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Syria

August 30, 2026

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Analysis

UAE gauges new Lebanon deals amid Levant economic stabilization push

Beirut welcomed a high-level business delegation from the UAE in late August as Abu Dhabi pursues new regional economic engagement amid Iran's waning influence.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrive for a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Feb. 4, 2025.

Analysis

Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines

Turkey supports US-backed Israel-Syria talks but sees little prospect of a lasting accommodation until the Israeli elections.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

cards

Sharaa taps Visa as Syria reconnects to global finance: What to know

Visa and Mastercard announced Wednesday that their networks can now be used to make international card payments in Syria.

Latest News

Analysis

Capitulation or compromise? What SDF's dissolution means for Sharaa, Turkey and Syria's Kurds

Mazloum Kobane, leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during a televised speech at the People's Palace in Damascus on Aug. 25, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

A vendor arranges truffles at his road side stall in Damascus on March 1, 2023.

Islamic State kills three truffle hunters in Syria

Truffle hunting is potentially profitable for Syrians amid the bleak economic situation in the country, but the activity is also dangerous due to targeting by the Islamic State.

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), attends a meeting with other commanders and representatives of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group, in the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah, in the province of the same name, on Aug. 24, 2019.

Interview

US-backed Syrian Kurdish leader Mazlum Kobane says Turkey's attempt on life not the first

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would do "anything to reach power again" as Turkey prepares for elections next month.

Mazlum Kobane

Mazlum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), gives a press conference near the northeastern Syrian Hassakeh province on Oct. 24, 2019.

Drone strike targets US Syrian-Kurdish ally Mazlum Kobane, Turkey suspected

Mazlum Kobane, the Pentagon’s chief ally in the fight against the Islamic State, was traveling in a convoy with US officials at the time of the strike.

CIA Director William Burns testifies during a House Select Committee on Intelligence hearing concerning worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill March 9, 2023 in Washington, DC. The leaders of U.S. intelligence agencies testified on a wide range of issues, including China, Russia, Covid-19 origins, and TikTok. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

CIA director visited Saudi Arabia, aired 'frustration' over Iran, Syria thaw

The CIA director met the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and reportedly expressed displeasure with Washington being "blindsided" over agreements brokered by China and Russia.

Flags of Arab League nations are set up at the convention center slated to host the league's Heads of State summit, in Algeria capital Algiers, on October 30, 2022. - Arab leaders are to meet in the Algerian capital on November 1 for their first summit since a string of normalisation deals with Israel that have divided the region. (Photo by Fethi Belaid / AFP) (Photo by FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

US softens rhetoric on Arab outreach to Syria’s Assad

The Biden administration says "real steps to improve the situation for the people in Syria" should be part of any engagement with the long-boycotted regime.

Mourners attend the funeral procession for two of Iran's revolutionary guard forces killed by Israel in Syria, held in Tehran on April 4, 2023. - The two Iranian fighters, identified as Milad Heidari and Meghdad Mahghani, were killed on March 31, 2023 when Israel launched several missiles from the occupied Golan Heights against pro-regime positions near Damascus. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran vows revenge against Israel after deadly Syria strikes

As tensions escalated, Iran's promise of vengeance was also coupled with a pledge to further bolster Syria's defenses against Israel.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C) shakes hands.

Russia looks to reconcile Turkey, Syria as talks kick off in Moscow

Russia seeks to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus amid four-way talks in Moscow.

Members of the Syrian army deploy in the al-Rashidin 1 district, in Aleppo's southwestern countryside, on Feb. 16, 2020.

Three Assad advisers indicted in France for Syria war crimes

Sending a strong signal to the Assad regime, a French court decided to indict three senior intelligence advisers for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

US army soldiers stand near an armoured military vehicle on the outskirts of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, bordering Turkey, on March 27, 2023. (Photo by Delil souleiman / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US strike kills senior Islamic State leader in Syria

US Central Command accused Khalid ‘Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri of plotting attacks in Europe and Turkey.

A F-15 fighter jet takes part in an aerial display during the graduation ceremony of Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, on June 23, 2022.

Fourth suspected Israeli strike on Syria in five days kills two

Two Iranian officers were killed by Israeli missiles late last week.

Villagers walk to collect water after troops from the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab forces, retook a town on November 11, 2015 near Hasaka, in the autonomous region of Rojava, Syria. The armed forces of the predominantly Kurdish region in northern Syria have been retaking territory from ISIL extremists with the help of airstrikes from the U.S. led coalition. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Two Islamic State suicide bombers killed in Syria amid group’s resurgence

There has been an uptick in IS attacks throughout Syria in recent months.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the "APEC Leaders' Informal Dialogue with Guests" event during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on November 18, 2022. (Photo by ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi continues regional reshuffle in hosting Egypt's Sisi, opening to Assad

The meeting between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes as Egypt faces a deepening economic crisis and the region witnesses major realignments.