Syria - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palmyra

Syria

May 20, 2026

Damascus 4:51 am

18°C

AFP via Getty Images

Car bomb in Syrian capital leaves 1 dead, 23 injured: What to know

Tuesday's bombing is the latest in a string of recent security incidents in Damascus.

NICOSIA, CYPRUS - APRIL 24: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for an informal meeting of European Union leaders on April 24, 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The EU heads of state and government are meeting over two days to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the effects of high fuel prices, and how Europe may contribute to de-escalation and a peace agreement. (Photo by Byron Smith/Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa renews ban on Israeli imports in customs law: What to know

The renewal comes even as Damascus pursues US-backed security talks with Israel aimed at reducing tensions along the border.

Latest News

Analysis

Ports and infrastructure: UAE embraces new economic order in Syria

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)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Interview

UK fintech brings foreign currency accounts to Syrians at home

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

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

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.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Khaled Hablas

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

An Israeli Air Force F-15I jet is seen in the background as Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (3rd R) speaks to reporters while standing next to Israel's armed forces chief Major-General Benny Gantz (R) and commander of Israel's Air Force Major-General Amir Eshel (4th R) during a presentation at Hatzerim air base in southern Israel April 30, 2013. Israel on Tuesday launched its first targeted attack on a militant in Gaza since a war in November, killing a Palestinian jihadist in an air strike that put f

Israel’s Mistake in Attacking Syria

Israel’s air strikes on Syria have set back its interests in the region.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) speaks to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C) as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov listens during their meeting in Moscow, May 7, 2013. Kerry told Putin on Tuesday the United States and Russia share common interests in Syria, including promoting regional stability and preventing the spread of extremism. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS)

ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, E

US Should Heed Russia, Include Iran in Syria Talks

Russia is asking the US to include Iran in the upcoming "Geneva II" conference on Syria, a move that could also benefit the stalemated nuclear talks.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama (R) arrive for a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden in Washington, May 16, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZPHQ

Spillover Effects of Syria’s Sectarian Conflict on Turkey

The Reyhanli attack not only weakens Prime Minister Erdogan's hand in his meeting with President Obama, but also has ramifications for Turkey's stability.

A man works at a makeshift oil refinery site in al-Mansoura village in Raqqa's countryside May 5, 2013. Many civilians in the village who lost their jobs due to the Syrian conflict are making a living by refining crude oil to extract useful fuel such as gasoline and kerosene for sale. Picture taken May 5, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT ENERGY BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - RTXZIAG

Syrian Oil Becomes Fault Line In War

With Syria's oil reserves divided between Kurdish and opposition forces, some fear a clash over the country's energy resources.

Rise of Radical Jihadists Setback for Syria

US military intervention would not have prevented, and will not prevent, radical jihadism in Syria.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Jordan's King Abdullah await questions from the press prior to a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House to discuss issues like the Syrian crisis and regional security, in Washington, April 26, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Theiler (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZ1AA

Has Jordan Abandoned Its Cautious Policy on Syria?

Amman will host the opposition Friends of Syria meeting next week.

Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman (R) meets with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov at the presidential palace in Baabda, near Beirut, April 26, 2013. REUTERS/Dalati Nohra/Handout (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTXZ0WW

Russian Embassy in Beirut Becomes Hub for Syria Diplomacy

With Russia’s diplomatic base relocated from Damascus to Beirut, Moscow is refining its strategy on the Syrian crisis as the second Geneva conference nears.

Ralph Alswang Photographer
www.ralphphoto.com
202-487-5025

Van Hollen Discusses Middle East, 'Unintended Consequences' in Syria

Representative Christopher Van Hollen, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, discusses the Middle East in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor.

The owner of a shop and his family members wait in his damaged shop at the site of a twin bomb blast in the town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, near the Turkish-Syrian border May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZLWK

Bombings Lead to Anger, Questions Over Turkey’s Syria Policy

Many Turks are wondering how their nation's Syrian policy can be a success when it has started costing innocent Turkish lives.

Turkey's Alevis attend a rally in Ankara November 9, 2008. Thousands of Turkish Alevis marched in Ankara on Sunday in their first massive demonstration to call for an end to discrimination by the government and compulsory religious classes. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY) - RTXAF37

Bombing Exposes Divide In Turkish Politics

Tensions in Reyhanli mirror Turkish Alevis' frustrations over their unmet demands for recognition.

U.S. President Barack Obama (7th R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (6th R) pose with members of Israel's defense force as he views an Iron Dome Battery at Ben Gurion International Airport Airport in Tel Aviv March 20, 2013. Obama said at the start of his first official visit to Israel on Wednesday that the U.S. commitment to the security of the Jewish state was rock solid and that peace must come to the Holy Land. REUTERS/Jason Reed (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3F84T

Can the Israeli Defense Budget Be Cut In Half?

A veteran Israeli Defense Forces general claims the threats to Israel today do not require a massive military or huge air force.

Moaz Alkhatib, head of the Syrian National Coalition, attends the Arab League summit in Doha in this March 26, 2013 handout. A summit of Arab heads of state opened in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday expected to focus on the war in Syria as well as on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. REUTERS/Handout (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS) ATTENTION EDITORS - FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED

Syrian Parties Respond to US-Russia Conference Proposal

Syrian parties consider their participation in the conference proposed by the United States and Russia.