Syria Conflict

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.

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.

Analysis

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

Trump’s proposal faces resistance from Damascus, skepticism from experts and opposition across Lebanon’s political spectrum.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

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

President Donald Trump insisted he has a great relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but criticized the scale of Israel’s strikes in Lebanon.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Russia in talks on 'reformatting' its military sites in Syria: What to know

AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt rejects Syrian ambassador as ties strain under Sharaa

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) chats with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as they arrive for a family photo after a working session of the European Council and regional partners as part of an informal meeting in Nicosia on April 24, 2026.

What Barrack’s expanded role in Syria, Iraq signals for US policy

US ambassador to Turkey Thomas Barrack attends a meeting with President Donald Trump and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Interview

Top Syrian Kurdish official slams parliamentary vote in northeast as 'undemocratic'

An undated image of Foza Yusif.

Foza Yusuf

Foza Yusuf

Top Syrian Kurdish official

People drink and chat in a bar in the old town in Damascus on June 19, 2025 in Damascus, Syria.

Syrian authorities restrict alcohol sales in Damascus: What to know

The new rule has added to concern over the socially conservative Islamist underpinnings of Syria's new leadership.

Retired Israeli general and executive director of Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies Amos Yadlin attends a session at the Manama Dialogue security conference in the Bahraini capital, on Dec. 5, 2020.

Interview

Yadlin: Israel's war goal to weaken Iran, not immediate regime change

Israeli leaders are aware that Washington will decide when the war ends whether or not Israel has achieved its war aims, Yadlin told Al-Monitor.

Sipan Hemo

Top Kurdish critic of Damascus named Syria's deputy defense minister

The move cements a US-brokered truce and signals Damascus’ intent to integrate the Kurdish-led northeast into the national government, even as thorny security and political questions remain.

A boy walks past an unexploded missile that landed in an open field on the outskirts of Qamishli, eastern Syria, on March 5, 2026.

Syria’s Sharaa blasts Iran’s 'destabilizing' role, moves closer to US, Gulf

The economic effects in the Gulf could impact the region’s investments in Syria as Damascus seeks to rebuild after years of its own war and to avoid getting dragged into the conflict.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L), Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani (3rd R) and SDF commander Mazlum Kobane (4th R) meet on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, on Feb. 13, 2026 in Munich.

Exclusive

Rubio said 'no meeting' with Syria’s Shibani in Munich unless Kurdish commander included

Rubio’s insistence was aimed at satisfying lawmakers demanding stronger US support for the SDF.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Suwayda

Syria begins prisoner exchange with Druze militia in south: What to know

The Suwayda area has seen significant instability since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, complicating government efforts to address sectarian factionalism.

Women and children seen inside al-Hol camp, amongst them some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities, and including relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists in the desert region of Hasakah province on Jan. 25, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Turkey to repatriate its ISIS fighters from Iraq as jihadis escalate Syria attacks

Ankara will repatriate its nationals from among thousands of fighters transferred from Syria, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference after a Cabinet meeting to discuss both trade negotiations with the US and the situation in the Middle East, at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 2025. Canada "intends" to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday, a dramatic policy shift he said was necessary to preserve hopes of a two-state solution. (Photo by Dave CHAN / AFP) (Photo by

Canada becomes latest Western country to lift Syria sanctions: What to know

Like the US, Canada had strained relations with Syria during the civil war but is now showing signs of engagement.

Members of People's Defense Units (YPG) stand guard as Syrian government internal security personnel enter the northeastern city of Hasakeh, a Kurdish stronghold, on Feb. 2, 2026.

Feature

After SDF-Damascus truce, is Kurdish haven still safe for Syria's Alawites?

Thousands of Alawites who fled violence in western Syria now face uncertainty as the Syrian government and Kurdish forces reach a tentative truce.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L), Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani (3rd R) and SDF commander Mazlum Kobane (4th R) meet on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, on Feb. 13, 2026 in Munich.

Rubio holds joint talks with Syria's FM, SDF commander in Munich

SDF commander-in-chief Gen. Mazloum Kobane said it was a "positive session."

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in a prison where men suspected to be afiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakeh on Oct. 26, 2019.

US military completes evacuation of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq

The detainee transfer opens the door for US troops to further withdraw from Syria ahead of a potential military confrontation with Iran.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

US military pulls out of Syria’s Al-Tanf garrison in major shift

Initially established as an outpost for US special operators to disrupt the Islamic State's control of the Syria-Iraq border, the base evolved into a key node for the Pentagon's efforts to monitor Iran's expanding military activity in the Levant.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military