Syria Conflict

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives at the Grand Kremlin Palace for his meeting with Russia's president in Moscow on Oct. 15, 2025.

Israel condemns Syria over purported Oct. 7 musical event: What to know

Israel, which has tense relations with Syria's new government, condemned a concert allegedly commemorating Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, though the event was reportedly cancelled.

Sharaa

Analysis

Could Trump be the one to deliver peace to Syria and Turkey's Kurds?

As Trump deepens his Syria push, Washington is probing whether its leverage can turn fragile truces into lasting peace.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa in the White House, in Washington, on Nov. 10, 2025.

Syria’s Sharaa leaves Washington with warm assurances but no security agreements

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa departed Washington without clinching major security agreements or long-term economic relief.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa holds a joint press conference with the Turkish president following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on February 4, 2025. Syria's interim president is in Turkey for talks with the country's leader after flying in from Saudi Arabia, where he was seeking help from wealthy Gulf countries to finance the reconstruction of his war-ravaged nation and revive its economy, as part of his second international trip since ousting the former Syrian president. (

Syria's Sharaa says no direct talks with Israel, open to US military presence

In an interview on Monday, President Ahmed al-Sharaa dismissed direct negotiations with Israel concerning the Abraham Accords, but left the door open to US-brokered diplomacy.

Latest News

Trump buys time with Syria sanctions waiver as Congress wrestles over repeal

A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump at White House in Washington on Nov. 10, 2025.

Syrian President Sharaa arrives at White House in historic first

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, Nov. 10, 2025.

Turkey’s Fidan joins Trump–Sharaa talks at White House

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gestures as he speaks during a press conference after a meeting with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan and Indonesia in Istanbul on November 3, 2025. Turkey on November 3, 2025, hosts a string of top diplomats from the Islamic world to bring their influence to bear on the future of Gaza, as fears grow for the increasingly fragile truce. The October 10 ceasefire in the two-year-long Israel-Hamas war, brokered by US Presi

Analysis

Sharaa in Washington: Can US charm offensive boost Syria’s reconstruction?

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - JULY 16: Members of Syria's civil defense work amid the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on Syria's defence ministry headquarters on July 16, 2025 in Damascus, Syria. A spokesperson from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Wednesday that Israeli airstrikes have targeted the headquarters of Syria's defence ministry and a site near the presidential palace in Damascus. The strikes come amid an escalation in conflict between Syrian government forces and Druze militia in the southern Sy

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Analysis

Turkey eyes dividends from Sharaa-Trump meeting, but SDF talks test Ankara

Ankara stands to make strategic gains from the Syrian president’s historic visit, with the future of the Kurdish-led SDF remaining a critical issue.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Sharaa and Mazloum

Analysis

Syria's Kurds fear new betrayal as Sharaa gears up for Trump meeting

With Sharaa set to meet Trump, Syrian Kurds face uncertainty over their autonomy and future influence.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on September 23, 2025 in New York City. This year’s theme for the annual global meeting is:“Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.” Gaza and Ukraine are just two of the global emergencies that world leaders will look to address. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Analysis

As Trump hosts Sharaa, Israel cautiously seeks Syria security deal

Despite optimism in September, Israel and Syria still have not finalized an American-mediated security agreement.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - OCTOBER 26: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (not in frame) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on October 26, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Trump is in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, and will next travel to Japan, en route to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Analysis

Trump pursues Israeli-Syrian security pact with Sharaa, larger US military footprint

Israelis welcome the US effort but fear losing decision-making power and the ability to protect their interests as the US troop presence in the region looks set to further expand.

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

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visits with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (off frame) during the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on Sept. 24, 2025.

UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions on Syria's Sharaa

The move comes days before Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to visit the White House.

This picture taken on July 10, 2022, shows a view of the thermal natural gas and fuel oil power plant serving Syria's northern city of Aleppo.

Syria advances Qatar-backed $7B power project amid soaring electricity prices

According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, the plants will use a combination of natural gas and solar energy.

A Syrian man inspects the prison of Saydnaya, north of Damascus on Dec. 16, 2024.

Feature

Families of Americans missing in Syria urge Caesar sanctions relief

The remaining US sanctions on Syria may be hindering the search for the remains of Americans detained and killed by the former Assad regime.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Sipan Hemo

Exclusive

SDF commander Hemo: Syria’s Kurds prepare for threat of war as Damascus talks falter

As US-brokered talks stall, Kurdish forces are preparing contingencies while continuing dialogue with Damascus to secure Syria’s future, SDF commander Sipan Hemo told Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Meet Rama Duwaji, Mamdani's wife and New York’s first lady of Syrian descent

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, largely stayed out of the spotlight during the campaign but her Syrian heritage has shaped her views and upbringing.

Former Director General of Lafarge Bruno Lafont (C) and French lawyer Jacqueline Laffont arrive on the opening day of the trial.

French cement giant Lafarge on trial for ‘funding terrorism’ in Syria: What to know

The French company is accused of funneling millions of dollars via its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria to jihadi groups and intermediaries to keep its cement plant operating in northern Syria.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 30: Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during a press conference after a meeting between the Syrian leadership and a Ukrainian delegation to help strengthen ties between the two countries on December 30, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Syria is transitioning after the fall of the Baath regime and the Assad family's rule, with a temporary administration now in place in Damascus and Aleppo. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Syria’s Shibani says no concrete progress in integration talks with Kurds

Syria’s foreign minister cites a “positive trajectory,” but Damascus and Kurdish officials remain deadlocked despite US-brokered efforts to unify the country’s political and military structures.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Billion-dollar AI, clean energy deals headline Saudi 'Davos in the Desert'

Humain, an AI firm backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the PIF, signed a $3 billion deal with AirTrunk, a company backed by US asset manager Blackstone, to build a data center campus in the kingdom.