Syria Conflict

Syria partners with Nokia to rebuild digital infrastructure after years of war

The new Syrian government wants to expand internet access in the country after damage during the civil war and years of underinvestment due to sanctions.

Israel military vehicles drive along the border fence into Israel, near the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, July 17, 2025.

Analysis

Will Israel’s potential Syria security deal intensify its rivalry with Turkey?

Israeli experts warn that a security deal with Syria won’t ease tensions with Turkey or end the ongoing battle for regional influence.

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

Druze religious leader Hikmat al-Hijri is pictured on Dec. 28, 2024, Suwayda, Syria.

New Druze militia forms in Syria as Hijri calls for autonomy

Tensions are running high in southern Syria, despite government efforts to investigate the recent violence and deliver more aid.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel

Interview

Israel deputy FM: France’s Palestinian recognition push is 'reward' for Hamas

Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel says that French President Emmanuel Macron has undercut ceasefire negotiations and bolstered Hamas by declaring his intention to recognize Palestinian statehood and encouraging other states to do the same.

Latest News

Analysis

Turkey’s gamble: Syria defense deal signals long road to rebuilding forces

A convoy of Syrian military and security forces passes a sign for Sweida city on July 15, 2025, near Sweida, Syria.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey launches military training for Syria’s new army: What to know

Members of the new Syrian government's army are seen amid battles with militias loyal to the Assad regime on the Syrian coast near Latakia, Syria, on March 7, 2025.

Nine bodies unearthed in Latakia mass grave, one of dozens found in post-Assad Syria

Workers package human remains recovered from the mass grave in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 17, 2024.

US raid kills senior ISIS official near Syria's border with Turkey

Sharaa Kobane

Syria's president announces deal to integrate Kurdish-led SDF into state structure

The new government in Damascus is seeking to integrate all armed groups in Syria under its command.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

SYRIA - MARCH 7: Fighters with the new Syrian government drive between Tartus and Latakia on March 7, 2025 on the road between Tartus and Latakia, Syria. Dozens of people have been killed in clashes between loyalists of the deposed Assad regime and forces of the country's new rulers. It is the heaviest such fighting since Syrian rebels toppled the Assad regime last December. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Analysis

Deadliest Syria clashes since Assad's fall test Sharaa, outside support

Experts told Al-Monitor that the clashes pose a significant challenge to Sharaa and could further deepen Washington’s uncertainty on how to engage with Damascus.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

People gather to celebrate an iftar meal organized by a humanitarian organization, as they break their fast on March 4, 2025, amid the ruins of the Qaboun neighborhood of Damascus, Syria.

Feature

Syria’s post-Assad economy falters as US stalls on sanctions relief

Three months after Syria's rebel takeover, all eyes are on Ahmed al-Sharaa and whether he can stabilize the economy as promised.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Israeli tank enters Syria buffer zone

Turkey accuses Israel of destabilizing region by driving wedge in Syria

Israel’s actions toward Syria's new interim regime risk fomenting further instability in the region, a Turkish official told Al-Monitor.

Syrian central bank

UK removes 24 Syrian entities from sanctions list, including central bank

The latest decision comes after the European Union lifted several sanctions across banking and energy on Syria on Feb. 24.

A monument with the emblem of the Syrian government stands in front of a government building in Damascus.

New Iran-backed group wants to fight plans to 'divide' Syria: What to know

A newly formed armed Syrian group called the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria, pledged to counter efforts by the United States, Israel and Turkey to divide the country following the fall of Assad.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) meets with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in Tehran, on July 19, 2022.

Analysis

Iran spooked by Turkey’s overtures to Kurds, rising role in Syria, Iraq

Iran and Turkey’s regional rivalry deepens as Ankara moves to make peace with the Kurds and expands its influence in Syria and Iraq at Tehran’s expense.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Fidan and Araghchi

Iran, Turkey summon diplomats as tensions soar over Syria, Kurds: What to know

Turkish and Iranian tensions have intensified after the top Turkish diplomat criticized Tehran's use of proxy forces in an interview with Al-Jazeera Arabic last week.

Ultraorthodox Jewish men speak to soldiers standing on an armored personnel carrier in the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syria, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams, Feb. 27, 2025.

Analysis

As it courts Syria's Druze, will Israel counter Turkey or get cold shoulder?

Concerned over the growing influence of Turkey in Syria, Israel seeks ways to increase its own influence there, including renewing its partnership with the Druze.

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

Israeli tanks take position near the fence with the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from the rest of Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams on Dec. 8, 2024.

Israel carries out fresh strikes in northwest Syria: What to know

Following last week’s strikes just south of Damascus, Israel’s military said it conducted another round of strikes on Monday on military targets in northwestern Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with Syria's Foreign Minister during a joint press conference, in Ankara on January 15, 2025. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In rare rebuke of Iran, Turkey's Fidan calls its proxy strategy 'heavy burden'

The top Turkish diplomat criticized Iran's regional strategy and warned against aligning with Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

SHADI AL-DUBAISI/AFP via Getty Images

Canceled Syrian justice workshop sparks repression fears: What to know

Syrian civil society organizations condemned the sudden cancelation of a planned workshop on transitional justice in Damascus, calling it an act of oppression reminiscent of the Assad era.