, but are there winners?

Turkiye stands to gain, while Israel feels insecure about what comes next. After 54 years in power, the al-Assad family’s rule in Syria has come to an end. On December 8, Bashar al-Assad fled the country and sought asylum in Russia. The collapse of one of the most brutal regimes …

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Syria’s New Rulers Are Former Al-Qaeda Terrorists. Why Is D.C. Celebrating Them? | Opinion

A former Al Qaeda commander has seized power in Damascus, bringing great jubilation and relief to Washington, D.C. regime-changers who pined for this day. Bashar al-Assad has fled ingloriously to Russia in the dead of night without so much as making a statement to bid farewell. It’s certainly interesting how …

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Why Putin Is The Biggest Loser of Assad’s Downfall in Syria

Vladimir Putin has been dealt a significant geopolitical blow with the downfall of Bashar al-Assad, whose regime in Syria the Russian president had committed considerable funding and military resources to propping up. Assad fled Syria and has claimed political asylum in Russia, Kremlin-backed media reported, his now exiled status depriving …

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Syrian government services come to a ‘complete halt’ as state workers stay home after rebel takeover

Syria’s prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt.” Meanwhile, streams of …

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In historic campaign across Syria, IDF says it destroyed 80% of Assad regime’s military

After rebel takeover, Israeli Air Force and Navy strike missile depots, naval vessels, fighter jets and more to ensure they don’t fall into wrong hands Following a major 48-hour bombing campaign in Syria, the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday said it had destroyed most of the former Bashar al-Assad regime’s …

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Images of Syria’s opposition flag raised at the embassy in Russia

The three-starred flag of the Syrian rebel groups has been installed over the Syrian embassy building in Moscow. At the Syrian embassy in Russia’s capital, Moscow, a group of men raised the opposition flag a day after the government of Bashar al-Assad fell in Damascus. “Today the [Syrian] embassy opened …

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Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria’s Assad?

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. As he entered Damascus behind his victorious fighters Sunday, he even dropped …

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