Syria’s once-empowered Alawite minority faces uncertain future after fall of Assad
As Syria emerges from decades of dictatorship, people in the Assad family’s ancestral home of Latakia province are both overjoyed and anxious. Assad and his family are Alawite, an offshoot of Shia Islam, and the people of his former region fear the new Sunni-controlled government will target them. Leila Molana-Allen reports from Assad’s hometown, a crumbling vestige of the regime.
How the Assad regime made billions producing and exporting party drugs
Now that the Assad regime in Syria has fallen, the full scale of that government’s production and distribution of illicit drugs is coming to light. Leila Molana-Allen reports from the drug factories in Syria.
Syrians face horrors at site of Assad’s 2013 chemical weapons attack
Syrians are celebrating their hard-won freedoms throughout the nation, but that joy is tempered by the absence of so many imprisoned and never heard from again. In some ways, Syria is a land of ghosts, and the job of speaking for the dead falls to their loved ones and the new Syrian government. Leila Molana-Allen reports from the suburbs of Damascus.
Displaced Syrians return to face daunting task of rebuilding homes and families
In Syria, people are returning home after years of a civil war that displaced millions and left the country divided and destroyed. Assad regime checkpoints that severed any chance of seeing loved ones are now gone like the government. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen spoke to families overjoyed to be reunited, but now facing the daunting task of rebuilding their homes and their families.
Syria’s rebel leaders face critical decisions as they chart new path for the country
For the first time since he fled the country he ruled with an iron fist and a willingness to kill his own people to hold power, Bashar al-Assad was heard from. In a statement from exile in Moscow, Assad claimed he did not want to leave Syria but was evacuated by Russia after he left Damascus for his family’s heartland near the coast. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Latakia.
Syrians begin piecing their lives back together a week after rebels overthrow Assad
Signs of normalcy are starting to return a week after life inside Syria was upended as rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. As the country’s new leaders begin to chart a path forward, the UN envoy to Syria called for a quick end to sanctions imposed by the West. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Aleppo.
Syrians express jubilation during first Friday prayers since overthrow of Assad
Barely a week after Bashar al-Assad fled the country he destroyed, Syrians welcomed the first Friday prayers. There are many unanswered questions about this new Syria, but one thing is for certain, there is unfettered jubilation. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Aleppo.
Freed Syrian prisoners describe the horrors they faced under Assad
The Assad legacy is one of horror with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced or in exile. Perhaps nothing illustrates the depths of the depravity more than the archipelago of prisons and torture centers where tens of thousands were killed by the regime. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen takes us inside some of these now-liberated facilities as Syrians search for answers.
Fall of Assad sparks new hope in Syria but minority groups remain concerned
The sea change toward tenuous hope in Syria over the last two weeks has been tempered with a grim accounting of the last 14 years of war and a half a century of authoritarian rule under the Assad family. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Damascus.
Syrians describe living in the crossfire of a brutal civil war for 13 years
Since Syria’s “Arab Spring,” protests devolved into a decade-plus bloodletting. Fleeing civilians have been caught in the crossfire between the Assad regime, its Russian and Iranian allies and the various opposition groups that have fought against them. As the conflict reignites, special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports on the victims of this war and its survivors.
Syrian refugees in Lebanon flee to war-torn homeland after facing new conflict
A year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has destroyed many lives and livelihoods, including those of Syrian refugees sheltering in Lebanon. That led to a steady flow of refugees trying to return to Syria. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports on the people desperate to cross the border.
Lebanese healthcare workers caught in the line of fire from Israeli airstrikes
The Israeli military said it killed the man set to succeed Hezbollah’s longtime leader who was also assassinated in late September. As the war between Israel and Hezbollah expands, its toll on civilians in Lebanon is only worsening. Israeli airstrikes around Beirut have increasingly targeted healthcare facilities and healthcare workers. Leila Molana-Allen reports.
Israel resumes bombardment on Beirut’s suburbs
Israel resumed punishing airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and across central and southern Lebanon. More than 130 strikes targeted what Israel says were Hezbollah operatives and locations. Israel’s military also said more than 90 Hezbollah rockets were fired into northern Israel today. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill civilians and threaten safe havens for the displaced
The U.S. said Tuesday it did not approve of Israel’s bombing campaign in Beirut over the last several weeks that has led to major civilian casualties. Far from Beirut in northern Lebanon, a deadly Israeli airstrike targeted one Hezbollah member but killed nearly two dozen people. Leila Molana-Allen reports.
