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Arab World

Syria’s Interim FM Says Russia-Iran Ties to Assad Are an Open Wound After War 

Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani talks to Kuwaiti journalist Ammar Taqi during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)
Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani talks to Kuwaiti journalist Ammar Taqi during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)
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Syria’s Interim FM Says Russia-Iran Ties to Assad Are an Open Wound After War 

Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani talks to Kuwaiti journalist Ammar Taqi during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)
Syria's interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani talks to Kuwaiti journalist Ammar Taqi during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP)

Syria's relations with Iran and Russia remain an open wound for its people after those nations backed autocratic President Bashar Assad during the long civil war, the country's new, interim foreign minister said Wednesday.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Asaad al-Shibani acknowledged some “positive” signs from both Moscow and Tehran but did not elaborate.

However, he underlined the new government in Damascus' desire to improve relations with the West and get sanctions on Syria lifted so the country could start rebuilding after the ruinous, 14-year war.

“Syria has recovered its freedom and dignity” after decades of despotism, al-Shibani said. “It's a new period of peace and peace building.”

Among key concerns for al-Shibani are the US and European Union sanctions. Estimates suggest it will cost at least $250 billion rebuild Syria, which has a poverty rate of 90% and a gross domestic product of less than half it was before the war, according to the European Union.

The sanctions were imposed on “the Syrian regime as result of its oppressions,” al-Shibani said. “It’s only natural to lift” them now.

Al-Shibani also claimed Wednesday that the interim government had “ended all security and Captagon-related challenges” that strained ties with neighboring Jordan. Captagon, an amphetamine-like stimulant, had been a main source of revenue for Assad.

But tensions remain with Russia and Iran.

Moscow hopes to maintain its air and sea base in Syria on the Mediterranean Sea. Iran also has used Syria as a transit point to arm Lebanon's Hezbollah party and others in its self-described “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and the United States.

“Syrian people have wounds and pain that they suffered at the hands of these two countries,” al-Shibani said of Russia and Iran.

“In order to restore the relationship, the Syrian people must feel comfortable with this relationship,” he added.

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Arab World

Syria Says Australia Won't Repatriate Families from Camp for Those with Alleged Ties to ISIS Militants

A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)
A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)
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Syria Says Australia Won't Repatriate Families from Camp for Those with Alleged Ties to ISIS Militants

A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)
A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)

A group of Australian women and children who left a camp in Syria that houses people with alleged ties to ISIS group are stuck in the country because Australian authorities have refused to allow their return, Syrian officials said Wednesday.

Thirteen women and children from four families last week left Roj camp, a remote facility near the border with Iraq that houses relatives of suspected militants, on Friday and traveled to Syria's capital.

An official at the camp at the time said that the families were expected to remain in Damascus for around 72 hours and then be sent to Australia.

In response to an Associated Press inquiry about their status, Syria's information ministry said in a statement that after the families left the camp, the foreign ministry was informed that "the Australian government had refused to receive them.”

They were turned back from reaching Damascus International Airport, the information ministry's statement said.

“These families are still awaiting a solution, which can only be achieved through coordination with the relevant international parties.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference on Wednesday that “we are providing no support for repatriation and no assistance for these people.”

Syria's information ministry said that the families, through a lawyer, had obtained passports that were delivered by an “individual” that it didn't identify while they were still in northeastern Syria in an area under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF.

A Lebanese-Australian doctor, Jamal Rifi, previously told Australian media that he was helping to coordinate the repatriation effort. Rifi couldn't be reached for comment.

A previous attempt to return 34 women and children to Australia from the camp in February was turned back by Syrian authorities.

Former ISIS militants from multiple countries, along with their wives and children, were held in a network of camps and detention centers in northeast Syria after the militant group lost control of its territory in Syria in 2019. Though defeated, the group still has sleeper cells that carry out deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.

The larger al-Hol camp has now been closed down, and thousands of suspected ISIS militants previously held in Syria were transferred to Iraq by the US military to stand trial there.

The moves came after fighting between government forces and the SDF in January. Government forces seized much of the territory formerly held by the SDF. Amid the chaos, many detainees fled al-Hol and some prisoners escaped from a detention center.

Australian governments have repatriated Australian women and children from Syrian detention camps on two occasions. Other Australians have also returned without government assistance.

Arab World

Saudi Envoy Says Adherence to Taif Accord is Key to Any Settlement in Lebanon

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)
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Saudi Envoy Says Adherence to Taif Accord is Key to Any Settlement in Lebanon

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said adherence to the 1989 Taif Agreement is the backbone to any settlement in Lebanon, alongside the need to reinforce civil peace and prioritize wisdom and reason.

