Syria Conflict

Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, permanent representative of Iran to the UN, gives a statement after a UN Security Council meeting on June 13, 2025, in New York City.

Analysis

Iran warns of Israeli plots in Syria amid its own anxieties over lost leverage

Beneath Iran's warning at the United Nations lies a deeper strategic concern, as its long-standing influence is under unprecedented strain in the post-Assad landscape.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A destroyed Syrian army battle tank lies abandoned near the ancient ruins of Palmyra in central Syria on Feb. 7, 2025.

US bombs ISIS targets in Syria in retaliation for Palmyra insider attack

The Islamic State has not claimed direct credit for the ambush by a member of Syria's domestic security forces that killed three American personnel in Palmyra last week.

People shop in a market on June 17, 2025 in Damascus, Syria.

Senate vote paves way for Trump to repeal Syria’s Caesar sanctions

President Trump is poised to sign bipartisan legislation scrapping the sanctions that are seen as a major obstacle to Syria's economic recovery.

The Internal Security Directorate in the Zabadani area of rural Damascus thwarted an attempt to smuggle a shipment of weapons and seized large quantities of RPG shells that were hidden in an organized manner and prepared for smuggling towards Lebanon, on Dec. 17, 2025.

Syria foils major arms smuggling attempt to Lebanon: What we know

Syrian authorities have stepped up operations targeting smuggling attempts mainly destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon since the fall of President Bashar al‑Assad’s regime last year.

Latest News

Analysis

Trump's Syria envoy Barrack tests Israel's patience as Netanyahu pushes back

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with US special envoy Tom Barrack, Jerusalem, Dec. 15 2

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

Analysis

Will deadly Palmyra attack accelerate SDF's integration into Syrian forces?

Armed personnel of SDF and public security forces of the new Syrian government stand guard in al-Ramun district of Aleppo, Syria, on April 3, 2025.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Ahmed al-Ahmed, Syrian Australian who fought off Hanukkah attackers, recovering from surgery

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns meets with Ahmed al-Ahmed in the hospital on Dec. 15, 2025.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Analysis

As Turkey’s East Med isolation deepens, will Ankara seek maritime Syria deal?

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides signs documents with Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny, as Lebanon's president, Joseph Aoun, looks on during an agreement signing ceremony at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on Nov. 26, 2025.

Ezgi Akin

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

The ancient ruins of Palmyra are pictured in central Syria at sunrise on Aug. 24, 2025.

Two US soldiers, interpreter killed in ISIS ambush in Syria, Pentagon says

The deadliest attack on American troops in Syria in years comes as the Pentagon aims to reduce its footprint while building trust with Damascus-aligned forces to take on ISIS together.

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Culture

In first, Syria approves restoration of Jewish property, synagogues

The new organization is the latest sign of Damascus’ outreach to Syria's dwindled Jewish community.

Syrian Kurds, fleeing from north of Aleppo, arrive in Tabqa, on the western outskirts of Raqa, on Dec. 4, 2024.

Feature

Kurds from Syria's Afrin languish in camps as Sharaa, SDF remain unreconciled

One year after Assad’s fall, displaced Kurds from Afrin remain in camps such as Azadi, facing harsh conditions, property disputes and an uncertain future amid stalled talks with Damascus and ongoing Turkish-backed faction activity.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Israeli special forces secure the area along the border fence, near the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on July 17, 2025.

Syria says Israel made arrest in south as US pushes for deal: What to know

Israeli military actions in Syria continue despite American efforts toward a security deal, with one minister recently saying that “war is inevitable.”

TOPSHOT - Syrian and Lebanese people in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli celebrate on December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they have taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by Fathi AL-MASRI / AFP) (Photo by FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images)

Clashes and protests in Lebanon over Syria's anniversary: What we know

As celebrations erupted in Lebanon to commemorate the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah supporters held counter-rallies.

An employee works at the Rmailan oil field in the northeastern Syria, near the border with Turkey, on Jan. 8, 2025.

Saudi Arabia deepens footprint in Syria with four new oil and gas deals

The year-old Syrian government looks to revive the country’s energy sector, in part by signing deals with international companies and attracting foreign direct investment.

US President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem.

Israel, US send mixed signals on Gaza phase 2 before Trump-Netanyahu meeting

The US president is expected to press Netanyahu to advance the second phase of the Gaza plan, halt plans for a large-scale strike on Hezbollah in Lebanon and compromise on issues related to Syria.

TOPSHOT - This aerial view shows people gathering to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the uprising against Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad for the first time since he was toppled in the Umayyad Square in the centre of Damascus on March 15, 2025. The rally in Damascus was the capital's first after years of repression under Assad, during which the square was the sole preserve of the ousted president's supporters. Activists called on people to hold similar demonstrations in the major cities of Homs

As Syria marks one year since Assad fall, some minorities skip celebrations

Despite President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s vows to protect all of Syria’s communities, sectarian violence has spiked against the minorities, namely against Alawites and Druze.

People shop in a market on June 17, 2025 in Damascus, Syria.

US set to scrap Syria sanctions as Caesar Act repeal heads to vote

The annual defense bill calls for the full repeal of the Caesar Act without conditions.

Israeli Druze from Majdal Shams crossed into Syria on July 16, 2025, to assist relatives in nearby villages following a reported massacre of Druze civilians by Syrian army forces and allied militias.

Analysis

Under US pressure, Israel softens Syria tone but is wary of Sharaa

The Trump administration has been pressuring Israel to reach a security deal with Syria, but talks are at a stalemate as both sides hold firm.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Security personnel from the Syrian Ministry of Interior stand outside the Justice Palace ahead of the first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year, in Aleppo on November 18, 2025. The first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year began on November 18, an AFP journalist in the courtroom said. The massacres in March, whic

Feature

A year since Assad’s fall, Aleppo trial tests Syria’s transitional justice

Syria recently launched its first open trial on the deadly sectarian violence in March, but questions about judicial independence and political influence make the upcoming hearings a major test of accountability in post-Assad Syria as the first anniversary of Assad’s fall approaches.

Alessandra Bajec

By Alessandra Bajec

An aerial view shows the destruction across Yarmouk camp, Damascus, Syria, on November 8, 2025. Established in 1957, Yarmouk was once the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria, but years of conflict left much of it in ruins. (Photo by Omar Albaw / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

Syria’s new order faces old problems: Sanctions, reconstruction and volatility

Although President Ahmed al-Sharaa has obtained major commitments from potential foreign investors, the economic and political challenges ahead remain significant.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech