As his enemies closed in on Damascus, Bashar al-Assad, who ruled over Syria with an iron fist for 24 years, used a private jet to spirit away cash, valuables and confidential documents mapping the corporate web behind his wealth.

Yasar Ibrahim, the president's top economic adviser, arranged the leasing of the plane to transport Assad's treasured assets, relatives, aides and presidential palace personnel to the United Arab Emirates aboard four flights, according to an account of the operation pieced together by Reuters from more than a dozen sources.

The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen.

I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.

Syria’s new government faces accusations of massacres as violent three-day-long clashes between its forces and loyalist fighters supporting ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad claim the lives of over 300 civilians and scores of fighters, according to reports.

More than 1,300 people in Syria have been killed — many believed to be civilians — in the span of three days amid intense fighting between forces associated with Syria's new government and those loyal to the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad, according to a human rights group.

The conflict is considered the country's worst violence since insurgents toppled the Assad regime back in December. It's also the biggest test for Syria's new government since it has assumed power.

International alarm is growing over fighting in western Syria, where hundreds of civilians have been reportedly killed amid intense clashes between the country’s new government and loyalists to the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad. Pro-government forces have been accused of killing scores of residents in revenge massacres.

Syria is experiencing its deadliest period since the ousting of longtime President Bashar al-Assad three months ago, as clashes have erupted between government forces and pro-al Assad fighters this week, leaving hundreds of civilians and fighters dead. Since Thursday, more than 1,000 people—including Christian minorities and Alawites, the sect to which Assad belongs—have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) and local reports.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) forces who took over Damascus in December killed hundreds of Syrian civilians over the last two days, targeting Alawites and Christians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on March 7 that 240 people had been killed in two days of violence in the coastal region of western Syria, which is heavily populated by members of the Alawite minority. The victims massacred include many children and women.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's warning of a terrorist takeover in Syria looks to be coming true amid reports that al Qaeda-linked terror forces aligned with Syria’s interim new president—a former al Qaeda terrorist—are being accused of massacring Alawites as well as members of the country's dwindling Christian community.

Last week, Turkish authorities detained scores of people for suspected links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is viewed as a terrorist group by Ankara, Brussels, and Washington.

On Feb. 18, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that almost 300 suspects had been arrested in multiple provinces, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara.

“We are determined to eradicate terrorism in all its forms,” Yerlikaya said in remarks cited by Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency.