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
Why de-escalation of Ankara-PKK clashes doesn’t mean path to peace The Turkish government has lowered the temperature of the war against the PKK because of the prevailing chaos in the army, police and intelligence services, but this is not a step toward peace. Syria
Can PLO help protect Palestinian refugees in Syria? The slaughter of a Palestinian child by the Nureddin Zengi Brigade in Syria put the spotlight on the PLO’s role and its failure to protect Palestinian refugees in Syria. Palestine
US rebukes Russia Aleppo plan as 'demand for surrender' The United States criticized a Russian Defense Ministry announcement of “humanitarian corridors” for civilians to leave rebel-held eastern Aleppo, but US-Russian negotiations on deeper cooperation continue as the city is steadily falling to the regime. Syria
Is new strategy needed for fighting IS in Syria? In an interview with Al-Monitor, a senior member of the New Syrian Army, Abdulsalam Muzil, talks about his force’s achievements and what's to come in the battle against the Islamic State. Syria
Who sent mystery drone into Israeli airspace? Israel's air force is investigating a triple failure to bring down a drone that flew over the Golan Heights and is still unidentified. Israel
Will Israel create safe zone in southern Syria? According to Syrian opposition figures, Israel is increasingly interested in creating a safe zone in southern Syria, and actions on the ground suggest that such a project may be underway. Israel
Erdogan's crackdown on enemies just getting started after failed coup Is the Turkish military "infested" with Gulenists? Iran expects shift in Turkey’s Syria policies after standing by Erdogan; Turkish documents detail Islamic State operations. Syria
Nameless graves leave grim reminders of refugee plight on Turkey's coasts Nameless refugee graves on the Turkish and Greek coasts remain as grim reminders of the deadly refugee flow across the Aegean Sea, which has been largely stemmed since the Turkey-EU deal in March. Syria
After approving constitution, what's next for Syria's Kurds? The Kurds have declared a federation in northern Syria despite continuing objections by the Syrian opposition, while the Syrian Democratic Forces are about to finish the battle to liberate the city of Manbij. Syria
Planning for the 'day after' Mosul As preparations advance to retake Mosul from IS, defense and foreign ministers from some 30 nations met in Washington to plan how to provide humanitarian relief and services for hundreds of thousands of people expected to be displaced. Iraq
Turkish court documents reveal new details about IS operations Official correspondence sent to courts in Diyarbakir has exposed formerly unknown aspects about the Islamic State's human resources, intelligence methods and logistics. Syria
