Armed Militias and Extremist Groups

Women are seen walking at the Roj Camp in northeast Syria, on April 8, 2025.

Exclusive

Syria's Kurds say Trump aid cuts are feeding radicalism in ISIS camps

In an interview at Syria’s Roj camp, the head of intelligence for the Women’s Protection Units warns that US funding cuts are fueling a resurgence of ISIS ideology among detained women and children, deepening an already volatile security crisis.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

In Paris, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US forces patrol oil fields near Syria's northeastern border with Turkey in the Qahtaniyah countryside in the far northeast corner of Hasakeh province on Sept. 3, 2024.

US weighs plans to slash troop presence in Syria by more than half

Fewer than 1,000 US troops could remain in the country in order to retain limited oversight of ISIS prisons controlled by Kurdish-led forces across the country’s northeast, according to officials briefed on the latest plans.

Israeli far-right Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a gathering by right-wing activists near the border with Gaza, on Oct. 21, 2024, calling to establish a new Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s Ben-Gvir visits US Monday, set to meet Trump officials: What to know

While avoiding official travel to the US during the Biden administration, Israel's far-right minister is set to embark on a weeklong trip there next week, where he is expected to meet with Trump officials.

A picture taken during a tour organized by the Jordanian Army shows a drone flying over an observation post along the border with Syria, on Feb. 17, 2022.

Jordan foils 'sabotage' plot involving rockets and drones, 16 arrested

Jordan said the members of the group received training in Lebanon, as Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam expressed solidarity with the kingdom.

Latest News

Sudan’s Burhan arrives in Turkey on heels of Eritrea visit, key victories

People cheers as Sudan's de facto leader, armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrives at the market in Port Sudan on December 29, 2024. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel arrests 6 over Turkey money transfer scheme: What we know

An Israeli military vehicle moves through a street in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, West Bank, Oct. 1, 2024.

Analysis

As Sudan's genocide case against UAE opens at ICJ, legal shield under fire

A fighter loyal to the army patrols a market area in Khartoum on March 24, 2025.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Netanyahu set to meet Trump amid differences over Iran, tariffs and Turkey: What to know

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint statement in the East Room of the White House on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held to announce the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration are deployed after closing a road leading to the Alawite-majority Mazzeh 86 neighbourhood in western Damascus, on Dec. 26, 2024.

Amid Alawite tensions, Syria's new rulers launch security operation: What we know

Syrian authorities conducted a search and made arrests in Tartous on Thursday following an ambush the day prior and amid rising violence throughout the country.

Men carry a mock missile during a rally by university students and faculty denouncing strikes on Yemen and in solidarity with Palestinians.

Israel launches new airstrikes in Yemen, hits Sanaa airport for first time

Israel conducted massive airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including on Sanaa's international airport and the seaport of Hodeidah.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party, in Damascus, on Dec. 22, 2024.

From UK to Jordan: Delegations pour into Damascus, meet Syria's al-Sharaa

Officials from the Arab world, Turkey, the US and Europe have sent delegations to Syria since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

A banner depicting Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stands next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square, Tehran, Sept. 26, 2024.

Analysis

Were Israel's Yemen strikes trial run for major attack on Iran?

Some analysts consider the large-scale attack on Yemeni sites a test run for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, but others now view destabilizing the mullahs as the best approach.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Yemeni firefighters douse oil tanks with water at a power station hit in an Israeli airstrike in the Houthi-run capital, Sanaa, Dec. 19, 2024.

Israel strikes Yemen ports, power stations in retaliation against Houthis

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets struck three ports and two power plants in Sanaa, the capital.

People hold a banner featuring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as members of the Syrian community and supporters gather to celebrate the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the face of an offensive by Islamist-led rebels, in Istanbul's Fatih district on December 8, 2024. Islamist-led rebels toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive that a UN envoy called "a watershed moment" for the nation marred by civil war. (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN / AFP) (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN/AF

Analysis

'We may end up missing Assad': Israel grapples with Turkey’s rising influence in Syria

Reports of Turkish preparations to invade northern Syria, coupled with Israeli officials’ statements of support for the Kurds, further strain the already tense relationship between the leaders of Israel and Turkey.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

People chant slogans and wave flags in celebration after performing the first Friday prayer since the fall of the Assad regime at the Umayyad Mosque on Dec. 13, 2024 in Damascus, Syria.

Gulf states reach out to new Syrian leaders ahead of Jordan talks: What we know

Bahrain's King Hamad sent a letter to HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, while the UAE has held direct contact with opposition groups. Qatar is set to reopen embassy in Damascus soon.

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel builds flexible presence in Syria as window opens to strike Iran

Israeli leaders keep stressing that the military presence in the buffer zone and on Mount Hermon is temporary, but a lot will depend on who will control Syria hence on

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

An aerial view shows a Syrian man waving the independence-era Syrian flag at Damascus' central Umayyad Square, on Dec. 11, 2024.

Turkey’s intel chief in Damascus, set to meet Syria's transition, HTS leaders

The Turkish intelligence chief reportedly plans to hold talks with rebel leaders as US Secretary Antony Blinken is due to arrive in Ankara for crucial discussions on Syria.

Mohamed Bashir, who heads HTS's so-called Salvation Government, holds a press conference in the rebel-held northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Nov. 28, 2024.

Who is who in Syria’s first interim government after Assad's fall

HTS and its government arm have installed a new interim prime minister and cabinet in Damascus. Who are they?

Fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) inspect damaged and abandoned military vehicles and equipment at the Qamishli international airport, formerly a joint Syrian-russian military base, in northeastern Syria's city of Qamishli on Dec. 9, 2024.

Exclusive

Syria’s Kurds withdraw from Manbij following US ultimatum

The ultimatum came as the militants failed to comply with an agreement brokered by the United States to pull out of the city in exchange for assurances that Turkey and its SNA allies would not attack the SDF east of the river.

Amberin Zaman

Jared Szuba

By Amberin Zaman , Jared Szuba

Syrian pounds are pictured at a currency exchange shop in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on June 15, 2020.

Syria's interim PM warns foreign currency shortage could hinder refugee return

Nearly 14 years of civil war, international sanctions and the exodus of 4.82 million Syrians have crippled the economy, resulting in a sharp decline of the Syrian pound.