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

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Syria

June 28, 2026

Damascus 3:48 pm

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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

Erdogan

Does Erdogan have a green light from Russia to move into Syria?

The US and Iran oppose the planned Turkish operation, as Erdogan digs in further on Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids, and warns Greece on the Aegean Islands.

Third Legion.

Turkish-backed forces step up military drills ahead of potential operation in northern Syria

Free Syrian Army factions are holding major military drills and parades to beef up their combat readiness to take part in the Turkish military operation against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Erdogan

US officials say Turkey ‘well aware’ of their concerns over Syria offensive

The U.S. Department of State is seen on Jan. 6, 2020, in Washington, DC.

No sanctions assurances offered on Lebanon energy plan: State official

Syrians wave flag of Russia and a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia remains committed to Syria’s Assad despite Ukraine war, Pentagon says

Reports that Moscow has been readying tens of thousands of Syrians to fight in Europe are "disinformation," senior US defense official tells Congress.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R).

Russia expresses 'understanding' for Turkey’s security concerns in north Syria

Receiving Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu maintains that the creation of a safe maritime corridor for Ukrainian grain exports should be accompanied by the easing of sanctions against Russia.

A truck carrying aid packages from the World Food Program drives through the town of Hazano in the rebel-held northern countryside of Idlib province, Syria, May 16, 2022.

Jihadi group in Syria’s Idlib seeks control of NGOs

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues to restrict humanitarian organizations operating in its areas of control in northwestern Syria.

Idlib trench

Trench divides Syrian armed groups in Idib

The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is digging a trench to isolate its stronghold in Idlib from the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army-held areas in Aleppo countryside, which will escalate the humanitarian crisis and increase the suffering of millions of Syrian displaced in northwestern Syria.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

US lawmakers push sanctions for Syria's Tadamon massacre

Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) called on the Biden administration to sanction four Syrians linked to the 2013 murder of 41 unarmed civilians.

Syrian Kurdish and Arab families are pictured fleeing in the countryside of the town of Darbasiyah.

Clashes turn tribal between Turkish-backed opposition factions

The Turkish-backed opposition factions are trying to portray their conflicts as tribal in a bid to absolve themselves of the violations committed in the area.

In this photo illustration taken on April 21, 2022, the icon of a video-sharing mobile phone application TikTok is pictured on a mobile phone.

Turkish-backed Syrian factions target TikTok influencers in Aleppo

TikTok content creators in the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib face a spate of arrests over accusations of corrupting the public morality of the local Syrian community.

A Turkish-backed Syrian fighter of the Sultan Murad Turkoman brigade.

Syrians north of Aleppo prepare for Turkish military operation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s pledge to carry out a new military operation on Turkey’s southern border sparked speculations as to the possible targets, which could include towns such as Tel Rifaat, Manbij and Kobani.