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Syria’s New Rulers Crack Down on Alleged Assad Loyalist Militias

Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration inspect the damage at the site of an explosion at a weapons depot the previous day at the Industrial area of Adra, some 30 kilometers from the Syrian capital Damascus on December 30, 2024. (AFP)
Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration inspect the damage at the site of an explosion at a weapons depot the previous day at the Industrial area of Adra, some 30 kilometers from the Syrian capital Damascus on December 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Syria’s New Rulers Crack Down on Alleged Assad Loyalist Militias

Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration inspect the damage at the site of an explosion at a weapons depot the previous day at the Industrial area of Adra, some 30 kilometers from the Syrian capital Damascus on December 30, 2024. (AFP)
Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration inspect the damage at the site of an explosion at a weapons depot the previous day at the Industrial area of Adra, some 30 kilometers from the Syrian capital Damascus on December 30, 2024. (AFP)

Syria’s new government said it deployed dozens of soldiers in the Damascus suburb of Adra on Monday in search of alleged militiamen loyal to ousted President Bashar Assad, with military police vehicles seen transporting detainees.

“A security campaign was carried out in Adra town which led to the arrest of the militia leaders in the area,” said Abu Yaarub, a security official who did not give his full name in accordance with regulations. He added that five top militiamen were detained.

Clashes erupted last week in several cities across Syria between Assad supporters and the new government.

Since Assad’s fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in acts of revenge, according to activists and monitors, the vast majority of them from the minority Alawite community to which Assad belongs.

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European Allies to Meet over Syria, Says Italy’s Foreign Ministry

Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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European Allies to Meet over Syria, Says Italy’s Foreign Ministry

Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers wear adopted flags by the new Syrian rulers at the arrival terminal of Damascus airport, as Qatar Airways becomes the first international airline to announce the return of international flights at Damascus airport after 13 years of its suspension, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

Foreign ministers from Italy, France, Germany, Britain and the United States will meet this week over the situation in Syria, Italy said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will preside over the meeting Thursday with his European and US counterparts, the ministry wrote in a statement.

The US Department of State had announced Monday that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would meet European counterparts, calling it an occasion "to advocate for a peaceful, inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition".

Opposition forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive last month after 13 years of brutal war, with Western powers cautiously hoping for greater stability in Syria.

Italy's foreign ministry said Tajani sought the meeting "to take stock of the situation in Syria one month after the fall of the Assad regime".

On the agenda is the work of Syria's transitional government and the challenges posed by an upcoming national dialogue conference, it said.

Also to be discussed are the drafting of a new constitution and Syria's economic recovery.

In Rome, Blinken will join US President Joe Biden as he pays a farewell visit to Italy's capital that includes an audience with Pope Francis.