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Syria

November 5, 2025

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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.

Latest News

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

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish military academies to train 49 Syrian cadets amid joint drills: What to know

Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction stand by a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

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

People hold a banner featuring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as members of the Syrian community and supporters gather to celebrate the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the face of an offensive by Islamist-led rebels, in Istanbul's Fatih district on December 8, 2024. Islamist-led rebels toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive that a UN envoy called "a watershed moment" for the nation marred by civil war. (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN / AFP) (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN/AF

Analysis

'We may end up missing Assad': Israel grapples with Turkey’s rising influence in Syria

Reports of Turkish preparations to invade northern Syria, coupled with Israeli officials’ statements of support for the Kurds, further strain the already tense relationship between the leaders of Israel and Turkey.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A convoy carrying humanitarian aid arrives in Syria after crossing the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, on Sept. 19, 2023.

Web of sanctions hinders US aid to post-Assad Syria

A patchwork of preexisting sanctions on Syria complicates any effort by the US government to surge aid to the war-battered country.

Fighters of Turkish-supported forces are positioned on the Buwayhij-Boughaz-Korhoyuk frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria, as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sept. 6, 2023.

Turkey-backed Syrian factions end US-mediated ceasefire with Kurdish-led SDF

Sources told Al-Monitor that negotiations between the sides had “failed” amid “significant military buildups” on the Turkish border.

An aerial picture shows a view the destruction at the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees and its cemetery, in the south of Damascus on December 14, 2024. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

The daunting battle ahead to rebuild Syria’s devastated economy

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik on July 25, 2024, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at the Kremlin in Moscow on July 24, 2024.

Analysis

Does Putin have any cards left in Syria?

Al-Monitor’s unmatched coverage of events in Syria.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security

Palestinians stand in wait for a food portion at a distribution centre south of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 17, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP) (Photo by BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

Buoyed by Assad's ouster in Syria, Palestinians hope for end to Gaza war

Palestinians in Gaza are hoping the fall of Assad in Syria will lead to an end of the Israeli war and occupation.

Rasha Abou Jalal

By Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

A Syrian refugee gestures as she speaks with Turkish soldiers at Cilvegozu crossborder gate before entering in Syria at Reyhanli district in Hatay, on December 9, 2024. Islamist-led rebels declared on December 8, 2024, 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 Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

'Immense joy and disbelief': Syrians in Turkey want to return, but uncertainty prevails

While celebrating President Bashar al-Assad's fall, many Syrians in Turkey remain cautious about returning until more stability and security are assured.

A correspondent in Turkey

By A correspondent in Turkey

Members of the Syrian community in Berlin hold flags of Syria and Germany as they celebrate the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, Dec. 8, 2024.

Analysis

EU seeks channels with HTS as it grapples with post-Assad Syria

The European Union will need a creative solution to establish communications with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a designated terror organization and the caretaker government in Syria.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

TOPSHOT - An aerial view shows a Syrian man waving the independence-era Syrian flag at Damascus' central Umayyad Square on December 11, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

Dispatch from Damascus: Syrians celebrate end of Assad reign in shadow of atrocities

From horror to hope, Syrians are embracing a new political order as they turn the page on the Assad dynasty and grieve the ones they lost in atrocities by the toppled regime.

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

People chant slogans and wave flags in celebration after performing the first Friday prayer since the fall of the Assad regime at the Umayyad Mosque on Dec. 13, 2024 in Damascus, Syria.

Gulf states reach out to new Syrian leaders ahead of Jordan talks: What we know

Bahrain's King Hamad sent a letter to HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, while the UAE has held direct contact with opposition groups. Qatar is set to reopen embassy in Damascus soon.

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel builds flexible presence in Syria as window opens to strike Iran

Israeli leaders keep stressing that the military presence in the buffer zone and on Mount Hermon is temporary, but a lot will depend on who will control Syria hence on

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A Russian soldier stands next to submarines at the Russian naval base in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartus on Sept. 26, 2019.

Russia, HTS in 'direct contact' to keep bases in Syria: What we know

Russia is reaching out to the new seat of power in Syria in a bid to maintain its military bases in the country, citing the ongoing threat of the Islamic State.