Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Russian television channel NTV, in Damascus, Syria in this handout released on June 24, 2018. SANA/Handout via REUTERS Sir, – President Bashar al-Assad of Syria is reported in The Irish Times as expressing concern about what may happen if there is a spike in Covid-19 cases…
Vladimir Putin wants a stable Syria, with billions from abroad for his oligarch cronies to rebuild the country. But Assad’s infamy and the ayatollahs stand in the way. GAZIANTEP, Turkey—After five years of fighting to preserve Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Russia now appears inclined to dispose of its infamous client. Assad’s persistent brutality and…
A police officer walks out of Al-Irschad Mosque during a raid in Berlin, as dozens of police and special forces stormed mosques and associations linked to Hezbollah in Bremen, Berlin, Dortmund, and Muenster early Thursday. – AFP – Odd Andersen Germany on Thursday completely banned Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement from carrying out activities on its…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin issued a rare joint statement on Saturday commemorating a 1945 World War Two link-up of U.S. and Soviet troops on their way to defeat Nazi Germany as an example of how their countries can cooperate. The statement by Trump and Putin comes…
This is the story behind the clashes at the Greek border. Migrants wait to board a ferry in the port of Mytilene, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, on March 20. (Vangelis Papantonis/AP) In the midst of Europe’s coronavirus problem, a new border crisis has flared up. On Feb. 29, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Turkey would open its European…
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran issued its most dire warning yet Tuesday about the new coronavirus ravaging the country, suggesting “millions” could die in the Islamic Republic if people keep traveling and ignore health guidance. A state TV journalist who also is a medical doctor gave the warning only hours after hard-line Shiite faithful on…
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after a joint news conference followed six-hour talks in the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 5, 2020. (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool) In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its…
Refugees and migrants gather on the Turkish side of the closed Kastanies border crossing, on the borderline between Greece and Turkey, near the Evros River, in an attempt to cross into Greece, 02 March 2020. Thousands of refugees and migrants are gathering on the Turkish side of the border with Greece with the intent to…
Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday, along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions? Sign up for the Today’s WorldView newsletter. Syrian internally displaced persons in a camp north of Syria’s Idlib province on Feb. 17. (Rami al-Sayed/AFP/Getty Images) (Rami Al Sayed/Afp Via Getty Images) Almost a…
If not for the coronavirus outbreak and the US Democratic primaries, the latest phase of the Syrian war would have been the first item on international news bulletins. What with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning Syria that Turkey will strike Syrian government forces “anywhere” if one more Turkish soldier is hurt, the war is…