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May 19, 2026

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives to attend the second day of the first Syrian-Emirati (United Arab Emirates) Investment Forum, at the People's Palace in Damascus on May 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Ports and infrastructure: UAE embraces new economic order in Syria

UAE-Syrian ties have moved faster than expected, with Abu Dhabi embracing President Ahmad al-Sharaa and relations shifting from normalization to investment opportunities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Latest News

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Khaled Hablas

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

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

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.

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

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu hold a joint news conference at the Russian embassy in Washington after their meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, August 9, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX12FAI

Russia’s Course in Syria Unchanged

Al-Monitor’s coverage of US and Russian policies toward Syria; the protests in Egypt; and the return of reformist and Islamic chic in Iran.

Lebanese Army soldiers patrol the road leading to Beirut international airport, following the kidnap of a Turkish airlines pilot and his colleague in Beirut, August 9, 2013. A Turkish Airlines pilot and his colleague were abducted in Lebanon on Friday by armed men who forced them from a bus driving from Beirut airport in the early hours of the morning. The Turkish foreign ministry and the airline said they were in close contact with the Lebanese authorities but had no immediate information on who was behind

Turkish Pilots Abducted At Gunpoint in Beirut

Two Turkish Airlines pilots were kidnapped in Beirut early Friday, Aug. 9, to put pressure on the Turkish government to help release nine Shiite Lebanese hostages in Syria since May 2012.

Salah Abdel Moneim, 40, an Anti-Mursi supporter of Egypt's army, walks in front of his shop, plastered with huge posters of Egypt's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in downtown Cairo August 7, 2013. Egypt's presidency said on Wednesday that diplomatic efforts to end the country's political turmoil had failed and warned that the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted President Mohamed Mursi would be held responsible for the consequences. In a statement, interim President Adly Mansour's office said the period of

Egypt, Sisi Straddle Past, Present and Future

The legacy of former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser hangs over the fate of Egypt and Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Men hold Kurdish flags and a poster of Kurdistan leader Masoud Barazani during a Nowruz celebration organized by Kurdish groups at the seaside town of Rawshe in Beirut, March 21, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR3FA2H

Kurdish National Congress Seeks Unity Amid Divisions

The Kurdish National Congress, to be held in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region on Aug. 24, will seek a common agenda for Kurds divided over the war in Syria.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (C), Head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad (R) and Lebanon's Minister of Education Hassan Mneimneh (L) listen to Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah speak via a video display during the Arab and International Forum to support the Resistance, in Beirut January 15, 2010. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR28WF6

Is Hamas Considering A Move to Beirut?

Beirut has been the scene of intense political activity by Hamas as it seeks to restore ties with Hezbollah and Iran.

Palestinians buy sweets in Jerusalem's Old City ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, August 7, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: RELIGION FOOD) - RTX12D0X

Will Eid al-Fitr Bring Hope For Arab World?

Eid al-Fitr is being celebrated with an especially heavy heart this year, with massacres still taking place in Syria, hatred in Egypt boiling over and the closure of Gaza continuing.

A Syrian soldier stands next to a car with "Free Army" written on it in Haffeh town near Latakia city June 14, 2012. The Syrian town of Haffeh was smouldering and nearly deserted on Thursday after days of clashes between government forces and rebels, while activists reported more army assaults on pro-opposition areas across the country. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR33LTX

Syrian Rebel Forces Set Sights on Latakia

Al-Qaeda and affiliated jihadist groups have reportedly taken the lead in an offensive on Syrian Alawite villages.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch John Yazigi (C) leads a prayer at the Balamand Monastery in Koura, near the north Lebanese city of Tripoli, to call for the release of bishops kidnapped in northern Syria two months ago, June 22, 2013. Patriarch John Yazigi led the candle-lit vigil on Saturday for Greek Orthodox archbishop Paul Yazigi and Syriac Orthodox archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim, appealing to their kidnappers to free them and urging Syrian security forces to do more to win their release. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBA

Worries Grow About Fate Of Kidnapped Syrian Bishops

The fate of the two bishops kidnapped in Syria on April 22 is still unknown, but they are feared to have been abducted and killed by Chechen jihadists, according to a Lebanese official.

Free Syrian Army fighters sit together with Syrian Kurdish fighters inside a house in Ashrafieh, Aleppo August 5, 2013. The Syrian opposition flag (L) hangs next to the Kurdish flag on the wall behind. REUTERS/Aref Hretani (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX12B7O

Kurdish Civilians Fear Reprisals in Northern Syria

Syrian Kurdish opposition groups claim rebel forces may be targeting Kurdish civilians.

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki talks to media in Damascus April 29, 2013, in this handout photograph distributed by Syria's national news agency SANA. Al-Halki survived a bomb attack on his convoy in Damascus on Monday, state media and activists said, as rebels struck in the heart of President Bashar al-Assad's capital. The Britain-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of sources across Syria, said one person accompanying the prime minister had been killed. State television repo

Syria’s Prime Minister Expects Elections in 2014

An exclusive interview with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki.

A Kurdish fighter from the Popular Protection Units (YPG) holds his weapon as he takes position atop a building with a YPG flag in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood, June 7, 2013. Kurdish fighters from the YPG joined the Free Syrian Army to fight against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX10USX

Border Clashes Confront Turkey With 'Afghanistan of the Levant'

Clashes adjacent to Turkey's border with Syria have the potential of causing a lot of headache for Turkey, not only for their security implications but also for the international image of Turkey and the country's relations with allies, primarily the United States.

Lebanese Army Commander General Jean Kahwaji (L) and Army Chief of Staff General Walid Salman attend a graduation parade for Lebanese officer cadets at a military academy in Fayadyeh, near Beirut, marking the 68th Army Day, August 1, 2013. Lebanon's defence minister extended the term of the army chief on Wednesday to avoid a vacuum in military leadership at a time when the country is facing violence linked to Syria's war and political paralysis. The extension by two years of Army Chief Jean Kahwaji's posti

Recent Attacks Portend Danger For Lebanon

The Lebanese are divided about the Syrian crisis, but recent rocket and other attacks suggest the country might already be entrenched in its neighbor’s civil war.