Syria - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palmyra

Syria

June 30, 2026

Damascus 4:51 pm

38°C

A car drives past an United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outpost in the village of Khan Arnabah, Quneitra, southern Syria, April 29, 2026.

Syria slams Israeli 'violations' in south as ground clashes intensify: What to know

In a rare incident, the Israeli military said it fired at armed men in southern Syria, without identifying the attackers.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Supreme Court backs Trump move to end Syrians’ deportation protections

The decision affects some 6,100 Syrians who live in the United States.

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Syria’s energy push could soon get a major boost from Chevron: What to know

The country's leaders are seeking to translate a flurry of oil and gas agreements into concrete investments and rebuild an industry devastated by more than a decade of war, sanctions and isolation.

Latest News

Syria opens trial of Wassim al-Assad, cousin of ousted president: What we know

Defendant Wassim al-Assad appears before the Fourth Criminal Court during the opening session of his trial in Damascus on June 24, 2026.

Syria announces direct flights to Amsterdam as Europe links expand

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Cagatay Cebe

In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism

Iraq, KRG, Turkey find common ground in response to PKK

Kurdish group increasingly isolated; meanwhile, Syrian Kurds boxed in by Turkey, Russia and Assad.

Washington on the spot as its Syrian Kurd allies are drawn into PKK-KDP fight

Reported border clash worsens conflict between Kurdish factions in triangle where US, Turkish and Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish forces come into play.

A Turkish soldier stands near his armoured vehicle on a highway near the northern Syrian town of Ain Issa in the countryside of the Raqqa region, on November 26, 2019, as Turkey-backed forces deploy reinforcements around the key town. - Ankara and its Syrian proxies launched on October 9 a cross-border attack against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, which allowed Turkey, along with a subsequent Russian-Turkish accord, to control a strip of land on the Syrian side of the border. Ain Issa lies on the south

Syrian Kurds squeezed between Turkish threat, Russian pressure in Ain Issa

Amid growing fears of a fresh Turkish offensive, the Syrian Kurds are under Russian pressure to cede full or partial control of the strategic town of Ain Issa to the Syrian government.

A Russian Military convoy drives near the village of Ein Diwar in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on October 11, 2020. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

How Russia is preparing in Syria for Biden’s presidency

Moscow is hoping the final months of outgoing President Donald Trump's presidency will allow it an opportunity to reinforce its positions in Syria.

TOPSHOT - A fighter with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sits on a motorcycle at a makeshift camp for Islamic State (IS) group members and their families in the town of Baghouz, in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, on March 9, 2019. - Pushed flush along a bend in the Euphrates River, the scrap of a desert hamlet that is Baghouz in eastern Syria is the only territory IS jihadists have left. (Photo by Dylan COLLINS / AFP) (Photo credit should read DYLAN COLLINS/AFP via Getty Images)

Islamic State continues to pose threat in Syrian desert

The Islamic State continues to haunt and drain out the Syrian regime forces even after it lost its last stronghold in Syria more than a year ago.

Intel: Russia sets up military positions in Syria’s Ain Issa after shelling from Turkish-controlled side

The move follows Russian talks with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces

A boy enters a tent at the Batinta camp for the internally displaced, after heavy rainfall in the north of Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on November 26, 2020. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Syrians suffer as crossings remain closed, and smuggling operations become pricey

Smuggling operations between the areas under the control of the Turkish-allied factions and those under the control of the Syrian regime have been ongoing since the main crossings were closed in March as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Outgoing Syria envoy reflects on Turkey, the Kurds and what everyone got wrong

In a long-ranging interview with Al-Monitor, James Jeffrey looks back on his efforts to incorporate fragments of Obama-era initiatives into a cohesive Middle East policy.

Uzbekistan repatriates women and children linked to Islamic State in Syria

The 98 people were in camps for Islamic State fighters and their families in Kurdish-run northeast Syria. Some other countries have also brought their citizens home from IS camps there, while others have refused.

Fighters from the Kurdish Women's Protection units (YPJ) participate in a military parade on March 27, 2019, celebrating the total elimination of the Islamic State (IS) group's last bastion in eastern Syria, in the northwestern city of Hasakah, in the province of the same name. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Child recruitment casts shadow over Syrian Kurds' push for global legitimacy

Failed efforts to secure the return of a recent spate of Kurdish youth recruited to fight in northeast Syria shows the delicate path the region's autonomous administration must navigate in its relations with the PKK.

Syrian opposition retracts decision on electoral committee

Against a wave of criticism by the Syrian opposition, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces backtracked on its decision to form a national elections commission.

Iranian commander killed in airstrike on Iraq-Syria border

No one has yet taken responsibility for the bombing that killed the IRGC commander.