Syria

Read recent Syrian news stories and current events on Newser.com

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ISIS Stormed a Prison. There Are Hundreds of Boys Inside

Siege on Gweiran Prison shines a light on the children's plight

(Newser) - A distressing series of voice notes sent by an Australian teen from a prison in northeast Syria underscores the plight of thousands of forgotten children who remain trapped in detention facilities in Syria and Iraq. Hundreds of minors (Human Rights Watch estimates 600 boys) are believed to be holed up...

She Left the US to Join ISIS. Now, a SCOTUS Decision

Supreme Court won't hear appeal of Hoda Muthana, who went to Syria in 2014, wants to come back

(Newser) - Update: She was born in New Jersey and raised in Alabama, but it looks like Hoda Muthana won't be going back to either anytime soon. On Monday, the US Supreme Court refused, without comment, to hear an appeal from the 27-year-old—who'd left Alabama to join the Islamic...

Ex-Secret Police Officer Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity

Syrian man was convicted in German court

(Newser) - A German court has convicted a former Syrian secret police officer of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail near Damascus a decade ago. The verdict Thursday in the landmark trial has been keenly anticipated by Syrians who suffered abuse or lost relatives at the...

The World Has a New &#39;Narcostate&#39;
Syria's Biggest Export
May Surprise You
longform
Dec 6, 2021 3:09 PM CST

Syria's Biggest Export May Surprise You

'New York Times' alleges that Syria is a 'narcostate' pumping out amphetamine captagon

(Newser) - Last week, Syrian authorities trumpeted the seizure of a large cache of illegal amphetamine pills known as captagon and said an investigation was underway to figure out where the pills came from, notes the AP . Now, an investigation by the New York Times may provide the answer: The Syrian government...

Convicted Arsonists Are Executed En Masse in Syria

Human rights activists 'shocked' that 24 were put to death for 2020 wildfires

(Newser) - Wildfires that swept through Syria last year were intentionally lit, and now 24 individuals linked to setting them have been executed, per the country's Ministry of Justice. Al Jazeera notes that while executions aren't uncommon in Syria, so many being killed at once is unusual. It's not...

Biden Orders Airstrikes in Iraq, Syria

Targeting Iran-backed militias

(Newser) - The US military, under the direction of President Biden, has conducted airstrikes against what it said were “facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups” near the border between Iraq and Syria. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against...

Israel Strikes Syria After Missile Lands Near Reactor

Israeli media called it an 'errant' projectile

(Newser) - A Syrian anti-aircraft missile landed in southern Israel early Thursday, setting off air raid sirens near the country's top-secret nuclear reactor, the Israeli military said. In response, it said it attacked the missile launcher and air-defense systems in neighboring Syria. It marked one of the most serious incidents of...

They Found Safety in Denmark. Now They&#39;re Told to Go
They Found Safety in Denmark.
Now They're Told to Go
THE RUNDOWN
Apr 14, 2021 1:32 PM CDT

They Found Safety in Denmark. Now They're Told to Go

Denmark becomes first EU country to revoke Syrians' residence permits

(Newser) - "I'm not a danger. I'm not a criminal." You might be inclined to agree. What Ghalia al-Asseh is is a chemistry and biotechnology student at the Technical University of Denmark, the country in which she has lived since fleeing Syria with her family in 2015. Now,...

In War-Torn Syria, the President Tests Positive

Syria's Bashar Assad and his wife have COVID

(Newser) - Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus, the president's office said Monday, per the AP . Both were tested after experiencing mild symptoms, says the statement, which adds that Assad, 55, and his wife, Asma, who is 10 years younger, were in "good...

Defense Chief: 'We Know What We Hit' in Syria

Lloyd Austin says he recommended airstrikes to Biden

(Newser) - "I'm confident in the target that we went after, we know what we hit," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday after the US launched airstrikes in Syria , targeting facilities near the Iraqi border used by Iranian-backed militia groups. The Pentagon said the strikes, Biden's first...

