Assad raises prospect of clashes with U.S. forces in Syria if they don’t leave

June 1st, 20180 DAMASCUS – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad raised the possibility of conflict with U.S. forces in Syria if they do not withdraw from the country soon. In an interview with Russia’s RT international broadcaster, Assad said he would negotiate with fighters backed on the ground by Washington, but would reclaim territory they control...

Pentagon: Man linked to 9/11 attacks captured in Syria

April 23rd, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A man linked to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, who was said to have praised "violent jihad", was captured in Syria by U.S.-backed forces more than a month ago, the Pentagon said on Thursday. "We can confirm that Mohammad Haydar Zammar, a Syrian-born German national, was captured more than a month...

Interview with Sheikh Naim Qassem: We don’t expect Israel to launch war against Lebanon, but Hezbollah is ready for one

March 16th, 20180 BEIRUT — Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah does not expect its arch foe Israel to launch a war for now in Lebanon but is prepared for one, the deputy leader of the group told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. As the war in Syria enters its eighth year, Sheikh Naim Qassem also said there was no end in sight to the conflict which would...

Turkey, Russia and Iran to discuss Syria in Istanbul

February 9th, 20180 DAMASCUS/ANKARA — The leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed on Thursday to meet in Istanbul to discuss the conflict in Syria, a Turkish presidential source said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed the meeting in two phone calls on Thursday with the Russian and Iranian presidents, the source said. The date of the summit...

Study: U.S. weapons given to Syrian rebels fell into ISIS’ hands

December 15th, 20170 WASHINGTON — Sophisticated weapons the U.S. military secretly provided to Syrian rebels quickly fell into the hands of ISIS, a study released Thursday disclosed. The study stated that ISIS's possession of these weapons remains a threat to the forces still operating against the terror group in Iraq and Syria. The arms included...

Syrian militias aim to push ISIS out of Raqqa within a month

September 29th, 20170 RAQQA ― U.S.-backed militias expect to push all ISIS fighters out of their former Syrian headquarters of Raqqa in less than a month, a Kurdish commander told Reuters on Monday. Under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the militias have hemmed the jihadists into a few districts in the north of the city. The Kurdish...

Militant allies: U.S. forces to stay in Syria for decades

August 20th, 20170 AIN ISSA, SYRIA — Washington's main Syrian ally in the fight against ISIS says the U.S. military will remain in northern Syria long after the jihadists are defeated, predicting enduring ties with the Kurdish-dominated region. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of militias dominated by the Kurdish YPG,...