An earlier statement had claimed there had been no casualites. The church was being used as a shelter for both Christians and Muslims, including a number of children with disabilities, according to Fadel Naem,

Emirates yesterday officially returned to the Syrian capital Damascus, putting the “City of Jasmine” back on its expansive network of Middle East destin

A sudden spike in regional tensions has gripped the Middle East as Israel strikes Syria, a fragile ceasefire collapses in Sweida, and Iran's Khamenei issues a sharp warning to the US and Israel.

A video clip circulating on social media in recent months shows Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Shara, astride a handsome black horse in a sand riding ring with a few thick palm trees. He is alone, wearing a trim leather jacket, as the high-stepping horse circles within the ring.

Israel said it bombed Syrian army headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the Druze minority alone in its Sweida heartland where a monitor says