BEIRUT — A strike Thursday by a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded six other Americans in northeast Syria, and U.S. forces retaliated with airstrikes on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the Pentagon said. Activists said the U.S. bombing killed at...
First Woman Ever Applies to Run for President of Syria
BEIRUT — A woman from the capital Damascus has applied to run for president of Syria, the parliament speaker said Tuesday, making her the first female to make a bid for the country's top job. The largely symbolic election is certain to be won by President Bashar Assad. The presidential...
The Women Who Fought to Defend Their Homes Against ISIS
[aggregation-styles] Time Subscription When I first asked the American special operations soldiers who among the fighters they worked with I should meet in Syria, one of the first names that always arose was Azeema. She came from Qamishli, a town in northeastern Syria, and was known for her relentless willingness...
Israeli Warplanes Strike Syria, Kill 4, Including Children
DAMASCUS, Syria — Israeli warplanes fired several missiles toward central Syria early on Friday, killing a family of four — including two children — and wounding four other people, state media reported. Separately, the Israeli military said it downed a drone that had crossed into Israel from Lebanon. It did...
In Ruins, Syria Marks 50 Years of Assad Family Rule
BEIRUT — On Nov. 13, 1970, a young air force officer from the coastal hills of Syria launched a bloodless coup. It was the latest in a succession of military takeovers since independence from France in 1946, and there was no reason to think it would be the last. Yet...
Aid Group Says Mideast Lockdowns Hinder Humanitarian Efforts
CAIRO — An international aid group said Wednesday that closures aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic are preventing it from reaching 300,000 people in conflict zones across the Middle East, as the coronavirus arrived in war-torn Libya and three more cases were detected in Syria. The Norwegian Refugee Council said...
2 Americans Imprisoned in Iran, Lebanon Released
WASHINGTON — An American jailed for months in Lebanon was released from custody Thursday, while a Navy veteran was granted medical furlough from an Iran prison as the country struggles to curb the spread of coronavirus, U.S. officials said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Michael White, imprisoned more...
Syrian, Turkish Armies Engage in New Deadly Clashes in Idlib
ANKARA, Turkey — Two more Turkish soldiers were killed Wednesday in a Syrian government attack in Syria's northwest, the country's Defense Ministry said, as steady clashes between the two national armies continued to rack up casualties. Turkey has sent thousands of troops into the area to support Syrian insurgents holed...
Activists: Syrian Opposition Fighters Retake Key Town
BEIRUT — Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters retook a strategic northwestern town from government forces on Thursday, opposition activists said, cutting a key highway just days after the government reopened it for the first time since 2012. Despite losing the town of Saraqeb, Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces made major gains...
Syrian Troops Push Into Last Rebel Area, Hit Civilian Sites
BEIRUT — Shelling and airstrikes by Syrian government forces killed at least three people on Wednesday in northwestern Syria, where dozens of villages, including major rebel strongholds in the last opposition-held area, have been captured over the past few days. The new push by Russian-backed Syrian troops could worsen the...