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Syria

April 9, 2026

Damascus 9:30 pm

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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

Incoming Syrian refugees who were suddenly deported from Turkey await to register with officials as they reenter Syria, at the Bab al-Hawa crossing between Turkey and Syria's northwestern Idlib province, July 24, 2019.

Turkey forcibly deports dozens of Syrians

Turkish authorities have deported about 150 Syrians, even though most had official papers to reside in Turkey, including university students studying at Turkish universities.

Atmeh Syria

Idlib's displaced traumatized by operation that killed IS leader

Residents of the displacement camps near the site of the recent US operation that killed IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi are still terrified of not only a possible return by the Islamic State, but also by the US-led coalition.

Qurashi

Three takeaways from US raid that led to the death of IS's Hajji Abdullah

IS launched its deadliest attack in years just two weeks before Abdullah Qardash was killed during a US special forces raid in Syria.

Qurayshi attack

The death of ISIS’s ‘Hajji Abdullah’: Views from Idlib, Iraq and more

Erdogan’s mediation bid in Ukraine; Tartars in spotlight.

SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images

After Qurayshi's death, who are Mideast's most wanted terrorists?

Following the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraysh, here's a look at what Middle East terrorists remain at large.

Atmeh compound

Women and children among residents killed in US-led Idlib raid

Survivors of the attack near the town of Atmeh in Idlib described a night of terror and uncertainty, listening to the sound of helicopters and gunshots from the raid that killed IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.

AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images

Islamic State leader killed in overnight US raid in Syria

The operation near the Turkish border followed a deadly Islamic State prison break in Syria last month.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Blizzard overwhelms displaced in northwest Syria

A blizzard has destroyed hundreds of tents in the camps of northwest Syria, where thousands of displaced residents live without heat or medical services.

Syrian students study via WhatsApp

Low-cost internet services reach Syria's al-Bab

Internet access in the countryside of Aleppo are rapidly expanding thanks to private companies and intense competition.

Syria Azaz

Turkish-backed rebels step up attacks on Islamic State in north Syria

The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army is cracking down on the Islamic State cells, amid an uptick in suicide attacks in north Syria.

AFP via Getty Images

Fighting resumes at Islamic State prison in Syria

Syria's Kurdish-led alliance had declared the prison secure yesterday.

Russia military

How Russian moves in Syria are linked to Moscow's Ukraine strategy

Large-scale exercises in the Mediterranean are meant both to increase capabilities in Syria and to send a message to NATO.