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Syria

April 29, 2026

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A young man stands in the entrance of tunnels that were used by the ISIS and the Assad's regime for fighting. Tadamon, Syria, February 7, 2025. (Photo by Raghed Waked / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAGHED WAKED/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know

Amjad Youssef appeared on video, allegedly killing dozens of civilians in 2013; he is the latest member of the Assad regime to be captured by the new Syrian government.

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Analysis

'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance

Backlash erupts after dancers perform to Missy Elliott’s “Work It,” exposing the tightrope between Sharaa’s outreach to the West and pressure from his Islamist base.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives ahead of a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 31, 2026.

Syria’s Sharaa makes fourth visit to Saudi Arabia, first since Iran war: What to know

The visit comes in light of the deepening economic relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia post-Assad.

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

After years of closure, the reopening of al-Yaaroubiya crossing is redrawing Kurdish economic leverage and reinforcing Turkey’s regional strategy.

Latest News

EU to restore Syria cooperation pact ahead of May talks: What to know

Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP via Getty Images

Sharaa distances Syria from Iran war, says Israel talks ongoing: What to know

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish Presient Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey April 17, 2026.

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US troops depart Syria, ending decade of presence in fight against ISIS

Boys along a road wave to an approaching US military mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) armored fighting vehicle moving in a convoy transporting Islamic State group detainees being transferred to Iraq from Syria, on the outskirts of Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Feb. 7, 2026.

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

Syrian government forces patrol the northern town of Tel Rifaat, Syria, March 28, 2018.

Syrian government forces deploy in response to Turkish threat

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are sending military reinforcements to Tel Rifaat to confront any possible military operation that the Turkish army and the Turkish-backed Free Syria Army may launch.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters of the Sultan Murad Turkoman brigade.

Turkish-backed factions outmaneuver Syrian jihadist group in Idlib

The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army in north Syria announced a series of mergers recently, derailing plans by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to seek rapprochement with some of the factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army.

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces gather in the village of Susah in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, near the Syrian border with Iraq, Sept. 13, 2018.

Iran’s new brigade infiltrates tribes in east Syria

Iran is working on controlling and infiltrating the Syrian community by supporting local leaders affiliated with it, forming tribal councils and appointing new sheikhs from small clans and families to spread Shiism in its areas of control in east Syria.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish-backed Syrian groups pursue drug operations in Aleppo

The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army is reportedly cracking down on drug dealers in the Aleppo countryside.

Syria Pedersen

'Big disappointment': Syrian constitutional negotiations fail again

UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said the Syrian government's side did not present a new proposal as previously agreed.

A member of security of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in the countryside of the Hasakah province, on June 27, 2020.

Turkey tells Syrian opposition forces to increase military readiness

The timing and extent of the anticipated operation against Syrian Kurdish forces are still uncertain and will likely depend on Ankara’s weighing of tradeoffs with Washington and Moscow.

Gasoline prices are displayed in Turkish lira at a gas station in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on June 15, 2020.

Protests break out in Syrian city controlled by jihadist faction

Protests erupted in Idlib against the Syrian Salvation Government, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, amid high inflation and deteriorating living conditions.

Syria US soldier

US base in Syria hit in suspected drone attack

The remote Tanf outpost has been quiet for years, but Iran's pinprick provocations may once again be targeting the base, which plays a key role in Washington’s effort to obstruct Tehran's influence.

A Syrian fighter with Turkey-backed forces is pictured on a road between the northern Syrian towns of Tell Abyad and Kobani on October 22, 2019.

Suspected Turkish drone strike targets three people in Syrian Kurdish town

Turkey's latest strike comes on the four-year anniversary of the Kurdish fighters' capture of Raqqa from the Islamic State.

CHRISTINA ASSI/AFP via Getty Images

Refugees returning to Syria face reprisals from government

The rights organization documented arrest, arbitrary detention, torture and other forms of abuse among Syrian refugees who returned to their home country from Lebanon and Jordan.

Displaced Syrian women walk at a camp in Kafr Lusin village on the border with Turkey in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syria, March 10, 2020.

Female volunteers in northwestern Syria raise awareness of breast cancer

Volunteers raise breast cancer awareness among women in opposition areas in northwestern Syria, where access to health care is limited.

Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) attend the funeral of an Arab fighter.

Ankara-backed Syrian forces 'fully prepared' for Turkish operation

Turkey has threatened to launch a military operation against the SDF in the wake of attacks carried out by the latter in north Syria.