The move follows the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia in December 2022. With a transitional leadership now in power, Syria is urgently trying to stabilize its economy after over a decade of civil war, compounded by hyperinflation and a critical shortage of banknotes

The situation prompted international concern, with Israel confirming it had launched limited air strikes in the region, claiming the actions were aimed at “protecting Druze civilians from encroaching Islamist militants”

Reports suggest that former security officers loyal to Assad have regrouped in the mountains to resist the interim government. Ali, another resident of Banias, described the chaos that engulfed his neighbourhood, with armed factions looting homes and targeting Alawite families

The monitoring group reported that at least 162 civilians, including 13 women and five children, have been killed in what it described as "field executions" in the Alawite heartland

Speaking at the OPCW assembly in The Hague, Asaad al-Shibani pledged to eliminate Syria's remaining chemical weapons, seeking justice for victims and adherence to international law. However, he emphasized that achieving these goals would require support from the global community

In January, residents of Kobane marked the 10-year anniversary of the historic victory over IS. The city, once under siege, still bears the scars of war, with destroyed buildings and posters of fallen fighters lining the streets

The attacker, a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker, was swiftly arrested at the scene after a courageous intervention by a bystander. The incident unfolded around 4 PM local time when the suspect suddenly began attacking passersby with a folding knife in a public area

The Syrian civil defence group, also known as the White Helmets, reported that the explosion occurred on the periphery of the city, east of Aleppo, and left at least 15 women wounded, with some in critical condition

The UN estimates that by March 2021, over 300,000 civilians had died in the conflict, while an additional 250,000 combatants lost their lives in the first decade of the war. Many of these deaths are attributed to the actions of Syrian government forces and allied militias

The airstrikes reportedly caused a massive explosion in Hiresun, a village in Tartus province. While details on casualties and damage remain unclear, the strikes targeted air defense systems and surface-to-surface missile depots, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

The strikes, which reportedly exceeded 100 in number, focused on sites linked to Syria’s chemical weapons program, including a research center suspected of connections to chemical weapons production

The surge in oil prices follows an announcement on Sunday by Syrian rebels, who claimed on state television that they had successfully overthrown President Assad, ending more than five decades of rule by his family