Syria’s Sharaa talks economic ties with UAE leader: What to know The UAE is moving to boost trade and investment ties with Syria amid the conflicts in the region and following initial caution in its dealings with Damascus. Syria
Fuel price protests in Syria continue for second day: What to know The Syrian government hiked fuel prices by more than 28%, prompting massive protests across at least eight provinces. Syria
UN watchdog formally ends probe into Assad-era nuclear sites The vote follows last month's visit by international inspectors to two suspected former nuclear sites in Syria. Syria
Syria destroys 42 bombs in chemical stockpile purge: What to know The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has resumed its inspections in Syria and confirmed that at least 42 aerial bombs have been destroyed by Syrian authorities in the first such efforts since 2014. Syria
Newsletter: Business & Tech Oil rises amid renewed US-Iran fighting By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse LEAP’s comeback By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Clashes escalate around Damascus Syrian rebels took al-Dukhaniyya last week in a bid to open supply routes to the front line in Jobar. Syria
Obama needs peace in Syria to defeat IS Syria’s internal opposition says defeating the Islamic State is impossible without finding a solution to Syria’s civil war. Iraq
Turkish villages smuggle IS oil through makeshift pipelines In the village of Hacipasa, almost every house is connected to an illegal oil pipeline smuggling IS oil into Turkey. Syria
Turkey rows against the tide Ideological assumptions based on Islamist and Sunni sympathies, as well as a series of bad judgments, leave Turkey with diminished influence in a region where it once hoped to play a leadership role. Iraq
Israel skeptical about US strategy on IS While the US finds a new interlocutor in Israel's opposition leader, the Israeli security establishment is not reassured by President Barack Obama's latest speech, since it fears that much like Hamas, the Islamic State cannot be defeated by airstrikes alone. Iraq
Syrian women find independence in embroidery An NGO in Lebanon that trains and employs Syrian refugee women in embroidery is also providing a safe environment where they can share their experiences and support one another. Lebanon
Syrian rebels break uneasy peace in Golan Heights Syrian rebels, including Jabhat al-Nusra, are hoping they can take control of Quneitra province and break the siege on Ghouta in eastern Damascus. Israel
The return of Lebanese 'self-security' The growing fears of a jihadist presence in Lebanon have pushed some Lebanese villages toward increasingly relying on themselves for security. Lebanon
Hezbollah parliamentarian: We will defend Lebanon from IS In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said Lebanon was under direct threat from the Islamic State and that Hezbollah stood ready to confront it. Saudi Arabia
US-Iran cooperation on IS makes Israel uneasy Although Israel is increasingly uneasy about the possibility of US-Iran cooperation in fighting the Islamic State, Israeli security officials say the emergence of a regional Islamic caliphate would be a strategic disaster. Palestine
Christians in Homs province fear jihadist advance Christians in the strategic Wadi al-Nasara area are pinning their defense on the Syrian army’s ability to hold the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra at bay. Syria
New jihadist generation in Lebanon With the latest security clashes between Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra members and the Lebanese army, it seems that Salafism is shifting its priorities to Lebanon. Iraq
