Assad, Bashar al-

• U.S. Launches Major Strikes on Islamic State Targets in Syria - The airstrikes followed an even larger attack in December to avenge the killing of three Americans last year.
• How the Assad Regime Covered Up Its Crimes: Key Takeaways - We documented how the dictator Bashar al-Assad and his henchmen conspired to hide evidence of torture and deaths of detainees during Syria’s long civil war.
• The Cover-Up: Inside the Plot to Conceal Assad’s Crimes - Thousands of documents and interviews with Assad-era officials reveal how the regime worked to conceal evidence of its atrocities during the Syrian civil war.
• Syrian Protests Over Lack of Security Leave 2 Dead - Days after a bombing at a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area, members of the religious minority in Syria demonstrated for better protections.
• Zero Hour for the Middle East - After more than a decade of wars, from Syria to Gaza, the Middle East is exhausted by conflict. Is it ready to find another way?
• 6 Killed in Syria Mosque Blast, Government Says - Ansar al-Sunna, which appears to be an ISIS splinter group, claimed responsibility for the explosion, which happened when worshipers were attending the mosque for Friday Prayer.
• Assad, Ousted Syrian Ruler, Leads Life of Luxury in Russia - Bashar al-Assad’s long, brutal reign ended swiftly, but he and his close circle have had a soft landing in Russia.
• After the Assad Regime’s Fall, His Enforcers Are Lying Low and Living Large - A Times investigation into the whereabouts of top Syrian officials who fled after the regime’s fall shows many remain free — shielded by wealth and accommodating host nations.
• U.S. Strikes Islamic State Targets in Syria - American forces struck dozens of suspected ISIS sites, making good on President Trump’s vow to avenge two American soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter killed by the group last week.
• U.S. Forces Attacked in Syria, State Media Says - The Pentagon said two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Palmyra while supporting counterterrorism operations.