By GHAITH ALSAYED and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press
Mohammad Marwan has been struggling to rebuild his life after being released from Syria's Saydnaya prison a year ago. Arrested in 2018 for fleeing military service, he endured beatings, electric shocks, and severe hunger. Since his release, he has received treatment for tuberculosis and attended therapy sessions to overcome the effects of his ordeal. His story reflects Syria's broader struggle to heal after the fall of the Assad regime. The country faces ongoing challenges, including sectarian violence, economic instability and tensions with Kurdish-led forces. On Monday, thousands of Syrians took to the streets to celebrate the anniversary of the regime's fall.
A U.S. envoy is reaffirming Washington's support for Syria's new government and telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that there is "no Plan B" for uniting the country. Tom Barrack also criticized Israel's recent intervention in Syria, calling it poorly timed and complicating efforts to stabilize the region. Israel last week struck Syrian government targets during clashes in Sweida between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes that left hundreds dead. A ceasefire was announced Saturday. The violence deepened the distrust of Syria's minority religious and ethnic groups toward the new government, which is led by Sunni Muslim former insurgents
By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and GHAITH ALSAYED Associated Press
Syrian government forces have started withdrawing from the southern province of Sweida following days of vicious clashes with militias from the Druze minority. Druze leaders and Syrian government officials announced a renewed ceasefire late on Wednesday that was mediated by the United States, Turkey and Arab countries. Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in an address early on Thursday that some Druze factions and clerics were appointed to maintain internal security in Sweida. However, Israeli strikes targeting government troops in defense of the Druze did not immediately stop. The dayslong fighting has threatened to unravel Syria's postwar political transition and brought in further military intervention by Israel.
By GHAITH ALSAYED and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press
Syria's defense minister has announced a ceasefire just hours after government forces entered a key city in the volatile Sweida province. Tuesday's announcement follows deadly sectarian clashes between Druze factions and Sunni Bedouin tribes that killed over 30 people. That's according to Syria's Interior Ministry. However, fighting and allegations of civilian abuses by security forces continue. Meanwhile, Israel launched airstrikes on Syrian military convoys, claiming to protect the Druze minority near its border. Syria condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of aggression. The United Nations has urged all parties to stop the violence and engage in dialogue as ser escalation. Sectarian tensions remain high.
Israel has struck military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces and Bedouin tribes clash with Druze militias. Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting between local militias and clans in Syria's Sweida province. Government security forces that were sent to restore order on Monday also clashed with local armed groups. The Interior Ministry has said more than 30 people died and nearly 100 others have been injured in that fighting. U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi has expressed "deep concern" over the violence in the country struggling for stability after a 13-year civil war.
By ELENA BECATOROS and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press
Updated
Israel's military says airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have fully disabled the international airport in the capital, Sanaa. It says several power plants were also struck in the area on Tuesday. Israel launched similar attacks on Monday in retaliation for a Houthi missile strike Sunday on Israel's international airport. The Houthis confirmed the strike on the airport in Sanaa. The Houthi-controlled SABA news agency says three people were killed and 38 others wounded. It cited health officials. The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians there, while also targeting commercial and naval vessels on the Red Sea.
U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen's capital killed 12 people and wounded 34 others, the Houthi rebels said early Monday. The deaths mark the latest in America's intensified campaign of strikes targeting the rebels. The U.S. military's Central Command declined to answer questions about the strike or discuss civilian casualties from its campaign. The Houthis described the strike as hitting the Farwa neighborhood market in Sanaa's Shuub district. That area has been targeted before by the Americans. Strikes overnight into Monday also hit other areas of the country.
Syria's new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country's fragile peace could break down. A tense calm prevailed Thursday after checkpoints were set up throughout the country's third-largest city, which has a mixed population of Sunni and Shia Muslims, Alawites and Christians. The security forces are controlled by the former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the charge that unseated former President Bashar Assad.
By JOSEF FEDERMAN and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press
A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization's director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just "meters away" as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn't aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen.
