Aya Iskandarani

3 weeks ago | japantimes.co.jp | Aya Iskandarani |Menna Zaki

Iran and the United States wrapped up nuclear talks in Oman on Sunday with no apparent breakthrough in a public standoff over enrichment, but with both sides confirming plans for future negotiations. This was the fourth round of talks that began nearly a month ago, marking the highest-level contact between the two foes since Washington withdrew in 2018 from a landmark nuclear deal, during President Donald Trump's first term.

Jan 20, 2025 | dailygazette.com | Aya Iskandarani |Louai Beshara

Syrian phone shop owner Abdel Razzaq Hamra was thrilled to finally be working in peace after years of being harassed and detained by security personnel enforcing an Assad-linked company's monopoly. Before president Bashar al-Assad was ousted last month, his security forces would raid the central Damascus district where dozens of mobile stores operate in search of phones without the Emmatel company logo.

Jan 17, 2025 | timesofisrael.com | Layal Abou Rahal |Aya Iskandarani

BEIRUT (AFP) — Lebanese judge Tarek Bitar resumed his investigation into the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast on Thursday, charging 10 people including security, customs, and military personnel, a judicial official said. The fresh charges come after a two-year hiatus in the investigation into the August 4, 2020 explosion that killed more than 220 people, injured thousands, and devastated swathes of Lebanon’s capital.

Jan 10, 2025 | yahoo.com | Aya Iskandarani

In Syria's third city Homs, members of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's Alawite community say they are terrified as new authorities comb their districts for "remnants of the regime", arresting hundreds. In central Homs, the marketplace buzzes with people buying fruit and vegetables from vendors in bombed-out buildings riddled with bullet holes. But at the entrance to areas where the city's Alawite minority lives, armed men in fatigues have set up roadblocks and checkpoints.

Dec 11, 2024 | edition.mv | Aya Iskandarani

The fall of Assad has put Syria at a crossroads, after nearly 14 years of civil war sparked by his deadly crackdown on democracy protests. While Syrians around the country and in the diaspora were celebrating the ouster more than 50 years after Assad's father seized power, the country now faces enormous uncertainty. What does the future hold for the country, and does it stand a chance at the democracy and peace so many Syrians have dreamt of? - Who are Syria's rebels?