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Syria

July 16, 2026

Damascus 4:54 pm

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A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump at White House in Washington, on Nov. 10, 2025.

Syria, US hold first business forum since sanctions relief: What to know

The one-day forum in Damascus was organized by Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and the US-Syria Business Council, which was established in Washington last June to advance trade and investment between the two nations.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) welcomes France's President Emmanuel Macron for a joint press conference in Damascus on July 7, 2026.

Explainer

How Macron seeks to carve out France's role in new Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron became the first Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, showcasing Paris' support for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa while seeking to secure a share of the country's emerging reconstruction market.

Latest News

US to drop Syria from terror blacklist

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Explainer

French energy, shipping giants explore Syria deals during Macron visit

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron following a joint press conference in Damascus on July 7, 2026.

Macron's Syria visit eyes to boost France's economic role: What to know

Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images

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

A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces stands guard at a security point on Bashiqa mountain, overlooking Islamic State held territories of Mosul, 12 km northeast of Mosul City, March 7, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) - RTR4SF1J

Why the PKK is so interested in Mosul

The PKK is looking to join the Iraqi army and the Kurdistan Regional Government to liberate Mosul.

Currency crash adds to Syrians’ woes

The crash in the Syrian pound’s value against foreign currencies has resulted in higher food prices and increased demand for other currencies.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) gives a thumbs-up as Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (R) welcomes him at the prime minister's palace in Baghdad April 8, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSE5GF

The collapse of Iraq's Shiite alliance

Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr co-opts popular reform movement; Erdogan’s bid for empowered presidency linked to war with PKK; Turkey feels pressure to intensify fight against Islamic State; Backlash over Egyptian government crackdown on media.

Children play near a bus barricading a street, which serves as protection from snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo's rebel-controlled Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, Syria April 6, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail - RTSDWK5

Aleppo sees cautious calm amid cease-fire

The truce agreement between opposition and government forces has allowed life to return to many areas in Syria, but many residents worry that it won't last long.

Syria's withering agricultural sector

Five years into the raging revolution, Syria's once-flourishing agricultural system is threatened with complete collapse.

Syria Democratic Forces fighters look through a scope and a pair of binoculars on the outskirts of al-Shadadi town, in 47 village, Hasaka countryside, Syria February 19, 2016. Picture taken February 19, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX27SHA

Can the Islamic State be defeated without Kurds?

Turkey insists Rojava's People's Protection Units must be excluded from the fight against the Islamic State on the Menbic-Jarablus front.

Smoke rises from the modern city as seen from the historic city of Palmyra, in Homs Governorate, Syria in this April 1, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki/Files - RTSD8PD

Private collectors fuel demand for looted Mideast antiquities

Archaeological experts say social dislocation and terrorism are increasing the ability of organized gangs to traffic artifacts to clients in Europe, Asia and the United States.

Syrian refugees boost Turkish economy, but for how long?

Syrian refugees provided a much-needed boost to the slowing Turkish economy last year, but their contribution is not expected to last.

Syrian refugees stuck between the Jordanian and Syrian borders, wait to cross into Jordan after a group of them crossed into Jordanian territory, near the town of Ruwaished, at the Hadalat area, east of the capital Amman, January 14, 2016. After months of being stranded at the border, a group of Syrian refugees has finally been allowed to enter Jordan. Jordanian authorities say they have to address security concerns before allowing more refugees into the country burdened with over 1.4 million refugees, sai

Jordan blocks 50,000 Syrian refugees near border

Jordan cites security concerns as it blocks thousands of Syrian refugees at its border and leaves them stranded in the rocky desert.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (L) attends a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Washington March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTSD01S

Syrian Kurds proceed with federal structures despite Turkish threats

Washington gets the Erdogan treatment; Syrian Kurds establish federal institutions; Hamas closes Iranian charity.

Turkish security personnel struggle to take a sign away from protesters in front of the Brookings Institute before the arrival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington, March 31, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTSD14K

Turkish bodyguards take Washington by force

After assaulting a deputy in Ecuador, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bodyguards this time terrorize the media and protesters in Washington.

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al Khalid al Sabah, Qatar's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah, Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and UAE'S Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L-R) pose for a group photo during an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al N

How united is the GCC?

While Gulf states may all be united under the Gulf Cooperation Council name, their individual policies on foreign intervention vary greatly.