Latest news with #Idlib
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Ancient Christian tomb complex revealed beneath rubble from Syria's civil war
A contractor recently stumbled across an ancient Christian tomb complex while clearing rubble in Syria. The discovery was made in the city of Maarat al-Numan in Syria's Idlib province in May. (See the video at the top of this article.) The complex dates back over 1,500 years. The site was found beneath an abandoned house that had been destroyed years earlier. Pictures show the Christian tomb complex with crosses, ancient graves and a variety of bones and fragments. Hassan al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib, said that the province is one of the most historic in Syria. "Based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era," he said. The official added that Idlib "has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites in addition to an ancient city." "In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins." Unfortunately, archaeologists only uncovered the tombs under tragic circumstances, as the houses were destroyed during the 14-year-long Syrian civil war. In 2020, former Syrian President Bashar Assad seized the area from opposition control, destroying and looting houses in the process. Despite the dark circumstances, the situation led to a discovery that sheds more light on Byzantine-era Syria. Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident of Maarat al-Numan, told the Associated Press he hopes that President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government plans to fairly compensate the property owners of the site. Another local named Abed said he believes the discovery is an opportunity to boost tourism in the city, which is around 50 miles south of Aleppo. "In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins," Jaafar, who came to see the tombs with his son, told the Associated Press. He added, "We need to take care of the antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before … and this will help to bring back the tourism and the economy." In the 4th century AD, the Byzantine Empire emerged as a successor to the Roman Empire, establishing its capital in Constantinople. Many finds from the era are still turning up across Europe and the Middle East. A 1,600-year-old Byzantine-era mosaic from a Christian monastery was recently put on public display in Israel for the first time. A mysterious 1,500-year-old bucket found at one of England's most historic sites was recently found to be of Byzantine origin, having been manufactured in Antioch. The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Arab News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
US says airstrike killed Daesh official in Syria
WASHINGTON: The US military announced Thursday that a recent airstrike had killed an Daesh group official in northwest Syria. In a post to social media, US Central Command said its forces 'conducted a precision airstrike in northwest Syria killing Rakhim Boev, a Syria-based Daesh official,' using another name for Daesh. The post on X said Boev was 'involved in planning external operations threatening US citizens, our partners, and civilians.' The accompanying image depicts an SUV vehicle with a bashed-in windshield and roof. AFP previously reported that two people were killed in separate drone strikes Tuesday, on a car and a motorcycle, in the northwestern bastion of the Islamist former rebels who now head the Syrian government. A call to CENTCOM seeking confirmation that the incidents are related was not immediately returned. The twin drone strikes in the Idlib region mirror the US-led coalition's past strikes on jihadists in the area. During a meeting in Riyadh last month, US President Donald Trump called on his Syrian counterpart Ahmed Al-Sharaa to help Washington prevent a resurgence by Daesh.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
UN refugee agency says more than 122 million people forcibly displaced worldwide
A family is greeted by locals after their return to their home, in a neighbourhood in Maarat al-Numan, on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy, File) GENEVA — The UN refugee agency says the number of people forcible displaced by violence and persecution around the world has risen to more than 122 million, up by about two million from last year and a near-doubling over the last decade. UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi nonetheless pointed to some 'rays of hope' over the last six months, including the return home of nearly two million Syrians as their country tries to recover from more than a decade of civil war. The findings come as the refugee agency released its Global Trends Report on Thursday, which said the number of people driven abroad or displaced in their home countries by war, violence and persecution as of April rose to 122.1 million, up from 120 million a year earlier. Among those, the numbers of internally displaced people jumped by more than nine per cent to 73.5 million at the end of last year. The numbers represent cumulative figures from years of conflict, violence and persecution, and some displaced people returned home last year even as others fled. The report comes at a time when humanitarian groups are facing budget cuts from the United States and other traditional Western donors. UNHCR said nearly two-thirds of people who crossed national borders to flee remained in neighboring countries, countering the 'widespread perception in wealthier regions' that a majority of people were fleeing in a bid to reach places like Europe or the United States. The agency said Sudan, which has been riven by civil war, has become home to the world's largest displacement crisis, with more than 14 million people displaced by the conflict — surpassing Syria, at 13.5 million. More than 10 million in Afghanistan have been forcibly displaced, and some 8.8 million within or from Ukraine, UNHCR said. The Associated Press
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Mitch Keller sidesteps trouble in the 6th
Unidentified drones have killed several people in two different strikes in Idlib countryside Syrian civil defense officials removed missile remains from craters in Syria's northern Idlib countryside after unidentified drone attack on Tuesday killed a man and wounded three other people in a car. An earlier strike killed two men on a motorcycle.. (AP video: Ghaith Alsayed )
Arab News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria rescuers say two killed in drone strikes on northwest
DAMASCUS: Two people were killed in separate drone strikes Tuesday on a car and a motorcycle in the northwestern bastion of the Islamist former rebels who now head the Syrian government, rescuers said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the twin drone strikes in the Idlib region but a US-led coalition in Syria has carried out past strikes on terrorists in the area. Earlier this year, the United States said it killed several commanders of Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate Hurras Al-Din in the area. The group had recently announced it was breaking up on the orders of the interim government set up by the rebels after their overthrow of Bashar Assad in December. US troops are deployed in Syria as part of a US-led coalition to fight the Daesh group. When contacted by AFP, a US defense official said they were aware of the reports but had 'nothing to provide' at the time. During a meeting in Riyadh last month, US President Donald Trump called on his Syrian counterpart Ahmed Al-Sharaa to help Washington prevent a resurgence by Daesh.
