https://www.scmp.com/rss/524076/feed Bashar al-Assad: An ophthalmologist by training, he unexpectedly became President of Syria in 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad. Initially perceived as a potential reformer, he oversaw the introduction of the internet and led anti-corruption efforts. However, his rule became increasingly authoritarian, marked by a brutal crackdown on the 2011 protests, which escalated into the devastating Syrian Civil War. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Ukraine and Syria pledged greater security cooperation in talks on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said as Kyiv seeks to promote its military expertise across the region following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran. Zelensky, continuing his tour of Middle East countries, ‌met with his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus. “We agreed to work together to provide more security and opportunities for development for our societies,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. In a later post,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349106/zelensky-syria-discuss-security-cooperation-president-ahmed-al-sharaa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3349106/zelensky-syria-discuss-security-cooperation-president-ahmed-al-sharaa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:01:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of Syrians protested in central Damascus on Sunday against new restrictions on alcohol sales, reflecting wider fears that the Islamist authorities may tighten curbs on personal freedoms. The Syrian capital last week banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars, only allowing shops in three Christian neighbourhoods to sell bottles. In one of them, Bab Tuma, demonstrators gathered in a silent protest following calls by civil society groups to condemn what they say... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347508/syrians-protest-against-alcohol-sale-limits-personal-freedom-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347508/syrians-protest-against-alcohol-sale-limits-personal-freedom-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 17:10:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters When US President Donald Trump returned ⁠to the White House last year, some Russian hardliners were cautiously optimistic, hoping his unpredictability ⁠and transactional nature might benefit Moscow on Ukraine. But his attack on Iran means many now see him as a growing threat to Russia itself and are questioning if Trump is the pragmatic, potentially pro-Moscow strongman ready to deal in realpolitik that they thought he was. Some hawks are publicly demanding that Moscow abandon US-brokered peace... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345434/trumps-iran-attack-sparks-calls-russia-abandon-ukraine-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345434/trumps-iran-attack-sparks-calls-russia-abandon-ukraine-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:37:13 +0000 Zhao Ziwen,Reuters Zhao Ziwen,Reuters Iran has announced 40 days of state-mandated mourning for its Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose life and 36-year rule ended abruptly during the opening salvo of US-Israeli strikes against his country. Satellite imagery captured the aftermath of a devastating strike on Saturday that killed the 86-year-old cleric: black smoke and heavy damage at his central Tehran compound. Khamenei’s death was confirmed by Iran hours after US President Donald Trump announced the killing and called him... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345041/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-defiant-iranian-leaders-rule-ended-his-enemies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345041/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-defiant-iranian-leaders-rule-ended-his-enemies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:11:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States has warned Syria against relying on Chinese technology in its telecommunications sector, arguing it conflicts with US interests and threatens US national security, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The message was conveyed during an unreported meeting between a US State Department team and Syrian Communications Minister Abdulsalam Haykal in San Francisco on Tuesday. Washington has been ‌coordinating closely with Damascus since 2024, when Syria’s now President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344793/us-presses-syria-shift-chinese-telecoms-systems-cites-threat-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344793/us-presses-syria-shift-chinese-telecoms-systems-cites-threat-national-security?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:42:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria on Thursday, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening US Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown. The al-Tanf garrison is positioned at the tri-border confluence of Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Established during Syria’s civil war in 2014, the United States initially relied on it as a ‌hub for operations by the US-led coalition against Islamic State militants who once... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343413/us-pulls-out-strategic-military-base-and-hands-it-over-syria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343413/us-pulls-out-strategic-military-base-and-hands-it-over-syria?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 04:28:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Moscow on Wednesday for the second time in less than four months, and Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised his readiness to help the country rebuild its war-battered economy. “I know that there is a lot that’s necessary to restore in Syria, and our economic operators, including the construction sector, are ready for this joint work,” Putin said. The talks also were expected to focus on the future of Russian military bases in Syria, a key... