[Published here April 15, 2016]
Beirut (AFP) – Fighting escalated around Syria’s second city Aleppo, as a Russian-backed government offensive strained a landmark ceasefire and threatened a new round of peace talks in Geneva.
Syria
To flee Lebanon’s trash crisis, family heads to Syria | AFP
[Published here on April 4, 2016]
Naameh (Lebanon) (AFP) – Imagine living near a trash dump so putrid that you would rather move to war-torn Syria.
Chief negotiators at Syria talks are polar opposites | AFP
[Published here March 15, 2016]
Beirut (AFP) – One is a seasoned, multi-lingual diplomat, the other a relatively unknown rebel figure and student of Islam: the two men heading rival delegations at Syrian peace talks seem worlds apart.
Assad vows to ‘do our part’ so shaky Syria ceasefire holds | AFP
[Published here on March 1, 2016]
Beirut (AFP) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledged on Tuesday to do his part to guarantee the success of a shaky ceasefire that was largely holding on its fourth day.
World powers have thrown their weight behind the landmark truce as a way to bring an end to Syria’s conflict, which began in 2011 with anti-government protests.
Syrian talks suspended as regime, Russia hit rebels hard | AFP
[Published here February 3, 2016]
Geneva (AFP) – Talks aimed at securing peace in Syria were suspended Wednesday as President Bashar al-Assad’s regime secured a major battlefield victory against rebels and his ally Russia vowed no-let up in air strikes.
The United States and France condemned the Russian bombing around Syria’s second city of Aleppo, with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius accusing the government and its backers of “torpedoing the peace efforts”.
US-led strikes in Syria, Iraq hit IS ‘middle-management’ | AFP
[Published here December 30, 2015]
Beirut (AFP) – US-led strikes against Islamic State group officials in Iraq and Syria are robbing the jihadists of one of their most valuable resources: experienced mid-level commanders.
Ten of the group’s higher-ups, including one with “direct” ties to the alleged mastermind of the Paris attacks, were killed in air strikes in December alone, the US military said.
Rebel chief death may hurt Syria talks, boost IS: analysts | AFP
[Published here December 26, 2015]
Beirut (AFP) – The killing of Syrian rebel chief Zahran Alloush, fiercely opposed to both the regime and the Islamic State group, has eliminated a key bulwark against the jihadists and could derail UN-brokered peace talks, analysts say.
The head of Jaish al-Islam, the foremost rebel group in Damascus province, was killed on Friday in an air strike claimed by Syria’s government.
Limelight-hungry IS ups the ante with violence | AFP
[Published here December 11, 2015]
Beirut (AFP) – As the Islamic State jihadist group comes under growing military pressure, its prodigious propaganda output has slowed somewhat but turned increasingly gruesome in a bid to keep in the headlines.
Since it announced a self-styled caliphate across Iraq and Syria last year, IS has become notorious for broadcasting its macabre tactics.
Syrian bands rock Beirut’s alternative music scene | AFP
[Published here April 27, 2015 with photos]
Syrian rock bands fleeing war are finding safety and new fans in neighbouring Lebanon, where they are revitalising a Westernised scene with their focus on Arabic musical heritage.
Dozens of Syrian bands and independent artists have now become mainstays of the Beirut music scene, performing emotive and often bleak songs in front of concert-goers eager for fresh faces.
Prognosis Growth | Executive Magazine
[Published here March 18, 2015]
Perhaps the first thing refugees fleeing a war zone need is medical attention. It is no surprise, then, that Lebanese hospitals have been busier than usual since war engulfed Syria in 2012. According to a recent UNDP study, in fact, in 2014, humanitarian aid inflows focused on Syrian refugees have spurred 1.76 percent in additional growth for the healthcare sector, according to a UNDP study. That year, UN agencies and affiliates supported 180 primary healthcare centers and 65 hospitals throughout Lebanon. With a swell of new patients, particularly in 2013, hospitals have experienced positive growth and have consequently invested in their infrastructure and service provision.
MAYA GEBEILY 