Syria Conflict

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.

Germany's forward #26 Deniz Undav (2nd R), an ethnic Kurd, scores his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Germany and Ivory Coast at the Toronto Stadium in Toronto on June 20, 2026.

Culture

Amid political setbacks, Kurds shine at the World Cup

Kurdish players and clubs are making rare global gains on football’s biggest stage, offering a brief lift amid ongoing political setbacks across the region.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syria announces direct flights to Amsterdam as Europe links expand

The head of Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport announced that after years of suspension, Syrian Airlines would restart direct services between Damascus and Amsterdam.

Latest News

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.

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

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

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

Smoke billows near a military hospital in Harasta, northeast Damascus, following Israeli airstrikes across Syria overnight on May 3, 2025.

Jordan, Turkey, Syria FMs slam 'Israeli expansionism' after Ankara meeting

Jordanian, Turkish and Syrian top diplomats have criticized Israeli attacks on Syria.

Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, signs the country's constitutional declaration, which will be enforced throughout a five-year transitional period, at the presidential palace in Damascus on March 13, 2025.

Exclusive

Syria's Sharaa pledges to form task force for missing Americans

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has promised the daughter of a missing American to take action as Damascus seeks relief from crippling US sanctions.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa upon arriving for a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, Paris, May 7, 2025.

Exclusive

Skepticism shrouds Syria-Israel indirect talks with bets on Sharaa

Sources told Al-Monitor that shortly after Sharaa visited the UAE last month, an unofficial meeting between Syrian and Israeli delegations took place at an Abu Dhabi villa owned by an Emirati government official.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

France s President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa upon his arrival for their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 7, 2025. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Paris on May 7, state media reported, on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. (Photo by Magali Cohen / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa confirms indirect talks with Israel

Sharaa said that the negotiations are meant to "calm the situation and prevent it from spiraling out of control."

Tom Nicholson/Getty Images

Macron after meeting Sharaa: Lifting Syria sanctions 'in everyone's interest'

French President Emmanuel Macron is rolling out the red carpet for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in hopes of gaining regional influence.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) leaves a bilateral room after his meeting with Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, on April 11, 2025. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria’s Sharaa heads to France on first EU trip as Macron eyes influence

The visit follows Syria’s new government striking a deal with a major French company for the operation of the Latakia port, as well as bouts of sectarian violence in the country.

Turkey's minister of foreign affairs, Hakan Fidan, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, on April 11, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan visits UAE for talks on Syria, Gaza: What to know

The top Turkish diplomat’s visit to the UAE comes amid heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel over Syria.

Syrian Kurds wave flags bearing pictures of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, as they gather in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria to listen to a message from the jailed leader on February 27, 2025. Ocalan issued a historic call on February 27 for his Kurdish militant force to disband and his fighters to lay down their arms. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images) SYRIA-TURKEY-CONFLICT-KURDS

Analysis

Can Turkey stomach autonomy for Syrian Kurds? Iraq offers cautionary model

Ankara’s decades-long resistance to Kurdish autonomy is being tested as Syrian Democratic Forces seem to be insisting on decentralization.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Syrian government forces as conflicts intensify between them and the Druze in Sahnaya, April 30, 2025.

Analysis

‘We can reach him’: Israel strikes Damascus in warning to Sharaa over Druze attacks

An Israeli airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus was intended to send President Ahmed al-Sharaa a message after armed attacks against Syria's Druze community.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syria Druze leader decries 'genocidal attack' as clashes leave 101 dead

The Syrian government rejected calls for foreign intervention after a Druze leader slammed Damascus over the latest bout of sectarian violence in the country.

AFP via Getty Images

Assad's tycoon cousin, Rami Makhlouf, forms militia on Syria's Alawite coast: What we know

Rami Makhlouf, cousin of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said on social media he is working with former commander Suhail al-Hassan following the massacres of Alawites on the coast.

An aerial view shows the Halwaniya neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria on Apr. 12, 2025.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia to pay off Syria’s $15M World Bank debt: What to know

Both Gulf states have played a key role in the diplomatic outreach of Syria's new government.