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Syria

November 8, 2026

Damascus 11:04 pm

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Bakr ALkasem / AFP via Getty Images

Syria foils Hezbollah-linked plot to attack Homs refinery: What to know

Syrian authorities have intensified a crackdown against Hezbollah’s alleged plans to launch attacks inside Syrian territory as well as smuggling attempts.

BING GUAN/AFP via Getty Images

Lawmakers urge Commerce Dept to ease Syria investment restrictions

Syria may be off the terrorism blacklist, but the Commerce Department’s export controls have yet to catch up.

Muzna Al-Atrash

Explainer

Meet Muzna al-Atrash, Syria's new Druze adviser for peace affairs

Atrash, from the Suwayda province and a member of the Druze community, will advise Damascus on peace affairs as it looks to assert authority in the south.

People inspect the damage at a site targeted by airstrikes

Analysis

How Syria is balancing public anger, regional stability after Jordan's strikes

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Middle East, reporting on regional politics

Latest News

Analysis

Gaza progress, Syria pullback: What Turkey wants from Israel’s next government

Demonstrators hold a banner reading "Free Gaza, free world"

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Syria flash floods kill at least 5, force hundreds of families from camps

Mohammed Mir / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Interview

US oil firm HKN aims to double output in Syria's formerly Kurdish-run fields

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 15, 2026.

Matthew Zais

Matthew Zais

HKN vice president for government affairs

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

Smoke rises after shells exploded in the Syrian village of Al Rafeed, close to the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria, as seen from the Israeli occupied Golan Heights May 7, 2013. Israel played down weekend air strikes close to Damascus reported to have killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, saying they were not aimed at influencing its neighbour's civil war but only at stopping Iranian missiles reaching Lebanese Hezbollah militants. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTXZDAV

Game-Changers in Syria Will Lead To Israel-Iran Confrontation

The confrontation between Israel and Iran is escalating over Syria and expanding in Lebanon.

A policeman inspects damaged cars after two rockets hit houses and a car sales yard in Beirut suburbs May 26, 2013. Two rockets hit a Shi'ite Muslim district of southern Beirut on Sunday, residents said, wounding several people, a day after the leader of Lebanese Shi'ite militant movement Hezbollah said his group would continue fighting in Syria until victory. REUTERS/Mohammed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) - RTX1015N

Reyhanli Worst Terror Attack Turkey Has Witnessed

Despite such devastating tragedy, the Erdogan government is still trying to defend its Syria policy, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Shadows of protesters are cast on a banner as they march during a demonstration against the Turkish government's foreign policy on Syria, in central Hatay May 12, 2013. Turkey accused a group loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday of carrying out car bombings that killed 46 people in a Turkish border town and said the risk of unrest spreading to Syria's neighbours was increasing. Syrian Information Minister Omran Zubi denied any Syrian involvement and rejected what he called "unfounded accusati

Will Turkey Respond To Reyhanli Bombs?

Turkey is not likely to take unilateral action against Syria, Amberin Zaman argues.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) whispers to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a joint news conference after their meeting in Moscow May 7, 2013. Russia and the United States agreed on Tuesday to try to arrange an international conference this month on ending the civil war in Syria, and said both sides in the conflict should take part. REUTERS/Mladen Antonov/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTXZE44

US-Russia Diplomacy on Syria Makes Comeback

The US, Russia — and Iran — resurrect diplomacy on Syria; Iran and Israel should consider talking about Syria; Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Relatives of Ahmet Uyan, 45, and Ahmet Ceyhan, 23, who were killed in yesterday's car bombings, mourn in the town of Reyhanli of Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border May 12, 2013. Turkey said on Sunday it believed fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were behind twin car bombings that killed 46 people in a Turkish border town. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said those involved in the bombings in Reyhanli on Saturday were thought also to have carried out an attack on the Syrian coast

Explosive Message on Turkey’s Border

Cengiz Candar doesn’t expect Turkey’s response to the Reyhanli blasts, which killed 46 people, to go beyond tough rhetoric, despite its accusation that Syrian intelligence was behind the attack.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan take part in a family photo during the G20 Summit of major world economies in Cannes November 3, 2011. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2TKEP

Obama’s Talking PointsFor Erdogan

Henri Barkey considers what President Obama might, and should, say about Syria when he meets Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan in Washington on May 16.

A man repairs shoes in his shop as locals pass through on a street in the town of Cizre in Sirnak province, near the border with Syria March 23, 2013. Turkey's fledgling peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group is all over the headlines. After three decades of war, 40,000 deaths and a devastating impact on the local economy, everybody seems ready for peace. Pro-Kurdish politicians are focused on boosting minority rights and stronger local government for the Kurds, who make up abou

The Kurdish Minority Within the Syrian War

Professor Eyal Zisser, expert on Syria, explains to Shlomi Eldar the divisions and discord among the Kurds living where the Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish borders converge, and how this will impact the future of Syria.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks during his joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman May 7, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZDGZ

Five Reasons the US Should Stay Out Of Syria

The first order of business should be a negotiated cease-fire and a transition in Syria that recognizes the role of Iran and other regional parties, not arming the rebels or launching military attacks, writes Seyed Hossein Mousavian.

Israeli soldiers walk together during a training close to the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria on the Israeli occupied Golan Heights May 7, 2013. Israel played down weekend air strikes close to Damascus reported to have killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, saying they were not aimed at influencing its neighbour's civil war but only at stopping Iranian missiles reaching Lebanese Hezbollah militants. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXZDG0

Nasrallah Threatens Golan Front With Israel

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has announced that the next phase of the Syria war will not be limited to Syria, but will include Lebanon and Israel as well, reports Ali Hashem.

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels gather to listen to the speech of the PKK leader on April 25, 2013 in the Qandil mountain, the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq. Kurdish rebels announced they would on May 8, 2013 begin withdrawing from Turkey into their safe haven in northern Iraq amid a peace drive between Ankara and the rebel movement. AFP PHOTO STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Are PKK Fighters Moving to Syria?

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu claims Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters are withdrawing from Turkey toward Syria to fight against the Assad regime, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is projected on a screen during a live broadcast as he speaks to his supporters at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Al-Nour radio station, which is operated by the Hezbollah in Beirut, May 9, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS MEDIA ANNIVERSARY) - RTXZGEB

Nasrallah Increases Stakes in Syria War

Famous for his use of allusions and nuance, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah spoke with an unusual clarity and directness on May 9 about Syria, writes Scarlett Haddad.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wave Hezbollah, Lebanese and Amal movement flags as one of them carries a poster depicting Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, at a protest against a film made in the United States that mocks the Prophet Mohammad, in Tyre, southern Lebanon September 19, 2012. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTR385LT

Will Syria Retaliate For Israeli Airstrikes?

If Syria is going to retaliate for Israeli's recent strikes, it is unlikely to do so soon, alone or in a manner that would lead to a comprehensive war, observes Haytham Mouzahem in an examination of official statements.