Bukhari made the remarks during visits to Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Ali al-Khatib and Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna.

During his meeting with Derian, Bukhari stressed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Lebanon’s unity in facing current challenges, saying the Kingdom was pursuing diplomatic efforts to help Lebanon through its crisis and stood by the Lebanese state and its institutions in support of solutions that promote security, stability and prosperity.

Derian, for his part, praised Saudi Arabia’s role in the region, particularly in supporting Lebanon’s stability, security and unity under exceptional circumstances.

He said rebuilding the state was the only path to saving Lebanon by restoring its authority across all its territory, confining weapons to the Lebanese army and adhering to the Taif accord while strengthening national unity.

Derian also welcomed diplomatic efforts by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with the support of Arab and international partners, to halt the war in Lebanon and reach a settlement that ensures stability.

In a second stop, Bukhari met Ali al-Khatib at the Higher Islamic Shiite Council, where they reviewed developments in Lebanon and the region and prospects for the coming phase.

Bukhari voiced optimism about the future and stressed the need to strengthen civil peace in Lebanon, saying this had been a focus of recent Saudi efforts and expressing confidence in “people of wisdom and reason.”

He stressed that what is needed today is a path agreed by Lebanon’s three top leaders to safeguard civil peace, while praising the wisdom and experience of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at every critical juncture.

Bukhari said a return to the Taif accord was the main gateway to agreement on broad principles that protect every Lebanese component and avoid excluding any party, recalling late parliament speaker Hussein Husseini’s saying that “the alternative to Taif is implementing Taif.”

Khatib, for his part, praised Saudi Arabia’s role in strengthening civil peace in Lebanon and repeated that “we have no separate political project of our own.”

He said hopes rested on Saudi Arabia’s role in curbing Israeli and Western overreach, calling for cooperation among major Arab and Islamic states to forge a project capable of confronting the Zionist plan.

He added that the Arab and Islamic worlds needed a front to protect them and that Saudi Arabia was central to that effort, expressing hope such cooperation would lead to greater integration while preserving each state’s particularities.

Bukhari also met Abi al-Muna to discuss broader developments in light of continued military operations, efforts to stop the war, Saudi Arabia’s role in helping Lebanon overcome its difficult circumstances, the importance of preserving civil peace and national unity, and the outcome of the recent visit to Lebanon by Saudi Foreign Ministry adviser Yazid bin Farhan.

Arab World

Officials Exert Efforts to Unify Lebanon’s Stance on Negotiations with Israel

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives MP Melhem Riachi (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives MP Melhem Riachi (Lebanese Presidency)
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Officials Exert Efforts to Unify Lebanon’s Stance on Negotiations with Israel

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives MP Melhem Riachi (Lebanese Presidency)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives MP Melhem Riachi (Lebanese Presidency)

Efforts are underway to unify Lebanon’s position on negotiations with Israel amid disagreements on how to approach the issue, particularly as Hezbollah objects to the process and wages what critics describe as a systematic campaign against President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, even as both enjoy broad support among most political factions.

A meeting between Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Salam is expected to be held this week in an effort to consolidate Lebanon’s position.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country had no intention of seizing Lebanese territory.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Saar said: “Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. Our presence in areas along our northern border serves one purpose only: protecting our citizens,” referring to the deployment of Israeli forces in parts of southern Lebanon.

His remarks came as the Israeli military continues air and ground operations against Hezbollah despite the ceasefire.

Aoun has drawn broad domestic backing since a first-of-its-kind statement Monday in which he accused Hezbollah of betrayal, saying: “The traitor is the one who dragged his country into war in pursuit of foreign interests.”

In a sign of support, MP Melhem Riachi visited him as an envoy of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

After the meeting, Riachi said: “We held wide-ranging talks on current developments, particularly negotiations between Lebanon and Israel aimed at securing a ceasefire and containing the situation in the south.”

“I expressed full support for the president’s efforts,” he added.

Referring to reports about a possible meeting involving Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Riachi said: “We encourage him to meet (US) President Donald Trump, and if other meetings are to take place, they should come at the appropriate time .... We have no objection to any step that spares Lebanon and its people, especially our people in the south.”

Echoing his remarks, the political bureau of the Kataeb Party, meeting under the chairmanship of MP Sami Gemayel, said Aoun’s position “expressed the will of the Lebanese, who reject a militia - Hezbollah - unilaterally imposing its will on the Lebanese in service of the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

It added that the roadmap laid out by Lebanon to reach peace is being translated in practice through the negotiating track launched under Arab and international sponsorship.

The political bureau called for creating the conditions necessary for the Israeli withdrawal, the end to attacks, the return of detainees, the end to war, the deployment of the Lebanese army and the launch of reconstruction.