Middle East

Post-Assad Syria faces challenges in building unified military

Syria’s newly appointed defense minister holds meetings with various rebel factions

Palestinian refugee camp at Yarmouk illustrates brutality of Syria’s civil war

Some of Yarmouk’s 150,000 residents in the Damascus outskirts start returning to a scene of total devastation

US eases restrictions on Syria while keeping sanctions in place

VOA Turkish: Tensions rise in Syria’s Christian town of Malula after Assad’s fall

Syrian rebels vow to dismantle Assad’s drug empire

The illegal drug Captagon was a major moneymaker for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

VOA Kurdish: Kurds' quest for rights in the new Syria

Israeli officials say bus shooting kills 3 in West Bank

Israel helps ex-soldier leave Brazil over probe of alleged war crimes in Gaza

The case raises the prospect that rank-and-file Israeli troops could face prosecution while traveling abroad

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah killed last year in war operations room, aide says 

A series of Israeli airstrikes flattened several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27, 2023, killing Nasrallah

VOA Kurdish: What religious, sectarian challenges await Syria? 

Syrian ministers urge lifting of US sanctions in first visit to Doha

International community has not rushed to lift economic restrictions on Syria and is instead waiting to see how the new authorities exercise their power