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June 9, 2026

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An old locomotive sits outside the Hejaz rail station in old Damascus on February 23, 2010. The Hejaz railway ran from Damascucs to Medina in Saudi Arabia and was part of the Ottoman railway network. AFP PHOTO/LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Saudi Arabia, Turkey advance plans to revive historic Hejaz Railway

Turkish and Saudi officials signed agreements as part of a Turkish push to revive the Hejaz Railway linking Turkey to the Gulf through Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jaunary 12, 2017. - The aircraft arrived as part of an order for 100 other Airbus planes with a list price of around $20 billion (19 billion euros) on December 22, placed after the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic. It will be used for internal flights landed at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. (Photo by ATTA

Israel-Iran escalation grounds flights across parts of Middle East

Iran suspended flights across all airports after Israeli strikes hit the country.

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

How Iran war created unexpected economic beneficiaries

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is reshaping global energy and trade flows, creating opportunities for economies far beyond the Middle East.

Latest News

Egypt rejects Syrian ambassador as ties strain under Sharaa

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) chats with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as they arrive for a family photo after a working session of the European Council and regional partners as part of an informal meeting in Nicosia on April 24, 2026.

What Barrack’s expanded role in Syria, Iraq signals for US policy

US ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Explainer

China wary of Syria's Uyghur militants, but business keeps growing

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) stands next to former Syrian rebel leader Issam Buwaydani (C), during a function in Douma on April 23, 2026. Buwaydani returned to Damascus on April 23 nearly a year after his detention for unknown reasons in the United Arab Emirates, a Syrian military official told AFP. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / 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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference after a meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Istanbul, November 13, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTS6UOX

Erdogan gobbles up power in new Turkish government

Turkey’s recently announced cabinet is stacked with loyal allies of the president, making it clear that this is the "government of Erdogan."

After Turkey's 'stab in the back' to Russia, will anyone support Ankara?

After it shot down a Russian fighter jet, Turkey is unlikely to get much support from its allies.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and French President Francois Hollande hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington November 24, 2015. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTX1VN6X

Will downing of Russia warplane thwart France’s efforts for broader anti-IS coalition?

Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane threatens to complicate French efforts to bolster closer Western coordination with Moscow in combating IS.

Will Putin, Khamenei negotiate Assad's ouster?

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as they reaffirmed their agreement that the United States is wrong to try to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Why do some Turks approve of Islamic State terrorism?

Turkish football fans' disruption of moments of silence for victims of Islamic State attacks in Paris and in Turkey show support for IS and stem from the domestic and foreign policies of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Will battle for Aleppo determine Syria’s fate?

Syrian government forces advance despite heavy resistance; Arab leadership missing in battle against Islamic State; Erdogan differs with United States and G-20 on next steps in Syria; Israel rethinks "Shiite axis."

Free Syrian Army fighters of the 101 Division, monitor the movements of the forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad near al-Tamana town in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria October 14, 2015. Fares al-Bayoush, a former Syrian army colonel who heads the Fursan al-Haq group, spoke of a battery of TOW missile platforms stretching east along the frontline from Kafr Nabuda to the village of Maan. The aim is to stop government forces advancing north from Morek to rebel-held Khan Shaykhoun, both to

Despite Russian airstrikes, FSA continues to confront regime

Although recent Russian military strikes in Syria have provided air cover for government forces, the Free Syrian Army continues its battles against the regime.

Iran hedges its bets in Syria

After joining the Vienna II talks on Syria, Iran continues to hedge its bets, including beefing up the Syrian National Defense Forces, to ensure its ability to protect its interests in the country and the region.

Is the Islamic State going global?

The Islamic State is now in a position to decide to go global or stay regional, following the attacks in Paris.

U.S. Representative Peter King (R-NY) talks with reporters as he departs after a Republican caucus candidates' forum for the next House speaker, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 8, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTS3KT7

GOP blames Obama for anti-refugee backlash

Republicans say a failed Middle East strategy has fueled "fear and panic" in the United States.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov smiles during a government organised event marking Chechen language day in central Grozny April 25, 2013. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (Russia - Tags: SOCIETY POLITICS RELIGION) - RTXZ5U7

Is the Chechen 'bogeyman' heading to Syria?

Russia is playing up similarities between its past struggles and Syria’s civil war.

An undated photograph of a man described as Abdelhamid Abaaoud that was published in the Islamic State's online magazine Dabiq and posted on a social media website. A Belgian national currently in Syria and believed to be one of Islamic State's most active operators is suspected of being behind Friday's attacks in Paris, acccording to a source close to the French investigation. "He appears to be the brains behind several planned attacks in Europe," the source told Reuters of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, adding he wa

Is defeating the Islamic State impossible?

The Islamic State's stringing together of religion, power and modernity of sorts is a tough knot to untie.