Hafez al-Assad

Former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has issued his first public statement since his regime was toppled earlier this month. Shared via the Syrian presidency's Telegram channel, Assad defended his leadership and claimed he never intended to leave Syria, asserting that his departure occurred only after rebel forces overtook Damascus.

Iran, a staunch supporter of the deposed Syrian president, has repatriated 4,000 of its nationals since rebels seized Damascus and toppled Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, according to the Iranian government.

With Sunday's collapse of Syria's Baath regime and the end of the Assad family era, Syrians were seen toppling statues of Hafez al-Assad, the late father of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in various cities across the country.

A US-backed rebel alliance led by Syrian Kurds has seized the largest city in the east of the country, the main border crossing with Iraq, putting it in de facto control of the eastern Syrian desert in two surprise moves.

That is what NATOs Southern Europe commander James Foggo has told the AP.

According to the US admiral, Russian President Vladimir Putin "had used the desperation of Syrian President Bashar Assad to expand Russian military power beyond Syria's borders."

It looks like all the odds are currently against Turkey in the Kurdish question. U.S. President Donald Trump just approved plans to directly arm the outlawed PKK-affiliated Kurdish fighters in Syria, YPG (the People's Protection Units), despite Ankara's long-lasting opposition.

The reasons and implications of President Donald Trump's recent attack on Syria are being widely discussed. Yet what will be the impact on Turkey? How will the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Russia echo in Ankara? The answer seems to be short and crystal clear: From now on, Turkey needs to pursue a very delicate "policy of balance" between Washington and Moscow. 

It?s true: There is no military solution (or quick fix) to the Syrian crisis. In order to end the bloodshed, parties have to reach a political settlement. However, what determines the bargaining power of the players at the negotiation table is their relative positions on the ground.

Hundreds of members of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood have returned from exile, hoping to rebuild a movement which was crushed decades ago at home and is deemed a terrorist organisation by leading Arab states. 

The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is under investigation in France for amassing a 90-million-euro fortune, including a stud farm and luxury apartments, despite being kicked out of Syria ?with nothing? 30 years ago.