Latest news with #al-Assad
Euronews
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Syria wants Russia 'by our side,' foreign minister says in Moscow
Syria's top diplomat said Damascus wants Moscow "by our side" on the first visit to Russia by a member of the new government since former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a rebel offensive late last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in the Kremlin on Thursday, according to Syrian news agency SANA, a meeting that underlined the Kremlin's desire to establish working ties with the country's new leadership. Before the talks with Putin, al-Shibani met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who emphasised that the Russian authorities "sincerely wish that the Syrian people, with whom we have long-standing friendship, overcome all existing challenges and completely normalise the situation." "The current period is full of various challenges and threats, but it is also an opportunity to build a united and strong Syria," Al-Shibani said. Al-Assad was an ally of Russia and Moscow's scorched-earth intervention in support of him a decade ago turned the tide of Syria's civil war and kept al-Assad in his seat until his swift demise in December. Russia, which has focused on the fighting in Ukraine and kept only a small military contingent in Syria, didn't try to counter the rebel offensive but sheltered al-Assad after he fled the country. Without naming al-Assad, al-Shibani called on Russia to support the country's "transitional justice" process and said Syria has formed a committee to review past agreements with Russia. Despite having been on opposite sides of the battle lines during the civil war, the new rulers in Damascus, headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharra, have taken a pragmatic approach to relations with Moscow. A Russian delegation visited Damascus in January and the following month Putin had a call with al-Sharaa that the Kremlin described as "constructive and business-like." Russia has retained presence at its air and naval bases on the Syrian coast and the Kremlin has voiced hope for negotiating a deal to keep the outposts. Moscow also has reportedly sent oil shipments to Syria. Syria's Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra accompanied al-Shibani on his visit to Moscow and met his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov. They discussed "cooperation between defence ministries and the situation in the Middle East," the Russian Defence Ministry said. Speaking to reporters after the talks on Thursday, Lavrov thanked "Syrian colleagues for the steps they're taking to ensure the safety of Russian citizens and Russian facilities" in Syria. "We reaffirmed our support for the preservation of the unity, territorial integrity and independence of the Syrian Arab Republic and are ready to provide the Syrian people with all possible assistance in post-conflict reconstruction. We agreed that we will continue our dialogue on these issues," Lavrov said. Al-Sharaa has thanked Russia for its "strong position in rejecting Israeli strikes and repeated violations of Syrian sovereignty" after Israel intervened in clashes between Syrian government forces and armed groups from the Druze minority earlier this month. Al-Shibani on Thursday criticized Israel's "interference in internal affairs" and said it complicates efforts to resolve conflicts between different communities in Syria.
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Syria's FM heads to Moscow in first post-Assad visit
Shafaq News – Damascus Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani will visit Moscow for the first time since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad's regime, a Russian media outlet revealed on Wednesday. Syrian sources told Russia Today that al-Shibani is expected to meet several senior Russian officials during the visit, though it remains unclear whether a meeting with President Vladimir Putin is on the agenda. Following the collapse of the al-Assad government, Russia's Foreign Ministry announced that 'al-Assad left Syria and ordered a peaceful transfer of power,' adding that al-Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow, where they were granted asylum on humanitarian grounds. At the time, while initial signs suggested limited Russian troop withdrawals, Moscow has maintained control over its key strategic assets, including the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval facility. The new Syrian leadership has expressed interest in preserving strategic ties, prompting Russia to engage through renewed diplomatic channels.
LeMonde
6 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Syria: After Druze killings, Sweida barricades itself in defiance of Syrian authorities
The residential dead end of Masakin al-Khoudr resembles a war zone. Cars have been crushed by tanks. Buildings are pockmarked with bullet holes. Some apartments are charred. At the foot of one building, Abu Ahmed and his neighbors stood guard with rifles slung over their shoulders on Wednesday, July 23, eight days after government forces entered their neighborhood in western Sweida. "I am protecting my house and my children in case the army comes back, even though I couldn't do much against a tank," admitted the 50-year-old vegetable grower, wearing the white skullcap and mustache typical of the Druze. Encircled by Bedouin tribal fighters and government forces, the majority-Druze city in southern Syria remains on high alert despite the ceasefire in effect since Saturday, July 19. Residents have barricaded themselves in fear of another offensive. Clashes continue between Druze factions and Bedouins in villages north and west of the city. Roadblocks, marked by mounds of earth and manned by local fighters, dot the city and surrounding countryside. The Sweida Military Council – a coalition of Druze factions formed after the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024 – escorts journalists inside the city. Civilians walk around with Kalashnikovs slung over their shoulders, prepared for any eventuality. Weapons are commonplace in this province, which had been left to criminal gangs and local factions after the 2011 revolution, and which was targeted in 2018 by an attack from the Islamic State group (IS). "I raised my sons not to hurt anyone. I won't teach them how to use weapons. We want peace in our country, Syria. But foreigners are attacking us," said Ahmed, standing with his two sons, aged 13 and 16. He insisted that foreign fighters were among those who attacked the neighborhood.
