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June 19, 2026

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Hassan Akkad speaks about fleeing Syria in 2015 and his work as a filmmaker at a BAFTA event, Sept. 2023.

Culture

In Syria, detention of Hassan Akkad raises alarm about free expression under Sharaa

Akkad, a British-Syrian filmmaker, was detained Wednesday night after his campaign questioning the whereabouts of funds allegedly pledged for relief, reconstruction and community initiatives across Syria.

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks with AFP during an interview in the countryside outside the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah, in the province of the same name, on January 24, 2019. - Any deal between Syria's Kurds and the Damascus regime should respect the "special status" of Kurdish-led forces who fought the Islamic State (IS) group, Kobani said. The SDF control around a third of Syria after expelling jihadists from a large northeastern swathe of t

Syrian Kurd commander Kobane kicks off European tour amid scrutiny from Damascus

Commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces Mazlum Kobane is on a European tour and will likely meet French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Trump’s push for Syria to confront Hezbollah is an unlikely bid

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is welcomed by Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia on April 24, 2026, on the sidelines of a European summit.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Get

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

An Israeli army officer speaks to a soldier who was wounded during an explosion as he is evacuated to hospital, in the northern city of Haifa March 18, 2014. A roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with artillery fire on Syrian army positions, the army said. It was not clear who had planted the bomb in an area where the Syrian military, Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas and Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad all have a p

Israel sets new red lines with Syria

The Israeli government prefers that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces keep the Golan quiet, while making clear it will not tolerate any game-changing weapons transfers to Hezbollah.

A banner of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is seen at a Yabroud town square in the Damascus countryside, after the soldiers loyal to Assad took control of it from the rebel fighters, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA on March 17, 2014. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT ) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUT

Yabrud victory a setback for Lebanon’s security

While Hezbollah was celebrating the victory in Yabrud, another stronghold of the Shiite resistance was targeted by a suicide attack, which raised questions about the repercussions of the victory on Lebanon.

A piece of wreckage from a vehicle is seen at the site of Sunday's explosion in Nabi Osmane in the Bekaa Valley March 17, 2014. At least three people were killed when a suicide car bomber struck a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Sunday in an apparent response to the fall of a rebel-held town to government forces across the border in Syria. A security source said two of the dead from the blast in Nabi Osmane were members of the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim militant group Hezbollah whose fighters

What does the fall of Yabrud mean for Lebanon?

After the Syrian regime regained control of the rebel-held town of Yabrud this past weekend, some in Lebanon fear that the influx of extremist militants means more terrorist attacks inside the country.

Residents wait to receive food aid distributed by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at the besieged al-Yarmouk camp, south of Damascus on January 31, 2014, in this handout picture made available to Reuters February 26, 2014. World powers have passed a landmark Security Council resolution demanding an end to restrictions on humanitarian operations in Syria, but aid workers doubt it has the punch to make Damascus grant access and let stuck convoys deliver vital supplies. The resolution called for the i

Israel's opportunity in Syria

Israel has an opportunity to pursue both humanitarian and strategic objectives in Syria, and to support the Arab Peace Initiative.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before their meeting at Winfield House, the home of the U.S. ambassador in London March 14, 2014. The United States and Russia will find it formidably difficult to make progress on Ukraine at talks in London today, British Foreign Minister William Hague said on Friday. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/pool (BRITAIN - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3H3AB

Al-Monitor Congress Pulse expands Syria, Russia-Ukraine-Mideast coverage

Congress Pulse and "Trendlines" delve into the implications of Ukraine for US policy in the Middle East.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow's Kremlin January 16, 2014. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17GFB

Iran weighs 'active neutrality' in Ukraine

Iran’s strategic priorities remain a comprehensive nuclear agreement and a political solution in Syria.

Smoke rises at the Karaj al-Hajez crossing, a passageway separating Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr, which is under the rebels' control and Al-Masharqa neighbourhood, an area controlled by the regime March 13, 2014. REUTERS/Sultan Ketaz (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3GZNW

Pro-regime Sunni fighters in Aleppo defy sectarian narrative

Pro-regime militias such as the Al-Quds and Baath Brigades are at the forefront of the battle against rebels in Aleppo, and they're mostly Sunni.

A member of the Asayish carries his weapon as he secures the area hit by a suicide bombing on Saturday at the Kurdish Security Forces Center (Asayish) at the Suez Canal neighbourhood in Qamishli November 25, 2013. The al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have claimed responsibility for the bombing which killed three people, including two members of the Asayish police force, and nine others wounded, activists said. Picture taken November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Rodi Said (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIV

ISIS suicide attacks target Syrian Kurdish capital

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is increasing its terror campaign against Kurds in northern Syria.

Future Movement campaign posters featuring members of the "March 14" Alliance are displayed on the walls of a tent in the Bekka Valley village of Qabb Elias June 5, 2009. Lebanese vote on June 7 in a parliamentary election that pits the powerful Shi'ite group Hezbollah and its allies against an anti-Syrian alliance that won a 2005 poll. The vote will determine the shape of parliament and government until 2013. REUTERS/Steve Crisp (LEBANON ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR24BIR

Lebanon's March 14 bloc takes stock on ninth anniversary

As the ninth anniversary of the March 14, 2005, demonstrations in Lebanon approach, the March 14 movement is faced with both challenges and opportunities.

A Syrian woman waits for the opening of Cilvegozu border gate near the town of Reyhanli at the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province February 13, 2013. A Syrian minibus exploded at a crossing on Turkey's border with Syria near the Turkish town of Reyhanli on Monday, killing 14 people including Turkish citizens and wounding dozens more, Turkish officials said. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TRANSPORT) - RTR3DQC1

Syrian women refugees humiliated, exploited in Turkey

Many female Syrian refugees in Turkey endure sexual harassment and exploitation by employers, prospective husbands and male kin.

A participant hold images of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during an anti-war protest organised by the Communist party near the U.S. embassy in Moscow September 12, 2013. The banner in the background reads, "Mother Russia against war." REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13IXF

Assad sends signals to Russia, US

While Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has offered Russian President Vladimir Putin full support in the Ukrainian crisis, he's also signalling a willingness to defuse tensions on the border with Israel.

A Ukrainian soldier climbs a flag pole at the base A2904 shortly before the Ukrainian command lost control over it to armed men in the Crimean town of Bakhchisaray March 10, 2014. Russian forces consolidated their hold on Ukraine's Crimea peninsula on Monday, taking over a military hospital and a missile base as officials geared up for a referendum on the region's future. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3GFVD

Syrian opposition can learn from Ukraine

The Syrian opposition should reassess its strategy in light of Russia's position in both Syria and Ukraine.