All articles tagged with #syria
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa say about 80% of Syrians living in Germany should return to Syria over the next three years, as Sharaa visits Berlin to discuss a circular migration model to aid Syria’s reconstruction; critics warn against premature normalization and raise human rights concerns.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met in Berlin, with Merz signaling that many Syrians could return home as bilateral ties are discussed.
A UN inquiry finds Syria failed to probe abuses during deadly sectarian clashes with the Druze in Sweida last year and urges credible investigations and accountability for violations by all sides.
Israel’s expanded leave-or-die evacuation order in southern Lebanon has driven more than 1 million people from their homes in two weeks, with over 250,000 fleeing and about 125,000 crossing into Syria; the measure covers roughly 14% of Lebanon and more than 100 towns as authorities push to establish a buffer zone, while shelters overflow and civilians sleep in streets or tents amid a growing humanitarian crisis.
Syrian Kurds warn Iran’s Kurds against allying with the US to confront Tehran, citing their own experience of abandonment by Washington in Syria; Iranian Kurdish militias in northern Iraq have reportedly consulted the US about cross-border action as US-Israel strikes target Iran, while Trump publicly suggested Kurdish support before backtracking. Syrian leaders urge caution and demand guarantees from the US before any Iranian Kurdish moves, noting Israel’s talks with Iranian Kurdish groups in the region.
The article argues that Washington and its allies are courting Kurdish militias as a ground force to destabilize Iran, but history warns that backing Kurdish uprisings often backfires, leaving Kurds betrayed and regional stability harmed. It recalls 1975 Iraqi Kurdish rebellions backed by the US/Iran and 1991’s aftermath that toppled Kurdish momentum, plus Syria’s SDF shift away from US support, suggesting that without sustained commitment the plan could undermine Kurdish autonomy and invite Turkish intervention, highlighting the risks of using Kurds as disposable proxies.
A leaked US embassy cable suggests Israeli officials doubted Lebanon could disarm Hezbollah in the run-up to joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, warning Hezbollah was reconstituting its military capabilities faster than the Lebanese army could degrade them and expressing grave concern over Syria’s leadership and Turkish involvement in the region. It notes Iranian funding continuing via Turkey and elsewhere, the ceasefire’s fragility, and that Hezbollah retaliated with rockets after the Iran strikes, prompting Israeli strikes in Beirut and rising regional tension.
The Wall Street Journal reports the United States plans to withdraw roughly 1,000 troops from Syria over about two months, including from the al-Tanf base, as part of a deliberate, conditions-based transition. The move follows an January agreement to reshape Syria’s security structure by integrating the Kurdish-led SDF into the Syrian army, a step aimed at national unity. Officials say the withdrawal is not tied to Iran tensions, though the US has recently boosted regional forces near Iran.
The White House says the US will largely pull out its remaining roughly 1,000 troops from Syria over the coming months, transferring lead counterterrorism to the Syrian government while preserving the option to respond to threats; the move coincides with rising tensions with Iran and a broader shift in US regional posture, including enhanced naval activity near Iran.
Syria plans to shutter the Al-Hol IDP camp and relocate its remaining residents to Akhtarin and other sites in Aleppo, with thousands of escapees and ISIS-linked families raising concerns about recruitment and reintegration. The move follows a collapse of security after the SDF withdrawal and a shift of counter-ISIS duties to the Syrian government, even as the US signals ongoing withdrawal. Concurrently, Iran-US nuclear negotiations continue with mixed signals on enrichment, amid internal power realignments and a crackdown on protesters, highlighting a volatile regional backdrop that could influence talks and security dynamics in the Middle East.
Australia says it will not repatriate 34 women and children with alleged Islamic State connections from Syria after their flight was blocked by Syrian authorities; the government will not provide support for return and warns those who manage to return could face prosecution, noting only a handful of Australians have been repatriated from Syrian camps since IS’s defeat and framing the issue within national-security and moral-obligation debates.
Australia’s prime minister said the country will not repatriate ISIS-linked citizens held in Syria after 34 Australian women and children trying to leave the Al-Roj detention camp for Damascus were blocked by Syrian authorities; departure procedures were reportedly incomplete. The episode underscores ongoing international pressure to repatriate foreign nationals from Syrian camps, with NGOs warning of rights abuses and some countries already moving forward, while Australia insists anyone returning would face the full force of the law.
Lebanese health authorities say an Israeli airstrike near the Lebanon-Syria border killed at least four people, including a Syrian national. Israel said the raid targeted Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in Majdal Anjar, though it did not provide evidence. The attack underscores ongoing cross-border hostilities despite a ceasefire framework, with UN records noting civilian casualties in the wider conflict.
The Syrian Arab Army has taken over the al-Shaddadi military base in Hasakah province after U.S. troops withdrew, a development coordinated with the United States under a ceasefire with the Kurdish-led SDF. The move follows Washington’s broader pullback in Syria, including the earlier seizure of al-Tanf, and signals a shift toward closer coordination with the Damascus government, even as the U.S. continues ISIS-targeted air strikes via CENTCOM and aims to stabilize regional agreements with other communities.
CENTCOM said U.S. aircraft conducted 10 strikes against more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria from Feb. 3 through Thursday, hitting weapons storage facilities and other infrastructure; at least 50 ISIS members have been killed or captured and more than 100 targets have been struck since the campaign began after the Dec. 13 ambush that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter. Separately, Syria’s government said it captured a base east of the country that had been run by U.S. troops at Al-Tanf, while the U.S. completed transferring thousands of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq at Baghdad’s request.