Syria Conflict

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Syria-Israel talks reportedly intensify as Trump asks Sharaa to normalize: What to know

Following President Donald Trump’s call for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords, multiple contacts have reportedly taken place between Israeli and Syrian officials.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) shakes hands with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) reacts.

US-Syria thaw advances as Rubio meets Shaibani in Turkey: What to know

Top US, Syrian and Turkish diplomats discussed counterterrorism cooperation and regional stability in a landmark Turkey meeting.

People queue outside the main headquarters of the Central Bank of Syria to exchange US dollars at prices lower than the black market, in Damascus on December 30, 2024. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Syria’s central bank chief: US sanctions relief a ‘turning point’

Abdulkader Husrieh discusses how sanctions relief could impact Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system.

Abdulkader Husrieh

Abdulkader Husrieh

Syrian central bank governor

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - MAY 15: U.S. President Donald J. Trump is greeted by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan upon his arrival on May 15, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Trump is on the third day of his visit to the Gulf to underscore the strategic partnership between the United States and regional allies including the UAE, focusing on security and economic collaboration. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

As Trump lands in UAE, tech and trade to dominate agenda, not defense

The Emirati official said that the US' easing of sanctions on Syria is “the right thing to do,” but expressed concerns about stability and safety of minorities in the country.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Latest News

Erdogan thanks Trump for ‘historic’ Syria decision during Sharaa meeting

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks adjusts his earpiece during bilateral talks with the US President the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 11, 2023.

Trump to Syria's Sharaa: Recognize Israel, expel foreign fighters

audi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L), US President Donald Trump (C) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) pose for a photo in Riyadh on May 14, 2025.

Analysis

Trump wants to lift all US sanctions on Syria: Can he?

People celebrate in Damascus' Omeyyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP) (Photo by ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Adam Lucente

By Rosaleen Carroll , Adam Lucente

Analysis

A first in 15 years, Rubio to meet Syria’s FM in Turkey: What to know

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attend a bilateral meeting between the US President and Saudi Crown Prince in Riyadh on May 13, 2025.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a “coffee ceremony” at the Saudi Royal Court on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Trump to lift Syria sanctions, meet with Sharaa in Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump said his administration would take steps to normalize relations with Syria’s fledgling government.

Smoke billows near a military hospital in Harasta, northeast Damascus, following Israeli airstrikes across Syria overnight on May 3, 2025.

Jordan, Turkey, Syria FMs slam 'Israeli expansionism' after Ankara meeting

Jordanian, Turkish and Syrian top diplomats have criticized Israeli attacks on Syria.

Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, signs the country's constitutional declaration, which will be enforced throughout a five-year transitional period, at the presidential palace in Damascus on March 13, 2025.

Exclusive

Syria's Sharaa pledges to form task force for missing Americans

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has promised the daughter of a missing American to take action as Damascus seeks relief from crippling US sanctions.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa upon arriving for a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, Paris, May 7, 2025.

Exclusive

Skepticism shrouds Syria-Israel indirect talks with bets on Sharaa

Sources told Al-Monitor that shortly after Sharaa visited the UAE last month, an unofficial meeting between Syrian and Israeli delegations took place at an Abu Dhabi villa owned by an Emirati government official.

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

France s President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa upon his arrival for their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 7, 2025. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Paris on May 7, state media reported, on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. (Photo by Magali Cohen / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by MAGALI COHEN/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa confirms indirect talks with Israel

Sharaa said that the negotiations are meant to "calm the situation and prevent it from spiraling out of control."

Tom Nicholson/Getty Images

Macron after meeting Sharaa: Lifting Syria sanctions 'in everyone's interest'

French President Emmanuel Macron is rolling out the red carpet for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in hopes of gaining regional influence.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) leaves a bilateral room after his meeting with Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, on April 11, 2025. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria’s Sharaa heads to France on first EU trip as Macron eyes influence

The visit follows Syria’s new government striking a deal with a major French company for the operation of the Latakia port, as well as bouts of sectarian violence in the country.

Turkey's minister of foreign affairs, Hakan Fidan, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, on April 11, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan visits UAE for talks on Syria, Gaza: What to know

The top Turkish diplomat’s visit to the UAE comes amid heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel over Syria.

Syrian Kurds wave flags bearing pictures of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, as they gather in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria to listen to a message from the jailed leader on February 27, 2025. Ocalan issued a historic call on February 27 for his Kurdish militant force to disband and his fighters to lay down their arms. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images) SYRIA-TURKEY-CONFLICT-KURDS

Analysis

Can Turkey stomach autonomy for Syrian Kurds? Iraq offers cautionary model

Ankara’s decades-long resistance to Kurdish autonomy is being tested as Syrian Democratic Forces seem to be insisting on decentralization.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Syrian government forces as conflicts intensify between them and the Druze in Sahnaya, April 30, 2025.

Analysis

‘We can reach him’: Israel strikes Damascus in warning to Sharaa over Druze attacks

An Israeli airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus was intended to send President Ahmed al-Sharaa a message after armed attacks against Syria's Druze community.

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

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syria Druze leader decries 'genocidal attack' as clashes leave 101 dead

The Syrian government rejected calls for foreign intervention after a Druze leader slammed Damascus over the latest bout of sectarian violence in the country.

AFP via Getty Images

Assad's tycoon cousin, Rami Makhlouf, forms militia on Syria's Alawite coast: What we know

Rami Makhlouf, cousin of deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said on social media he is working with former commander Suhail al-Hassan following the massacres of Alawites on the coast.