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Syria

April 9, 2026

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This handout photograph provided by the Turkish Foreign Ministry press service shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (R) in Damascus on Dec. 22, 2025.

Analysis

How the Iran war can help Syria manage Turkey and its regional rivals

Rising regional tensions and disrupted oil flows are giving Damascus leverage to balance Ankara and other neighbors while exploring alternative energy corridors.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A member of the Popular Mobilization Forces patrols along a concrete wall at the Iraqi-Syrian border in Al-Qaim, west of Iraq, on Jan. 23, 2026.

Syria reopens key crossing after 11 years, aiding Iraq's oil exports amid war

Iraq and Syria have shown a desire to cooperate on oil exports, and the matter has become more urgent due to the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Sharaa, King Charles

In UK visit, Syria’s Sharaa doubles down on Western ties amid Iran war, refugee pressures

After talks with UK leaders on Tuesday, Syria's president said the country would remain neutral in the Iran conflict unless it was targeted.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa depart after speaking to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 30, 2026, in Berlin, Germany.

Analysis

Why Germany may struggle to meet Merz’s 80% Syria repatriation goal

Germany, which hosts the EU’s largest Syrian refugee population, is pushing to repatriate Syrians, but Syria’s domestic issues and legal protections for asylum seekers complicate those efforts.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Latest News

Syria sustains drone attack from Iraq, tackles smuggling tunnels on Lebanon border

Members of the Popular Mobilization Units stand guard along the Iraqi-Syrian border in Al-Qaim, west of Iraq, on Jan. 23, 2026.

Syrian authorities restrict alcohol sales in Damascus: What to know

People drink and chat in a bar in the old town in Damascus on June 19, 2025 in Damascus, Syria.

Top Kurdish critic of Damascus named Syria's deputy defense minister

Sipan Hemo

Syria’s Sharaa blasts Iran’s 'destabilizing' role, moves closer to US, Gulf

A boy walks past an unexploded missile that landed in an open field on the outskirts of Qamishli, eastern Syria, on March 5, 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

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.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Five children dead as Russia resumes bombing in northwest Syria

Tensions escalated on the Idlib front in the wake of the Astana talks held in Tehran as Russian airstrikes killed several children.

This picture taken on Dec. 27, 2021, shows a view of a broken tombstone at the Roman Catholic monastery area in the town of al-Qanayyah.

Syrian jihadi leader Golani meets with Idlib’s Christians

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani met with Christians as part of efforts to reshape the terrorist group's image.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

US focus of ire as Turkey threatens Syria‘s Kurds

Syrian Kurdish leader says Turkish intentions unclear.

Chinese Ambassador to Syria Feng Biao (C) poses for a picture with crew members in Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood during the filming of "Home Operation," Damascus, Syria, July 14, 2022.

Culture

Syrians outraged over Jackie Chan movie shot over rubble of their homes

Syrians who were displaced from Hajar al-Aswad area of Damascus in the past years were shocked to see Chinese film crews standing on the rubble of their homes to shoot a new film by Jackie Chan.

The Assyrian Church of the Virgin Mary, which was previously destroyed in 2015 by the Islamic State, in the village of Tal Nasri, south of the town of Tal Tamr, Hasakah province, Syria, Nov. 15, 2019.

Assyrian family properties in Syria threatened by illegal seizures

The numerous parties to the Syrian war are ignoring the theft and forgeries of properties of minorities in the country, including the properties of Syriac Assyrians who have fled the war.

Turkey-backed Syrian fighters take part in a parade in the rebel-controlled town of Tell Abyad in Raqqa province, Syria, Oct. 13, 2020.

Syrian Kurds seek support amid Turkish threats of military action

Syrian government forces have deployed in north Syria in anticipation of a Turkish military operation.

SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's Khamenei tells Erdogan to avoid military action in north Syria

The Turkish president and his Russian counterpart were both in Tehran for a key regional meeting on the war-torn Syria.

Fighters affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham inspect the site of a reported drone attack that targeted a motorcycle on the eastern edge of the rebel-held Idlib province, Syria, early June 28, 2022.

Syrian government, Russia escalate attacks in Idlib amid looming Turkish operation

Syrian and Russian forces are intensifying their bombing campaign in Syria’s Idlib before the tripartite summit between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian leaders in Tehran, further worrying the Syrian factions.