DAMASCUS, July 17 — Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa promised to protect the rights of Druze citizens today as a ceasefire appeared to be holding in the country’s south following the United States’ intervention to end fighting between government forces and Druze fighters.

NEW YORK, July 17 — The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to hold an emergency session today following Israeli airstrikes on the Suwayda region and Damascus in Syria, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

DAMASCUS, July 16 — Powerful airstrikes shook Damascus today, targeting the Defence Ministry as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw.

WASHINGTON, July 1 — President Donald Trump yesterday signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions program on Syria, allowing an end to the country's isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington's pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war.

WASHINGTON, May 24 — The Trump administration issued orders on Friday that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria, after United States (US) President Donald Trump pledged to unwind the measures this month to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.

Dubai, May 19 — Nothing captured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's isolation more starkly this week than the image of US President Donald Trump shaking hands with Syria's leader Ahmed al‑Sharaa — a man Israel has branded "an al‑Qaeda terrorist in a suit".

DOHA, May 14 — United States (US) President Donald Trump met with Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel, after a surprise US announcement that it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.

RIYADH, May 14 — President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf yesterday with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the formation of Syria’s new government.

BRUSSELS, March 18 — Donors at a European Union-led conference yesterday pledged €5.8 billion (RM28.09 billion) to help Syria’s new authorities as they struggle with humanitarian and security problems after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

ISTANBUL, March 12 — The United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria Geir O.

ANKARA, March 12 — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan welcomed an agreement between the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria’s new government, saying its full implementation would contribute to security and stability in the country.

DAMASCUS, Feb 28 — More than 1,000 Syrians died in detention at a military airport on the outskirts of Damascus, killed by execution, torture or maltreatment at a site that was widely feared, according to a report to be published Thursday tracing the deaths to seven suspected grave sites.

HAMILTON, Feb 21 — The Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States yesterday described the 14-year civil war in Syria as one of the “deadliest conflicts in recent history,” with “90 per cent of the population in poverty”.

DAMASCUS, Feb 4 — A car bomb killed at least 20 people in the northern Syrian city of Manbij yesterday, the Syrian presidency said, marking the second attack there in three days and the country's deadliest since Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power in December.

DAMASCUS, Jan 30 — Syria's Military Operations Administration announced on Wednesday the appointment of Ahmed al-Sharaa as president during the transitional period, granting him authority to establish an interim legislative council until a permanent constitution is ratified.

DAMASCUS, Jan 6 — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plans to expand its work in Syria significantly beyond an initial US$100 million (RM451.1 million) programme, the organisation’s president said today, citing pressing needs in the health, water and power sectors.

DOHA, Jan 6 — Syria's new rulers said on Sunday that US sanctions on Syria were an obstacle to the war-torn country's rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar.

ISTANBUL, Dec 3 — More than 115,000 Syrians have returned home since the fall of the Assad regime, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said yesterday.

LONDON, Dec 25 — Democracy looks bruised but not beaten as it heads into 2025.