Damascus Archives

February 19, 2025 5:41 PM

After decades in exile, Syria’s Jews visit Damascus

For the first time in three decades, Rabbi Joseph Hamra and his son Henry read from a Torah scroll in a synagogue in the heart of Syria's capital Damascus, carefully passing their thumbs over the handwritten text as if still in awe they were back hom...

January 3, 2025 1:03 PM

German, French foreign ministers to meet Syria’s new rulers in Damascus

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is travelling to Syria for a one-day trip with her French counterpart on behalf of the EU, where she will meet Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria's new rulers, the German foreign ministry said on Friday. "...

December 18, 2024 3:41 PM

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 torture...

December 10, 2024 5:08 PM

Israel denies its forces have gone past Syria buffer zone

Israel denied on Tuesday that its forces had penetrated into Syrian territory beyond the buffer zone with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, after Syrian sources said the incursion had extended to within 25 km (15 miles) of the capital Damascus. Si...

December 10, 2024 3:15 PM

Israeli troops near Damascus, say Syrian security, after Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian bases

An Israeli military incursion into Syria has reached about 25 km (16 miles) southwest of Damascus, Syrian security sources said on Tuesday, after Israel seized a buffer zone in southern Syria and launched air strikes on Syrian army and air bases over...

December 8, 2024 5:00 PM

Syrian rebels topple President Assad, his whereabouts unknown

Syrian rebels declared President Bashar al-Assad's ouster after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing him to flee and ending his family's decades of rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East. The Isl...

April 5, 2024 9:46 AM

India expresses concern over air strike on Iranian embassy in Syria, asks Israel to ensure safety of Indians

India has expressed concern over the Israeli attack on Iran's embassy complex in Syria's capital Damascus on April 1. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the weekly press conference on Thursday that India is angry over the deteriora...

April 2, 2024 8:29 AM

Iran vows response to deadly attack on consulate in Damascus

In the aftermath of a devastating attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has confirmed the tragic loss of seven of its officials, including senior commanders Mohammed Reza Zahedi and Mohammad Hadi Haji Ra...