Syria Conflict

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.

Analysis

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

Following the Palmyra attack, analysts say the SDF may face growing pressure to align with Damascus.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US Army soldiers stand near armored military vehicles on the outskirts of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, bordering Turkey, on March 27, 2023.

Pentagon identifies two US Army soldiers killed in Syria attack

Syria's government said it arrested five people on Sunday following the attack that killed three Americans and wounded several others, but it has offered no clarity about how the gunman was able to approach what should have been a secure meeting.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

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

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

Ahmed is recovering from surgery after being injured while tackling one of the shooters during an attack on a Jewish gathering in Australia, as he receives an outpouring of support for his actions.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

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.

Analysis

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

Lebanon-Cyprus maritime agreements have further increased Turkey and Turkish Cypriots’ isolation in the Eastern Mediterranean amid growing Cypriot-Greek-Israeli alignment.

Ezgi Akin

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

Latest News

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

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

Culture

In first, Syria approves restoration of Jewish property, synagogues

rabbi

Feature

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

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

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

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.

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.

An aerial view shows the Halwaniya neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria on Apr. 12, 2025.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia to pay off Syria’s $15M World Bank debt: What to know

Both Gulf states have played a key role in the diplomatic outreach of Syria's new government.