Syria begins prisoner exchange with Druze militia in south: What to know The Suwayda area has seen significant instability since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, complicating government efforts to address sectarian factionalism. Syria
Turkey to repatriate its ISIS fighters from Iraq as jihadis escalate Syria attacks Ankara will repatriate its nationals from among thousands of fighters transferred from Syria, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said. Turkey
Canada becomes latest Western country to lift Syria sanctions: What to know Like the US, Canada had strained relations with Syria during the civil war but is now showing signs of engagement. Syria
Feature After SDF-Damascus truce, is Kurdish haven still safe for Syria's Alawites? Thousands of Alawites who fled violence in western Syria now face uncertainty as the Syrian government and Kurdish forces reach a tentative truce. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
US military pulls out of Syria’s Al-Tanf garrison in major shift By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Exclusive Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Turkish, Syrian FMs could meet soon as diplomatic thaw gains steam The top Turkish diplomat said Saturday that he could meet with his Syrian counterpart in mid-January. Turkey
Turkey, Syrian government may cooperate on the ground Turkey is considering cooperating with the Syrian government in rebel-held Syrian territories after the first high-level talks between Turkey and the Syrian government in Moscow this week. Turkey
Turkish, Syrian defense chiefs hold landmark meeting in Russia The defense ministers' meeting in Moscow was the first official engagement between Damascus and Ankara in more than a decade. Turkey
Water crisis worsens in Syria's Idlib as support dries up The "Goal" organization, which has been active in Syria since 2012, has stopped pumping water in villages and towns as support for it ends Syria
Turkey's Erdogan seeking a meeting with Assad and Putin In a reversal, Erdogan wants Russia to set-up a three-way meeting with Bashar Al-Assad, ten years after Ankara calling for his removal from power Turkey
US, Russia stall Turkey's ground operation, but Kurdish gains under threat The Russian and US policies of appeasing Turkey have averted a new Turkish ground operation in Syria for now, but they both lay the ground for a gradual undoing of Kurdish gains in the north. Turkey
Jihadists accuse HTS of conspiring with Syrian government to kill IS leader Jihadis opposed to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northern Syria accuse it of sending fighters from Idlib to Daraa, in the south of the country, to aid the Russians and government forces in eradicating Islamic State cells and their leader in the province. By Ahmed Read Jamus
Russian delegation heads to Turkey amid potential Syria offensive The top Turkish diplomat aired a rare complaint over the Russian stalling of constitutional talks between the warring Syrian actors, calling on Moscow to allow the process to resume. Turkey
Half a million Syrians return from Turkey, but were they forced? Some 560,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey have returned to their country as part of deportation projects, many fleeing the harassment they were facing in the country. Syria
The Turkey Briefing: Can Ankara convince Moscow to grant green light for Syria invasion? In this week's newsletter, Ezgi Akin rounds up the top stories from Turkey. Turkey
Analysis Turkey’s leveraging of Syria, Ukraine crises frustrates US, Europe Erdogan disregards appeals by US for restraint in Syria and demands further concessions from Stockholm for agreeing to Sweden’s NATO admission. By Week in Review
Syrian opposition gears up for Turkish ground operation As the Turkish-backed opposition factions prepare for an imminent Turkish ground operation against Kurdish forces in northern Syria, questions arise about the potential participation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the battle. Syria