Euronews
7 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
French court to decide on al-Assad's Syria chemical attacks trial
France's highest court will rule on Friday whether former Syrian President Bashar al- Assad can be stripped of head-of-state immunity, a decision that could clear the way for his trial in absentia over alleged chemical weapons attacks. If the ruling is made, it would set a legal precedent for prosecuting sitting or former leaders accused of atrocities. Al-Assad is facing a trial before France's Cour de Cassation in absentia over the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta in 2013 and Douma in 2018. The exiled former dictator of Syria, now living in Russia, has retained lawyers for these charges and has denied he was behind the chemical attacks. A ruling against al-Assad would be a 'huge victory for the victims,' according to Mazen Darwish, president of the Syrian Centre for Media, which collected evidence of war crimes. 'It's not only about Syrians, this will open the door for the victims from any country and this will be the first time that a domestic investigative judge has the right to issue an arrest warrant for a president during his rule.' Darwish said a favourable ruling could also allow his group to pursue other al-Assad regime figures, such as launching a money laundering case against former Syrian Central Bank governor and Minister of Economy Adib Mayalah. Mayalah's lawyers have argued he had immunity under international law. Al-Assad was previously relatively safe under international law. Heads of state could not be prosecuted for actions taken during their rule, a rule designed long ago to ease dialogue when leaders needed to travel the world to meet, according to French lawyer Jeanne Sulzer. Sulzer said that kind of immunity is 'almost a taboo' regardless of the weight of the charges. 'You have to wait until the person is not sitting in office to be able to prosecute.' She had co-led the case against al-Assad for the 2013 chemical attack. For more than 50 years, Syria was ruled by Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashar. During the Arab Spring, rebellion broke out against their tyrannical rule in 2011 across the country of 23 million. A brutal 13-year civil war broke out, which killed more than half a million people, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Millions more fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Europe.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
French court to decide if al-Assad can be tried for Syrian chemical attacks
France's highest court is set to rule on whether it can strip the state immunity of Bashar al-Assad, the toppled Syrian leader in exile in Russia, because of the sheer brutal scale of evidence in accusations documented against him by Syrian activists and European prosecutors. If the judges at the Cour de Cassation lift al-Assad's immunity on Friday, it could pave the way for his trial in absentia over the use of chemical weapons in Ghouta in 2013 and Douma in 2018. It could also set a precedent to allow the prosecution of other government leaders linked to atrocities, human rights activists and lawyers say. Al-Assad has retained no lawyers for these charges and has denied he was behind the chemical attacks. The opposition has long rejected al-Assad's denial, as his forces were the only side in the ruinous, nearly 14-year civil war to possess sarin. A ruling against al-Assad would be 'a huge victory for the victims', said Mazen Darwish, president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, which collected evidence of war crimes, quoted by The Associated Press news agency. 'It is not only about Syrians; this will open the door for the victims from any country and this will be the first time that a domestic investigative judge has the right to issue an arrest warrant for a president during his rule.' He said the ruling could enable his group to legally go after government members, like launching a money laundering case against former Syrian Central Bank governor and Minister of Economy Adib Mayaleh, whose lawyers have argued he had immunity under international law. Brutal crackdown For more than 50 years, Syria was ruled by Hafez al-Assad and then his son, Bashar. During the Arab Spring, rebellion broke out against their rule in 2011 across the country of 23 million, igniting a brutal civil war that killed more than half a million people, according to the the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Millions more fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkiye and Europe. The al-Assad dynasty also fomented sectarian tensions to stay in power, a legacy driving renewed recent violence in Syria against minority groups, despite promises that the country's new leaders will carve out a political future for Syria that includes and represents all its communities. As the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for leaders accused of atrocities – such as Russia's Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, and Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines – the French judges' ruling could empower the legal framework to prosecute not just deposed and exiled leaders but those currently in power. The Syrian government denied in 2013 that it was behind the Ghouta attack, but the United States subsequently threatened military retaliation, then settled for a deal with Moscow for al-Assad to give up his chemical weapons stockpile, opening the way for Russia to wield huge influence in the war-torn nation. Al-Assad survived more than a decade longer, aided militarily by Russia and Iranian-aligned groups, including Hezbollah, before being overthrown by rebel groups.
