Syria Conflict

Turkey/Syria border

Analysis

Turkey bets on US deconfliction as Israel widens Syria red lines

As Washington pushes a new deconfliction mechanism between Turkey and Israel, the Jewish state shows little incentive to accept tighter constraints on its freedom of action in Syria, experts say.

Ezgi Akin

Rina Bassist

By Ezgi Akin , Rina Bassist

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 7: U.S. President Donald Trump (L)shakes hands with with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a formal arrival at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during the NATO summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Emrah Gurel - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them

Israeli officials remain skeptical of Turkish and Syrian denials over Ankara’s military ambitions in Syria, warning that a deeper Turkish foothold could threaten Israel’s security and strain its ties with Washington.

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

Burhaanettin Duran

Turkey signals restraint as war of words with Israel escalates over Syria

The Turkish president’s top communications aide says Ankara will not be drawn into the Israeli government's “games” as Washington pushes a Turkey-Israel-Syria deconfliction mechanism.

Islamabad

Syria’s FM pays Pakistan first visit in 19 years amid new regional alignments

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani is paying his office's first visit to Pakistan in nearly two decades after Islamabad, Ankara and Riyadh signed a joint defense pact.

Latest News

Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas

President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 19, 2026.

In first, Lebanon to hand over former Syrian general to Sharaa government

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on Aug. 18, 2026, shows Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan (C) during the sentencing of Wassim al-Assad.

Syria announces capture of senior ISIS official near Manbij: What to know

SANA

Jared Szuba

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

What we know about Israeli strikes on Syrian air base tied to Turkey

A tank is seen at the Abu Duhur military airport area in Idlib province, on Jan. 21, 2018.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a press conference after a Cabinet meeting to discuss both trade negotiations with the US and the situation in the Middle East, at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 2025. Canada "intends" to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday, a dramatic policy shift he said was necessary to preserve hopes of a two-state solution. (Photo by Dave CHAN / AFP) (Photo by

Canada becomes latest Western country to lift Syria sanctions: What to know

Like the US, Canada had strained relations with Syria during the civil war but is now showing signs of engagement.

Members of People's Defense Units (YPG) stand guard as Syrian government internal security personnel enter the northeastern city of Hasakeh, a Kurdish stronghold, on Feb. 2, 2026.

Feature

After SDF-Damascus truce, is Kurdish haven still safe for Syria's Alawites?

Thousands of Alawites who fled violence in western Syria now face uncertainty as the Syrian government and Kurdish forces reach a tentative truce.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L), Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani (3rd R) and SDF commander Mazlum Kobane (4th R) meet on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, on Feb. 13, 2026 in Munich.

Rubio holds joint talks with Syria's FM, SDF commander in Munich

SDF commander-in-chief Gen. Mazloum Kobane said it was a "positive session."

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in a prison where men suspected to be afiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakeh on Oct. 26, 2019.

US military completes evacuation of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq

The detainee transfer opens the door for US troops to further withdraw from Syria ahead of a potential military confrontation with Iran.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

US military pulls out of Syria’s Al-Tanf garrison in major shift

Initially established as an outpost for US special operators to disrupt the Islamic State's control of the Syria-Iraq border, the base evolved into a key node for the Pentagon's efforts to monitor Iran's expanding military activity in the Levant.

Jared Szuba

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

A campfire burns inside al-Hol camp on Jan. 26, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Exclusive

Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq

The detainees were handed over from SDF custody to the US-led coalition for transfer to Iraqi prisons.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

SDF commander in chief, Mazlum Kobane, meets with Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on Feb. 5, 2026.

Exclusive

100 non-Syrian Kurds return to PKK’s Qandil stronghold under SDF-Damascus deal

The transfer of non-Syrian PKK fighters to Iraq’s Qandil Mountains follows a US-brokered SDF-Damascus deal aimed at easing tensions and preserving Kurdish forces under national army oversight.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a meeting with Russian President at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 28, 2026. (Photo by MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

In Syria, Sharaa's brothers take spotlight with Saudi, Russian dealings

Hazem al-Sharaa is playing a key role in Syria’s economic development and ties with the Gulf, while Maher al-Sharaa is involved in diplomacy with Russia, though another brother has reportedly fallen out of favor with the president.

A person with a motorbike stands on the side of a road as US-led coalition plane operates at a base on Jan. 26, 2026 in Al-Shaddadi, Syria.

US troops pull out of Shaddadi base in Syria: What to know

The base has been a hub for American troops between the central city of Hasakah and the strategic Khabur River Valley, once the gateway to the Islamic State's oil-producing heartland.

Jared Szuba

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

This picture shows a Syrian Arab Airlines Airbus A320-200 aircraft and the control tower at Damascus international airport as the new Syrian authorities prepare to reopen it, on December 16, 2024. Damascus's airspace reopened on December 12, the airport director told AFP, after a closure since December 8, when president Bashar al-Assad's government fell. Syrian Airlines aircraft maintenance director said takeoffs and landing would be decided by the transport ministry, adding that the carrier hoped to "expan

Analysis

Saudi-backed airline to test Syria’s aviation recovery

The new airline is already set to face leasing, financing and market obstacles.

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

A picture shows a view of a street with access to a detention center under the Adliyeh (Palace of Justice) bridge (L) of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on Aug. 7, 2022.

Lebanon, Syria sign deal to transfer 300 Syrian prisoners: What we know

Lebanon and Syria signed a deal to transfer more than 300 convicted Syrians held in Lebanese prisons to their home country to complete their sentences.

Members of Syrian security forces at the entrance of the al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakah province which holds around 24,000 people, including some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities on Jan. 21, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Feature

Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol

Chaos at al-Hol during clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus underscored the widening security vacuum amid Kurdish claims of US abandonment.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture