Assad family

The United States on June 17 imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's wife and dozens of others as it vowed a vast pressure campaign under a new law that has already rattled the war-torn nation's economy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived today on an unannounced preliminary visit to Syria, where he met with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, TASS and the Associated Press reported.

Bilateral negotiations took place between the Russian and Syrian delegations.

Five children were among the dead when the Assad regime hit a de-escalation zone in northwest Syria on Aug. 28, according to local sources.

On April 22, a prisoner swap between the Assad regime and Syria's armed opposition took place as part of the Astana process, according to Turkey's Foreign Ministry.     

The Assad regime in neighboring Syria is illegitimate and far from promising any future for the country, Turkey's presidential spokesman said on Feb. 4.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley has indicated new economic sanctions will be announced on April 16 against Russia for enabling the government of Syrian leader Bashar Assad to continue using chemical weapons.

The United States is "locked and loaded" to strike again if Syria's President Bashar al-Assad's government again uses chemical weapons, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the Security Council on April 14. 

15 members of a private Russian military group were killed in an explosion in Syria, according to data from the London-based Syrian Human Rights Watch Observatory.

The US-led coalition carried out strikes in “self-defense” against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, leaving an estimated more than 100 pro-regime personnel dead, the U.S. military said Feb. 7.

The Syrian army has deployed new air defenses and anti-aircraft missiles to frontlines in the Aleppo and Idlib areas, a commander in the military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad said on Feb. 5.