SYRIA

HASAKAH, North and East Syria — The Tel Baydar military base in northern Hasakah province has been devoid of U.S.-led International Coalition forces for two years, according to sources speaking to UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Once hosting a team of 15 to 20 coalition personnel, Tel Baydar has…

LATAKIA, Syria — The Syriac Orthodox Church in Latakia solemnly marked the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, a systematic campaign of mass killings perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people and other Christian communities during World War I. A Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Greek…

DARAMSUQ (Damascus)— In a quiet corridor of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour in Daramsuq (Damascus), a decision was signed that carries outsized significance for one of the Middle East’s oldest peoples. On May 29, 2025, decree No. 151 formally authorized the Syriac Cultural Association to operate across all…

HASAKAH, North and East Syria — Under a warm June sky, the Syriac Cultural Association hosted a solemn commemoration of the 1915 Sayfo Genocide in Hasakah, North and East Syria, featuring a theatrical performance and a moving candlelight vigil to honor the hundreds of thousands of Syriacs (Arameans–Assyrians–Chaldeans) who were…

FRANKFURT, Germany — A German court sentenced Syrian doctor Alaa Musa to life in prison after convicting him of crimes against humanity, including torture and murder in Syrian hospitals during the rule of the authoritarian regime of Bashar al-Assad.  The court found Musa, 40, guilty of killing two people and severely injuring eight others in Syrian military hospitals where he worked…

DARAMSUQ — In two solemn observances marking the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II presided over evening prayers and a candlelight procession at the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in Bab Touma on Saturday, then celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Martyrs’ Altar in Ma‘arat…

BETH ZALIN and DAYRIK, North and East Syria — As part of the 110th anniversary commemoration of the Sayfo Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people in 1915, the Syriac Union Party (Gabo d’Ḥuyodo Suryoyo, SUP) organized memorial events in Beth Zalin (Qamishli) and Dayrik (Derik /…

RABLEH, Syria — At dawn, the terraces of this once-prosperous farming village lie eerily silent. In a petition delivered to Daramsuq (Damascus) in May 2025, 110 families from Rableh — a village known for its peaceful coexistence among Christians and Muslims and its proximity to the shrine of the prophet…

QABRE HEWORE (Qahtaniyah), North and East Syria — On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the Sayfo Genocide, perpetrated against the the Syriac people by the Ottoman Empire and allied Kurdish tribes, the foundation stone for the Sayfo Martyrs’ Memorial was laid in the town of Qabre Hewore (Qahtaniyah),…

DARAMSUQ (DAMASCUS) — Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has issued a presidential decree to form the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections.  Bearing the No. 66 of 2025, the presidential decree stipulated establishing the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections. According to the decree, the committee will consist of 7 members, chaired by Muhammad Taha al-Ahmad. Its…