Syria - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palmyra

Syria

September 21, 2025

Damascus 7:12 pm

28°C

Israeli troops patrol the border fence with Syria near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, July 23, 2025.

Analysis

Seeking leeway on Gaza, Netanyahu backs Trump’s Syria pact push

The US is working intensively to arrange a historic meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Syrian President Sharaa on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

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

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Analysis

From Palestine push to Sharaa’s UN debut: What to watch at UN summit

The annual international get-together will feature a wave of Palestinian statehood recognition, the Syrian president’s United Nations debut and possible 11th-hour diplomacy with Iran.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Otto Pedersen addresses a press conference in Damascus on Jan. 22, 2025.

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen steps down after six years

Pedersen is leaving as Syria continues to grapple with political upheaval, humanitarian crises and ongoing conflict.

UMIT BEKTAS/AFP via Getty Images

In first visit in 25 years, Syrian FM pushes sanctions relief in Washington

Asaad al-Shibani’s visit to Washington comes as Syria seeks sanctions relief and engages in US-mediated talks with Israel on a security agreement.

Latest News

Turkey’s spy chief in Damascus as Israel, Syria weigh new security map

Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022.

Syria, Jordan, US unveil road map to stabilize Suwayda after clashes: What to know

Bedouin and tribal fighters deploy at the western entrance of Syria's Druze heartland of Suwayda on July 18, 2025.

Syria holds first post‑Assad parliamentary vote: What to know

Interim Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa appears in the Citadel of Aleppo in Syria, on May 27, 2025.

Top US general discusses SDF integration with Sharaa in Damascus

CENTCOM

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

Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa attends the opening ceremony of the International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria at Bayan palace, Kuwait City, Kuwait, Jan. 30, 2013.

Syria-Bahrain ties continue to develop with bilateral talks, arrival of ambassador

Bahrain, like its ally the United Arab Emirates, is working to reestablish good ties with Syria.

A youth breaks a window as men smash up shops and homes believed to be owned by Syrian families.

Syrian refugees recount harassment, abuse in Turkey

Syrian refugees in Turkey are living in constant fear among rising attacks, while the Turkish government increases restrictions on them.

Civilians fleeing the battered Islamic State-held holdout of Baghouz.

Syrian Kurds, Arabs join forces to defend Manbij ahead of Turkish military operation

The Syrian Democratic Forces are seeking Arab tribes’ support in Manbij, northeast of Aleppo, ahead of the anticipated Turkish military operation in northern Syria.

A Turkish soldier mans a turret on an infantry fighting vehicle driving near the village of Yazi Bagh.

Why are Turkey’s allies fighting each other in Syria?

Turkey’s handling of recent clashes between allied groups in Syria has called its intention into question, with some arguing that the jihadi outfit controlling Idlib has gained a foothold in Afrin by using a Turkish-linked group as a Trojan horse.

Syria refugees

Analysis

UN: Majority of Syrian refugees don't plan to go home within year

Most Syrian refugees in the Middle East do not plan to return to Syria in the near future.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

(L to R) Director-General of Syria's General Petroleum Corporation Nabih Khrestin.

Egypt-Lebanon gas deal awaits US decision on Syria sanctions

A State Department spokesperson said the administration will review the final contracts and financing terms to address any sanctions concerns.

Syrian rebel fighters for the National Liberation Front advance in a trench.

Idlib sees new escalation between Syrian government, opposition forces

Government forces escalated tensions on the battlefronts in Idlib in response to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham targeting the town of Kassab in the Latakia countryside after installing a statue of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

A woman uses her phone to livestream a traditional "hakawati" storyteller performing late after midnight during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the historic Dar Halabia Hotel in the Bab Antakya area of the Old City of Aleppo, Syria, April 12, 2022.

Women in Idlib face online harassment

Many women in Idlib have been subjected to online harassment and blackmail, where their personal data posted on social media have been exploited for financial or moral gain, or for sexual exploitation purposes.

A Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighter holds a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

Kurdish, Syrian, Iranian forces coordinate ahead of Turkish operation

Kurdish units and Iranian-affiliated factions in Syria have formed a joint operations room under Russian supervision to counter a possible Turkish military operation in northern Syria.

An aerial picture shows Syrian locals near a destroyed truck at the spot where Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman, was reportedly killed in a raid in the village of Ayn al-Bayda near Jarablus, Syria, Oct. 28, 2019.

Breaking | Last Updated: June 17, 2022, 3:34 pm

Senior Islamic State leader detained in US raid in Syria

A senior IS leader was detained by US-led forces during a pre-dawn raid in northern Syria on Thursday.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images

Desperate residents flee Syrian refugee camp as supplies run out

The Syrian regime's siege on the Rukban camp near the Jordanian border has tightened over the past two months, prompting many of the camp’s residents to risk arrest by leaving.

Golani Druze meeting

Syrian jihadi leader courts Druze community in Idlib

The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, continues to market himself as a moderate leader.