INTERNACIONAL
Syrians mark first year since Assad’s fall as US signals new era in relations
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Tens of thousands of Syrians flooded the streets of Damascus on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the Assad regime’s collapse.
The celebrations came a year after former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the capital as rebel forces swept through the country in a lightning offensive that ended five decades of Assad family rule and opened a new chapter in Syrian history.
A wave of transformations and historic firsts has since redrawn Syria’s political landscape, culminating in a diplomatic breakthrough with the United States that saw President Donald Trump host interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in an unprecedented White House visit.
The long-standing Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, viewed as the United States’ most restrictive sanctions on Syria since its enactment in 2019, is on the verge of being rolled back, with a full repeal written into the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
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«Every Syrian is celebrating liberation and now celebrating the removal of the Caesar Act,» said Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, who helped draft and name the original bill, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
«Caesar was shattering Syria’s economy and Syria’s future, even if everything else went well. And now, Syria has true hope. Today, with the first anniversary of liberation, the greatest gift that the Syrian people could have gotten is the lifting of the Caesar Act.»
The NDAA is slated for a vote in the House this week.
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As Syrians celebrate the overthrow of Assad, the country now faces the daunting task of rebuilding, from reconstruction and revitalizing the economy to seeking justice for families still waiting for answers about loved ones forcibly disappeared by the regime.
People hold portraits of relatives killed or disappeared under the Assad regime during a mourning demonstration at Hijaz Station in Damascus on Dec. 27, 2024. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Data from the Syrian Network for Human Rights indicate that more than 170,000 people remain forcibly disappeared in Syria between March 2011 and August 2025, an overwhelming majority of whom were held in former Assad regime detention centers.
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Syria has also grappled with outbreaks of sectarian violence this year, most notably in Sweida, where Druze militias, Sunni Bedouin tribes and Syrian government forces engaged in violent clashes.
Syrian soldiers assemble near Sweida on July 15, 2025, as black smoke rises following deadly sectarian clashes in the southern province. (Stringer/Getty Images)
«There have been occasional clashes and atrocities. I note, and it’s interesting, that this new President Ahmed al-Sharaa has put on trial, publicly, on live television in Syria, more than a dozen security force members who are charged with violating human rights, such as extrajudicial killing and illegal detention and torture,» said former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford in an interview with Fox News Digital.
«If they are convicted and held accountable, that will be remarkable. All the more remarkable under the presidency of a man who used to be in al Qaeda.»
In July, the U.S. State Department formally revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group formerly led by al-Sharaa.
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U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House. (BING GUAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images; Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump has met al-Sharaa, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, three times since returning to the White House.
He has praised Syria’s new leader despite his past and urged Israel to maintain a «strong and true dialogue» with Damascus amid Israeli ground incursions into southern Syria.
«We are doing everything within our power to make sure the Government of Syria continues to do what was intended, which is substantial, in order to build a true and prosperous Country,» said Trump in a December Truth Social post.
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«It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria’s evolution into a prosperous State.»
Wanted-style portraits of former Syrian President Bashar Assad are displayed in a coffeeshop window in Damascus on Dec. 7, 2025. (Hussein Malla/AP)
Al-Sharaa called on the Russian government earlier this year to hand over Assad — who was granted asylum in Moscow — to face justice for atrocities committed during his time in power.
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a longtime advocate for the Syrian people and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News Digital in a statement that it’s time for a new era in Syria.
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«The progress we’ve seen in the year since the fall of dictator Assad is incredible. Syria has transformed from a Putin puppet and Iranian regime ally to a partner of the United States, joining the coalition against ISIS and removing Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, and ISIS. Led by Ambassador Tom Barrack, under President Trump, we have seized an historic opportunity by supporting the efforts of President al-Sharaa and lifting crippling sanctions on Syria,» said Wilson.
«There is progress to be made, but absent these bold and visionary actions to give Syria a chance, the country would descend into factionalized chaos to be exploited by terrorists,» he said. «Syria has a rich, multi-ethnic, and religiously pluralistic history. The people suffered over half a century under sadistic socialist Assad.»
syria,world,middle east
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The Department of War on Sunday transported a next-generation nuclear reactor aboard a C-17 from California to Utah, advancing President Donald Trump’s executive order to modernize America’s nuclear energy infrastructure and strengthen U.S. national security.
The reactor was flown from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah and is expected to be transported to the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in Orangeville for testing and evaluation – a key step in assessing how advanced nuclear systems could support military installations and remote defense operations.
The Department of War shared images on X showing the reactor loaded onto the C-17 aircraft.
«We’re advancing President Trump’s executive order on nuclear energy,» the post read. «Moments from now, we will airlift a next-generation nuclear reactor.»
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The Department of War said the successful delivery and installation of the reactor will open new possibilities for energy resilience and strategic independence for the nation’s defense, highlighting what officials described as an agile, innovative and commercial-first approach to addressing critical infrastructure challenges.
«By harnessing the power of advanced nuclear technology, we are not only enhancing our national security but championing a future of American energy dominance,» the agency said in a press release. «This event is a testament to the ingenuity of the American spirit and a critical advancement in securing our nation’s freedom and strength for generations to come.»
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of War for additional comment.
