They were the first to arrive in Damascus on Dec. 8, "turning the tables" on an international agreement for the insurgents to halt their advance. Now Syria's southern rebels loom large as the country's new rulers try to form a national army

RT @bmroue: #Kurds in the new #Syria want to preserve the cultural rights they gained in years of war #YPG #YPJ #SDF

War-torn Lebanon forms its first government in over 2 years

Chemical weapons watchdog delegation meets with Syria's new leaders

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Thursday that while an Israeli ban has not yet forced the agency to cease operations, it faces an “existential threat” in the long run

Egypt lobbies against Trump plan to empty Gaza of Palestinians as Israel makes preparations Via @sammymagdy

President Donald Trump’s stunning proposal to forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination faces major obstacles. Good analysis by @josephkrauss

At least 19 killed mostly women in a car bomb explosion in northern Syria's Manbij Via @omar_albam and @chehayebk

Trump's aid freeze shocks a Syria camp holding families linked to the Islamic State group Via @bmroue from Al Hol camp

SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi spoke with @bmroue about the future of his group in the new Syria and his negotiations with Damascus

The fall of Bashar Assad in Syria has led Iran-allied factions in neighboring Iraq to reconsider their push for U.S. forces to exit the country, multiple Iraqi and American officials told the @AP With @qabdulzahra

The leader of the former rebel group that toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad was named on Wednesday the country’s interim president, following a meeting of the former insurgent factions

Tens of thousands return to devastated northern Gaza as Israel lifts its closure under truce Via Wafaa Shurafa, Osama Saleh and @josephkrauss

President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Egypt and Jordan take in Palestinians from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip was met with a hard “no” Sunday from the two U.S. allies along with the Palestinians themselves, who fear Israel would never allow them to return Via @josephkrauss

Hours later, the U.S. announced that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to extend the withdrawal deadline until Feb. 18. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati confirmed the extension in a statement

3 killed in Lebanon amid protests as Israeli forces remain after withdrawal deadline With @chehayebk

UN peacekeepers tried to appeal for permission to move across the roadblocks, but were not authorized to do so. An AP crew that had joined UNIFIL on patrol was stranded as a result Via @chehayebk

Syria's economic pains far from over despite Assad's ouster Via @chehayebk

How the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal in Gaza will unfold —and why it its so precarious

On Dec. 7, “we had heard from a number of parties that there might be an agreement that … no one would enter Damascus so there could be an agreement on the exit of Bashar Assad or a transitional phase,” said Nassim Abu Ara, an official with one of the largest rebel factions in the south, the 8th Brigade. However, “we entered Damascus and turned the tables on these agreements,” he said.