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Palmyra

Syria

December 16, 2025

Damascus 1:36 pm

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Armed personnel of SDF and public security forces of the new Syrian government stand guard in al-Ramun district of Aleppo, Syria, on April 3, 2025.

Analysis

Will deadly Palmyra attack accelerate SDF's integration into Syrian forces?

Following the Palmyra attack, analysts say the SDF may face growing pressure to align with Damascus.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signs documents with Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny, as Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, looks on during an agreement signing ceremony at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on Nov. 26, 2025.

Analysis

As Turkey’s East Med isolation deepens, will Ankara seek maritime Syria deal?

Lebanon-Cyprus maritime agreements have further increased Turkey and Turkish Cypriots’ isolation in the Eastern Mediterranean amid growing Cypriot-Greek-Israeli alignment.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

The ancient ruins of Palmyra are pictured in central Syria at sunrise on Aug. 24, 2025.

Two US soldiers, interpreter killed in ISIS ambush in Syria, Pentagon says

The deadliest attack on American troops in Syria in years comes as the Pentagon aims to reduce its footprint while building trust with Damascus-aligned forces to take on ISIS together.

rabbi

Culture

In first, Syria approves restoration of Jewish property, synagogues

The new organization is the latest sign of Damascus’ outreach to Syria's dwindled Jewish community.

Latest News

Feature

Kurds from Syria's Afrin languish in camps as Sharaa, SDF remain unreconciled

Syrian Kurds, fleeing from north of Aleppo, arrive in Tabqa, on the western outskirts of Raqa, on Dec. 4, 2024.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria says Israel made arrest in south as US pushes for deal: What to know

Israeli special forces secure the area along the border fence, near the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on July 17, 2025.

Clashes and protests in Lebanon over Syria's anniversary: What we know

TOPSHOT - Syrian and Lebanese people in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli celebrate on December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Fathi AL-MASRI / AFP) (Photo by FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images)

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Pentagon 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

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visits with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (off frame) during the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on Sept. 24, 2025.

UN Security Council votes to lift sanctions on Syria's Sharaa

The move comes days before Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to visit the White House.

This picture taken on July 10, 2022, shows a view of the thermal natural gas and fuel oil power plant serving Syria's northern city of Aleppo.

Syria advances Qatar-backed $7B power project amid soaring electricity prices

According to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, the plants will use a combination of natural gas and solar energy.

A Syrian man inspects the prison of Saydnaya, north of Damascus on Dec. 16, 2024.

Feature

Families of Americans missing in Syria urge Caesar sanctions relief

The remaining US sanctions on Syria may be hindering the search for the remains of Americans detained and killed by the former Assad regime.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Sipan Hemo

Exclusive

SDF commander Hemo: Syria’s Kurds prepare for threat of war as Damascus talks falter

As US-brokered talks stall, Kurdish forces are preparing contingencies while continuing dialogue with Damascus to secure Syria’s future, SDF commander Sipan Hemo told Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Meet Rama Duwaji, Mamdani's wife and New York’s first lady of Syrian descent

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's wife, Rama Duwaji, largely stayed out of the spotlight during the campaign but her Syrian heritage has shaped her views and upbringing.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waits to meet with France's president, Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 24, 2025.

Exclusive

US pushes UN vote to revoke Sharaa sanctions before White House visit

The Trump administration's effort to delist the Syrian leader has faced resistance from China.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Former Director General of Lafarge Bruno Lafont (C) and French lawyer Jacqueline Laffont arrive on the opening day of the trial.

French cement giant Lafarge on trial for ‘funding terrorism’ in Syria: What to know

The French company is accused of funneling millions of dollars via its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria to jihadi groups and intermediaries to keep its cement plant operating in northern Syria.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA - DECEMBER 30: Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani during a press conference after a meeting between the Syrian leadership and a Ukrainian delegation to help strengthen ties between the two countries on December 30, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. Syria is transitioning after the fall of the Baath regime and the Assad family's rule, with a temporary administration now in place in Damascus and Aleppo. (Photo by Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)

Syria’s Shibani says no concrete progress in integration talks with Kurds

Syria’s foreign minister cites a “positive trajectory,” but Damascus and Kurdish officials remain deadlocked despite US-brokered efforts to unify the country’s political and military structures.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa holds a joint press conference with the Turkish president following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Syria’s Sharaa to sign deal at White House to join anti-ISIS coalition

US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said the Syrian president will formalize his country’s entry into the US-led alliance next week.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Billion-dollar AI, clean energy deals headline Saudi 'Davos in the Desert'

Humain, an AI firm backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the PIF, signed a $3 billion deal with AirTrunk, a company backed by US asset manager Blackstone, to build a data center campus in the kingdom.