Reef Dimashq

17 01, 2025
  • A view of Douma, a city in the East Ghouta suburbs of Damascus, shows the Great Mosque and part of the market on al-Jalaa Street, 9/1/2025 (Hamza Hijazi/Syria Direct)

With Assad’s fall, Douma comes back to life

By Hamza Hijazi|2025-01-31T15:57:02+01:00January 17, 2025|

With the Assad regime gone, Douma is coming back to life. Markets are bustling in the East Ghouta city, as construction workers repair damaged buildings and displaced residents return to visit or settle down. 

7 12, 2024
  • A military vehicle belonging to the Syrian regime forces is pictured abandoned on the side of a road in the Hama governorate as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the capital Damascus, 7/12/2024 (Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)

‘Fear and joy’: Voices from Damascus

By Syria Direct|2024-12-09T19:36:17+01:00December 7, 2024|

As the situation in and around Damascus rapidly changed throughout the day on Saturday, three civilians in and around the capital told Syria Direct what they were seeing, hearing and feeling.

6 12, 2024
  • A view of destruction in Harasta, a town in the East Ghouta suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus, five weeks into a major Syrian regime offensive against opposition forces, 26/3/2018 (AFP)

Hope and suspense in East Ghouta as the regime loses ground

By Syria Direct|2024-12-06T23:54:09+01:00December 6, 2024|

The view from the ground in the East Ghouta suburbs of Damascus is one of a worried regime withdrawing its forces from the interior of cities and reinforcing checkpoints on their outskirts “for fear of being targeted,” residents say.

19 10, 2023
  • Satellite images show increasing damage to buildings in al-Hajar al-Aswad, a city south of Damascus, in the years since regime forces regained control in May 2018 (Google Earth/SkyFi/Syria Direct)

Buildings in Damascus’ al-Hajar al-Aswad demolished, rubble sold

By Habib Shehada|2023-10-20T09:47:21+02:00October 19, 2023|

In al-Hajar al-Aswad, south of Damascus, buildings are steadily being demolished—regardless of whether they are structurally sound—with the rubble sold for profit under the eyes of regime forces. Some fear demolitions could be a precursor to expropriations under redevelopment plans.

25 09, 2023
  • Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and First Lady Asma al-Assad are greeted as they arrive in China’s eastern city of Huangzhou for the first state visit in nearly 20 years, 21/9/2023 (AFP Photo/Ho/SANA)

Assad ‘looking for handouts’ on rare trip to China

By Hanna Davis|2024-01-30T18:17:29+01:00September 25, 2023|

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited China for the first time in nearly 20 years this week, deepening ties between the two countries in the hopes of increased financial support that may not be forthcoming.

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