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July 14, 2026

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A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump at White House in Washington, on Nov. 10, 2025.

Syria, US hold first business forum since sanctions relief: What to know

The one-day forum in Damascus was organized by Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and the US-Syria Business Council, which was established in Washington last June to advance trade and investment between the two nations.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) welcomes France's President Emmanuel Macron for a joint press conference in Damascus on July 7, 2026.

Explainer

How Macron seeks to carve out France's role in new Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron became the first Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, showcasing Paris' support for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa while seeking to secure a share of the country's emerging reconstruction market.

Latest News

US to drop Syria from terror blacklist

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Explainer

French energy, shipping giants explore Syria deals during Macron visit

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron following a joint press conference in Damascus on July 7, 2026.

Macron's Syria visit eyes to boost France's economic role: What to know

Ludovic MARIN / 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

Yahya Sinwar (C), the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arrives for the opening of a new mosque in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2017. / AFP / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran pulls Palestine from the margins

The Iranian leadership turns out in force for Palestinian conference; Turkey’s victory in al-Bab may be a prelude to a showdown with the Syrian Kurds.

A general view shows smoke rising in the distance after fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, fired a mortar launcher from the village of Sabah al-Khayr on the northern outskirts of Deir Ezzor as they drive to encircle the Islamic State (IS) group bastion of Raqa on February 21, 2017.
The SDF made a major incursion into the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor as part of their push for Raqa, field commander Dejwar Khabat said.

/ AFP

Residents of Syria's Deir ez-Zor fear IS massacre

As it loses ground in Mosul, the Islamic State is more determined than ever to gain ground in Deir ez-Zor, and its takeover could spell disaster for the civilians who have remained in the area.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (L) (R-TN) talks with ranking member Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) pror to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Rex Tillerson's nomination to be U.S. secretary of state, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX2YI4X

GOP divided over calling out Assad war crimes

Two-thirds of the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee declined to join their chairman’s call for accountability for Syrian war crimes.

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a lunch with members of the U.S. military during a visit at the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, U.S., February 6, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2ZWGG

Turkey, Kurds project confidence as Pentagon plans next Syria moves

With the Pentagon close to producing new plans to defeat the Islamic State in Syria, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and Turkish leaders both insist that the United States will pursue an alliance with them, and US officials keep feeding hopes on both sides.

Men run at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held besieged Douma neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh - RTSZDP3

No breakthrough expected at new Syria talks

Expectations were modest for a new round of Syria talks set to get underway in Geneva Feb. 23, with the new US administration still formulating its policies.

Protesters shout anti-Iran slogans and hold placards in front of the Iranian embassy on December 16, 2016, in Istanbul, during a demonstration against Iranian involvement in the siege of Aleppo, the latest in a series of demonstrations in Europe over the Syria crisis.
Turkey has provided support to the Syrian opposition and repeatedly called for Assad to go. Protests have been staged in several European cities as the horror in Aleppo has unfolded, with reports of atrocities including summary executions.
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Turkish-Iranian rivalry hits peak as Syria talks kick off

Both countries accuse each other of destabilizing the region and undermining security in Iraq and Syria.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (C) walks with Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (R) at the prime minister's office at Auberge de Castille in Valletta June 24, 2010.
REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi (MALTA - Tags: POLITICS) MALTA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MALTA - RTR2FNQR

Israel defense minister: We must coordinate moves with Trump

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman confirmed that he still supports a two-state solution, but one involving population as well as land swaps and as one part of a regional agreement.

Turkish forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are seen at the al Baza'a village on the outskirts of al-Bab town in Syria February 4, 2017. Picture Taken February 4, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTX2ZOPF

What's really happening in Syria's al-Bab?

Everyone wants to know what's coming next in Syria — but it is hard enough to figure out what is going on right now.

A general view of Nizip refugee camp, near the Turkish-Syrian border in Gaziantep province, Turkey, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSU1N6

Refugee influx to Turkey sharply rises

In the past five months, 551,000 new refugees arrived in Turkey, raising the total number to 3.551 million and the monthly cost to host them to $590 million.

A Syrian man casts his vote in a ballot box at a polling station in the city of Idlib as they elect the city's first civilian council, two years after it was overrun by rebels and jihadists, on January 17, 2017.
Regime forces were expelled from Idlib city in March 2015 by the Army of Conquest, led by the Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from Al-Nusra Front when it broke ties with Al-Qaeda. Since then, a committee appointed by the Army of Conquest had run the city's affairs, electoral commission h

Why Moscow now sees value in Syrian local councils

Russia has come to realize that some opponents of the Syrian regime are actually moderates rather than terrorists and that a move to empower local governments could help resolve the conflict.

Turkish military vehicles drive in the Syrian rebel-held town of al-Rai, as they head towards the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTX2XITU

Will Turkey get its way in Raqqa?

Turkey is trying to balance its precarious relationships with the United States and Russia while still getting what it wants in Syria.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk with their weapons during an offensive against Islamic State militants in northern Raqqa province, Syria February 8, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX3067W

Erdogan banks on motley crew of Syrian armed groups

Turkey’s Syria partners seen as "ill-disciplined, untrained and inexperienced"; Erodgan links opposition to referendum to coup plotters; Mattis rules out US-Russia military cooperation "for now."