US UN Representative Tammy Bruce Welcomes Syria’s Progress And Looks To Build On Diplomatic Momentum

Good news!

(3) Washington Welcomes Syria’s Progress And Looks To Build On Diplomatic Momentum | APT - YouTube

Baniyas to Baghdad: Syria's New Fuel Corridor to Iraq

Good news!

(6) Baniyas to Baghdad: Syria's New Fuel Corridor to Iraq | WION - YouTube

Ahmed al-Sharaa diverting Syrian funds to build up military forces, weapon systems

How bad is it really? I have some doubts about this story!

"Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been diverting most of the country's resources, from tax revenues to international aid, toward building a large standing army and acquiring weapons systems, according to Israeli security assessments.

Instead of investing in infrastructure, rebuilding the country, or improving the welfare of civilians who suffered through 15 years of war, the extremist regime [???] is focusing on an arms buildup while working to conceal its military expansion strategy. The development is raising concern and red flags within the intelligence community. ...

A future confrontation is only a matter of time, security sources assess."

Sharaa secretly building up Syrian military, raising red flags in Israeli security community  diverting Syrian funds to build up military forces, weapon systems | The Jerusalem Post "Instead of investing in infrastructure, rebuilding the country, or improving the welfare of civilians who suffered through 15 years of war, the extremist regime is focusing on an arms buildup."

A new chapter for Syria’s Kurds: What integration really means

Good news! They Kurds may gain some independence and recognition.

(10) A new chapter for Syria’s Kurds: What integration really means • FRANCE 24 English - YouTube

Syria Takes Hmeimim & Tartus military Bases Back From Russia

Good news! Very recommendable! This is huge!

(292) Syria Takes Hmeimim & Tartus Bases Back From Russia - YouTube

Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death for crimes against humanity

Update of 8/31/2026: Today, I learnt that apparently also his brother Maher and his cousin Atef Najib were also sentenced to death in absentia.

Good news, I suppose! Was the son of the long-time dictator of Syria Hafez al-Assad (in office from 1971-2000) a monster with a medical doctor's degree?

Putin the Terrible and his ilk!

"... Assad fled Damascus in December 2024 and has been living in the Moscow area since.

He was tried in absentia. ...

Atef Najib, a security official under Assad, was also sentenced to death. ..."

Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death for crimes against humanity | The Jerusalem Post "Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was convicted of premeditated murder of multiple people, including children, torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity."

Criminals in arms

Iran and its Axis of Evil are likely attempting to deter the Syrian government from disrupting smuggling routes used to support Hezbollah.

Serious stuff, if confirmed! Very concerning!

How dangerous is the situation for the relatively new government in Syria (with transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa)?

Where are the coward European powers when you need them?

Why is it called the Axis of Resistance? Excuse me, what a misnomer and euphemism!

"Iran and its Axis of Resistance [???] are likely attempting to deter the Syrian government from disrupting smuggling routes used to support Hezbollah.

A UK-based Saudi-owned outlet reported on August 4 that numerous Iranian cells in Syria have prepared to launch attacks on Syrian government and civilian targets if the Syrian government decides to take unspecified action against Hezbollah.

Iran and its Axis partners in Iraq and Lebanon have consistently attempted to infiltrate Syria with clandestine cells and recruit former pro-Assad fighters who remained in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime in 2024.

The Syrian government has thwarted several Iranian-supported smuggling attempts to equip Iranian cells in Syria as well as attempts to move Iranian-backed fighters across the Syria-Lebanon border in recent weeks.

Many Iraqi and Syrian fighters have already entered Lebanon to fight alongside Hezbollah. ...

The Syrian government has deployed an increased number of forces to the Syria-Iraq border to support border security in response to Iranian and Axis of Resistance threats and activity. ..."

Iran Update Evening Special Report: August 06, 2026 | Critical Threats

The couple is seen dressed in Umrah garments, walking side by side inside Masjid al-Haram ... during the Syrian president's first foreign trip since taking office in 2025  (Source)

President Trump said to urge Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw IDF soldiers from Syria, Lebanon

How President Trump manages the Middle East and the Abraham Accords!

Indeed, the presence of IDF soldiers in Syria could possibly destabilize the regime of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa! Good call!

"US President Donald Trump allegedly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should remove IDF troops from Syria and Lebanon during a phone call on Thursday, according to a Tuesday Axios report citing US and Israeli officials.