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341631/syrian-leader-meets-putin-moscow-russian-military-bases-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3341631/syrian-leader-meets-putin-moscow-russian-military-bases-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:32:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Syria on Tuesday announced a ceasefire with Kurdish forces it has seized swathes of territory from in the northeast and gave them four days to agree on integrating into the central ‌state, which their main ally, the United States, urged them to accept. The lightning government advances in recent days and the apparent withdrawal of US support for the continued holding of territory by the Syrian Democratic ‍Forces represent the biggest change of control in the country since rebels ousted Bashar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340614/syria-gives-kurds-4-days-accept-integration-us-signals-end-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340614/syria-gives-kurds-4-days-accept-integration-us-signals-end-support?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:49:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A third round of retaliatory strikes by the US in Syria resulted in the death of an al-Qaeda-affiliated leader, who officials say had a direct tie to the Islamic State member responsible for last month’s ambush that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country. US Central Command announced that the strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who they claim was “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340286/us-strike-syria-kills-leader-tied-isis-ambush-left-3-americans-dead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340286/us-strike-syria-kills-leader-tied-isis-ambush-left-3-americans-dead?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 21:48:45 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg As Russian President Vladimir Putin focuses his attentions on Moscow’s war in Ukraine, his strategic allies around the world have been left feeling neglected – or worse. In Venezuela, officials now think their years-long security relationship with Moscow was a paper tiger. They’re not alone: From Damascus and Tehran to Havana, over the last 13 months authoritarian regimes which previously benefited from their close ties to the Kremlin have found Russian support lacking when it mattered... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339890/how-putins-focus-ukraine-war-leaves-allies-venezuela-iran-and-cuba-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3339890/how-putins-focus-ukraine-war-leaves-allies-venezuela-iran-and-cuba-exposed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:28:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead. Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the December 13 attack in Palmyra – home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters – that killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. “The strikes today targeted ISIS... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339465/us-says-it-carried-out-new-large-scale-strikes-against-isis-syria?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339465/us-says-it-carried-out-new-large-scale-strikes-against-isis-syria?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 21:54:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters Kurdish fighters rejected a call to leave Syria’s Aleppo on Friday after the government announced a truce in deadly fighting that forced thousands of civilians to flee. Since Tuesday, government forces had been fighting the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, the country’s second city. The violence killed 21 people and was the latest challenge for a country still struggling to forge a new path after Islamist authorities ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad just over... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339287/syria-declares-ceasefire-aleppo-after-deadly-clashes-kurdish-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339287/syria-declares-ceasefire-aleppo-after-deadly-clashes-kurdish-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 06:15:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters Fierce fighting in Syria’s northern ‌city of Aleppo between government forces and Kurdish fighters has driven thousands of civilians from their homes, with Washington reported ‍to be mediating a de-escalation. The violence, and statements trading blame over who started it, signalled that a stalemate between Damascus and Kurdish authorities that have resisted integrating into the central government was deepening and growing deadlier. Deadly clashes broke out on Tuesday between Syrian government... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339134/deadly-clashes-aleppo-shatter-syrias-fragile-peace-thousands-flee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3339134/deadly-clashes-aleppo-shatter-syrias-fragile-peace-thousands-flee?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 05:29:37 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain A year after the curtain fell on the Assad regime’s five-decade reign of terror, Syria is emerging as a rare beacon of renewal in a conflict-weary region. President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadi filled with revolutionary zeal to rebuild his home after 14 years of civil war, has successfully consolidated power and won broad international recognition. Over the past 12 months, Syria has “transformed from a global pariah to a fully fledged, integral component of the international community”,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336269/syrias-year-epic-transformation-earns-it-trumps-protection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336269/syrias-year-epic-transformation-earns-it-trumps-protection?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:00:19 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A female bodyguard, assigned by the Chinese government to protect the French first lady during her official visit with her husband to China in early December, went viral on social media for her tough and professional demeanour. Known by her pseudonym, Yan Yuexia is referred to by Chinese internet users as “the most beautiful bodyguard,” although her appearance is one of many strengths, as reported by the news portal The Paper. While Brigitte Macron took part in public events in Beijing and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3335870/china-most-beautiful-shaolin-trained-bodyguard-spotlight-during-french-president-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3335870/china-most-beautiful-shaolin-trained-bodyguard-spotlight-during-french-president-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Syrians marked the first anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and his iron-fisted rule on Monday, as the fractured nation struggles to find stability and recover after years of war. Official celebrations are planned for the central Umayyad Square in Damascus, which has been packed with jubilant gatherings ahead of December 8, and in other parts of the country. Military parades are also expected. Assad fled Syria for Russia a year ago as rebels commanded by Syria’s new president, Ahmed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3335621/syria-celebrates-anniversary-assads-fall-and-new-dawn-under-ahmed-al-sharaa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3335621/syria-celebrates-anniversary-assads-fall-and-new-dawn-under-ahmed-al-sharaa?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:14:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Syria is joining the global coalition against Islamic State, a US official said on Monday hours after President Donald Trump welcomed his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa for historic White House talks. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the Middle Eastern country’s independence in 1946. But the 43-year-old’s landmark visit to the Oval Office came just days after Washington removed him... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332254/trump-hosts-syrias-president-sharaa-white-house-renews-temporary-waiver-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332254/trump-hosts-syrias-president-sharaa-white-house-renews-temporary-waiver-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 19:19:46 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May. US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332079/syrias-leader-arrives-us-trump-visit-after-removal-terrorism-blacklist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3332079/syrias-leader-arrives-us-trump-visit-after-removal-terrorism-blacklist?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 23:10:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday to take part in the UN General Assembly, the first president of Syria to do so in nearly six decades. The last time a Syrian head of state attended the General Assembly was in 1967. That was before the 50-year rule of the Assad family dynasty, which came to an end in December when then-president Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgent offensive led by Sharaa. Assad’s fall also brought to an end nearly 14 years of civil... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326324/syrian-president-arrives-us-un-general-assembly-first-time-nearly-60-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326324/syrian-president-arrives-us-un-general-assembly-first-time-nearly-60-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 23:08:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Syria on Sunday denied targeting a village in Aleppo province a day earlier, instead blaming Kurdish-led forces for an attack that a human rights monitor said killed seven civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that five women and two children were killed on Saturday in the village of Umm Tina, in the Deir Hafer area of Aleppo province, in bombardment carried out “by Syrian army personnel.” A semi-autonomous Kurdish administration controls swathes of north and northeast... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326314/7-killed-aleppo-bombardment-syria-blames-kurdish-led-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3326314/7-killed-aleppo-bombardment-syria-blames-kurdish-led-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 13:56:27 +0000 Kylie Knott Kylie Knott Telling the human stories through images is what Nicole Tung does best. The Hong Kong-born freelance photojournalist, best known for her award-winning work focusing on the humanitarian impact of war, is based in Istanbul, Turkey. The Middle East is a key focus of her work. Since 2012, she has documented the war in Syria, including the December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and other major events such as the 2011 revolution in Libya that led to the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, and the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3324440/hong-kong-photojournalist-nicole-tung-her-award-winning-work-asia-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3324440/hong-kong-photojournalist-nicole-tung-her-award-winning-work-asia-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 23:15:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press New outbreaks of violence overnight into Sunday rocked Syria at two distinct flashpoints, straining a fragile ceasefire and calling into question the ability of the transitional government to exert its authority across the whole country. In the north, government-affiliated fighters confronted Kurdish-led forces who control much of the region, while in the southern province of Sweida, they clashed with Druze armed groups. The outbreaks come at a time when Syria’s interim authorities are trying to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320601/fresh-clashes-syria-al-sharaas-interim-government-flails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3320601/fresh-clashes-syria-al-sharaas-interim-government-flails?