Syria Conflict

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander-in-chief Mazloum Kobane speaks during a press conference in Syria's northeastern city of Hasakeh on Dec. 6, 2024.

Explainer

SDF chief Kobane’s Damascus visit a high wire act for Syria’s Kurds

The SDF says its integration with Damascus is complete, but major questions remain over its fighters, weapons and the future of Kurdish self-rule.

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 08: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of Syria (L) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 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 Win McNamee/Getty Images)

US lifts Syria's terror designation after 47 years

The Trump administration also took Hayat Tahrir al-Sham off its blacklist of Specially Designated Global Terrorist organizations.

A Turkish soldier from the 1st Border Regiment Command looks out over the border wall to Syria during alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey.

Analysis

Why Turkey sees Israeli strikes in Syria as warning over its military role, Mecca Pact

Ankara views Israel’s latest strikes in Syria as part of a broader effort to curb Turkey’s military influence in Damascus and a challenge to its regional defense partnerships.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Latest News

Analysis

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

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)

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

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

Burhaanettin Duran

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

Islamabad

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.

Mansour Abbas, head of Israel's conservative Islamic Raam party, speaks in his capacity as Knesset deputy speaker during a plenum session on the state budget on Sept. 2, 2021.

Mansour Abbas’s star turn rattles Israeli politics

Also: Syrian Kurdish leader not worried — yet — about Turkish invasion (exclusive).

Israeli soldiers of the Nahal Brigade take part in a drill near the settlement of Kidmat Tsvi in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, on Oct. 27, 2021.

Israel loses patience with Iranian entrenchment in Syria

Israel has detected increased activity by Iran as it builds up its military presence in Syria.

Camels in Raqqa

Camels weep as their young perish in Syria’s killer drought

Camels are a miserable canary in the coal mine of Syria, which is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years.

Consulate General of the Syrian Arab Republic, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Syria sends consul-general to Dubai

UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus this week.

A member of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham holds the group's flag as others parade with their flags and those of the Taliban's declared "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" through the rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria, Aug. 20, 2021.

Syrian jihadist group mandates apologies, or imprisonment, for criticism

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib, enforces zero tolerance for critics.

A boy looks on next to a stack of olive oil containers at an oil pressing facility belonging to Syrian Kurds.

Backlash after Islamist group in Idlib taxes olive crops

The HTS-affiliated Salvation Government imposed Islamic taxes on olive crops, thus worsening farmers’ plight amid the water scarcity and drought.

HAMZA AL-AJWEH/AFP via Getty Images

Report documents Syrian regime detaining, killing health workers

A new report from Physicians for Human Rights found that health care workers who provided care to injured protesters in the early days of the Syrian civil war were at increased risk of abuse by the government.

President Bashar al-Assad meets with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Damascus, Nov. 9, 2021.

UAE foreign minister meets Assad in Syria

Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s stressed support for stability and the need to end the war during the visit, which the US State Department said it does not support.

Mazlum Kobane (Mazlum Abdi), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Syrian Kurdish commander says Russia opposes further Turkish land grabs

Mazlum Kobane, commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, also says Damascus is not yet ready for negotiations.

Israeli attack

Two soldiers in Syria injured by suspected Israeli airstrikes

Israel has fired missiles in Syrian territory a few times in recent weeks, according to Syrian media.

A general view shows the Syrian flag flying at the Hamidiya market in the old part of Damascus on Nov. 2, 2017.

Iranian business fair coming to Damascus

Iran is a strong ally of Syria and has significant economic interests in the country.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Syrian national army

Why are Turkish-allied formations collapsing in Syria?

Factions pulling out of the recently formed Syrian Liberation Front raise questions about the future of Turkish-backed rebel groups.