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Live: UN calls for 'inclusive' political process in Syria

The UN Security Council on Tuesday called on Syria's new leadership to implement an "inclusive and Syrian-led" political process to enable Syrians to "peacefully, independently and democratically determine their own futures". Follow our liveblog to see h

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Yesterday

Syrian mass graves expose "machinery of death" under Assad, top prosecutor says

An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run "machinery of death" under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured a

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'This is the best moment for a comprehensive peace effort' in the Middle East: expert

The United States said Tuesday it felt "cautious optimism" on the prospects of reaching a ceasefire in the 14-month war in Gaza, although it acknowledged that similar hopes had been dashed before. Henri Barkey, Professor of International Relations at Leh

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UN envoy warns Syria conflict not over yet

A UN envoy warned on Tuesday that Syria's protracted conflict "has not ended yet", even as the country's victorious Islamist-led rebels stepped up contacts with governments that deemed ousted president Bashar al-Assad a pariah. The UN's migration chief,

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Syria ex-rebel military chief says to dissolve armed wing

The military chief of Syria's victorious Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said on Tuesday the group would be "the first" to dissolve its armed wing and integrate into the armed forces. Earlier, Syrian rebel leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known by his

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Moderate enough? The West eyes normalisation with HTS-led Syria

Just as the leader of the Islamist-led alliance that toppled Syria’s Assad announced he was shedding his wartime alias Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, can Ahmed al-Sharaa’s HTS shed its past as the Al-Nusra Front, a hardline offshoot of al-Qaeda? France 24’s Was

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Hamas says Gaza ceasefire deal 'closer than ever before’

An agreement to halt the 14-month-old war in Gaza and free Hamas-held hostages in the Palestinian enclave could be signed in coming days with talks in Doha making progress, according to US and Hamas officials. This comes just a day after an Israeli deleg

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The captagon trafficking ring: How Assad turned Syria into a narco state

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, rebel HTS fighters in Syria have found huge stockpiles of an illegal drug called captagon in several warehouses in and around the capital Damascus. The Assad family was at the head of a vast narcotics trafficki

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A celebration of Palestinian cuisine: Fadi Kattan on his cookbook 'Bethlehem'

A Franco-Palestinian chef from Bethlehem has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how his love for cooking has helped him get through the region's current problems. Fadi Kattan's book "Bethlehem" is a love letter to his hometown and is said to conjure the colours a

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Exclusive: Syria’s de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa calls for lifting of sanctions

Syrian rebel leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, called for the lifting of international sanctions in an exclusive interview Monday with a group of foreign journalists that included FRANCE 24’s Wassim Nasr.

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UN envoy to Syria warns ‘conflict has not ended yet’

Syria’s “conflict has not ended yet”, even after the departure of former president Bashar al-Assad, the UN’s envoy to the country warned Tuesday, highlighting clashes between Turkish-backed and Kurdish groups in the north.

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Families voice concern over treatment of Assad's former soldiers

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, members of the Syrian army and their families are increasingly worried over the fate of soldiers who used to fight rebel forces in the country. FRANCE 24’s James André, Julie Dungelhoeff and Sofia Amara report.

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Syria's ex-rebel military chief says to dissolve armed wing, wants to end ‘terrorist’ label

The military chief of Syria’s victorious Islamist group HTS said that the group would be “the first” to dissolve its armed wing and integrate into the armed forces, calling on Western governments to lift the “terrorist” label from HTS and its leader. Rea

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Monday, december 16, 2024

CNN investigates Syrian prisoner's 'false identity' in Clarissa Ward report

In CNN journalist Clarissa Ward's latest video report, she films the moment she frees a Syrian prisoner from a secretive Damascus prison belonging to the Assad regime. After this report was published, Syrian fact-checking group Verify-Sy found that the m

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Christians in Aleppo face uncertainty after fall of Assad

On Sunday, many Christians across Syria attended mass for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. In Aleppo, only 10% of the city's pre-war Christian population is thought to remain. Since capturing the city, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has reached ou

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Assad says he wanted to stay in Syria but Russia evacuated him

Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad says he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack. The comments are the first by Assad since he was

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Former Assad officers fear HTS retribution after regime falls

For those serving Assad's regime, and for his religious community, the fall of the dictator has been a shock that puts them in a difficult and dangerous posture. They fear retribution from all those who were oppressed during his rule. Our reporters James

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Israeli forces carry out strikes in Gaza, dozens dead

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory on Sunday (December 15) killed at least 40 people, including several children, an Al Jazeera TV cameraman and three rescuers.

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After euphoria of Assad’s fall, Syrians face daunting challenge of rebuilding Aleppo

In Aleppo, efforts are under way to rebuild after years of destruction left much of Syria's second-largest city and its medieval citadel in ruins.

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Assad says Syria in ‘hands of terrorism’ in first statement since fall of regime

Bashar al-Assad on Monday said he wanted to stay in Syria and continue fighting after rebels captured Damascus, but the Russian military evacuated him their base in Latakia. In his first public statement since his ouster, Assad said Syria was now “in the

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Israel approves plan aiming to double annexed Golan population

The Israeli government approved on Sunday (December 15) a plan to increase the population of the occupied and annexed Golan Heights. Saudi Arabia and Qatar swiftly denounced the Israeli move.

