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Live. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dua Lysa Kautau. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped a Lebanese businessman and the father-in-law of Trump's daughter, Tiffany, to join his administration as senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs. And Pierre's Luke Garrett reports.

Mossade Boulos campaigned for Trump in the swing state of Michigan, meeting with Arab American

communities in particular. His efforts proved successful. President Elect Trump ultimately won

more support than Vice President Harris in Dearborn, Michigan,

home to one of the largest Arab-American communities in the country.

In 2020, Dearborn overwhelmingly supported President Biden.

Trump made the announcement about Bulos on his social media site, Truth Social,

saying Bulos was instrumental in building a new coalition with Arab-American communities. The president-elect also said, quote,

Mossad is a dealmaker and an unwavering supporter of peace in the Middle East, end quote.

Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. The official news agency in Syria reports that President

Bashar al-Assad is vowing to defeat rebels who days ago took over that country's second

largest city. NPR's Lauren Freire reports the fighting is the latest chapter in a conflict between Syrian government forces and insurgents that began 13 years ago.

These are some of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's first comment since insurgents swept Aleppo.

They pose the biggest challenge to his rule in years.

Assad vowed to crush what he

called terrorists attacking his regime. Meanwhile, his ally Russia, according to its state media,

has stepped up airstrikes in Syria's rebel-held northwest. Syria's civil war started in 2011.

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