Trump claimed that the presence of Israeli military personnel in Syrian territory could create tension and may lead to escalation, one US official told Axios.

“They don’t want you there. You should redeploy,” Trump allegedly told Netanyahu, according to the official. ..."

Donald Trump said to urge Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw IDF soldiers from Syria, Lebanon | The Jerusalem Post "IDF sources told the Post the Axios report caught them by surprise, adding there has been no change on the ground in Lebanon or Syria."

State Department moves to end Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism

Good news! Bravo! About time! What took so long!

"The State Department said Wednesday it is beginning the process of removing Syria from the United States' State Sponsor of Terrorism list, following a 45-day pre-notification period.

Syria was first placed on the list in December 1979 over its regime's support for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah.

But President Donald Trump ordered a review of Syria’s designation last year and sanctions relief, citing positive changes and counterterrorism actions taken by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. ..."

State Department moves to end Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism | Just The News

Syria forms first parliament since fall of Assad under transitional government

Good news! Good luck and lot's of success! Hopefully, the decades long dictatorship by the Assad family will be left behind for a better future!

"Syria’s Higher Committee for People’s Assembly Elections announced on Wednesday the names of the members of the new People’s Assembly. This is the new parliament of Syria, and it has been a year in the making.

Syria has created a relatively complex system to appoint the new members of this assembly. This will be the first assembly or parliament since the fall of the Assad regime. It is taking shape as Syria is led by a transitional government of Ahmed al-Sharaa. ..."

Syria forms first parliament since fall of Assad under transitional government | The Jerusalem Post "The new parliament has 140 elected seats and 70 appointed by the president."

Ahmed al-Sharaa and his wife Latifa al-Daroubi (source)

Libya and Syria join Turkey’s flagship military exercise in historic firsts

Turkey, a NATO member, run by Ottoman sultan Erdogan!

"In a pair of milestones that underscore Ankara’s growing ambitions as a regional military player, Libya and Syria have deployed forces to Turkey’s EFES-2026 Combined Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise — the first time either country has participated in a military exercise on foreign soil.

The live-fire phase of EFES-2026 ran through May 21 along the Aegean coast near İzmir, making it one of Turkey’s largest combined and joint exercises to date. Conducted under the Aegean Army Command, the drill spanned two phases — a computer-assisted command post phase in April and the live-fire field phase — drawing over 10,000 personnel from 50 nations to the İzmir Gulf and Doğanbey training ranges.

The Libyan participation carries particular symbolic weight. A total of 502 Libyan troops — 331 from the country’s eastern forces and 171 from the west — are training side by side under a single Libyan flag. It is the first time the two rival factions have jointly deployed abroad. ...

Syria’s participation is smaller but arguably more important diplomatically. Approximately 50 Syrian military personnel took part, making the newly reconstituted Syrian army’s first-ever exercise outside Syrian territory. ..."

Libya and Syria join Turkey’s flagship military exercise in historic firsts

2026 RSF Index: global press freedom at a 25-year low

Bad news! Concerning! Progress is sometimes slow and sometimes it reverses!

It appears, the Trump Derangement Syndrome has also affected the RSF. Very regrettable!

"For the first time in the history of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.

In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Index has never been so low.

Since 2001, the expansion of increasingly restrictive legal arsenals — particularly those linked to national security policies — has been steadily eroding the right to information, even in democratic countries. The Index’s legal indicator has declined the most over the past year, a clear sign that journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide. In the Americas, the situation has evolved significantly, with the United States dropping seven places [???] and several Latin American countries sliding deeper into a spiral of violence and repression. ...

Five key takeaways from the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index:

1. The average score for all countries and territories worldwide has never been so low. For the first time in the Index’s 25-year history, more than half the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.
2. Out of the five indicators used to assess press freedom worldwide — which determine the economic, legal, security, political and social environments for journalism — the legal indicator has seen the sharpest decline this year.
3. The United States [???] has fallen seven places and other countries in the Americas, such as Ecuador and Peru, have plummeted in the ranking.
4. Norway holds the top spot for the tenth consecutive year, while Eritrea comes in last for the third year in a row. 
5. Post-Assad Syria has seen the biggest improvement in press freedom of all the countries and territories in the 2026 Index, climbing 36 places in the ranking. 

...

US President Donald Trump has turned his repeated attacks on the press and journalists into a systematic policy, pushing the US down to 64th place (-7). ..."

2026 RSF Index: press freedom at a 25-year low | RSF

Der Berliner Empfang für den syrischen IS-Schlächter al-Scharaa. Wirklich!