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Sunday, december 15, 2024

Israel shutters Dublin embassy, accuses Ireland of ‘extreme anti-Israel policies’

Israel will close its Dublin embassy due to the "extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government", Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday. The decision refers to Ireland's recognition of a Palestinian state and support for legal action against

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Israeli air strike on central Gaza refugee camp kills dozens, including journalist

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 48 Palestinians on Sunday, including an Al Jazeera journalist and rescue workers, local medics said. The attack targeted a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and was followed by further Israeli air strikes on a

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'Ghost towns are scattered right across Aleppo province': Rebuilding Syria's ravaged cities

FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar reports from Syria's Aleppo about the frantic final moments before president Bashar al-Assad's flight from Damascus and the arduous task facing the country's new rulers.

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Countries slowly pave the road to restoring diplomatic ties with Syria

One week after Syria's regime collapsed, the UK confirmed "diplomatic contact" with the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the offensive. Next Tuesday, Qatar will reopen its embassy in Damascus while a team with French diplomats will tr

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Saturday, december 14, 2024

Thousands of Israelis protest in Tel Aviv for Gaza hostage deal

Thousands of Israelis staged a protest on Saturday to demand that the remaining hostages still being held in Gaza be released. There has been guarded optimism in recent days that a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza might finally be within reach

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Blinken says Jordan talks agree on need for 'inclusive' Syrian government

Arab, Western and Turkish diplomats agreed in talks in Jordan Saturday on the need for an "inclusive" government in Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. A UN envoy urged foreign powers to work to av

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Friday, december 13, 2024

'Salvation' in Syria? Another new French PM, Time's Person of the Year

This week, Gavin Lee's panel of guests discuss the ongoing process of regime change in Syria, the replacement of the French prime minister after his government was ousted by parliament and the choice of Donald Trump as Person of the Year by Time Magazine

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Syrians celebrate the demise of Assad's regime as thousands freed from prison

Syrians took to the streets throughout the country on Friday, with demise of Assad's regime setting thousands of prisoners free. James André reports from Damascus, after visting the Palestine Detention Centre in the city centre.

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Syria undertakes daunting task of documenting scale of the Assad regime’s crimes

The fall of Bashar al-Assad has created a historic opportunity to gather direct evidence of the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, which investigators have been unable to do until now. After 50 years of witnessing massive human rights violations, man

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Special report: As Syria's prison doors open, a look 'inside Assad’s terror machine'

Less that a week after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the world is seeing the first images of Syria’s gruesome prison system. FRANCE 24's James André, Julie Dunglehoeff and Sofia Amara met with some of the victims and their families.

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IAEA says Iran agrees to more monitoring at key nuclear enrichment plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Friday that Iran has agreed to allow increased monitoring by the IAEA of its nuclear enrichment plant at its Fordo site. Iran had sparked concerns last month when it announced it was planning to ramp up

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France 24 in Syria: Inside the Assad regime's brutal prisons

Less than a week after the fall of Bashar Al Assad, the world is discovering in images the extent of the abuses committed by the Syrian dictator. Our reporters gathered testimonies from families shattered by imprisonment, torture and enforced disappearan

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Historians seek to preserve Gaza’s cultural heritage

It’s been more than 400 days since Israel launched its offensive on Gaza. The ongoing war was denounced as a "genocide" of Palestinians last week by Amnesty International, which is urging the global community to act. On top of the bombings of buildings a

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Life 'getting back to normal' in Aleppo after fall of Assad

Life in Aleppo is getting back to normal since the ousting of former president Bashir al-Assad almost one week ago. "The streets are heaving with people and traffic going about their business, reparing damage from the conflict, [and] removing signs and s

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Tens of thousands of Syrians gather across Syria to celebrate fall of Assad

Syrians celebrated the end of more than half a century of brutal rule by the Assad regime on Friday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets throughout the country. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.

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Thursday, december 12, 2024

Syrian rebels uncover Assad regime's large-scale illegal drug laboratories

Sales of the synthetic drug Captagon were used as a source of funding for the brutal regime, making Syria its largest producer. Among the secrets uncovered by rebel fighters since Assad fled the country, large-scale illegal drug factories housed in villa

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'Kurdish leaders' warnings went unheeded for years and years', analyst says

Since the fall of Assad, western capitals have been voicing concern about the risk of ISIS militants exploiting the political vacuum in Syria. Thousands of former militants are currently being detained in prisons and camps controlled by the Kurds. We spe

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'Kurdish leaders' warnings went unheeded for years and years'

Since the fall of Assad, western capitals have been voicing concern about the risk of ISIS militants exploiting the political vacuum in Syria. Thousands of former militants are currently being detained in prisons and camps controlled by the Kurds. We spe

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Syrian women hope for inclusion, freedom in post-Assad era

