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The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Syria's interim President Al Sharaa makes first visit to Daraa, birthplace of country's uprising
Syria 's interim President, Ahmad Al Shara, made a symbolic visit on Friday to the southern city of Daraa – the cradle of the country's uprising, for the first time since longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad was ousted almost six months ago. State news agency Sana published video showing a cheering crowd greeting Mr Al Shara, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha. Mr Al Shara and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Daraa's historic Omari mosque during the trip, the presidency said in a statement, releasing images of the visit showing the leader among the crowd. The mosque was one of the central locations where demonstrators gathered in 2011 before local security stormed the area. Sana also said Mr Shara met with local civil and military officials, as well as a delegation from the Christian minority. Provincial governor Anwar Al Zoabi said in a statement that the visit was 'an important milestone in the course of national recovery'. In 2011, protests erupted after the arrest and torture in Daraa of a group of schoolboys who had spray-painted anti-government graffiti. This sparked mass demonstrations against the Assad government. The regime's violent response to the peaceful protests was a key catalyst that transformed local protests into a nationwide uprising. On December 6, as Mr Al Shara's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham led a lightning offensive on Damascus from the country's north-west, a coalition of armed groups from Daraa province was formed to help remove Mr Al Assad. He was toppled two days later.
LBCI
a day ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Syria's interim president visits Daraa, first trip since Assad's ouster
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa yesterday visited the southern city of Daraa, the cradle of the country's uprising, for the first time since ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad almost six months ago. State news agency SANA published footage showing a cheering crowd greeting Sharaa, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Daraa's historic Omari mosque during the trip, the presidency said in a statement, releasing images of the visit showing the leader among the crowd. SANA also said he met with local civil and military officials, as well as a delegation from the Christian minority. AFP
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Syrian leader makes first visit to cradle of country's uprising
DAMASCUS: Syrian Arab Republic's interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Friday visited the southern city of Daraa, the cradle of the country's uprising, for the first time since ousting longtime ruler Bashar Assad almost six months ago. State news agency SANA published footage showing a cheering crowd greeting Sharaa, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha. Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Daraa's historic Omari mosque during the trip, the presidency said in a statement, releasing images of the visit showing the leader among the crowd. SANA also said he met with local civil and military officials, as well as a delegation from the Christian minority. Provincial governor Anwar Al-Zoabi said in a statement that the visit was 'an important milestone in the course of national recovery.' In 2011, young boys who had scrawled graffiti against Assad were detained in Daraa, sparking nationwide protests. After the war erupted following the brutal repression of protests, rebels seized control of Daraa and hung on until 2018, when the city returned to Assad under a deal mediated by Russia that allowed former fighters to keep their light weapons. On December 6, as Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning offensive on Damascus from the country's northwest, a coalition of armed groups from Daraa province was formed to help oust Assad, who was toppled two days later. The province was plagued by unrest in recent years.
The National
3 days ago
- Health
- The National
Syria's government seizes all Captagon production labs
Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab on Wednesday said the government had seized control of all Captagon laboratories in the country. "We were able to stop their production and confiscate all production facilities, and we are in the process of uncovering hidden drugs,' Mr Khattab said in a TV interview with Alikhbaria. "There are now no more factories producing Captagon in Syria." Most of the factories, of which he said there were dozens, were "in the Damascus countryside and a large number in the Lebanese border area", and on the coast. The stimulant Captagon has been a major unofficial export for years, with producers in Syria earning large profits as it became a popular recreational drug in the Middle East and beyond. Since the toppling of former president Bashar Al Assad in December, the government in Damascus has vowed to work internally and with other countries in the region to crack down on the production and trafficking of Captagon. In April, Syrian authorities seized four million Captagon pills concealed inside thousands of metal bars in Latakia, the Interior Ministry said. In early May, the Lebanese military discovered and dismantled a laboratory used to produce the drugs in a raid near the border. 'Since the first day of liberation [from the Assad regime], we have co-ordinated with countries affected by drug trafficking, most notably Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and we have been able to seize numerous shipments and equipment used in drug production,' Mr Khattab said. He said a restructuring of the ministry aimed to "change the concept of security so that it becomes a source of safety for Syrians, not a source of anxiety".
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Syria says seized all captagon factories
by Naharnet Newsdesk 05 June 2025, 11:45 Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said Wednesday that authorities had seized all production facilities of illicit stimulant captagon, which became Syria's largest export under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with state television, Khattab said that "we were able to stop the production of this drug and seize all the materials and factories that were producing" captagon. "There are now no more factories producing captagon in Syria," he said. Most of the factories, which he said numbered in the dozens, were located "in the Damascus countryside and a large number in the Lebanese border area" as well as on the coast. "Most were in areas under the control of the former Fourth Division," he said, referring to the notorious Syrian army division headed by Assad's brother Maher. Captagon became Syria's largest export during the civil war that erupted in 2011, and a key source of illicit funding for Assad's government. Since his overthrow in December, the new Islamist authorities have announced the discovery of millions of captagon pills in warehouses and on military bases. Last month, authorities said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle out four million captagon pills, days after seizing another nine million that were headed for Turkey. Neighboring countries also occasionally announce captagon seizures. "Shipments initially prepared for export have been intercepted" daily, Khattab said, noting Syria has begun coordinating with countries including neighboring Jordan and Turkey as well as Saudi Arabia -- a key market for the drug The interior minister also noted other security challenges, including Islamic State (IS) group jihadists who according to Khattab had moved from "absurd acts... to studied attacks on strategic targets". Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Also last month, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an Islamic State cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks, while another anti-IS operation in the northern city of Aleppo saw the death of one security forces officer and three IS members. Khattab said IS had also attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted. Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. Reported IS attacks in areas controlled by the Syria's Islamist-led authorities have been scarce, while frequent attacks have persisted in areas under Kurdish control in the country's north and northeast.
