Syria

• Jordan strikes drug, arms smugglers in Syria border region: Reports - Jordan’s military said the attacks ‘neutralised arms and drug traffickers’ and destroyed laboratories and factories.
• Syrian church marks Christmas and reaffirms faith months after deadly attack - DWEIL'A, Syria (AP) — At a church in Syria where a suicide attack killed 25 people in June, hundreds of worshippers gathered before Christmas to remember those they lost and reaffirm their faith. With a small detail of security forces stan
• Trump Needs to Rein in Netanyahu - President Trump should press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ease military pressure on Gaza, Lebanon and Syria for the sake of his own policy.
• 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.
• Hezbollah Is Down, but Not Out, as Lebanon Faces Pressure to Disarm It - The Lebanese militant group has resisted calls to lay down all its arms, risking a return to war with Israel.
• U.S. Strikes on Syria Underscore Scale of Challenge for Its President - The Syrian government did not comment directly on the extensive American strikes targeting the Islamic State on Friday, but said it was intensifying its own efforts to fight the group.
• 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.
• Trump Signs Law Repealing Tough Sanctions on Syria - The Caesar Act was imposed in 2019 in response to widespread and systematic violations of human rights by the regime of former dictator Bashar al-Assad.
• Trump Signs Law Repealing Tough Sanctions on Syria - The Caesar Act was imposed in 2019 in response to widespread and systematic violations of human rights by the regime of former dictator Bashar al-Assad.