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June 22, 2026

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US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, Nov. 10, 2025.

Syria’s Sharaa says he had ‘multiple discussions’ with Trump on Lebanon, favors dialogue

Syrian President Sharaa has again played down Donald Trump’s request that Syria could enter Lebanon and help disarm Hezbollah.

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.

Latest News

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

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

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

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

Olivier Fitoussi/Israel Sun photo
Credit must be given

בביקור רישמי ראשון מסוגו בחסות Project Interchange/AJC ובתיאום עם משרד החוץ באו לישראל שרי חוץ ונציגי ממשלה מהאיים הקריבים גרנדה, סיינט קיטס ונוויס ונפגשו עם רה"מ בנימין נתניהו. פקידי הממשלה מהקריבים יתמקדו בביקורם בשיתוף פעולה בתחומי החקלאות, טכנולוגית בריאות הציבור ובבדיקת נושא השיטור הקהילתי. הם נפגשו עם הנשיא שמעון פרס, שר החוץ אביגדור ליברמן ורה"מ הפלשתינאי סלאם פאייד. במשך ביקורם הם יקבלו סקירות ממומחים בעלי שם עולמי.

In a first-ever official v

Engel: Sanctions, Not Rouhani, Only Chance for Iran Deal

Eliot Engel, ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, discusses sanctions on Iran, his support for missile strikes against Syrian airfields and the need to maintain US military assistance to Egypt.

Syrian and Palestinian refugees register their names in order to receive humanitarian aid at the Offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Beirut April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZ3F9

Lebanon Needs Viable Solutions For Displaced Syrians

Just as it is inevitable that displaced Syrians will continue to flow across the Lebanese border, it is also inevitable that the Lebanese state’s inability to keep up with the burden will drag Lebanon into a crisis of its own.

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou (L) pins a badge of EU presidency on the collar of his Turkish counterpart Yasar Yakis (R) upon his arrival in Ankara January 30, 2003. Greek Foreign Minister Papandreou whose country holds a terms' presidency of the European Union will attend a meeting of the European Union troika in Ankara January 31, 2003. ??? USE ONLY - RTXLR19

Turkish Diplomat Discusses Missteps in Syria

In an interview with Taraf, veteran Turkish diplomat Yasar Yakis speaks about Turkey's position toward Syria and his views on recent Kurdish developments in northern Syria.

A Kurdish fighter from the Popular Protection Units (YPG) holds his weapon as he takes position atop a building with a YPG flag in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood, June 7, 2013. Kurdish fighters from the YPG joined the Free Syrian Army to fight against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX10USX

Killing of Kurdish Leader Further Complicates Syrian Factions

The assassination of a prominent Syrian Kurdish opposition figure has raised questions about the future of northern Syria.

U.S. President Barack Obama sits next to Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thaniat (not pictured) as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, April 23, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYXDL

Back to the Future for US Policy In Egypt and Syria

The Obama administration gives priority to containing Islamic extremism, not promoting democracy, in the Middle East.

al-Ansari al-Sarqi - Aleppo - Syria - People among the ruins (2013)

The Struggle for Justice In Aleppo, a 'Feral City'

Divisions among Syrian opposition groups have made life even more unbearable for Aleppo’s residents.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addresses the media in Ankara June 13, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10M6J

Has Turkey Made U-Turn On Syria’s Kurds?

The leader of the Democratic Union Party of Syria (PYD), Salih Muslim, says Turkey has given the green light for autonomy for the Kurds in Syria.

Al-Qaeda's Syrian Recruits: The Case of 'Abu Majed'

Amer Ghajar went from being a student at a prestigious private university to al-Qaeda jihadist, falling in battle last week.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) reacts as he poses with his Greek counterpart Antonis Samaras (L) and Greece's Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos (R) after signing agreements in Istanbul March 4, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EK7W

Turkey's Egypt Question

Turkey's role in the Middle East will turn on how it handles the crisis in Egypt.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu before attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) security meetings in Bandar Seri Begawan July 2, 2013. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (BRUNEI - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX119IY

Al-Monitor’s Gursel Wins Award; Watch US House on Syria

Al-Monitor’s coverage of press freedom in Turkey, the US House of Representatives on Syria, and Iraq as possible mediator on Iran; Daoud Kuttab discusses the Middle East with Fareed Zakaria.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani pose for the media before their meeting in Istanbul April 19, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR30XVX

Turkey’s Missed Opportunities With the Kurds

Disarray in Turkish foreign policy is not allowing Turkey to play its rightful role in supporting Kurdish national unity.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Martin Dempsey testifies about pending legislation regarding sexual assaults in the military at a Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 4, 2013. At left is U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CRIME LAW) - RTX10BLJ

Dempsey on Syria: Think Before You Shoot

In a Washington overrun by interventionists, Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey presses the consequences of heightened US involvement in Syria.