After al-Assad’s fall, Alaa Yahya leads a humanitarian effort in Damascus to rebuild and reunite Syria. After years of displacement, Alaa Yahya returns to Damascus to rebuild his community, long neglected under the now-toppled al-Assad regime. But his return is bittersweet – he’s exhausted after 14 years of humanitarian work and unsure about his future. … Read more
Today on The Stream: We ask Syrians what they think the future holds following the fall of the Assad regime. It’s been six weeks since rebels captured the capital Damascus and Bashar al-Assad left the country. We turn to the voices of those who’ve lived through the 13-year conflict and ask what a free Syria looks like. Presenter: Anelise Borges Guests:Robin … Read more
As rebels advanced toward the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 7, the staff in the hilltop Presidential Palace prepared for a speech they hoped would lead to a peaceful end to the 13-year civil war. Aides to President Bashar al-Assad were brainstorming messaging ideas. A film crew had set up cameras and lights nearby. … Read more
Inside Assad’s intelligence-gathering networkpublished at 09:34 Greenwich Mean Time 09:34 GMT Feras KilaniBBC Arabic special correspondent, in Damascus Beneath the streets of Damascus I’ve gained access to one of the key sites of the former Syrian regime’s sprawling network of intelligence agencies which for decades attempted to brutally crush opposition movements. In the basement of … Read more
After 13 years of war, an offensive by Syrian opposition groups ousted Bashar al-Assad as Syria’s president in just 11 days. What happened? Who’s running Syria now? And what could happen next? Start Here with Sandra Gathmann explains. This episode features: Wafa Ali Mustafa | Syrian activist and daughter of Ali Mustafa, who was detained … Read more
Iranians watched in astonishment over the weekend as the reign of their nation’s longtime political and military ally, Bashar al-Assad, came to a crashing end. By Sunday, the reckoning had arrived as officials and pundits recognized that Iran was taken by surprise, and they hurried to distance Iran from a tyrant the country had supported … Read more
President Bashar al-Assad’s political survival was under threat on Saturday as his government battled opposition rebellions around the country and one of his most important allies, Iran, pared back military support. By Saturday morning, the main rebel offensive that began on Nov. 27 had reached the outskirts of the strategic city of Homs, only about … Read more