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Syria

May 15, 2026

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A Syrian citizen exchanges old banknotes for new notes released and distributed by the central bank, at a bank in the capital, Damascus, on Jan. 3, 2026.

Interview

UK fintech brings foreign currency accounts to Syrians at home

The launch comes as Syria’s new government attempts to stabilize the country’s shattered economy following the January 2025 rise to power of President Ahmed al-Sharaa after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Khaled Hablas

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon.

Pictured in this undated image is the Al-Thawra oil field in Raqqa governorate, as rehabilitation works continue to restore production capacity.

Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know

Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, national oil production stood at between 400,000 and 500,00 barrels per day before falling to under 100,000 bpd during the conflict.

Latest News

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

Kaja Kallas

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism at the State Department in Washington February 19, 2015. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4Q9O7

Can returned extremist fighters be rehabilitated?

Participants in a White House summit on countering violent extremism say the most useful aspect was exchanging information on the sidelines of the meetings about how to prevent recruitment of vulnerable youth and rehabilitate foreign fighters returning home from Syria and Iraq.

Rebel fighters of al-Jabha al-Shamiya (the Shamiya Front) sit in an armoured vehicle along a main road between Raitan and Bashkuwi villages, north of Aleppo February 19, 2015. Battles in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo have killed at least 70 pro-government fighters and more than 80 insurgents after the army launched an offensive there, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Rami Zayat (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT MILITARY) - RTR4Q8LA

Should US back UN plan for cease-fire in Aleppo?

UN Syria envoy says that "assurances will not be enough" to end fighting; Turkey’s border a "strategic problem" in anti-Islamic State campaign.

Rebel fighters fire a mortar towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad who are stationed in Tel Merhi and Deir Adass villages, from the northwestern countryside of Deraa February 18, 2015. Heavy fighting in southern Syria has killed scores of pro-government and insurgent fighters in the past week, a group monitoring Syria's war said on Sunday, forecasting even fiercer violence as the weather clears. Picture taken February 18. REUTERS/Wsam Almokdad (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLIC

Syria opposition forces claim regime attack in Daraa futile

The opposition forces in southern Syria say that the regime, which has launched a battle with its allies Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is not advancing there.

Jordanian Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Mashal Al Zaben (C) shakes hands with Iraqi military officers at the Defence Ministry in Baghdad February 11, 2015. Zaben held talks in Baghdad with his Iraqi counterpart as Arab states continued their attacks on Islamic State (IS) militants occupying chunks of Iraq and Syria. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT MILITARY) - RTR4P57F

Jordan rejects land offensive against IS, for now

Observers believe that Jordan is being dragged into a land offensive against the Islamic State in Syria, using the execution of its pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh as cover.

A rebel fighter carries his weapon as he walks in front of a rainbow in Ratian village, north of Aleppo, after what the rebels said was an offensive against them by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad that attempted to advance in the village but failed to February 18, 2015. Battles in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo have killed at least 70 pro-government fighters and more than 80 insurgents after the army launched an offensive there, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. Picture taken Feb

Syrian army's advances near border rattle Ankara

If the Syrian regime army captures Aleppo, the Turkish border will come under heavy pressure.

Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq, a monitoring service said. The Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot previously known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), posted pictures online on Sunday of people waving black flags from cars and holding guns in the air, the SITE m

Who holds the real power in IS?

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may be caliph of the Islamic State, but he does not rule alone.

A rebel fighter prepares cameras ahead of firing mortars towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the village of Tshalma near the Armenian Christian town of Kasab May 26, 2014. REUTERS/Alaa Khweled (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3QYIQ

Wiretaps reveal Turkey's attacks on Syrian regime positions

Court documents reveal that last year, when the Syrian opposition captured the Armenian town of Kassab, the Turkish army shelled the Syrian army.

Migrants receive assistance after disembarking from the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Ezadeen at the Corigliano Calabro harbor, southern Italy January 3, 2015. The ship carrying hundreds of migrants arrived in the southern Italian port of Corigliano Calabro on the evening of January 2 after being abandoned by its crew in rough seas in the Mediterranean off Italy's south coast in the second such incident in three days. REUTERS/Antonino Condorelli (ITALY - Tags: SOCIETY IMMIGRATION CRIME LAW POLITICS MARITIM

Is Europe closing door to refugees?

With smuggling tragedies increasing in the Mediterranean, Europe is looking for ways to stem the tide of human smuggling from North Africa.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin (L) and Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) of Saudi Arabia talk through their interpreters during a plenary session at the G20 leaders summit in Brisbane November 15, 2014. Western leaders attending the G20 summit blasted Putin on Saturday for the crisis in Ukraine, threatening further sanctions if Russia did not withdraw troops and weapons from its neighbouring nation. REUTERS/Rob Griffith/Pool (AUSTRALIA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS ROYALS) - RTR4E8XK

Tensions rise between Saudis, Russians

Russia's controversial policies in the Middle East have brought increasing friction with Saudi Arabia — both in the region and inside Russia — to new heights.

Civilians carry their children as they flee, after what activists said were two barrels bombs dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the northwestern Homs district of Al Waer, February 7, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4OLPY

Four years on, civilian deaths continue in Syria

Civilians in Syria are paying the cost of the four-year conflict, often losing their lives, be it at the hands of the regime, opposition forces or jihadists.

Syrian women walk past items on display at a shop in Damascus on Valentine's day on February 14, 2015. AFP PHOTO / LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)

War separates lovers in Aleppo

The conflict in Aleppo has divided the city, making it nearly impossible for people in one half to visit people in the other after the closure of the Bustan al-Qasr crossing.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a meeting in Moscow, October 21, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4AYVB

UN, Russia take lead in Syria diplomacy

Russia-Egypt ties enter "new phase"; UN and Russian initiatives offer only hope so far for Syria political settlement; Erdogan promotes the "Internal Security Law."