Syria

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has submitted a comprehensive report to US lawmakers detailing its interagency plan to disrupt Syria’s trade of the illegal amphetamine Captagon. Syria's production and smuggling of the highly addictive drug has spawned a multi-billion industry, creating an alternate source of revenue for a regime battered by more…

Iran has taken Canada to the International Court of Justice for allowing victims of alleged terror attacks to claim damages from Tehran, the UN's top tribunal said on Wednesday. Tehran's case claims that Ottawa, which listed the Islamic Republic as a sponsor of terrorism in 2012, had violated Iran's state…

Russian air strikes Sunday on Syria's northwest killed at least 11 people including seven civilians, in retaliation for deadly drone attacks blamed on rebel forces, a war monitor said. "Six civilians were killed in Jisr al-Shughur and three rebel fighters were killed nearby by Russian air strikes," Rami Abdel Rahman,…

Mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Saturday he had taken control of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don as part of an attempt to oust the military leadership, in what the authorities said was an armed mutiny. Following are some facts about the businessman and founder of the Wagner Group. *…

Cypriot emergency services rescued 45 Syrian migrants from two boats after receiving information that they were in distress near a coastal tourist resort, authorities said Friday. The eastern Mediterranean island’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said it had brought ashore 29 men, five women and 11 children who had been afloat…

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said the health of the preschool children badly wounded in a mass knife attack by a Syrian refugee was "heading in the right direction", as the attacker refused to cooperate with police. Four children -- aged between 22 months and three years old --…

A Canadian humanitarian mission that includes a senator will travel to northeastern Syria in the hope of visiting Canadians detained in Kurdish prison camps — but Ottawa will not let them repatriate the prisoners. Sen. Kim Pate, former Canadian diplomat Scott Heatherington and former Amnesty International Canada secretary general Alex Neve will travel…

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has called on the international community to prioritize the health and rights of women and girls impacted by the Syrian crisis as the Brussels VII conference on supporting Syria and the region takes place. More than a decade of conflict and instability have sharply…

Since the start of the year, Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity, engaging with friends and foes alike as it seeks to reduce its isolation, improve its economy and project strength. Iran's ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi has led the way, swinging through China, Syria and Venezuela, hosting Saudi Arabia's top…

The U.K. on Monday announced new sanctions against Syria's defense minister and its head of the armed forces, as part of new curbs targeting conflict-related sexual violence. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said Ali Mahmoud Abbas and Abdel Karim Mahmoud Ibrahim would be subject to asset freezes and…