Beirut Explosion Claims the Life of Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane

Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh
Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh
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Beirut Explosion Claims the Life of Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane

Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh
Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh

Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh, passed away at the age of 98. Cochrane was hit during the Beirut explosion on Aug. 4 while sitting in one of the palace halls.

She lived on the ground floor of the historical mansion, while her son Rodrigue and his family occupy the second floor. At the moment of the explosion, she was sitting, as usual, in one of the palace rooms, and was wounded and rushed to the hospital.

The palace, on the Sursock Street in the Ashrafieh area, suffered great material losses, as the two floors, in addition to its lush garden, were severely damaged by the explosion of the port in Beirut.

Cochrane, who was keen on preserving the heritage buildings in Beirut, established in 1960 the APSAD Foundation to encourage the protection of heritage sites. On National Heritage Day every year, Yvonne Cochrane opens the doors of her palace to visitors, to get a closer look at its ancient and artistic features.

The Sursock Palace is one of the oldest heritage buildings in Beirut, and it is known as “Lady Cochrane” Palace. It is home to rare historical artifacts dating back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Lady Yvonne Cochrane has European roots from her mother, Donna Maria, of Italian descent. As for the palace, it was built in 1860 by Moussa Sursock, Yvonne’s grandfather.

Donna Maria married an Irish lord of the Cochran family, and she carried his surname. As the only child of her father, Alfred Cochrane, Yvonne inherited the palace, in which she lived until her death on Aug. 31.



Kurdish Fighters Leave Northern City in Syria as Part of Deal with Central Government

A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
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Kurdish Fighters Leave Northern City in Syria as Part of Deal with Central Government

A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)

Scores of US-backed Kurdish fighters left two neighborhoods in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo Friday as part of a deal with the central government in Damascus, which is expanding its authority in the country.

The fighters left the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh, which had been under the control of Kurdish fighters in Aleppo over the past decade.

The deal is a boost to an agreement reached last month between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast. The deal could eventually lead to the merger of the main US-backed force in Syria into the Syrian army.

The withdrawal of fighters from the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came a day after dozens of prisoners from both sides were freed in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that government forces were deployed along the road that SDF fighters will use to move between Aleppo and areas east of the Euphrates River, where the Kurdish-led force controls nearly a quarter of Syria.

Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh had been under SDF control since 2015 and remained so even when forces of ousted President Bashar al-Assad captured Aleppo in late 2016. The two neighborhoods remained under SDF control when forces loyal to current interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa captured the city in November, and days later captured the capital, Damascus, removing Assad from power.

After being marginalized for decades under the rule of the Assad family rule, the deal signed last month promises Syria’s Kurds “constitutional rights,” including using and teaching their language, which were banned for decades.

Hundreds of thousands of Kurds, who were displaced during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war, will return to their homes. Thousands of Kurds living in Syria who have been deprived of nationality for decades under Assad will be given the right of citizenship, according to the agreement.

Kurds made up 10% of the country’s prewar population of 23 million. Kurdish leaders say they don’t want full autonomy with their own government and parliament. They want decentralization and room to run their day-to day-affairs.