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The Department of War airlifted a next-generation nuclear reactor to Utah, advancing President Trump’s push to modernize U.S. energy and strengthen national security. (U.S. Department of War X)
In May, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders aimed at expanding domestic nuclear energy development. At the time, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said America led the postwar world on «all things nuclear» until it «stagnated» and was «choked with overregulation.»
War Secretary Pete Hegseth added that the U.S. was «going to have the lights on and AI operating when others are not because of our nuclear capabilities.»
One of Trump’s nuclear directives called for reforming Energy Department research and development, accelerating reactor testing at national laboratories and establishing a pilot program for new construction.
ENERGY SECRETARY REVEALS HOW US NUCLEAR TESTS WILL WORK
Nuclear energy, the White House said in the order, «is necessary to power the next generation technologies that secure our global industrial, digital, and economic dominance, achieve energy independence, and protect our national security.»
The nuclear expansion effort is part of a broader administration push to reinforce domestic energy production and grid reliability across multiple sectors.
Days later, Trump signed another executive order directing the Department of War to work directly with coal-fired power plants on new long-term power purchasing agreements, arguing the move would ensure «more reliable power and stronger and more resilient grid power.»
The order, «Strengthening United States National Defense with America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Power Generation Fleet,» states, «The United States must ensure that our electric grid … remains resilient and reliable, and not reliant on intermittent energy sources,» calling the grid «the foundation of our national defense as well as our economic stability.»
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«It is the policy of the United States that coal is essential to our national and economic security,» the order adds.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
donald trump,pete hegseth,defense,energy,utah
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Ukraine’s former energy minister was detained Sunday after authorities removed him from a train at the border as he allegedly attempted to flee the country, a source has confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Herman Halushchenko’s arrest, the source said, followed requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and marked an uptick in an anti-corruption probe engulfing the political spectrum.
«Halushchenko tried to escape Ukraine,» the source said under the condition of anonymity.
«The border guards had a request from NABU and SAPO about him and also to get information in case he tried to cross the border,» they added.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STAYS SILENT AS MASSIVE UKRAINE CORRUPTION SCANDAL ROCKS ZELENSKYY’S INNER CIRCLE
Ukrainian authorities detained former energy minister Herman Halushchenko in the Operation Midas probe investigating alleged $100 million kickbacks at Energoatom nuclear company. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
«This essentially means that because he tried to cross, the president has lost some control here.»
NABU released a statement on the matter Sunday but did not name Halushchenko, according to the Kyiv Post.
He had served as the country’s energy minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but resigned in November.
«Today, while crossing the state border, NABU detectives have detained the former Minister of Energy as part of the ‘Midas’ case,» the agency said in a statement, referring to a corruption scandal in the country’s energy sector.
«Initial investigative proceedings are ongoing, carried out in accordance with the requirements of the law and court sanctions. Details to follow,» NABU added.
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Halushchenko had served under Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)
Operation Midas centers on allegations of a $100 million embezzlement scheme within Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy company.
Investigators say funds meant for critical energy infrastructure, including wartime grid repairs after Russian attacks, were siphoned off through contract kickbacks.
Halushchenko was one of several ministers who resigned in 2025 as NABU uncovered what it described as the massive money-laundering scheme orchestrated by Tymur Mindich, also an ally of Zelenskyy.
The controversy has also affected border operations. Border head Serhiy Deineko was dismissed in January, the Kyiv Independent reported.
On Jan. 4, Valerii Vavryniuk, the agency’s first deputy, was appointed acting head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), according to to Pravda.
«The last border head had also been accused of corruption,» the source said. «There is a new acting head of the border service who is not loyal to Zelenskyy but more so to the institutions.»
FORMER UKRAINIAN PM ACCUSED OF BRIBING POLITICIANS WITH US DOLLARS TO WEAKEN ZELENSKYY’S GOVERNMENT
«With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him,» a source told Fox News Digital. (Pavlo Bahmut/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The source also said since Halushchenko was considered an «unofficial but direct subordinate» of Zelenskyy, this latest arrest will prove difficult for Ukraine’s leader.
«Halushchenko had been [an] (unofficial but direct) subordinate to Zelenskyy, so if his corruption is proven then it will be hard to convince people the president knew nothing,» they said.
«With the corruption probes, Zelenskyy loses control and this infuriates him,» the source added.
The developments come as Zelenskyy continues to navigate Ukraine’s war with Russia.
TOP UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS IN ZELENSKYY GOVERNMENT SUBMIT RESIGNATIONS AMID $100 MILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL
Ukrainian servicemen ride atop an APC toward frontline positions near Vuhledar, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 1, 2023. (Libkos/AP Photo)
The source described high emotion inside the Ukraine parliament with Zelenskyy’s «stress rising» in the wake of Herman Halushchenko’s arrest.
«Recently Zelenskyy became angry over initiatives in parliament that were not pushed through, and he shouted and threatened parliamentarians,» the source said.
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«This week he appeared quite emotionally uncontrollable and almost aggressive behind the camera, so some parliamentarians have seen his stress rise many times recently – and more than pre-war levels,» they said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Zelenskyy’s office for comment.
ukraine,volodymyr zelenskyy,corruption,border security,crime,crime world
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