In UN spotlight, Syria’s Sharaa meets Rubio in New York Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to become the first Syrian president since 1967 to address the annual United Nations summit. Syria
Sharaa’s New York blitz: Syria seeks economic revival in first UN visit in 58 years Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is in New York on a landmark visit during which he will address the UN General Assembly as he seeks to break Syria’s isolation. Syria
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. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
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. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Humanitarian crisis looms in south Syria town amid ongoing government siege With the support of Russia, Syrian government forces are besieging 11,000 Syrian families in the neighborhoods of Daraa al-Balad in southern Syria, after former Free Syrian Army fighters refused to hand over their light weapons. Syria
UN extends Syria cross-border assistance in compromise with Russia The UN Security Council agreed to a six-month cross-border aid extension, followed by another six-month extension subject to reporting from the UN secretary-general. Syria
Biden's airstrikes fail to halt cycle of militia violence in Iraq The Pentagon says it is taking a recent spate of drone and rocket attacks "deadly seriously." Syria
Russia, Iran, Turkey wrap Syria talks as border vote looms The three countries gathered in Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, for the 16th round of the Astana talks aimed at resolving the decadelong war. Syria
World Food Programme sounds alarm as food prices rise in MidEast Currency depreciation and pandemic job losses in neighboring Lebanon and Syria have contributed to major food inflation in both countries. Syria
Syrian opposition organizes Arabian horse festival In the areas controlled by the Turkish-backed opposition in the countryside of Aleppo, equestrian sports are alive with the first purebred Arabian horse festival. Syria
Turkey’s anti-PKK assault leaves Kurds more divided Turkey’s unremitting assault against the PKK is destabilizing Iraqi Kurdistan, weakening the rebels on the one hand while bolstering support for them among disaffected locals on the other. Iraq
Defections threaten Ahrar al-Sham jihadist movement in Syria Once considered by some Western observers as a formidable opposition movement, Ahrar al-Sham is experiencing major defections and facing survival challenges. Syria
Syrian Kurdish authorities issue work cards for children The Child Protection Office affiliated with the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration in Manbij has started issuing work cards for children ages 10 to 18, in a move it claims aims to avoid forced conscription by the Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria
Turkish-controlled Syrian region faces water crisis The drop in the groundwater level and the drying up of some artesian wells have caused a water crisis in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, and many citizens have been struggling with the high prices of drinking water sold from cisterns. Syria
Syrian jihadist group ramps up efforts to oust rivals from Idlib Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, has asked a Chechen jihadist group to either join its ranks or leave the battlefronts, in a move that many consider to be part of HTS' policy to have its name removed from international terrorist lists. Syria
Islamic State exploits economic downturn in Iraq, Syria, US envoy says John Godfrey said the thousands of suspected Islamic State fighters held in northeast Syria constitute a security threat to the region. Syria