Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon. Lebanon
Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, national oil production stood at between 400,000 and 500,00 barrels per day before falling to under 100,000 bpd during the conflict. Syria
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran’s Ghalibaf: US must accept Tehran proposal By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border. Turkey
Analysis MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis 'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Iranian Foreign Ministry: Russian use of air base has ended A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that Russia’s use of Hamedan air base has ended for now and discussed the potential for Russian, Iranian and Turkish cooperation in the region. Syria
Do Ankara, Damascus perceive common Kurdish threat? Speculation about a possible deal between Turkey and the Syrian government has intensified after Syrian fighter jets bombed Kurdish targets in Hasakah. Syria
What's behind the Turkey-Iran tango? The coup attempt in Turkey appears to have set in motion momentum for possible cooperation between Turkey and Iran on Syria. Syria
Iraqi militias aspire to be like Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units consider themselves as an "alternative" state institution, like the IRGC; Russia-Turkey "reset" stumbles on Syria; United States and Russia need to conclude agreement on Syria. Iraq
Will Iraq's Shiite militias flow to Syria after post-IS? Expelling IS from Iraq will lead Iraqi Shiite militants to volunteer to fight in Syria, as the Syrian conflict continues to attract Sunni and Shiite fighters from around the world. Iraq
Iran officials defend Russian use of Hamadan air base Many Iranian officials were quick to downplay concerns about the legality of Russian jets using an Iranian airbase to strike targets in Syria. Syria
Difficult negotiations over future of 75,000 Syrians trapped in 'no-man's land' Since the IS June attack on Jordan’s Rukban border with Syria, the Hashemite kingdom has tightened security measures, to the point of banning food and medical aid to the Syrian refugees trapped on the border, prompting negotiations with the UN. Jordan
Will road to Moscow lead Ankara to Damascus? Turkey has reportedly resorted to the same track II diplomacy to Damascus that it used to reconcile with Moscow. Syria
Iranian military official: We will 'uproot' Jabhat al-Nusra Jabhat al-Nusra's rebranding as independent of its parent organization al-Qaeda has not raised eyebrows in Tehran, where officials say only the group’s name has changed. Saudi Arabia
Are regional powers finally reaching consensus on Syria? Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari spoke to Iranian media about Syria after meeting with Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister. Syria
What's next following Erdogan-Putin summit? Ankara was delighted with the recent Turkish-Russian summit, while Moscow sounded guardedly optimistic, but a true assessment of the meeting's implications will take time. Syria
US election 2016: Can either candidate have a good week? Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of Aug. 8. Syria