Human Rights Watch is calling on the Syrian islamist rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, to protect women's rights as it attempts to lead the country out of chaos. It also asks for HTS to include women in any governance structure. FRANCE 24's Pete

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Alois Brunner, the Nazi war criminal at home in Assad's Syria

The regime of Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez al-Assad managed to stay in power for five decades by exercising brutally repressive methods inspired in part by Alois Brunner, a notorious Nazi war criminal who made a life for himself in Damascus as a

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US announces first withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon under ceasefire deal

A top U.S. military officer visited Beirut on Wednesday to monitor the withdrawal of the first Israeli troops from Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement reached last month, the U.S. Central Command said. The U.S. confirmed that Israel had withdrawn its fo

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Israeli forces responsible for a third of 54 journalists killed in 2024: Reporters Without Borders

Of the 54 journalists killed due to their profession in 2024,16 were killed in Gaza and two in Lebanon by Israel's military, said a report from Reporters Without Borders published Thursday. Journalists operating in Palestinian territories experienced "a

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Blinken in Turkey for talks to ensure peaceful transition of power in Syria

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed straight into talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after landing in Ankara late Thursday, a US official said. US-Turkey talks on the fallout of Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in Syria come as Turkey-back

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Wednesday, december 11, 2024

This is a moment of real opportunity, but also real danger for Syrians, IRC's Donnelly says

Syria's new prime minister said the Islamist-led alliance that ousted president Bashar al-Assad will guarantee the rights of all religious groups and called on the millions who fled the war to return home. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Ciarán Donn

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Who are the main rebel factions operating in Syria?

Syrian rebels who have ousted Bashar al-Assad and seized the capital Damascus include fighters from different factions, while other groups also hold territory elsewhere. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell takes a look.

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Celebrations in central Damascus on first night without curfew

Joyful scenes in Damascus' Umayyad Square as Syrians celebrate the fall of the Assad regime. The first night without a curfew sees crowds gathering in the capital brandishing the three-starred independence-era flag. FRANCE 24's James Andre reports from D

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Scramble for Syria? Foreign powers pounce amid post-Assad uncertainty

Taking advantage of a brief power vacuum or are we witnessing a scramble for Syria? As Islamist-led rebels savour their surprise swoop on Damascus, foreign powers are seizing the moment to either clean house or settle scores: Turkey targeting Kurds in th

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Preparing for potential 'chaos' in post-Assad Syria, Israel goes on the offensive

The Israeli military says it carried out nearly 500 strikes against Syrian military targets in the days since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, while its troops moved into a demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights that was established following the

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Fall of Assad reveals the death of Mazen al-Hamada, symbol of the regime’s atrocities

The body of Syrian activist Mazen al-Hamada was found Monday in a military hospital morgue near Damascus, according to a number of NGOs. Imprisoned and tortured by the Syrian military after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Hamada fled to Europe to d

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Struggling to cope with horrors of war, Israeli soldiers turn to equine therapy

Since the October 7 Hamas attack last year, some 350,000 Israeli reservists have been called up to fight. The ongoing fighting, now entering its 14-month mark, has left its mark on Israel troops as more and more suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder

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Dozens killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, say Palestinian medics

Palestinian medical officials said separate Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 29 people overnight and into Wednesday. Hospital records showed that one of the strikes killed several generations of one family, including four children, their

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Assad’s Baath party suspends work indefinitely in Syria

Former Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad’s Baath party announced Wednesday that it was suspending work indefinitely, ending more than half-a-century of the Assad family’s rule. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.

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Tuesday, december 10, 2024

HTS' record in Idlib ‘not a liberal democracy by any stretch of the imagination’, analyst says

International diplomats reacted cautiously Monday to the prospect of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group taking control in Syria after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. HTS has its roots in the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda and is proscribed a

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Any decision to force people to return to Syria would be very premature: migration policy analyst

As some semblance of normality slowly settles in in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, questions are turning to what's next for the millions of Syrian refugees spread out across the world. FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar reports from Gaziantep in Turkey

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Israeli PM Netanyahu testifies in corruption trial

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed the allegations against him as he testified in court for the first time in his corruption case. Netanyahu, who has repeatedly sought to delay his court appearance, is the first sitting prime

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Refugees start to return, what will they find? Syria's new future starts now

Refugees, asylum seekers, Syrians in exil: the return to Syria begins with people who have given up on returning now back on their home soil.

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The fall of Bashar al-Assad: ‘Turkey proves, once again, that it cannot be ignored’

The toppling of Ankara’s archenemy Bashar al-Assad in Syria may have increased Turkey’s regional influence but it also represents a strategic challenge for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as regional expert Didier Billion explains.

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Syria: Mohammed al-Bashir becomes caretaker prime minister

The rebels who ousted president Bashar al-Assad and are now in power in Syria appointed a transitional head of government to run the country until March 1. Analysis by FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor, Philip Turle.

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'Huge opportunity to craft a new Syria,' says UN Human Rights Chief

FRANCE 24 spoke to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk about the end of the Assad regime, brought down by a lightning offensive led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). With the old regime gone, Turk said there is n

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