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Syria

April 28, 2026

Damascus 10:20 am

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A young man stands in the entrance of tunnels that were used by the ISIS and the Assad's regime for fighting. Tadamon, Syria, February 7, 2025. (Photo by Raghed Waked / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAGHED WAKED/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know

Amjad Youssef appeared on video, allegedly killing dozens of civilians in 2013; he is the latest member of the Assad regime to be captured by the new Syrian government.

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Analysis

'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance

Backlash erupts after dancers perform to Missy Elliott’s “Work It,” exposing the tightrope between Sharaa’s outreach to the West and pressure from his Islamist base.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives ahead of a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 31, 2026.

Syria’s Sharaa makes fourth visit to Saudi Arabia, first since Iran war: What to know

The visit comes in light of the deepening economic relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia post-Assad.

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

After years of closure, the reopening of al-Yaaroubiya crossing is redrawing Kurdish economic leverage and reinforcing Turkey’s regional strategy.

Latest News

EU to restore Syria cooperation pact ahead of May talks: What to know

Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP via Getty Images

Sharaa distances Syria from Iran war, says Israel talks ongoing: What to know

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish Presient Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey April 17, 2026.

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US troops depart Syria, ending decade of presence in fight against ISIS

Boys along a road wave to an approaching US military mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) armored fighting vehicle moving in a convoy transporting Islamic State group detainees being transferred to Iraq from Syria, on the outskirts of Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Feb. 7, 2026.

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

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Since UN vote, aid still sparse in northwest Syria

Since the UN approved six more months of cross-border humanitarian aid to northwest Syria, deliveries remain minimal and millions of people are in need.

ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images

Risks of fire, heat stroke soar as heat wave cooks northwest Syria

Displacement camps in northwest Syria are sweltering as a heat wave sweeps the area.

Syrian laborers work at a clothing workshop in Damascus on Feb. 2, 2016.

Syria and North Korea discuss repairing Syrian engineering and industrial sectors

Syrian industry has experienced substantial losses as a result of the war between government and rebel forces.

A man stands near solar panels displayed at a shop in the town of Dana, Syria.

Another solar project completed in Syria

Solar power is slowly growing in both government and rebel-controlled parts of Syria. The war-torn country suffers from electricity cuts.

A picture taken during a tour organized by the Syrian Ministry of Information shows a Syrian national flag and cars in the district of Daraa al-Balad, Daraa, Syria, Sept. 12, 2021.

Who's to blame for ongoing assassinations in Syria's Daraa province?

Assassinations of opposition and government officials and loyalists alike are proliferating in Syria’s southern province of Daraa, with the rival parties trading blame as to who is responsible for the spike in killings.

A frame grab from a videotape aired Aug. 5, 2006, on the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network.

How Zawahiri's death affects Syrian opposition factions

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham did not issue an official statement regarding Ayman al-Zawahiri’s death, although some if the group's leaders expressed condolences on Telegram.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) during a meeting in Sochi, on Aug. 5, 2022.

At summit, Erdogan, Putin still divided on Syria

Ankara agreed that part of its natural gas payments to Moscow would be switched to rubles.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

After two years of closure, Syrian pilgrims resume travel through Bab al-Hawa crossing

Syrians with hajj permits are once again crossing from northern Syria into Turkey on pilgrimage to Mecca after a two-year halt.

An aerial view shows Syrian farmers picking cherries in a field in the town of Juzif in the Jebel al-Zawiyah Mountains, Idlib province, Syria, May 30, 2022.

Syrian jihadi group charges farmers for irrigation amid water crisis

The water resources directorate of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-affiliated Salvation Government has imposed fees for irrigation as part of a project to rehabilitate water stations in al-Roj Plain in Idlib.

In this photograph taken on July 31, 2022, smoke rises from a house following a US drone strike in the Sherpur area of Kabul.

Middle East reactions: Al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri killed in US drone strike

Saudi Arabia and Israel praised the operation which killed the Al-Qaeda leader; a Syrian jihadist group appeared to offer condolences.

Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

Syria, Iran condemn Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

China is a close ally of both countries but has also made economic inroads recently with US partners in the Middle East.

A Syrian man whose shop was destroyed in a regime aerial bombardment the previous day walks around the area on May 15, 2019.

Syrian escalation risks all-out conflict involving Turkey, Russia, Iran

A military escalation on all axes and from all sides in Syria followed the Tehran summit.