About: Bashar al-Assad
War-ravaged Syria heads to polls with Assad set to win
Polling stations opened Wednesday (26 May) across Syria for an election where few doubt that Bashar al-Assad will extend his grip on power for a fourth term, in a war-battered country mired in economic crisis.
EU ministers vow Syria ‘war criminals’ won’t go unpunished
EU foreign ministers insisted Wednesday (31 March) that they would demand "accountability" from Syria's government as well as jihadist and other armed groups over alleged war crimes committed since the 2011 uprising that plunged the nation into civil war.
Russia warns that Nagorno-Karabakh could become Islamist militant stronghold
The Kremlin issued a new appeal for an end to hostilities in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday (6 October) after Moscow’s foreign intelligence chief said the mountain enclave could become a launch pad for Islamist militants to enter Russia.
Turkey says will not stop Syrian refugees reaching Europe after troops killed
Turkey will no longer stop Syrian refugees from reaching Europe, a senior Turkish official said, as Ankara responded on Friday (28 February) to the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in an air strike by Syrian government forces in Syria's northwestern Idlib region.
Syrian forces seize most of Aleppo province, on eve of Turkey-Russia talks
Syrian government forces made significant advances on Sunday (16 February) in the country’s northwestern Aleppo province, seizing most of the rebel-held region, state media said, a day before a new round of talks between Turkey and Russia on the escalation in the area.
Turkey hits back after Syrian shells kill Turkish troops
Turkey said on Monday (2 February) its military hit dozens of Syrian government targets after eight Turkish military personnel were killed by shelling in Idlib in northwest Syria, where fighting threatens to test ties between Ankara and Moscow.
US kills top Iranian commander Soleimani in air strike
The United States killed Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force and architect of Iran’s spreading military influence in the Middle East, in an air strike on Friday (3 December) at Baghdad airport, the Pentagon and Iran...
Turkey mulls sending allied Syrian fighters to Libya
Turkey is considering sending allied Syrian fighters to Libya as part of its planned military support for the embattled government in Tripoli, four senior Turkish sources said on Monday (30 December), with one adding that Ankara was leaning toward the idea.
Trump leaves Turkey, Russia, Syria ‘to argue it out’
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (16 October) he did not mind Russia helping Syria in a conflict with NATO ally Turkey and rejected criticism of his withdrawal of US troops from Syria that exposed Kurdish allies, calling it "strategically brilliant."
Russia-backed Syrian army sweeps in to fill US-left vacuum
Russia-backed Syrian forces took rapid advantage of an abrupt US retreat from Syria on Monday (14 October), deploying deep inside Kurdish-held territory south of the Turkish frontier less than 24 hours after Washington announced a full withdrawal.
Russia says US strikes in Syria’s Idlib put ceasefire at risk
Russia's military said the United States had mounted air strikes in Syria's Idlib without forewarning Moscow or Ankara, endangering a ceasefire there, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday (1 September).
Erdogan to meet Putin over Syrian army offensive
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Friday (23 August) that Syrian army attacks in northwest Syria are causing a humanitarian crisis and threaten Turkey’s national security, the Turkish presidency said.
Syrian offensive puts Turkish troops and border plans in peril
Syrian army advances in northwest Syria are putting Turkish troops in the firing line and threaten Ankara's hopes of preventing a new wave of refugees on its southern border.
200,000 displaced Syrians flee towards Turkey
Pressure is mounting on Turkish authorities to open their borders to more than 200,000 refugees from Syria. What prevents the refugees from entering is a 764-km wall Turkey has built along the border, in fear of Kurdish "terrorists".
As EU-Arab summit approaches, more headaches than planned
When plans for a summit between the European Union and the Arab League were first hatched last year, it was envisioned as the start of a new friendship across the Mediterranean. What a difference a few months makes.
Allies stunned, Russia delighted at Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria
US President Donald Trump overrode his top national security aides, blindsided US ground commanders, and stunned lawmakers and allies with his order for US troops to leave Syria, a decision that upends American policy in the Middle East.
US accepts Assad staying in power but won’t give aid
The United States said Monday (17 December) it was no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but renewed warnings it would not fund reconstruction unless the regime is "fundamentally different."
US representative for Syria: We’re not going to put this country back together
James F. Jeffrey, Special Representative for Syria engagement in the US Department of State, answered on Tuesday (30 October) the questions of a small group of Brussels journalists about the state of play in and around Syria.
Russia, Germany, France and Turkey call for lasting ceasefire, constitutional meeting for Syria
The leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Turkey stressed the importance on Saturday (27 October) of a lasting ceasefire in Syria, and said a committee to create a new constitution should meet by the end of the year.
Macron, Trump confer ahead of Istanbul Syria summit with Putin
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone Thursday (25 October) with US counterpart Donald Trump about strategy ahead of a four-way summit on Syria in Istanbul this weekend, the Élysée palace said.
EU warns of humanitarian disaster in Syrian city of Idlib
Russian and Syrian jets hammered a major rebel stronghold on Tuesday (4 September), days before leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey meet to discuss an expected Syrian government offensive that could spark a humanitarian disaster.
EU disagrees with Russia that Syrian refugees can go back
The European Union does not believe Syria is safe for refugees to go back, officials in Brussels said of a Russian push to have people return to the war-torn country and the international community to spend money on rebuilding it.
Russian and Syrian authorities set up centre for refugees returning to Syria
Russia's Defence Ministry said yesterday (18 July) that Russian and Syrian authorities had set up a refugee centre in Syria to help refugees return home from abroad.