Author: Steven Sahiounie

New Syrian General Command Appoints New Foreign Minister The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) announced on Saturday that Asaad Al-Shebani has been appointed as the new Foreign Minister. According to the agency, “The General Command announces the assignment of Asaad Hassan Al-Shebani to the portfolio of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the new Syrian government.” Asaad Al-Shebani Hails from an Arab family in Al-Hasakah Province and was born in 1987. He lived in Damascus and graduated from its university in 2009 with a degree in English Language and Literature from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Al-Shebani joined the…

How Will the Trump Administration Handle China’s Military Capabilities? The U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed that the Chinese military continues to make steady progress in updating its conventional capabilities. However, it still suffers from chronic issues related to the quality of its leadership and personnel, as well as a lack of experience in areas like urban warfare and long-term logistics. The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on Beijing’s military power highlights that the Chinese military faces deep-rooted problems associated with corruption. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Heino Klinck, stated that China’s military buildup over the last few years…

The $10 Million Bounty on Al-Julani: Story and Recent Developments On Friday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf announced that the United States has decided to cancel a $10 million bounty previously offered for information leading to the arrest of Ahmed Al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammad Al-Julani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a pivotal role in overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. This announcement came after a diplomatic visit by a delegation led by Leaf to Damascus, marking the first such visit by American diplomats since the fall of Assad’s government.…

What are the options for Ankara, Damascus, and Washington in dealing with the “SDF”? Despite Western calls for Turkey to calm the situation in Syria, Ankara has declared its determination to eradicate what it considers terrorist organizations in Syria, specifically referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). After the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Ankara seeks to weaken the US-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, which might put it at odds with its Western allies, primarily Washington. Turkish political analyst Hamza Tekin confirmed that there are no agreements between Ankara and the SDF,…

Syrian National Conference Set for Early 2025 Political sources in Syria revealed on Friday that the new leadership in Damascus is working towards organizing an extensive national dialogue meeting that will bring together all segments of the Syrian populace at the beginning of next year. Mahmoud Marai, the General Secretary of the Democratic Front and head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, confirmed the plan for a meeting that includes a number of personalities and political forces within Syria in coordination with the Political Operations Administration. He stated, “We are discussing the organization of a national conference inviting over…

Pentagon Reveals Actual Troop Numbers in Syria The U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, disclosed yesterday, on Thursday, the actual number of its forces in Syria, indicating that it exceeds double the previously announced figure. The U.S. Defense Department clarified: “There are actually 2,000 troops in Syria, a number significantly higher than the previously announced figure of 900 troops.” It added: “The additional soldiers serve as temporary forces sent to support the mission of combating ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in Russia and several other countries).” Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesperson, noted that he does not know exactly…

Maher Al-Assad and Ali Mamlouk Fled to a Regional State The Saudi newspaper “Okaz” revealed that Major General Ali Mamlouk, the former head of Syrian National Security, fled to a regional state just an hour after the ousted President Bashar Al-Assad escaped. The sources, described by the newspaper as informed, stated that Mamlouk did not take anyone from his private office with him, except for his family and some close relatives. Ali Mamlouk, born in Damascus in 1949, is known as an intelligence officer close to Assad, originating from a family supportive of the regime. He was appointed head of…

Who are the Iranians that Russia Evacuated from Syria? A senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) was quick to deny earlier statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, who claimed that Russia had airlifted 4,000 Iranian soldiers from Syria to Tehran. Mohammad Jafar Asadi, the former commander of Iranian military advisors in Syria and deputy commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, stated: “A large number of Iranians have been living in Syria for a long time, and Russia has relocated most of them to Iran.” Asadi added, “These were not part of the Iranian advisory forces. We withdrew…

Russian Defense Ministry: Ukraine Strikes Facility in Rostov with ATACMS and Storm Shadow Missiles The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that Ukrainian forces attacked a facility in Russia’s Rostov region with six US-made ATACMS missiles and four Storm Shadow missiles. According to the ministry’s statement, “On December 18, a missile strike was launched from Ukraine targeting the ‘Kamenetsky Combine’ in Rostov region.” It was confirmed that the attack involved “six American-made tactical missiles of the ATACMS model and four Storm Shadow missiles.” During the anti-missile battle, Russia’s air defense systems, including S-400, Buk-M3, and Pantsir, successfully intercepted all six…

Reopening of Iranian and Egyptian Embassies Soon The Iranian and Egyptian embassies are set to reopen soon, according to Mehdi Sanaei, the Deputy for Political Affairs at the Iranian President’s Office. This announcement was reported by the Iranian news agency “Mehr” on Thursday, where Sanaei stated, “We will soon witness the reopening of the Iranian and Egyptian embassies.” Despite the absence of diplomatic relations between Iran and Egypt for more than four decades, there has been a noticeable improvement in their interactions over the past year. Sanaei highlighted that “good dialogue took place in November between the leaders of both…