Nearly a million Syrians in Germany alone have made new lives. But after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, some politicians across the continent have suggested that refugees could return home.

Former German finance minister Christian Lindner has called for Syrian refugees in Germany to return to their home country after the sudden fall of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad. "For those people who came to us from Syria because of the civil war,

This account of al-Assad’s fall, much of which has not been previously reported, is based on interviews with Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi and Turkish officials; Damascus-based diplomats; associates of al-Assad; and rebels who participated in his ouster. Read more here.

Judicial authorities in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands have initiated proceedings against agents and senior officials of the former government, some of which have resulted in convictions.

It took only a few hours after the fall of Bashar al-Assad for some German politicians to begin suggesting it was time for Germany's million Syrians – many of them refugees from the 2015 war – to consider returning home.

A German court handed a 10-year jail term to a Syrian former militia leader on Wednesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed under former president Bashar al-Assad.

Despite the legal and political barriers to prosecution, human rights experts are optimistic that al-Assad and regime officials could one day be held accountable for their crimes in a court of law. #E

BERLIN - Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the Islamist group after it led the overthrow of Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

German ministers on Sunday said supporters of fallen president Bashar al-Assad's government would face justice in Germany if they fled to the country after the toppling of the Syrian strongman.

Hollywood: Private messages detail an alleged campaign to tarnish the actress Blake Lively after she accused Justin Baldoni of misconduct on the set of “It Ends With Us.” Cycling: Muriel Furrer died a day after the biggest race of her career. The Athletic went to Switzerland for answers.

Syria is in chaos. The danger to Israel and the West is that the next Syrian regime will be no friendlier than Assad was. After all, the enemy of your enemy isn’t always your friend.

Donald Trump’s US presidential election win, the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and the Paris Olympics were among the news events that marked 2024.