Bashar Assad

On Nov. 13, 1970, Hafez Assad, a young career air force officer, took power in Syria in a bloodless coup, the latest in a succession of military takeovers since independence from France in 1946

President Donald Trump says he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are “very good friends,” but their meeting Wednesday at the White House failed to resolve an issue that has badly strained relations between the two NATO allies. Trump and Erdogan concluded a visit without achieving an agreement on Turkey’s decision earlier this year to accept delivery of a Russian...

A car bomb exploded in a northern Syrian town along the border with Turkey on Saturday killing 13 people, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said. The ministry said about 20 others were wounded when the bomb exploded in central Tal Abyad, which was captured last month by Turkey-backed opposition gunmen from Kurdish-led fighters. The ministry blamed Syrian Kurdish fighters for the attack,...

A car bomb exploded in a northern Syrian town along the border with Turkey on Saturday killing 13 people, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said. The ministry said about 20 others were wounded when the bomb exploded in central Tal Abyad, which was captured last month by Turkey-backed opposition gunmen from Kurdish-led fighters. The ministry blamed Syrian Kurdish fighters for the attack,...

Turkish forces and their allies attacked Syrian government troops in northeastern Syria on Thursday, killing some of them, and they also clashed with Kurdish-led fighters, the state news agency in Damascus and a war monitoring group said. The fighting underscored the risks of violence as multiple and often opposing armed forces jostle for new positions in the tight quarters of...

President Donald Trump declared success in Syria on Wednesday and created a bumper-sticker moment to illustrate his campaign promise to put a stop to American involvement in “endless wars.” But with his abrupt withdrawal from what he called “bloodstained sand,” the president ceded American influence over a huge swath of the region to rivals and may have spun the Middle...

President Donald Trump says Turkey informed him the cease-fire between Turkey and the Kurds in Northern Syria is now “permanent,” and the U.S. will lift sanctions against Turkey.

Russia and Turkey reached an agreement Tuesday that would cement their power in Syria, deploying their forces across nearly its entire northeastern border to fill the void left by President Donald Trump’s abrupt withdrawal of U.S. forces. The accord caps a dramatic and swift transformation of the Syrian map unleashed by Trump’s decision two weeks ago to remove the American...

U.S. troops leaving Syria and heading to neighboring Iraq do not have permission to stay in the country, Iraq’s military said Tuesday as American forces continued to pull out of northern Syria after Turkey’s invasion of the border region. The statement appears to contradict U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who has said that under the current plan, all U.S. troops...

Residents of a Kurdish-dominated Syrian city have pelted U.S. troops with potatoes as they drove through, apparently on their way out from Syria. Angry Qamishli residents hurled potatoes, shouting “No America” and “America liar,” in English.

Take a look at six of the most memorable lines from the fourth Democratic presidential debate held Tuesday night in Ohio.

A dozen Democrats seeking the presidency tussled Tuesday night in a debate packed with policy, flubbing some details in the process. Several gave an iffy explanation of why they’re not swinging behind a bold proposal to make people turn over their assault-style weapons. Sloppiness also crept in during robust exchanges over foreign policy, health care, taxes and more.

Russia moved to fill the void left by the United States in northern Syria on Tuesday, deploying troops to keep apart advancing Syrian government forces and Turkish troops. At the same time, tensions grew within NATO as Turkey defied growing condemnation of its invasion from its Western allies. Now in its seventh day, Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish fighters has caused...

Syrian government troops moved into towns and villages in northeastern Syria on Monday, including the flashpoint region of Manbij, setting up a potential clash with Turkish-led forces advancing in the area as long-standing alliances in the region began to shift or crumble following the pullback of U.S. forces. The Syrian military’s deployment near the Turkish border came after Syrian Kurdish...

A Turkish military convoy carrying tanks and additional soldiers crossed into Syria Monday. Syrian troops, meanwhile, entered several northern towns and villages near the border as Turkey’s army marched south, raising concerns of clashes.

Turkey said Tuesday it will go ahead with a military operation in northeastern Syria and won’t bow to threats over its Syria plans, an apparent reply to U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning to limit the scope of its expected assault. Trump said earlier this week the United States would step aside for an expected Turkish attack on Syrian Kurdish fighters,...

Iran on Saturday said it now uses arrays of advanced centrifuges prohibited by its 2015 nuclear deal and can enrich uranium “much more beyond” current levels to weapons-grade material, taking a third step away from the accord while warning Europe has little time to offer it new terms. While insisting Iran doesn’t seek a nuclear weapon, the comments by Behrouz...

When Abdel Hamid al-Yousef lost his 9-month-old twins in the poison gas attack that hit the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun in April 2017, the world witnessed his heartbreak and grief in the video of him cradling their lifeless bodies in his arms, bidding them farewell in the chaotic aftermath of the attack. Determined to continue with his life despite...

Hezbollah militants on Sunday fired a barrage of anti-tank missiles into Israel, prompting a reprisal of heavy Israeli artillery fire in a rare burst of fighting between the bitter enemies. Although the shooting quickly subsided without casualties on either side, the situation remained volatile. The bitter enemies, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have indicated they do not want...

From the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia to the crowded neighborhoods of Beirut, a drone war has taken flight across the wider Middle East, raising the stakes in the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Since the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last year, there has been an increasing tempo of attacks and alleged threats, notably this...