President Bashar al-Assad

Syrian President Bashar Assad gestures while speaking to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during talks in Damascus in September. Assad and his wife, Asma, have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection, according to an official statement.

Syria's Bashar Assad And His Wife Test Positive For Coronavirus

10:20am March 08, 2021

by Scott Neuman

The couple received PCR tests after experiencing minor symptoms consistent with the virus, according to an official statement. Both are in "good health and in a stable condition," it said.

World News

3 Syrian Ex-Intelligence Officials Arrested On Charges Of Torture

9:26pm February 13, 2019

by Vanessa Romo

Two former members of President Assad's intelligence agency were arrested in Germany for allegedly participating in the abuse of captive dissidents. A third Syrian national was apprehended in Paris.

A member of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the "White Helmets," walking through the wreckage of their center, which was destroyed Thursday by government forces in the town of al-Tamana in rebel-held Idlib province.

World News

U.S. Envoy Warns That Syria Preparing To Use Chemical Weapons In Idlib

8:21am September 07, 2018

by Scott Neuman

Special Representative for Syrian Engagement Jim Jeffrey says the U.S. has "lots of evidence" that the Damascus government is preparing for a "reckless escalation" of the conflict.

The Damascus sky lights up with missile fire as a U.S.-led coalition launches an attack early Saturday, targeting different parts of the Syrian capital.

U.S.-Led Coalition Launches Attacks On Syria

10:56pm April 13, 2018

by Mark Katkov

The military strikes were ordered by President Trump in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack on April 7 by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad on its citizens.

A medical worker at a Damascus hospital holds a sign protesting a suspected chemical weapons attack outside the Syrian capital a year ago. The suspected attacks led the U.S. to fire a barrage of missiles at a Syrian air base on April 7, 2017.

5 Questions About Syria And Chemical Weapons

6:47pm April 09, 2018

by David Welna

Syria is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention and says it neither possesses nor uses chemical weapons. Evidence indicates otherwise.

A picture taken on April 4 shows destruction at a hospital room in Khan Sheikhun, a rebel-held town in the northwestern Syrian Idlib province, following a chemical weapons attack.

White House Suspects Syria Is Preparing For Another Chemical Attack

12:49am June 27, 2017

by Barbara Campbell

A statement says the observed "activities" recall those before an April 4 strike that killed civilians, including children. It warns the Assad government that it would "pay a heavy price."

Secretary of State John Kerry tells NPR that the new U.S.-Russia ceasefire deal in Syria is the best option under the circumstances. Without it, he says, there would be more deaths.

Secretary Of State John Kerry On Syria Cease-Fire: 'What's The Alternative?'

8:15am September 14, 2016

Secretary of State John Kerry tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that the new U.S.-Russia cease-fire deal in Syria is the best option under the circumstances. Without it, he says, there would be more deaths.

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A first responder in the rebel-held city of Aleppo carries a child who was wounded in a government airstrike on Sept. 16.

Health & Safety

In Syria, Health Care Workers Are The Heroes — And The Targets

6:30pm December 01, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

Over 300 hospitals and clinics have been hit with bombs and missiles. Nearly 700 medical workers have been killed. Only Syrian President Bashar Assad has the air power to conduct these attacks.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar Assad during Tuesday's meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow.

World News

Syria's Assad Visits Moscow To Discuss Military Plans With Putin

8:16am October 21, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The trip was kept secret until after Tuesday's meeting — and after President Bashar Assad had safely returned home.

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A rebel fighter takes aim during a training session in Eastern al-Ghouta, a rebel-held region outside the capital Damascus, earlier this month. Russia is inviting Syrian opposition groups to peace talks in Moscow, but few of them want to go to a country t

World News

Syrian Opposition Groups Wary Of Russia's Invitation To Moscow

6:59pm January 17, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

Russia is proposing peace talks in Moscow, and the U.S. seems to be backing the idea, but some opposition groups resist cooperating with a country that's been backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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