Russia in Syria

Two giant election banners showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin and a caption reading "Netanyahu, in another league," Tel Aviv, July 28, 2019.

Analysis

Wary of Turkey and Iran, Israel tightens ties with Russia: What to know

Regional shifts, especially involving Iran, Syria and Turkey, are forcing Israel to reevaluate its complicated relations with Russia.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A general view shows docked ships at the harbor of the Sudanese city of Port Sudan, on April 27, 2021.

Analysis

Sudan, Russia reach 'understanding' on naval base but hurdles remain

A naval base deal that has been more than five years in the making has gained renewed attention after statements from Sudan’s foreign minister while in Moscow.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

France's President Emmanuel Macron (C), Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (R) and Syria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani pose for a group photograph during the International Conference on Syria at the Ministerial Conference Center, in Paris on February 13, 2025. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

France sees opening in Trump's USAID cuts to lead Syria humanitarian aid

The Paris conference on Syria positions France at the forefront of international efforts to support the interim regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia's Putin and Syria's Sharaa hold first call since Assad fall

Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russia’s Vladimir Putin held their first phone call on Wednesday in an uncertain time for the former allies.

Latest News

Russian delegation in Syria as Moscow scrambles to secure military presence

A Russian ship is pictured in front of fleet replenishment oiler Ivan Bubnov (L) at the Russian naval base in the port of Tartus, Syria, Sept. 26, 2019.

Analysis

Iran, Russia to seal strategic partnership: What’s in it for Moscow?

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of an international forum "Interrelation of times and civilizations - basis of peace and development" in Ashgabat on Oct. 11, 2024.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Analysis

Russia eyes Libya as military substitute for Syria? Not so fast, say Libyans

TOPSHOT - A Syrian rebel fighter (C) looks on as he stands at an inspection checkpoint for incoming vehicles before a Russian flag and Russian soldiers behind manning the entrance of the Russian-leased Syrian military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in western Syria on December 29, 2024. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP) (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Mohamed Eljarh

By Mohamed Eljarh

Al-Monitor's top 10 most-read articles, interviews of 2024

Children stand on a beach in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on December 30, 2024. The severe storms have caused significant damage to the already fragile living conditions in the camp. (Photo by Youssef Alzanoun / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by YOUSSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

A Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber and Su-35S fighter jets fly in formation during the Victory Day military parade, Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2021.

Ukraine war at year 1: Russia-Iran alignment threatens delicate Middle East balance

US officials say Russia's invasion of Ukraine has given Iran a chance to hone its drone warfare skills while potentially expanding its proxies' footprint in Syria, risking escalation with Israel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen set at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the annexation of four regions of Ukraine Russian troops occupy - Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, in central Moscow on September 30, 2022. (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Al-Monitor/Premise poll: Russia's role seen as negative in Turkey, Yemen, Iraq

The Russian invasion of Ukraine hurt the region economically, as supply chain disruptions and food shortages topped respondents concerns in Turkey, Egypt, Yemen and Iraq

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen give a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 16, 2023.

Analysis

Ukraine war at year 1: Israel, Ukraine find common ground on Iran

Sharing concerns over Moscow-Tehran military cooperation, Jerusalem and Kyiv’s interests are now converging.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Cohen, Zelenskyy meet in Kyiv

Israeli foreign minister meets Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Kyiv

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is the first high-level Israeli to visit Kyiv since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Israel's Netanyahu echoes 'shared estimate' with France on Iran, 'serious concerns' on Ukraine

"I must note that we share concerns and we share the estimates on the nature of the Tehran regime," Netanyahu said following his meeting with Macron

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) shakes hands with President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog.

NATO wants Israel to 're-examine' its aid to Ukraine

NATO and Israel are closer than even before on the issue of the Iranian threat but not yet on the same page over assisting Ukraine.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey faces tough options on Syrian rebel allies amid Damascus thaw

Ankara’s quest to restore ties with Damascus has left its Syrian rebel allies confused as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the jihadi group controlling Idlib, seeks to raise its profile and lure the disenchanted to its ranks.

This grab taken from AFP video footage shows a member of Ukraine's military looking away as a rocket launcher fires on the outskirts of Soledar, whose fate was uncertain after Russian Wagner group claimed it controlled the town, Ukraine, Jan. 11, 2023.

Russia to expand private militaries in broader Middle East amid staffing crisis

As it wages a full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia wants to reform its army while being chronically short of security personnel, and increasingly dependent on mercenaries

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

Fledgling Turkish-Syrian dialogue faces bumpy road ahead

Ankara and Damascus need to moderate their positions to avoid a collision in their quest for normalization.

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Iran's top diplomat to visit Turkey amid Erdogan-Assad thaw

The foreign ministers of the two nations will hold talks next week amid ongoing Ankara-Damascus rapprochement.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: January 9, 2023, 1:41 pm

UN extends Syria cross-border aid by six months

By a vote of 15-0, the UN Security Council renewed the provision of aid from the Turkish-Syrian border through July.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar is seen seated at the start of the North Atlantic Council meeting on the final day of the NATO defense ministers' meeting at the NATO headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 13, 2022.

Turkish defense chief warns Syrian rebels against ‘provocation’

As the Turkish president eyes a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, the Turkish defense chief warns Ankara-backed armed groups against “provocations” amid ongoing Syrian protests against the Damascus-Ankara thaw.