Syria - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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Syria

June 28, 2026

Damascus 9:45 am

29°C

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Supreme Court backs Trump move to end Syrians’ deportation protections

The decision affects some 6,100 Syrians who live in the United States.

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Syria’s energy push could soon get a major boost from Chevron: What to know

The country's leaders are seeking to translate a flurry of oil and gas agreements into concrete investments and rebuild an industry devastated by more than a decade of war, sanctions and isolation.

Defendant Wassim al-Assad appears before the Fourth Criminal Court during the opening session of his trial in Damascus on June 24, 2026.

Syria opens trial of Wassim al-Assad, cousin of ousted president: What we know

The trial follows another session in the case against Atef Najib, also a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, as Syrian authorities continue prosecuting figures linked to the former regime and its remnants.

Latest News

Syria announces direct flights to Amsterdam as Europe links expand

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

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

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

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

A sculpture of an Israeli soldier standing guard is seen next to a sign for tourists showing the distance to Damascus and Baghdad.

Syria, Iraq form joint business council

Relations between Syria and Iraq were poor in the 20th century but have gradually improved in the security and economic spheres in recent years.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) listens on as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference at al-Shaab palace in Damascus on Oct. 11, 2010.

'Normalization' with Assad is the new normal in Turkey

Comments by Turkey's foreign minister hinting at normalization with Damascus drove hundreds of Syrians across Turkish-occupied areas of northern Syria to stage demonstrations.

Centcom

US base in Syria targeted with rocket fire, coalition says

Rockets landed near the Green Village base, marking the second projectile attack on US forces in Syria on Monday.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Drones strike US base in Syria

Coalition forces "successfully engaged" one of the drones targeting al-Tanf and no one was hurt in the incident.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Since UN vote, aid still sparse in northwest Syria

Since the UN approved six more months of cross-border humanitarian aid to northwest Syria, deliveries remain minimal and millions of people are in need.

ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images

Risks of fire, heat stroke soar as heat wave cooks northwest Syria

Displacement camps in northwest Syria are sweltering as a heat wave sweeps the area.

Syrian laborers work at a clothing workshop in Damascus on Feb. 2, 2016.

Syria and North Korea discuss repairing Syrian engineering and industrial sectors

Syrian industry has experienced substantial losses as a result of the war between government and rebel forces.

A man stands near solar panels displayed at a shop in the town of Dana, Syria.

Another solar project completed in Syria

Solar power is slowly growing in both government and rebel-controlled parts of Syria. The war-torn country suffers from electricity cuts.

A picture taken during a tour organized by the Syrian Ministry of Information shows a Syrian national flag and cars in the district of Daraa al-Balad, Daraa, Syria, Sept. 12, 2021.

Who's to blame for ongoing assassinations in Syria's Daraa province?

Assassinations of opposition and government officials and loyalists alike are proliferating in Syria’s southern province of Daraa, with the rival parties trading blame as to who is responsible for the spike in killings.

A frame grab from a videotape aired Aug. 5, 2006, on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network.

How Zawahiri's death affects Syrian opposition factions

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham did not issue an official statement regarding Ayman al-Zawahiri’s death, although some if the group's leaders expressed condolences on Telegram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) during a meeting in Sochi, on Aug. 5, 2022.

At summit, Erdogan, Putin still divided on Syria

Ankara agreed that part of its natural gas payments to Moscow would be switched to rubles.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

After two years of closure, Syrian pilgrims resume travel through Bab al-Hawa crossing

Syrians with hajj permits are once again crossing from northern Syria into Turkey on pilgrimage to Mecca after a two-year halt.