Israeli attack on tent camp outside hospital in Gaza kills at least 4, injures dozens
A weekend of death and destruction gave way to another day of carnage Monday in Gaza and Lebanon as Israeli forces struck multiple sites in both places. Israel suffered its own losses as troops came under fire from Hezbollah. But much of the focus fell on Gaza and an Israeli attack outside a major hospital. Leila Molana-Allen reports.
Civilians feel nowhere is safe as Israel expands and intensifies strikes in Lebanon
Israel is stepping up its bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon as it wages a multi-front war against Hamas and Hezbollah. In southern Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike on a century-old market killed one person and wounded several others, as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called for the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers from the region. John Yang speaks to special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen in Beirut.
Israel injures UN peacekeepers again, raising more concerns about its operation in Lebanon
It was another day of widening war in Lebanon. Israeli troops fired again on U.N. positions, wounding two. IDF troops also fired on Lebanese Armed Forces. All this as Hezbollah militants fired dozens more rockets into Israel. But as Leila Molana-Allen reports, the most severe Israeli strike was overnight in central Beirut.
U.N. accuses Israel of firing on its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon
The United Nations said its peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon came under attack by Israeli forces. Israel invaded last month to press its military campaign against Hezbollah militants. The UN peacekeeping force is charged with keeping the border between Lebanon and Israel quiet and demilitarized on the Lebanese side. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports.
More civilians in Lebanon displaced and in dire need amid Israel’s battle with Hezbollah
Thousands upon thousands of Lebanese are fleeing Israeli bombing across southern and central Lebanon as Hezbollah continues its rocket and missile fire into northern Israel. As fears of all-out regional war mount, special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen sits down with the Lebanese official managing the humanitarian response in a country that was already on its knees before this latest conflict.
Lebanese civilians run from bombs, sleep on streets as Israel intensifies attacks
Israel carried out its heaviest bombardment of Beirut in its campaign against Hezbollah overnight. Civilians who had evacuated their homes returned to ash and rubble. Nearly one quarter of the Lebanese population has been displaced, with some living out of their cars or tents. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Beirut.
Israeli raids in Lebanon displace a quarter of the country’s population
The Israeli bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon continue with a quarter of the country’s population displaced, most in just the last two weeks. Leila Molana-Allen reports from Saida, on Lebanon’s southern coast, as the exhausted and terrified seek shelter.
Lebanese civilians increasingly become victims of escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict
Israeli forces kept up their punishing attacks across southern Lebanon and in the capital Beirut. Civilians have increasingly become victims of this escalating conflict, and now, medical workers are under fire. As special correspondent Leila Molana Allen reports, the strikes in Beirut have left residents of a weary city feeling nowhere is safe.
Israel continues raids in Lebanon while weighing response to Iran’s missile attack
Fears of a regional war in the Middle East accelerated as Iran is bracing for an Israeli response to Tuesday’s ballistic missile barrage. In Lebanon, Israeli forces suffered significant losses as their ground invasion targeting Hezbollah militants pressed on. Leila Molana-Allen reports from Beirut and Nick Schifrin reports from Tel Aviv.
Middle East again on edge after largest aerial attack ever launched against Israel
The Middle East stands on the precipice of regional war after Iran launched a massive attack on Israel with at least 180 ballistic missiles. Nick Schifrin reports from Tel Aviv where he witnessed the impacts of those strikes and Leila Molana-Allen reports from Beirut on the Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon.
People in Lebanon fear echoes of past all-out war with Israel in latest airstrikes
Israel kept up its bombardment of Hezbollah in Lebanon on Sunday and also targeted strikes at Houthi fighters in Yemen, another Iran-backed militant group. President Biden said all-out war in the Middle East has to be avoided and that he would soon talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. John Yang speaks with special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen, who is in Beirut, for more.
Sudanese teachers and shopkeepers join the fight against rebels in nation’s civil war
International aid groups issued a joint declaration that the hunger crisis in Sudan is of historic proportions. For nearly 18 months, the country has been embroiled in a civil war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. With support from the Pulitzer Center, special correspondent Leila Molana Allen spoke with some of the men fighting the war and looked into the powers funding it.
Sudanese families describe their search for sanctuary as the brutal civil war rages
In total, 11 million Sudanese have been forced from their homes because of the country’s bitter civil war between the army and a rogue militia. Up to 150,000 are feared dead and millions more face unimaginable trauma. In her third report from the front lines and with support from the Pulitzer Center, special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen followed some families searching for sanctuary.
