Analysis Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them Israeli officials remain skeptical of Turkish and Syrian denials over Ankara’s military ambitions in Syria, warning that a deeper Turkish foothold could threaten Israel’s security and strain its ties with Washington. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Turkey signals restraint as war of words with Israel escalates over Syria The Turkish president’s top communications aide says Ankara will not be drawn into the Israeli government's “games” as Washington pushes a Turkey-Israel-Syria deconfliction mechanism. Turkey
Syria’s FM pays Pakistan first visit in 19 years amid new regional alignments Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani is paying his office's first visit to Pakistan in nearly two decades after Islamabad, Ankara and Riyadh signed a joint defense pact. Syria
Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said state oil giant TPAO and private companies are ready to explore for oil and gas onshore and offshore in Syria. Turkey
Syria announces capture of senior ISIS official near Manbij: What to know By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
What we know about Israeli strikes on Syrian air base tied to Turkey By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Pomp over substance marks Sharaa's first trip to Turkey as Syria's president While the Turkish president lauded the visit as "historic," little of substance was announced and neither leader made any mention of an alleged defense pact reported Tuesday by Reuters. Syria
Sharaa's wife, Latifa Droubi, makes first appearance outside Syria: What we know Pictures and videos on social media of Latifa al-Droubi, the wife of Syria's newly appointed interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, have sparked wide interest in Syria's new first lady. Syria
Feature Can Syria’s new Islamist rulers win their broken nation’s trust? While Syrians widely celebrated the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorial regime, many reserve judgement on their new Islamist leaders. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Erdogan to host Syria’s Sharaa on first Turkey visit, discuss security ties The meeting between the Turkish president and Syria's new leader will focus on Syria's post-conflict reconstruction, economic recovery and security issues. Turkey
Tulsi Gabbard grilled about Assad, Iran views at confirmation hearing In her confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard was pressed on her relationship with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and walked back previous statements criticizing Trump's policy choices. United States
Syria suspends constitution, declares Ahmed al-Sharaa transitional president Syria's de facto leadership previously said that new elections could take up to four years and that it could also take several years to draft a new constitution. Syria
Israeli defense minister: Troops could stay in Syria buffer zone 'indefinitely' The Israeli military is gearing up to stay on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and in the buffer zone on the Israel-Syria border at least throughout the winter. Israel
Russian delegation in Syria as Moscow scrambles to secure military presence The visit marks the first since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, who had been Moscow's key ally in Syria. Syria
WEF: Arab businesses ‘very keen’ to invest in Syria after Assad’s ouster Syria's new foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani, attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week, along with over 50 heads of state and hundreds of business moguls. Syria
Syria FM Shibani touts 'big opportunity for investment' in country at World Economic Forum Asaad al-Shibani said Syria is not a threat to its neighbors and defended the transitional government’s actions during the first visit by a Syrian foreign minister to the World Economic Forum. Syria
Rubio and Fidan hold first call as Turkey's role expands in Syria The congratulatory call comes as Ankara ramps up threats against the Syrian Democratic Forces. Turkey
UN chief optimistic for Lebanon's recovery, questions Syria's future Antonio Guterres cautioned that there is no guarantee the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire will hold or lead to a final peace agreement, but he expressed encouragement over Lebanon's election of a president on Jan. 9, following two years of political impasse. Syria
