Hezbollah declares Syria victory, Russia says much of country won back

The Lebanese Shi‘ite group Hezbollah has declared victory in the Syrian war while Russia said government forces had driven militants from much of the country where President Bashar al-Assad’s rule seemed in danger two years ago. The comments from two Syrian government allies mark the most confident assessments yet of Assad’s position in the war, […]

Syria’s Assad says Western plots against him foiled but war not yet won

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday his country had foiled Western designs to topple him but his army had not yet won the fight to end Syria’s six-year-old insurgency. In an televised address, Assad said that even though there were signs of victory after six-and-a-half years of civil war, the “battle continues, and where […]

Trump ends program to arm Syrian rebels. Was it ever effective?

The Trump administration has pulled the plug on a CIA covert action program to arm Syrian rebels in their fight against the Assad regime in Syria. The program, started under the Obama administration, was quickly leaked to the media after its inception, and had continued for four years. The intent was to provide Syrian rebel […]

Syria, Russia Accuse US of “Provocation” in Chemical Weapons Attack

The latest war of words between Washington, Moscow, and Damascus occurred on Thursday. The Syrian government of President Assad along with their Russian allies accused the United States of manufacturing a “provocation” in Syria. This was to be blamed on Assad and his government of preparing a chemical weapons attack as an excuse for the […]

U.S. envoy visits Syria to talk post-Raqqa plans

The U.S. special envoy to the coalition against the Islamic State on Wednesday met with leaders of a council consisting of members from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who plan on administering the Syrian city of Raqqa following the eventual collapse of the ISIS stronghold. Brett McGurk, who was appointed by the State Department has […]

White House warns Syria’s Assad ahead of potential chemical attack

The Assad regime in Syria appears to be taking the initial steps necessary to launch a chemical weapons attack, the White House said in a statement late on Monday. The actions, if taken, would mean Assad and his government would “pay a heavy price,” the statement issued by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer reads. […]

Syrian Forces Closing on Special Operations Base Hit with US Air Strikes

Syrian military forces loyal to embattled President Assad ignored warnings about approaching a small US base that houses its Special Operations Forces this week and was hit by a US-led airstrike. This was the second attack in just the past month against Assad’s forces by US airstrikes in what the Defense Department characterized as self-defense […]

Israel says Assad’s forces still have several tonnes of chemical weapons

Israel’s military said on Wednesday it believes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces still possess several tonnes of chemical weapons, issuing the assessment two weeks after a chemical attack that killed nearly 90 people in Syria. Israel, along with many countries, blames the strike on Assad’s military. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said French intelligence services […]

Suicide bombing targets buses near Aleppo, 16 evacuees killed (Graphic images)

A car bomb detonated near a convoy of buses carrying evacuees away from areas near Aleppo, Syria, killing at least 16 people. Evacuations of 7000 people from four cities (Fua, Kefraya, Madaya, and Zabadani) surrounding Aleppo began on Friday, 5000 were removed yesterday and another 3000 were set for today. According to the New York Times, the evacuations were the result of […]

President Assad denies Syrian involvement in the Sarin chemical attack

In an AFP exclusive interview, President Bashar al-Assad denies the Syrian government’s involvement in the most recent sarin chemical attack in the small town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province. In the chemical attack, experts believe that sarin gas or a sarin-like substance was used which killed over 80 men, women, and children. Assad was shown video evidence of the […]

Op-Ed: Alt-Qaeda gets a Simon and Schuster book deal

Not content with the dumpster fire of a book deal recently cancelled with Milo Yiannopoulos, Simon and Schuster has signed a book deal for Bana Alabed’s story.  Presumably, the book deal is with her English speaking parents as the seven-year-old girl who became the public face of the Syrian civil war could not enter into a […]

Mattis and CENTCOM commander weigh in on Syria strike

Secretary of Defense James Mattis, accompanied by Army General Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, appeared before the press at the Pentagon on Tuesday to address questions that persist regarding the April 6th missile strike against the Syrian airfield reportedly responsible for a chemical attack carried out against civilians earlier in that week. […]