Egypt legalizes 191 additional churches and service buildings

Damascus states US forces completed handover of military sites in Syria

Damascus announced on Thursday that the United States has handed over all military sites previously used by American forces in Syria. Syrian authorities have taken control of the Qasrak air base in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, according to state news agency SANA, which cited a defense ministry statement. The United States intervened in Syria in 2014, leading a global coalition against the Islamic State group. The Syrian foreign ministry welcomed the US move, stating that it highlights the state’s “assumption of full responsibility for combating terrorism and addressing regional threats on its territory.” The ministry added that the decision reflects “a shared assessment that the circumstances which originally necessitated the American military presence in Syria — namely, countering the regional rise of ISIS — have fundamentally changed.”