Syria revokes BBC accreditation over alleged bias after report on high-level ties to drug trade

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's Information Ministry revoked the BBC's media accreditation, days after the British public broadcaster aired a report linking members of Syrian President Bashar Assad's family and senior army officials to the production and smuggling of illicit drugs.

The documentary, broadcast in late June, describes a multibillion dollar business involving the highly addictive amphetamine known as Captagon

The Syrian ministry said it revoked the BBC's accreditation after repeated warnings about what it claimed were "misleading reports relying on statements and testimonies from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria." The ministry made no mention of the documentary and did not back up its claims of biased reporting.

The BBC dismissed the ministry's allegations, saying it provides impartial and independent journalism.