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Syria

September 17, 2026

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Assala Nasri (C) attends the 2025 Joy Awards at The Venue, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 18, 2025.

Culture

Syrian singer Assala returns to Damascus stage after 15-year exile

The Syrian star, one of the Arab world’s most famous artists, had been in self-exile since 2011 after she openly supported the uprising against the since-ousted Assad government.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, Sept. 15, 2026.

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.

Bakr ALkasem / AFP via Getty Images

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.

Two women stand before graffiti on the cemetery wall for victims of the chemical massacre, on Aug. 21, 2025 in Zamalka, 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.

Latest News

Syria destroys 42 bombs in chemical stockpile purge: What to know

Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images

Fresh fighting in Syria's Suwayda leaves one dead: What to know

Tribal and Bedouin fighters deploy in the western neighborhood of southern Syria's predominantly Druze city of Suwayda amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 19, 2025.

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

Lebanon's Hezbollah scouts parade during a rally to mark 'Quds (Jerusalem) Day' in Beirut's southern suburbs, August 2, 2013. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech to hundreds of supporters in support of Palestinians in his first public appearance since last September. He has been living in hiding, for fear of assassination, since Hezbollah fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ANNIVERSARY) - RTX128J7

Hezbollah's Empty Threats Against Israel

Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Damascus and Tehran are all threatening to set Israel ablaze after any attack on Syria, but none of them has the interest or ability to follow through.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends a ceremony marking the 91st anniversary of Victory Day at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX131DQ

Turkey’s Middle East Policy Lies in Shambles

While Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may still have some admirers in the "Arab street," he may be losing the admiration of many of the region’s leaders.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he addresses the media before leaving for Turkmenistan at Esenboga Airport in Ankara August 15, 2013. Erdogan called on Thursday for the U.N. Security Council to convene quickly and act after what he described as a massacre in Egypt, during a news conference in Ankara. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12M4D

Is Turkey Backpedaling on Syria?

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc has signaled that Turkey hasn't fully decided to join the coalition of the willing against the Syrian regime.

A man reacts as he sits in rubble at a site hit on Friday by what activists said was a Scud missile in Aleppo's Ard al-Hamra neighbourhood, February 23, 2013. Rockets struck eastern districts of Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, on Friday, killing at least 29 people and trapping a family of 10 in the ruins of their home, activists in the city said. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3E62Q

Is There a Plan For Day After Military Strike?

As the world awaits a potential Western military strike on Syria, the results and repercussions of such a strike would largely depend on the plan or vision to be implemented the day after.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with bipartisan Congressional leaders in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington to discuss a military response to Syria, September 3, 2013. From L-R are: National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and Obama REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX135QE

Obama Stuns Israel With Delay on Syria Strike

The US president's decision to seek congressional approval to strike Syria has caught Israel and its security establishment by surprise.

A general view shows a damaged piano amid buildings destroyed by what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the besieged area of Homs September 2, 2013. REUTERS/Yazan Homsy (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX1351E

US Military Force Could Promote Diplomacy in Syria

If the endgame is a diplomatic solution, the Obama administration should seek to strengthen secular Syrian opposition forces in advance of the Geneva II conference.

A Jewish worshipper covered in a prayer shawl blows a shofar, or a ram's horn, during prayers at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem September 27, 2011, ahead of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which starts at sundown on Wednesday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: SOCIETY RELIGION) - RTR2RW7H

Regional Turmoil Casts Shadow On Israelis’ New Year’s Eve

Israelis will celebrate the Jewish New Year with the threat of the Syrian civil war, the revolutions in Egypt and other changes in the region; next year doesn't promise more stability.

Obama's Unnecessary Red Line

President Obama's hesitation in enforcing his own red line on Syria will make Israelis question his limits for Iran.

Islamic Jihad militants take part in the funeral of their comrade Mahmoud Shaath in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip November 28, 2012. Shaath died on Wednesday from a wound he suffered from an Israeli air strike during an eight-day conflict, Palestinian medics said. Eight days of Israeli air strikes on Gaza and cross-border Palestinian rocket attacks ended in an Egyptian-brokered truce agreement a week ago that called on Israel to ease restrictions on the territory. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZ

Islamic Jihad May Respond If Israel Enters Syria War

Fighters from Al-Quds Brigades say they are ready to fight in Syria alongside Hezbollah if requested.

A member of the Free Syrian Army walks past a damaged bus in Aleppo's Karm al-Jabal district, June 3, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS) - RTX10ALJ

Syria's Bus Drivers Brave War to Provide Transport

Bus companies operating between Lebanese and Syrian cities continue despite the high dangers of war.

A fighter from the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra is seen in front of a burning vehicle, caused by what activists said were missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, at their base in Raqqa province, east Syria, May 12, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZJTP

Attacking Al-Qaeda in Syria

A robust information campaign to undermine al-Qaeda in Syria would help to mitigate, although not eliminate, the dangers of the civil war.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal (C) arrives before the opening of an emergency meeting among the Arab League foreign ministers, held to discuss the Syrian crisis and the potential military strike on President Bashar al-Assad's regime, at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, September 1, 2013. Saudi Arabia told fellow Arab League states on Sunday that opposing international intervention against the Syrian government would only encourage Damascus to use weapons of mass destruction. REU

Saudi Arabia Pushes US Toward Military Strike in Syria

Saudi Arabia is advocating for a US military strike in Syria to advance its own regional and sectarian agenda.