How Sudan’s civil war has ravaged millions of people’s lives in cities on the front lines
For nearly a year and a half, Sudan’s army has been locked in a brutal civil war with a militia known as the Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has devastated the country and triggered the world’s largest displacement of people. In a rare on-the-ground report, special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen traveled to cities on the front lines to meet the people caught in the middle of the violence.
Amid brutal civil war, Sudan’s VP defends refusal to participate in U.S.-led peace talks
Sudan has been caught in a bloody war between the country’s army and a militia for 16 months with tens of millions of civilians caught in between. This week, the United States attempted peace talks in Geneva, but the Sudanese armed forces refused to attend. With the support of the Pulitzer Center, special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen discussed the war with Sudanese Vice President Malik Agar.
Prisons holding ISIS members in Syria a breeding ground for radicalization, officials say
It’s been five years since the Islamic State was defeated by a U.S.-led military campaign in Syria. But today some 10,000 ISIS fighters remain jailed inside Syrian detention centers. Human rights groups call conditions in the prisons abusive and local authorities warn they are a breeding ground for radicalization and an Islamic State revival. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports.
Amid ordeal of the Israel-Hamas war, expectant mothers share the struggles of pregnancy
Of the many horrors endured by Palestinians and Israelis since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, perhaps none is more acute than those of expectant mothers. For the last several months, special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen has been charting the progress of their pain, their pregnancies, their sorrows and their joys. She brings us their stories now.
Survivors face slow recovery in northwestern Syria a year after devastating earthquake
One year ago, a devastating earthquake laid waste to large parts of southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. Tens of thousands were killed and recovery has been slow and agonizing, especially in Syria, where more than a decade of war had already made life unbearable. Leila Molana-Allen reports on how Syrians on both sides of the border are struggling to survive.
Palestinians describe harassment from Israeli forces over social media posts during war
As Israel cracks down on support for Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the wake of the Oct. 7th attacks, hundreds of Palestinians and Arab Citizens of Israel have been arrested for social media posts in Israel and the Occupied Territories. But many say they were detained with little evidence of wrongdoing and faced humiliation and abuse while in custody. Leila Molana-Allen reports.
Hardliners violently expel Palestinians to expand Israeli settlements in West Bank
While Gaza endures a devastating war, an increasingly brutal battle is being fought over land in another Palestinian territory: the West Bank. Israeli settlers are attacking Palestinians there more frequently and ferociously than ever before and forcing them to flee their homes. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports.
Lebanon struggling without functioning government and basic supplies of food, water, fuel and medicine
Lebanon’s St George Hospital was badly damaged by the Beirut blast. Now mostly rebuilt, it is facing a new challenge of medicine shortages. Outside the capital too, communities are struggling to get even the most basic supplies of food, water and fuel. Leila Molana-Allen brings us this special report.
1 year after Beirut explosion, Lebanon still in crisis
A year after a deadly explosion of tons of ammonium nitrate that sat for years in a Beirut port warehouse, people in Lebanon are still waiting for answers and government accountability. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports on how people across Lebanon are struggling.
‘Their main weapon is fear’: Human rights observers accuse Lebanese security forces of abuses
Lebanon’s new cabinet met for the first time on Wednesday, but the country’s tenacious protest movement hasn’t seemed to lose momentum. With the country’s security forces now accused of using excessive violence against demonstrators, including the misuse of teargas and rubber bullets, Leila Molana-Allen took an inside look at their increasingly tough tactics.
Lebanon’s ‘Mother of the Revolution’ ready to cling on until real change comes
Lina Boubess became an icon of Lebanon’s protest movement when a photograph of her trying to prevent an arrest went viral last year. More than 100 days after she took to the streets demanding change, Boubess tells FRANCE 24 she’s not ready to quit – yet.
Palestinians in Lebanon say Trump peace deal falls short
The so-called “deal of the century” that the US administration unveiled amid much criticism earlier this week has little to offer the estimated 450,000 Palestinians living in Lebanon—many of them in refugee camps.
Lebanon unrest fueled by worsening economic crisis, job losses
As Lebanon sinks ever deeper into its worst economic crisis in decades, with dozens of companies going under each week, many Lebanese face losing their livelihoods.
Hezbollah leader vows bloody retaliation for US killing of Iranian general
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday the US military in the Middle East would pay the price for killing Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, which he said marked ‘the start of a new phase’ for the region.
Female protesters on the frontline in Lebanon
This week, we focus on Lebanon, where Prime Minister Saad Hariri has resigned after nationwide rallies brought the country to a virtual standstill. The protesters want a complete overhaul of an establishment that they call corrupt. Our correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports on how women have taken an active role in the protests.