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 13:05:17 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Some US$20 billion of foreign investment and financial aid is set to pour into Syria over the next few years, kick-starting the reconstruction of the war-torn country after Western sanctions were lifted two months ago. But the desperately needed funds forthcoming from Gulf Arab, Turkish and Western firms remain tied to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s willingness to reach some kind of Washington-backed peace agreement with an antagonistic Israel, according to several Middle East experts who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318602/syrias-future-tied-israel-peace-deal-billions-investment-set-arrive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318602/syrias-future-tied-israel-peace-deal-billions-investment-set-arrive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 09:33:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Syria announced that its army had begun to withdraw from violence-hit Sweida on Wednesday, following a wave of Israeli strikes on the capital and a US call for government forces to leave the majority-Druze southern city. The United States, which is close allies with Israel and has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria, said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, and urged “all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made”. The Syrian government earlier... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3318457/clashes-erupt-syria-israel-threatens-escalation-protect-druze-minority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3318457/clashes-erupt-syria-israel-threatens-escalation-protect-druze-minority?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:32:28 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Beijing is likely to step up support for Tehran as it tries to secure its strategic interests in the Middle East, analysts say, amid concerns over how the recent Iran-Israel war will reverberate across the resource-rich region. But one analyst noted it was a balancing act for Beijing to avoid compromising ties with Arab countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council nations. The assessment was made as policymakers around the world are closely watching how the 12-day conflict in June – briefly joined... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317667/china-likely-strengthen-backing-iran-it-looks-secure-strategic-interests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317667/china-likely-strengthen-backing-iran-it-looks-secure-strategic-interests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 08:59:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States on Monday announced it was revoking its designation as a “foreign terrorist organisation” of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group once linked to al-Qaeda that toppled Syria’s government in December. “In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” wrote US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo. An armed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317292/us-revoking-terrorist-designation-syrias-hts-group-overthrew-president-assad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3317292/us-revoking-terrorist-designation-syrias-hts-group-overthrew-president-assad?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:29:43 +0000 Thomas O. Falk Thomas O. Falk The recent war between Iran and Israel has laid bare a truth long obscured by Kremlin bluster: Russia is no longer a superpower. Moscow’s muted response to Tehran’s plight is not an anomaly but the latest – and perhaps most telling – chapter in a pattern of strategic neglect that stretches from the Middle East to the Levant and South Caucasus. Driven by President Vladimir Putin’s neo-imperialist fantasies, Russia plunged into Ukraine to find itself in a quagmire that has bled its military,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316114/attacks-iran-show-russia-can-now-do-very-little-its-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3316114/attacks-iran-show-russia-can-now-do-very-little-its-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 02:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US State Department imposed sanctions on the Sudanese government on Friday, accusing it of using chemical weapons last year in its war against rival paramilitaries. Since April 2023, the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has drawn widespread accusations of war crimes, with the US determining in January that the RSF had committed genocide. The State Department in May notified Congress of its determination that “the Government of Sudan used chemical weapons in 2024”, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3316238/us-imposes-sanctions-sudan-over-alleged-use-chemical-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3316238/us-imposes-sanctions-sudan-over-alleged-use-chemical-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jun 2025 14:28:33 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Kevin Liu Huang, the husband of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won’s second daughter, Choi Min-jung, is serving with the US Combined Special Operations Joint Task Force – Central (CSOJTF-C) in the Middle East and is reported to have taken part in a recent Israeli air strike operation against Iran. In a LinkedIn post shared earlier this week, Huang wrote: “I thought deploying to the Middle East with a joint task force headquarters would be ‘sleepy’ vs working in Ukraine or IndoPacom.” He added that... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3315909/husband-south-korean-heiress-took-part-us-strikes-irans-nuclear-sites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3315909/husband-south-korean-heiress-took-part-us-strikes-irans-nuclear-sites?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 07:50:07 +0000