Manchmal liegt der Tichy's Einblick völlig daneben, wie in diesem Fall!

Al-Sharaa als Schlächter zu bezeichnen zeugt von erheblicher Unkenntnis! Seit al-Scharia die Führung von Syrien übernommen hat ist wohl wenig von seiner terroristischen Vergangenheit zu vernehmen. Er hat inzwischen auch geheiratet und er ist Vater von kleinen Kinder.

"Manchmal kippt Politik nicht durch Programme, Parteitage oder Leitartikel. Manchmal kippt sie durch Bilder. Berlin liefert an diesem 30. März 2026 genau solche Bilder. Ein Mann mit jihadistischer Vergangenheit wird von Mullah-Freund Steinmeier devot mit höchsten Staatsehren empfangen, trifft Merz, wird von einem gewaltigen Sicherheitsapparat abgeschirmt, in einem Luxushotel im Herzen der deutschen Haupstadt einquartiert – und auf deutschen Straßen sammeln sich zugleich Tausende seiner Anhänger, um ihn zu feiern. Mehr Verdichtung des Migrations- und Autoritätsversagens an einem einzigen Tag ist kaum noch möglich. ..."

Diese Bilder treiben die AfD über 30 Prozent "Der Berliner Empfang für den syrischen IS-Schlächter al-Scharaa und der frenetische Jubel tausender seiner Anhänger markieren einen Kipppunkt. Solche Bilder fräsen sich ins Gedächtnis. Wird hiernach nicht entschlossen gehandelt, wird die CDU als stärkste Kraft endgültig abgelöst."

Kurdish-led SDF agrees integration with Syrian government forces

I suppose this is good news!

Has Syria DEFEATED the Kurds? with James Ker-Lindsay

Recommendable!

The Kurdish Question in Syria addressed by a presidential decree

Recommendable! Good news! It appears Ahmed al-Sharaa is making good progress reforming Syria after so many decades of dictatorship.

The Kurdish question, one of the enduring legacies of the post WW I era.

"Days later [1/30/2026], al-Sharaa signed a presidential decree that fundamentally altered the Kurdish question in Syria:

• restoring Syrian citizenship to Kurds stripped of it after the 1962 census and to their descendants;
• legalizing Kurdish-language education in Kurdish-majority areas;
• guaranteeing cultural and political rights;
• repealing discriminatory laws;
• recognizing Nevruz as a national holiday;
• and affirming Kurds as “an integral part of the nation.”

These guarantees were framed as constitutional and non-negotiable, marking the formal end of the century-long Syrian Kurdish struggle for recognition.

..."

The Kurdish Question in Syria - by Ammar Abdulhamid "Long-standing Kurdish grievances in Syria are real and well documented. What they ultimately produced was not sovereignty, but something more modest and durable: legal belonging."

Syria's New Government and Kurdish Forces Sign Deal After Deadly Clashes with Palki Sharma

Good news! Why not give the Kurdish people some autonomy?

Syrian government renews commitment to destroy chemical weapons programme

Good news!

The monster dictator and doctor of medicine Bashar al-Assad (in office from 2000-2024) used chemical weapons on his own people!

"UN officials have welcomed Syria’s renewed commitment to eliminate the country’s chemical weapons programme that was developed under the previous regime. ...

Engagement between Syria and the OPCW started over 10 years ago after the 2013 sarin nerve gas attack by the former Syrian regime on opposition held areas of Damascus, which killed hundreds of people. Syria signed the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty shortly after. ..."

Syrian government renews commitment to destroy chemical weapons programme | News | Chemistry World

Bashar al-Assad

IDF sources: Iran seeking to kill Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa for being too cozy with Israel

Bad news, if confirmed!

"Iran is working together with additional hostile elements to assassinate Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, IDF sources warn. 

The warning was issued recently against the backdrop of the opening of contacts between Israel and Syria. It also comes amid rising regional tensions and is based on security intelligence indicating that Sharaa faces real threats and has been forced to invest significant efforts in protecting himself and stabilizing his regime. ..."

IDF sources: Iran seeking to kill Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa | The Jerusalem Post "The warning was issued recently against the backdrop of the opening of contacts between Israel and Syria."

British forces bomb ISIS in joint airstrike with France as RAF targets weapons site in Syria

Apparently, this was a very busy first Saturday of 2026! Did France and the UK have a permission from the Syrian government for this airstrike?