Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival The country welcomed 3.52 million visitors during the first half of 2026, more than double the figure recorded a year earlier, as the government pushes to reconnect to the world and promote tourism as a pillar of economic recovery. Syria
Syria seizes arms shipment on Iraq border destined for Hezbollah The operation comes as part of the Syrian authorities' efforts to curb illicit arms smuggling through its territory, namely intended for Hezbollah. Lebanon
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran declares 'existential war' as US strikes reach near Tehran By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Syria, US hold first business forum since sanctions relief: What to know The one-day forum in Damascus was organized by Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and the US-Syria Business Council, which was established in Washington last June to advance trade and investment between the two nations. Syria
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Kremlin confirms S-400 talks with Turkey By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran hits Gulf, warns Hormuz will reopen on its terms By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Baath spokesman denies alliance with Islamic State The spokesman of the Baath Party, Khodair al-Morshedi, considers the Islamic State (IS) a terrorist organization and denies having any ties with it. Iraq
Coastal Syrians carry on despite threat of Islamic State Regime supporters along the Syrian coast are confident the Syrian army can triumph and that the Islamic caliphate declared by the Islamic State in eastern parts of the country won’t last. Syria
Who is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? Details emerge about the years that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State, spent in Afghanistan. Iraq
Israel considers costs of escalation in Gaza Gaza residents bear the costs of war; Israel weighs its option with Hamas; Al-Monitor interviews Iraqi political leaders; the forgotten war in Syria. Palestine
Global jihad benefits from Gaza crisis As Arab states do little to intervene in Gaza, militant jihadism continues to spread throughout the region. Palestine
Aleppo rebels caught between Islamic State, regime Rebels in Aleppo say they will struggle to prevent both the Syrian regime forces and a resurgent Islamic State from sweeping through the city and its countryside. Syria
Islamic State moves to capture another Turkish border crossing The Islamic State is attacking Kobani canton, or Ain al-Arab, in an attempt to encircle the Kurdish autonomous region in Syria and capture a third crossing to Turkey. Iraq
Turkey faces threat from returning jihadists Having lost the proxy war it waged against Syria, Turkey now faces a potential threat to its own peace and stability by Turkish jihadists returning from Syria. Iraq
Aleppans set up money transfer offices within the city The division of Aleppo has separated families and made transferring money from east to west near impossible, prompting locals to take matters into their own hands. Syria
Lebanon: The summer when everything went wrong Political, constitutional, livelihood and weather problems are happening simultaneously in Lebanon. Iraq
Syrian refugees aggravate Turkey’s unemployment problem Syrian refugees working illegally at low wages are exacerbating already severe unemployment in Turkey. Syria
Turkish truckers try to get on the road again With the dangers and difficulties now inherent in transiting in Iraq and Syria, the Turkish transportation sector is looking for alternative routes to Middle Eastern markets. Legacy: Gulf
