Syria
Latest news and information on Syria.
French group to open two hotels in Damascus
France's Louvre Hotels Group has signed an agreement to open two hotels under its own name in Damascus, the first with a western hotel operator since Syria's brutal civil war began in 2011.
France flies home 12 children of Syria jihadists
Twelve orphans of French jihadists were flown to France on Monday from Syria, the French foreign ministry confirmed.
US 'optimistic' France, Britain will join stay-behind Syria force
The United States is "very optimistic" that France and Britain will participate in a residual force that US President Donald Trump wants to leave in Syria, his national security advisor said on Sunday.
French 'Isis bride' recalls Islamic state 'chaos'
Clutching her young son, a Frenchwoman was among those fleeing the last holdout of Islamic State group jihadists. But she told waiting aid workers that her husband, dubbed 'a death machine' by French prosecutors, has vanished.
DISPATCH: French troops battle for Islamic State's last holdout
French artillery units are playing a key role in the battle to overrun the Islamic State terror group's last holdout in Syria. AFP's Daphné Benoit reports from the front line.
Turkey warns France 'no benefit' in protecting Kurd militia
France will not gain in any way by retaining forces to protect a Kurdish militia in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday, after Paris announced it would maintain a presence despite an imminent US withdrawal.
Four-nation Syria summit calls for lasting Idlib ceasefire
The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany on Saturday called for a ceasefire around the last major rebel-held bastion of Idlib in Syria to be preserved.
France wants to bring home jihadists' kids from Syria
France is seeking to repatriate some of the 150 children of French jihadists identified as being in Syria, as Western nations grapple with how to handle citizens who left to join extremists.
Syria tells US, French and Turkish 'occupying forces' to withdraw immediately
Syria's foreign minister on Saturday denounced US, French and Turkish forces operating in his country as "occupying forces" and demanded that they leave immediately.
Macron and Merkel 'concerned' ahead of battle for Syrian rebel holdout
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced concern on Friday about the humanitarian situation in the rebel-held Syrian region of Idlib, which is shaping up be the country's next big battleground.
French firm Lafarge charged with complicity in crimes against humanity in Syria
French cement giant Lafarge was charged Thursday with complicity in crimes against humanity and financing a terrorist organisation for paying millions to jihadist groups, including Isis, to keep a factory in Syria open during the war.
French, US fire backs advance against Isis in east Syria
Arab and Kurdish fighters were advancing on Sunday against the Islamic State group in eastern Syria thanks to close artillery support from allied American and French forces, a monitor said.
France freezes company assets over Syria chemical weapons
France on Friday imposed a six-month asset freeze on several international companies allegedly linked to a chemical weapons programme in Syria, as ministers meeting in Paris vowed that governments that gas their own people would not go unpunished.
A Syrian dancer's journey from hell to the Paris stage
Yara al-Hasbani was putting the finishing touches to her make-up for a performance of "Romeo and Juliet" in Damascus when she found out her father had been tortured to death.
France to strip Syria's Bashar al-Assad of Legion d'Honneur
France will strip Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of the country's prestigious Legion d'Honneur award, a source in the French president’s office has said.
Ex-Lafarge boss charged with 'endangering lives' in Syria
A former human resources manager of cement giant Lafarge has been charged in France for "endangering the lives of others" during operations in war-torn Syria, sources told AFP on Saturday.
US, France, Britain launch new UN bid for Syria chemical weapons probe
Hours after striking Syria, the United States, France and Britain on Saturday launched a new bid at the United Nations to investigate chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
Strike destroyed 'large part' of Assad's chemical weapons: French FM
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Saturday that missile strikes carried out overnight in Syria had destroyed a "large part" of the Damascus government's stocks of chemical weapons.
France fires cruise missiles from Med to punish Syria
France has fired cruise missiles from frigates in the Mediterranean and deployed fighter jets from home bases, as part of a wave of punitive strikes against Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime.
High stakes for Macron as France weighs up Syria strikes
In laying his integrity on the line over Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons, French President Emmanuel Macron might be playing for even higher stakes -- maintaining the landmark Iran nuclear accord, analysts say.
France will 'do its duty' over alleged Syria chemical attack: minister
France will "do its duty" over an alleged chlorine gas attack against civilians in Syria's Eastern Ghouta region, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday.
Turkey says France sending troops to Syria would be 'invasion'
Turkey on Saturday warned France against increasing its military presence in Syria, saying it would be an "invasion", as tensions between Paris and Ankara remained high.
Germany, France urge Russia to pressure Syria for 'immediate' ceasefire
The leaders of Germany and France urged Russia on Sunday to exert "maximum pressure" on Syria for an "immediate" implementation of a UN ceasefire in the war-ravaged country, Berlin said.