The Kremlin confirmed on Dec. 11 that longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad had fled to Moscow after rebels took the capital city of Damascus in a lightning offensive that shocked the world. Assad’s exile in Russia comes as little surprise. The Kremlin had invested heavily in propping up the
Of the total number, 346 were employees of the Wagner company, a private mercenary group also deployed in Russia's war in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Syrian opposition fighters took control of the Latakia province, where Russian military facilities – the Kheimin airbase and the Tartus naval base – are based, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Dec. 9, citing a Syrian source.
In a post on X, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described Assad’s fall as a “positive and long-awaited development," saying that the collapse "shows the weakness of Assad’s backers, Russia and Iran."
The withdrawal comes as rebels advancing from Damascus push toward Syria's coastal provinces, including Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russian military bases are located, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said.
Reuters on Dec. 8 reported, citing its Syrian sources that "there was a very high probability that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may have been killed in a plane crash" as he was fleeing Damascus following its capture by rebels. Reuters later deleted the information from its reporting.
"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," rebel leaders claimed on Dec. 8.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane out of Damascus on Dec. 8 as rebel forces swept into the capital, two senior army officers told Reuters.
Homs is located between Damascus, Syria's capital, and the Mediterranean coast — where Russia maintains its Khmeimim Air Base and Tartus Naval Base.
The regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad may fall within days as Syrian rebels continue to advance on the country's capital Damascus, five different U.S. officials told CNN on Dec. 7.
Syrian rebels claim to have reached the suburbs of Damascus, Syria's capital, on Dec. 7, as the rebel groups' rapid offensive against pro-government forces continues.
There is much at stake for Russia — if Assad's regime falls, Russia will lose its regional foothold in the Middle East.
The shock capture of Aleppo by Syrian forces opposed to Bashar al-Assad in recent days has dealt a humiliating blow to the regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, analysts have told the Kyiv Independent. The surprise offensive has also indirectly helped Ukraine, analysts say. "This is really quite the
Russia is sending private mercenaries to Syria to reinforce its troops, possibly its so-called Africa Corps, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency (HUR) claimed on Dec. 3.
Russian and Syrian fighter jets have struck the rebel-held city of Idlib on Dec. 1 amid attempts to push back an insurgency that has taken over most of Aleppo, Reuters reported, citing Syrian army sources.
Russian troops have suffered "significant" losses, some Russian units are surrounded, and "hundreds" of Russian soldiers are missing, according to Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).
Russia has promised Damascus additional military assistance that is expected to arrive in the next 72 hours, as rebel forces sweep the northwestern city of Aleppo, two sources in the Syrian military told Reuters.
"It is my belief that Trump has made considerable contributions to world peace, and that he can make more in the future," Merezhko, an MP from Zelensky's Servant of the People party and chairman of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, wrote in his letter.
Such assistance shows how far Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to go to undermine the Western economic and political order, the WSJ wrote.
Saudi Arabia’s planned oil production hike may not break Russia’s petro-export-fueled economy, but escalations between Israel and Iran could be a gold rush for Moscow. Since late 2022, the OPEC oil cartel, of which Russia is a member, has withheld oil production and exports to prevent a surplus
Viktor Bout gained fame in 2005 after a movie titled "Lord of War," allegedly portraying his life of selling weapons for decades to Middle Eastern, South American, and African clients before he was arrested in 2008 and imprisoned in the U.S.
Fears of a broader war in the Middle East have been mounting since Iran launched its largest-ever aerial attack against Israel on Oct. 1, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to retaliate while waging a ground incursion into Lebanon. Ukrainians are anxiously following the latest developments of the years-long
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) and Foreign Ministry evacuated 179 people, including 134 Ukrainian citizens, following Israel's ground incursion into southern Lebanon, the Foreign Ministry reported on Oct. 1.
According to the readout, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said he was "happy to see" Russian President Vladimir Putin again and emphasized that "relations between our nations have been based on trust, which is evidence of our nations' maturity."
Russian forces operating in Syria have been accused by the U.N. and other organizations of committing war crimes in the country, including the intentional bombing of hospitals and the usage of "double-tap" attacks, a tactic Russia has repeated in Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 27 for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Zelensky announced on social media.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto visited Tehran on Feb. 22, meeting his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and signing a trade deal in the agriculture and food industry sectors.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Tehran-backed militant group based in Lebanon are reportedly carrying out the instruction at the Shayrat Airbase.
When Hamas launched its attack on Israeli settlements on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israeli government data, President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials condemned the terror and supported Israel's right to defend itself. Zelensky has compared Hamas to Russia, while his chief of staff Andriy
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