Syria’s former governing party, the Baath, is no more. The party had ruled the country for decades until it was overthrown, along with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on December 8 after opposition factions marched into Damascus. Wednesday’s announcement that the party would be dissolved merely formalised that process.

As the new Damascus authorities strive to restore their country and its diplomatic links they understand that Moscow is essential to this effort

Sharaa was already de facto head of Syria's government ever since a coalition of rebel fighters swept through most of Syria and ousted Assad's regime.

While ostensibly aimed at restoring order, these operations have fueled further sectarian tensions, with reports of extrajudicial killings and sweeping crackdowns against local populations.

As insurgents raced across Syria in a surprise offensive launched in the country’s northwest late last year, officials from several

Cardinal Gugerotti’s six-day visit, from Jan. 24–29, marks the first time a Vatican envoy has traveled to Syria since the regime change. As part of his special mission from the pope, the cardinal will also meet with Christian leaders and communities across Damascus, Aleppo, and Homs.

More than 500 military and civilians have been killed as a result of fighting since the change of power in the Syrian Arab Republic. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) told Izvestiya. In recent weeks,

Syria has entered a transitional phase with its de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, appointed as President, Al Jazeera reported, citing the state-run news agency SANA. Al-Sharaa has been given the authority to establish a temporary legislative body that will function until a new constitution is implemented.

Storyline: Syria's Military Operations Administration announced on Wednesday the appointment of Ahmed al-Sharaa as president during the transitional period, granting him authority to establish an interim legislative council until a permanent constitution is ratified.

Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism (SIRAJ), a collective of journalists and OCCRP partner, found the documents in late December while combing through files left behind during the hasty collapse of the Assad regime earlier that month.

Weeping, Fairuz Shalish grasps the red earth at an unmarked grave in Syria that she believes may hold her son, one of tens of thousands of people who vanished under ousted president Bashar al-Assad.Thousands poured out of the country's web of prisons in the final days of Assad's rule and after Islamist-led rebels toppled him on December 8.

Hastily abandoned documents show how the fallen government’s vast intelligence apparatus struggled to comprehend and stop the rapid rebel advance.