Damascus

Damascus using Assad-era laws to detain activist Hassan Akkad, expert tells ‘Post’

Hassan Akkad was arrested and remains in detention for a series of social media posts calling out wealthy businessmen for allegedly failing to follow through on pledges to help rebuild Syria.

Hassan Akkad attends a private London Screening of 'Refuge' - A multimedia chronicle of human stories from the European Refugee Crisis, focused on humanity and hope BAFTA on June 8, 2016 in London, England.
 A Syrian anti government fighter shoots against a large banner bearing a picture of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, hanging on the facade of a municipal building in the west-central city of Hama on December 5, 2024.

Syria alleges Assad officials took organs from detainees for elite transplants

Hezbollah Member of Parliament Ali Fayyad stands in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area

Hezbollah MP claims delegations to Turkey promised to ‘support the resistance’ in Lebanon

A Syrian army soldier stands guard next to an armoured vehicle positioned along the SyrianLebanese border in the rural area of Al Qusayr on April 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Syria arrests 235 ISIS operatives in three months, foils seven terror plots


Damascus claims to arrest more Hezbollah-linked cell members behind plot to kill rabbi

Rabbi Michael Khoury was the reported target of an attack, state media said that the cell intended to target “a religious figure in the vicinity of the Maronite Church in Bab Touma on April 11."

Security forces guard a damaged bridge as people cross over the Euphrates River as Syrian army forces deploy in parts of the eastern province formerly controlled by Kurdish forces following their withdrawal from the area on January 22, 2026 in Deir ez-Zor, Syria.

Syrian authorities discover Hezbollah arms smuggling tunnel, warehouses near Lebanon border

Syrian authorities discover a Hezbollah tunnel linking Syria and Lebanon used for smuggling weapons, along with a large shipment of IED components destined for Lebanon.

 Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in front of the Syrian and Hezbollah flags (illustrative).

Kurds allegedly forced to register as Syrian Arabs to receive citizenship, NGO claims 

NSVH reported that the failure to provide an option to register as Kurdish, which was flagged during field monitoring, has raised serious concerns about Damascus’s compliance with the legislation.

Kurdish women dance hand in hand as the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) members celebrate Nowruz at the Jezhnikan Village around Baharka, Iraq, on March 18, 2025.

Zelensky’s Syria visit symbolizes new future for Middle East diplomacy - analysis

Ukrainian President Zelensky’s visit to Syria marks a symbolic step toward a peaceful future, fostering cooperation between Syria, Turkey, and Ukraine despite regional conflicts.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) in Damascus, April 5, 2026.

Syria condemns UAE embassy attack, Gulf nations voice outrage over protests

Protests targeting the UAE Embassy in Damascus spark regional condemnation, with Gulf nations criticizing the attack as a violation of international law, while Syria seeks to restore UAE ties.

Men walk past the UAE Embassy in Damascus on December 12, 2024; illustrative.

Cross-border tunnels spotlight Syria-Lebanon smuggling, security tensions

Official Syrian sources told The Media Line that army units, during sweeping security operations in border areas, uncovered two tunnels stretching between Syrian and Lebanese territory.

DEFENSE MINISTER Marhaf Abu Qasra inspects an armored brigade in the Syrian Army, March 31.

Turkey’s rearrest of fugitive revives mystery of Syrian defector’s disappearance

The capture of a convicted kidnapper is renewing scrutiny of how two Syrian defectors were abducted in Turkey and handed to Assad’s security apparatus.

Önder Sığırcıkoğlu, in the custody of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization.

Syria detains former political security chief Muhammad Mansoura amid Assad-era abuse investigations

Mansoura is considered one of the prominent security figures who held sensitive positions within the structure of the former Syrian regime.

 Israel police arrests a terror suspect in east Jerusalem

Syrian Jews in Damascus donate meat for iftar, support Muslim families in need during Ramadan

Needy families receive Ramadan support as a small remaining Jewish community highlights longstanding ties with Muslim neighbors.

Participants in the event from the Jewish community of Damascus.

US encourages Syrian action against Hezbollah, Damascus is hesitant, sources say

Despite historic enmity towards Hezbollah and Tehran, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has moved cautiously since US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on February 28.

A Syrian flag is displayed outside the White House following the meeting of US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 10, 2025.