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Bashar al-Assad

Ex-Syrian general defendant Khaled al-Halabi (R) covers his face as he is escorted in handcuffs for the trial to the courtroom by justice officers at the Regional Vienna's Court of Austria in Vienna, Austria, on June 1, 2026. (Joe Klamar/AFP)
June 1, 2026, 6:30 pm
Two Syrian former officials deny civil war torture charges as trial opens in Austria
Former Syrian intel officer Khaled al-Halabi and ex-police chief Musab Abu Rukbah are charged with committing slew of crimes against Assad’s opponents in Raqqa between 2011 and 2013
By Julia ZAPPEI and Blaise GAUQUELIN
Members of a UN investigative team take samples near the site of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria, August 28, 2013. (AP/United Media Office of Arbeen)
May 26, 2026, 9:55 pm
Syria locates materials from Assad’s chemical weapons program, arrests suspects
More than 70 rockets and aerial bombs uncovered, as well as raw ingredients for the production of sarin, which was used on Syrians during the 14-year civil ​war
By Anthony Deutsch
The mugshot of Adnan Abboud Hilweh, an Assad-era general who was arrested by Syria for allegedly being behind chemical attacks against civilians, after his arrest on April 29, 2026. (Syrian Interior Ministry / SANA)
April 30, 2026, 12:11 am
Syria arrests former Assad-era general accused of 2013 chemical attack involvement
Interior Ministry says it detained Adnan Abboud Hilweh, who it says was responsible for sarin nerve gas ‘massacre’ on Damascus-area suburb Ghouta, which killed over 1,000
By AFP
Atef Najib, former head of the Political Security Branch in the Daraa area during Bashar al-Assad's rule, sits in the defendants' cage during a trial session at the Palace of Justice in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
April 26, 2026, 7:11 pm
Syria’s first public trial of Assad-era officials begins in Damascus
Bereaved families demand death penalty, starting with Atef Najib, a former general and cousin of the ousted dictator who was allegedly behind the torture of children in 2011
By GHAITH ALSAYED
Former Syrian intelligence officer Amjad Yousef after his arrest in the central province of Hama, in an image published on April 24, 2026. (Syrian Interior Ministry/X)
April 25, 2026, 1:46 am
Syria says it arrested ex-intel officer filmed taking part in 2013 Damascus massacre
Syria says Amjad Yousef was one of several officers caught on leaked video shooting dozens of prisoners into trench in Damascus suburb near Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk
By GHAITH ALSAYED
View of the Israel-Syria border area, as seen from the northern Golan Heights, April 11, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
April 19, 2026, 5:54 pm
Syria says it foiled Hezbollah-linked cross-border attack planned from area near Israel
Interior ministry says cell arranged to fire missiles across the border from Quneitra province, which borders Israel, without specifying which country was the intended target
By AFP and ToI Staff
Visitors attend the official opening of the 57th Damascus International Book Fair in Damascus, Syria, February 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
February 12, 2026, 6:06 pm
Islamist and Kurdish texts banned under Assad openly displayed at Damascus book fair
Sayyid Qutb’s ‘Milestones,’ biography of ex-al-Qaeda figure on sale; event coordinator says no books are banned, aside from those that offend country’s norms or glorify old regime
By Kinda Makieh and Firas Makdesi
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 28, 2026 (MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL / AFP)
January 28, 2026, 7:37 pm
Syrian leader meets Putin as Russia eyes deal on military bases
Russian president has sought to build relations with Ahmed al-Sharaa since toppling of ally Assad, lauds new government’s actions to ‘restore Syria’s territorial integrity’
By AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on October 15, 2025. (Alexander Zemlianichenko / POOL / AFP)
January 28, 2026, 1:08 pm
Syrian leader to meet Putin for second time, as Russian presence in country dwindles
Sharaa has struck friendly tone with Moscow, but still seeks Assad’s extradition from Russia, where he fled after coup
By AFP
A drone view of the mass grave site in the desert near the eastern Syrian town of Dhumair, February 27, 2025. A Reuters investigation found that the Assad government secretly trucked thousands of bodies there from an exposed mass grave in the Damascus suburb of Qutayfah from 2019 to 2021. (REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi)
December 29, 2025, 10:25 am
Syria secures Assad-era mass grave revealed in October, opens criminal investigation
Soldiers deployed to remote site revealed by Reuters report detailing years-long effort by ousted dictator to mask atrocities by hiding thousands of bodies in the desert
By Feras Dalatey and Ryan McNeill
Illustrative: Syria's then-president Bashar al-Assad visits the Flying Eye Hospital of the international ORBIS Charity at Aleppo international airport, on June 25, 2008. (AFP PHOTO/HO/SANA)
December 16, 2025, 4:16 am
Exiled in Moscow, toppled Syrian dictator said to make quiet return to ophthalmology
Report says Bashar al-Assad and his family are living a luxurious life in Russia and UAE, though cut off from political power and considered ‘irrelevant’ by Putin
By Nava Freiberg
This handout photograph received on December 9, 2025, courtesy of Syrian director Mohamad Abdul Aziz, shows Abdul Aziz (right) giving directions to actors during the filming of the TV series "The King's Family" in Damascus on August 28, 2025. (AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / MOHAMAD ABDUL AZIZ)
December 10, 2025, 3:30 pm
In Syria, feared sites from the Assad era are becoming sets for primetime TV
Shows being filmed now, for release during Ramadan in February, depict the fall of the Assad regime a year ago, and the suppression experienced under its rule
By Maher Al-Mounes
A boy checks out military equipment as visitors tour the 'Syrian Revolution Military Exhibition,' which opened last week ahead of the first anniversary of the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria, on December 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
December 8, 2025, 12:26 pm
Syria still struggles to heal from civil war, one year after Assad regime’s fall
As Syrians celebrate anniversary of authoritarian’s ouster, rebuilding efforts are still mostly small-scale, work opportunities low-paying, and the security situation precarious
By GHAITH ALSAYED and ABBY SEWELL
Bullet holes deface a mural depicting the toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in Adra town on the northeastern outskirts of Damascus, Syria, December 25, 2024. (Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)
December 7, 2025, 8:27 pm
‘It’s all over’: The moment Iran abandoned Assad, days before he was deposed
In the lead-up to the fall of Damascus, the IRGC summoned the Syrian leader’s top generals and dropped a bombshell announcement: ‘From today, we are no longer responsible for you’
By Maher Al-Mounes
A member of the Syrian security forces stands guard from a position overlooking crowds during celebrations marking one year since a lightning Islamist-led offensive that eventually toppled the country's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, in central Hama on December 5, 2025. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
December 6, 2025, 12:31 am
CENTCOM head says Syria recently blocked several arms shipments to Hezbollah
US and regional partners have interest in disarming Lebanese terror group, says Adm. Brad Cooper, as Syrians mark one year since offensive that toppled Hezbollah ally Assad
By ToI Staff
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