Syria Conflict

Jordanian soldiers stand guard near the "Gate of Peace" at the Jordan Valley site of Baqura, east of the Jordan River, on Nov. 13, 2019.

As youth unemployment nears 50%, can conscription ease Jordan's economic woes?

Jordan is reinstating mandatory military service for young men to address rising youth unemployment, promote national identity, and counter domestic and regional security threats.

This picture shows pumpjacks in an oil field and smoke plumes rising in the background, following reported Turkish drone strikes near the town of al-Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, close to the border with Turkey, on Nov. 23, 2022.

Exclusive

UK-based oil firm victim of standoff between Damascus, Syria’s Kurds

Gulfsands Managing Director John Bell outlines his company’s plans and Syria’s energy prospects in an exclusive interview.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A member of the security forces with Syria's new government stands over pills of Captagon during a raid in Latakia on Jan. 19, 2025.

Syria seizes Captagon with Turkish backing amid drug trade boom

The new Islamist government in Syria has prioritized dismantling the Captagon trade, but the industry is still thriving.

HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images

Syria exports first oil in 14 years after sanctions lifted: What to know

The shipment marks a major step forward for Syria, which has been embroiled in a civil war for 14 years and under Western sanctions for more than four decades.

Latest News

After weeks of threats, is Turkey softening line on Syrian SDF?

SDF fighters wave flags and flash victory signs from a vehicle during a convoy procession in Aleppo, Syria, on April 9, 2025.

US eases export controls to boost Syria's recovery

People unload containers at the port of Latakia in western Syria on Dec. 30, 2024.

Syrian airline Fly Cham launches flights to UAE’s Sharjah as ties warm

Sharjah International Airport is an airport located 13 kilometers southeast of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

ACWA Power, TAQA among Saudi firms backing Syria's energy comeback

Saudi companies signed agreements with Syria’s Ministry of Energy during the kingdom’s participation in the Damascus International Fair in Damascus, on Aug. 28, 2025.

Military honour guards stand next to the coffin of taxi driver Murat Arslan, the day after he was killed in an attack at a state-run aerospace industries building in Ankara, October 24, 2024.

Turkey says 2 PKK members behind TUSAS attack, ramps up airstrikes in Iraq, Syria

With funerals for victims underway, Turkish officials identified the attackers as operatives of the Kurdish militant group.

A sign about the heightened level of the counterterrorism response is seen outside HMS Duncan while docked at the Port of Limassol on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, on Oct. 2, 2024.

Cyprus arrests eight Syrians accused of funding terror group: What we know

The arrests come as more Syrians arrive in Cyprus, fleeing the conflicts in Lebanon and Syria.

An armed man sits in front of a car damaged in a reported Israeli strike in Damascus on Oct. 2, 2024.

As Israel steps up attacks on Syria, is Bashar al-Assad next?

While targeting Assad and his brother would destabilize the regime and potentially deprive Hezbollah of its rear base, an Israeli source has denied any such plans.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters from the Turkish-backed 1st Corps of the Samarkand Brigade take part in a military parade in the opposition-held Afrin region of northern Syria, on Nov. 23, 2022.

Interview

Syrian-Kurdish KNC leader decries abuse by Turkey-backed Sunni factions in Afrin

Kurdish National Council President Sleiman Oso told Al-Monitor that dialogue with his group's rivals, the PYD, is still possible.

Sleiman Oso

Sleiman Oso

Kurdish National Council President

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gestures during an exclusive interview with AFP in the capital, Damascus, on Feb. 11, 2016.

Syria’s Assad orders cabinet reshuffle: What are the main changes?

Seasoned diplomat Bassam Sabbagh will serve as foreign minister in the new government, with other key posts remaining unchanged.

ISIS kills five Hezbollah-linked fighters in Syria: war monitor

The clashes come amid reports of an ISIS resurgence in Syria as well as an increase in activity in Europe.

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel confronts Iran’s 'belt of fire': What’s next after Syria missile facility raid?

Tensions are rising not only on Israel’s northern front along the border with Lebanon, but also on the border with Syria and further off, with Iran.

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

Turkish soldiers patrol the northern Syrian town of Tal Abyad on the border between Syria and Turkey on Oct. 23, 2019.

Norway lifts arms embargo on Turkey, paving way for boost in defense exports

According to the Norwegian government, defense exports from Oslo to Ankara stood at nearly $4 million in 2018 but dropped roughly to $1 million in 2020 due to the restrictions.

Fidan

Turkey’s Fidan calls on Arab League to unite against Israel in Egypt meeting

This was the first time in more than a decade that Turkey was invited to join the summit.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Russia ups mediation efforts between Turkey, Syria as Assad drags feet

While Turkey is embracing Russia's role in attempting to mediate between Ankara and Damascus, the Syrian government wants a timetable for Turkey withdrawing its troops from the country.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

This combination of file photographs created on July 7, 2024, shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) in Ankara on May 29, 2023, and Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on July 16, 2023.

Turkey’s defense chief: Syria wants timetable for troop withdrawal to resume talks

The defense minister said that Turkey "perceives" such a condition as an unwillingness to return to peace.

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) gather near a US Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Clashes between Arab tribes, SDF forces in Syria pose challenge to US

The clashes between Iranian-backed Arab tribes and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by the United States, come at a time of heightened tensions in the region ahead of an imminent Iranian response to the killing of Hamas’ leader.