Lebanese protesters denounce president’s speech
Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun said the country should move towards a non-sectarian, civic state as he adressed the nation after weeks of protests. But for protesters blocking roads in Beirut, his words were too little, too late.
Out of sight, out of mind: Empowering domestic workers
In this special edition, a look at the working women the world tends to forget. The domestic female worker employed by private households and who often operates without clear terms of employment and also in a vulnerable position. At least 80 percent of the 67 million domestic workers worldwide are female. Our reporter in Lebanon reports on initiatives to ensure their rights.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon hit hard by UN funding crisis
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians refugees live in Lebanon. They’re descendants of the Palestinians displaced during the Arab-Israeli wars of the mid-20th century. Many live in abject poverty, relying on support from the UN agency UNRWA and a helping hand from international donors. But the United States, a key donor, has now entirely cut off its funding to UNRWA, forcing the refugees deeper into a spiral of hardship. Our correspondent reports.
War in Syria: Hezbollah’s secret soldiers
Since it began seven years ago, Syria’s civil conflict has drawn in multiple foreign powers. Among them are Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah forces, who have helped prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad. To date, the party’s military arm has been tight-lipped about where, when and just how many of their fighters have died across the border. But our correspondent Leila Molana-Allen gained rare access to some of these Shiite militants and their relatives.
Displaced Syrians return to war-torn homeland from Lebanon
Hundreds of displaced Syrians on Thursday left Lebanon for their war-torn homeland to reunite with relatives they have not seen for months, or even years. Leila Molana-Allen visited the border town of Arsal to speak with those gearing up for the departure.
Residents of southern Lebanon live in fear of another war
Last month, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group announced that a new chapter in Syria’s civil war had begun. This came after missiles were fired from Syrian soil into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli government blamed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who set up Hezbollah back in 1982, for the attack. Our correspondent has gone deep into southern Lebanon to find out what locals make of the fact their homeland has once again been the spark for regional rivalries.
‘We need a country’: The fight for Kurdish independence
Ethnic Kurds in Northern Iraq voted in favor of independence, but the referendum wasn’t recognized by the Iraqi government or the United States. Many fear this could lead to a civil war.
Hezbollah Shows Military Might Along Lebanon’s Borders
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Hezbollah helped Lebanon get rid of ISIS after three years of occupation along the Northern border, now a Southern unit is getting ready for what they expect is an inevitable war against Israel.
The Tech Entrepreneur Turning Syrian Refugees into Virtual Teachers
Lebanese entrepreneur Aline Sara saw a gap in the market while hunting for Arabic conversation classes in the West. She connects highly skilled Syrian refugees with Arabic learners around the world, providing much-needed work for the teachers.
Brewing beer in Palestine is becoming a woman’s world
Madees Khoury is the the only qualified female beer brewer in Palestine. The 31 year old has been brewing for 10 years, and is now taking over the running of the company from her father and uncle. She says that despite the fact the older generation of buyers prefer dealing with her dad, younger bar managers are more than happy to deal with her, and she believes she can be a role model for other Palestinian girls. She has big plans for the future as well, as she hopes to start exporting Taybeh beer, named after the village where she lives, internationally.
Being a refugee in winter
As temperatures approach freezing and migrants continue to cross into Europe in record numbers, many are getting sick. Some European governments are not doing enough
Ports and policy in Indonesia: A maritime superpower in the making?
Indonesia’s president has ambitious plans to overhaul the country’s backward infrastructure. He had better work fast.
On the front line of the Saudi-Yemen conflict
Saudi Arabia insists it is winning the war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Someone should tell the rebels.
Reflections on a revolution: Egypt, five years on
In January 2011, protesters packed Egypt’s streets to call for change. They succeeded in toppling the government, but little has changed for the better.
Is home ownership out of reach for young Britons?
Britain’s housing crisis. Rocketing prices and limited construction are putting home ownership out of reach for many young Britons. As the election nears, few politicians have a realistic solution.
Why Labour is losing Scotland to the Scottish National Party
Faced with an onslaught of patriotic feeling, the Labour Party stands to lose many of its Scottish seats to the separatist Scottish National Party. Without them, it could struggle to lead the next British government.
The Auld Acquaintance Cairn | The places in between
Fiery political opinions have dominated the Scottish independence debate. A rising structure in the Borderlands offers a more poignant contribution.
The future of Scotland: Will the ayes have it?
Scotland is going to the polls against a backdrop of nationalist euphoria. Will the staid yet sensible arguments of the No campaign be enough to save the union?
Leila Molana-Allen 