US Airstrike Hits Syria Target Tied to Iran-Backed Militias

Attack is first military action taken under Biden

(Newser) - President Biden ordered an airstrike in Syria on Thursday, after recent rocket attacks launched on US forces in Iraq. The target was a structure thought to be used for smuggling weapons by two Shia militias backed by Iran, CNN reports. The goal of the US attack was to hurt the...

A Ruling Against a 'Small Fish' Is Being Hailed as Historic

Germany for first time convicts Syrian regime officer of crimes against humanity

(Newser) - A landmark decision in Koblenz, Germany, on Wednesday marks the first time a court outside of Syria has ruled in a case involving officials with Bashar al-Assad's regime who are accused of committing crimes against humanity. The Guardian calls it "a historic first victory for efforts worldwide to...

Boy Was Forced to Threaten Trump. Now, 'It's All Behind Me'

Matthew, now 13, was just 10 when stepfather made him appear in ISIS propaganda video

(Newser) - In April 2015, an 8-year-old American boy named Matthew was dragged into Syria by his mother, Samantha Sally, and stepfather, Moussa Elhassani, with Elhassani determined to become a sniper for the Islamic State. Five years later, Matthew is 13 and back in the US, and he's now telling the...

WH's Top Counterterrorism Official Had Secret Syrian Meeting

Kash Patel visited for negotiations on Austin Tice, other hostages—the first such visit in 10 years

(Newser) - American journalist Austin Tice disappeared in Syria eight years ago, and is believed to have been a captive there since. Now, in what Bloomberg calls a "rare sign of diplomacy," sources say the White House's top counterterrorism official has traveled there for secret talks to negotiate for...

Unusual Heat Wave Sets Off Chaotic Chain Reaction

Wildfires, mass evacuations, and detonating land mines in the Middle East

(Newser) - Wildfires around the Middle East triggered by a heat wave hitting the region have killed two people, forced thousands of people to leave their homes, and detonated land mines along the Lebanon-Israel border, state media and officials said Saturday. The areas hit by the heat wave are Syria, Lebanon, Israel,...

In Case of the ISIS 'Beatles,' a Milestone

El Shafee Elsheikh, Alexanda Kotey are indicted, accused of beheadings, torture of Westerners

(Newser) - The Justice Department unsealed charges Wednesday against two Islamic State militants from Britain, accusing them of carrying out a gruesome campaign of torture, beheadings, and other acts of violence against Western hostages they'd captured in Syria, including four Americans. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are two of four...

Trump Changes Story on Assassinating Assad

He now says he wanted to have Syrian leader killed, but 'terrible general' Mattis objected

(Newser) - President Trump slammed former Defense Secretary James Mattis Tuesday—but also backed up a report he had criticized Bob Woodward for writing in 2018. Trump told Fox & Friends that he wanted to assassinate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017, but Mattis objected. "I would have rather taken him...

US Commander: Islamic State Is Growing Yet Again

Gen. Frank McKenzie sees trouble brewing

(Newser) - Elements of the Islamic State group are working to rebuild in western Syria, where the US has little visibility or presence, the top US commander for the Middle East warned on Wednesday, the AP reports. In the region west of the Euphrates River where the Syrian regime is in control...

Iran: US Fighter Jets Came Within 100 Meters of Plane

US official says single fighter jet came no closer than 1K meters

(Newser) - Several passengers aboard an Iranian jet flying from Tehran to Beirut were injured Thursday when the plane was "harassed" by US fighter jets over Syria, according to Iranian and Syrian media. Syrian state media reported that two jets, part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State, "intercepted"...

Thousands of Refugees Mass at EU Border

They gather at Turkey's western border to enter Greece

(Newser) - Thousands of migrants and refugees massed at Turkey's western frontier Sunday, trying to enter Greece by land and sea after Turkey said its borders were open to those hoping to head to Europe, the AP reports. In Syria, Turkish troops shot down two Syrian warplanes after the Syrian military...

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