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Syria

July 6, 2026

Damascus 9:34 am

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Farmers roast harvested wheat using fire in a field on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, on May 18, 2026.

Analysis

How Syria’s wheat fields turned into first battleground over reconstruction

A battle over wheat prices could be the first political contest over who reconstruction will benefit.

Haddon Barth

By Haddon Barth

An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

On June 26, Emirati and Syrian officials discussed plans for a logistics corridor connecting Syrian ports to Gulf markets via Iraq.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Volunteers of the Druze-led National Guard manage traffic at a checkpoint, Suwayda, Syria, Jan. 22, 2026.

Clashes between Druze fighters, Syrian forces raise fears of renewed violence

The episodes in Druze-majority Suwayda escalated amid kidnappings, various disputes, and absent movement on integrating Druze into state institutions.

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Latest News

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

Nawaf Salam and Asaad al-Shibani shake hands in Beirut on July 2, 2026.

At least 6 killed, 22 wounded in Damascus cafe explosion: What to know

Syrian security forces and people gather at the site of an explosion at a cafe in the capital, Damascus, on July 2, 2026.

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

Tal Afar wary and wedged between Iran, Turkey and PKK

The Turkmen-majority city of Tal Afar remains sparsely populated and wary of outsiders a year and a half after being taken from the Islamic State. Geopolitical considerations and the nearby presence of the PKK, the Syrian border, the desert and mountains mean that operations continue in the area despite apparent calm.

New villages are mushrooming in Syria’s opposition-held areas

Syria's displaced are creating small towns after having been forced out of their hometowns.

Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), speaks during an electoral rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on April 29, 2018. (Photo by SAFIN HAMED / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Barzani: Russia key to settlement between Assad and Syrian Kurds

Manbij leaders prefer the United States, but would rather deal with Russia and Syria than Turkey; Amberin Zaman gets exclusive access to a prison for IS terrorists; did HTS force the resignation of a Syrian opposition leader?; Syrians protest Turkish truckers; Rouhani’s meeting with Sistani is "crowning achievement" of trip to Iraq.

Three men that Democratic Forces of Syria fighters claimed were Islamic State fighters sit on a pick-up truck while being held as prisoners, near al-Shadadi town, Hasaka countryside, Syria, February 18, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - GF10000314445

Inside the prison holding IS detainees in northeast Syria

Al-Monitor was the first Western media outlet to be granted access to the maximum security detention center in Derik, Syria, where many foreigners caught fighting for the Islamic State await their fate.

Digital safety training keeps Syrians from being arrested

A group of Syrians in al-Bab are working as part of the SalamaTech project to train people on the risks of using cellphones and the internet, in light of the regime’s arrests.

Comics expo draws crowds in Beirut

A Beirut comic and graphic novel exhibition promoted the educational and journalistic values of the art form in the Middle East.

Iraq set to try Islamic State detainees according to local laws

Iraq has received hundreds of Islamic State detainees from Syria and is preparing to try them in Iraqi courts.

A plume of smoke is seen during fighting in the Islamic State's final enclave, in the village of Baghouz, Deir Al Zor province, Syria March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC144AAE1F50

Pentagon seeks $2 billion cut for Islamic State fight

The new US defense budget would cut funding to defeat IS by 20% as President Trump targets a withdrawal from Syria by the end of April.

Is this the end of the Syrian Interim Government?

The resignation of Jawad Abu Hatab as prime minister of the Syrian National Coalition-backed Syrian Interim Government raises doubts about the future of the endeavor in light of advancements by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib province.

Jordan’s Syrian refugees are not going home anytime soon

Only a few thousand of the more than 600,000 registered Syrian refugees have returned home from Jordan since the war started in 2011, sparking fears about the kingdom’s capacities to bear the costs of hosting.

Syrian truckers fear for jobs as Turkish drivers cross border

Turkish trucks have been entering Syria through the recently opened Bab al-Salam crossing, to the protests of Syrian truckers and shippers.

A rebel fighter rides on a motorbike as people take a selfie on a road in Quneitra, Syria July 27, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1305C71BB0

Trump budget nixes aid to opposition-held Syria

The Donald Trump administration is doubling down on its decision to eliminate economic and stabilization aid for Syria amid its pending troop withdrawal.