Damascus

"The Syrian Arab Republic condemns in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist bombing that targeted a café in the capital, Damascus," said the Syrian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

The Syrian minister, Asaad al-Shibani, met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on his first stop, and then headed for a meeting with the parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah.

Syrian authorities have maintained that the woman voluntarily left her family home and converted of her own free will. Her family, however, contends that she was abducted and is being held by force.

Hassan Akkad was arrested and remains in detention for a series of social media posts calling out wealthy businessmen for allegedly failing to follow through on pledges to help rebuild Syria.

The former medical staff admitted to carrying out operations on prisoners abducted by Assad’s intelligence service, which saw organs implanted into patients connected with senior officials.

Hezbollah sources claim Turkey maintains engagement with the group and supports its continued presence in Lebanon, raising questions over Ankara’s regional posture.

ISIS remains a threat to Syria, increasingly relying on small-scale attacks, covert operations, and decentralized cells to target security forces, public facilities, and local communities.

Syria’s new government is weighing containment, military incorporation, and security pressure as it seeks to dismantle independent armed networks.

Referring to the fall of the Assad regime, the interior minister said he hoped he would see Jerusalem “liberated” in the same way Damascus was, and that one day “those lands will be ours once again."

Syria had already held types of limited elections in other areas of Syria last year. However, areas outside government control did not hold a vote.